Long-standing Conservative voters thread

[Katypp]

Any one else who has - up to this point at least - been a Tory voter?
I have voted Conservative at every national election (I am late 50s). This one is probably the most likely to change. Purely because I think new blood would be a good idea. I live in a very Labour area and have never shared my colours with anyone from being in my early 20s.
Given the fact that the Tories usually win, I suspect there are a lot like me.
I know it's a big ask, but I hope thar this might be a sensible thread for other natural Tory voters to discuss the election and not be called names and shouted down like we are on every other thread.
If you are a Labour voter, please don't hijack the thread and tell us how wrong we are. There is free speech in the UK and we are just as entitled to hold our opinion as you are to hold yours.

I voted for Lib Dems - (I think) this is the first time I have not voted Conservative

Well said.
Any party that declares trans rights trump 🤯 woman’s rights are a disgrace.

We all have equal rights and a right to protection. No one trumps another.

Great choice IMO

When The Sun and The Times think its time for a change of government and Starmer has won the right it shows how awful the government have been. Both staunch Tory papers.

They know what a mess the country is in and want Labour to take over so they can then blame them for not fixing it. I seem to recall the Tories blamed Labour for about 11 years after becoming elected for anything that didn't go well.

There have only been around 5 Labour governments as opposed to numerous Tory ones. So much damage done though.

Still undecided here! According to the polls here it's a coin toss between Con and Lib Dem so I shall be rereading the leaflets that have come through our door tonight.

We've got some pretty major local issues that need addressing so I suspect my vote will be swayed by whoever I think will best address those.

I am a floating voter. Mainly sit centrally. Previously had a Tory candidate who I rate. Boundaries moved and I cannot bring myself to vote for the current (also Tory) MP. Far right of centre with awful regressive views on many aspects of modern life. I will be voting tactically.

There have been some awful leaders and serious lapses in judgement but to be fair, the current Gov have been dealt one of the worst hands in history and took over from a very low point (after the last Labour run):

1. Prolonged recession 2008-2013 (much of this coincided with a Labour gov), did not bounce back from until around 2016
2. European debt crisis (Gordon Brown was disastrous selling off gold reserves, flooding the commodity market then having to buy back at huge losses, billions; same again with buying Euros, costing billions, lost our reserves and credit rating!)
3. Brexit - Cameron as PM was a remainer and urged people to vote for Remain (tbh it was old Farage that campaigned for Brexit calling Cameron's hand and forcing a referendum in which people were stupid enough to vote Brexit)
4. Covid (once in a century)
5. Russia/Ukraine
6. Israel/Palestine

For what it's worth, even though with little charisma, Rishi strikes me as principled, hard working and decent. He promised inflation would be down and has delivered. Don't agree with Rwanda or his Brexit stance but I think he's got a good brain on him but needs to look through the ranks and make some better people selections.

I agree with this. They have been handed a bum deal and there's no way of knowing how Labour would have dealt with any of these problems. Coming along two years after the event and criticising with the benefit of hindsight doesn't count.

I think @visionahead 's spin on the Tory years is overly kind. In 2010, the economy was growing again after the global financial crisis. Then came austerity - it's notable that those countries which opted for stimulus rather than austerity came out of the crisis better; the lengthy recession in the UK was at least partly due to the Tories' own ideology of small statism, which led to austerity being implemented. This also had an adverse impact on the UK's credit rating. Further credit rating impacts can be directly attributed to Tory policy - the Brexit decision for one, and that was 100% the Tories' own fault.

Cameron did not have to hold a referendum - that was a party political choice. Having called the referendum, he could have set a threshold for leaving instead of a simple majority. He could have spent some time thinking about what Leave would look like and make that clear to the electorate. He did none of those things. Again, down to a Tory PM.

COVID was indeed a once in a century event - but the impact of COVID on the UK was worse because of the Tories' previous poor decision making. The way PPE contracts and furlough were handled was also incompetent.

And as for Sunak claiming he lowered inflation - he should only have been allowed to make that claim if he was also going to accept he caused high inflation. He did not; but neither did his actions cause it to fall.

It's exhausting listening to people making excuses for the Tories. If they want to come back as a political party to be taken seriously, they and everyone who supported them need to own their serious mistakes and clarify how they're going to do better.

pointythings
In 2010, the economy was growing again after the global financial crisis

Guardian March 2010

Alistair Darling admitted that Labour's planned cuts in public spending will be "deeper and tougher" than Margaret Thatcher's in the 1980s, as the country's leading experts on tax and spending warned that Britain faces "two parliaments of pain" to repair the black hole in the state's finances.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies said hefty tax rises and Whitehall spending cuts of 25% were in prospect during the six-year squeeze lasting until 2017...

www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/mar/25/alistair-darling-cut-deeper-margaret-thatcher

If they want to come back as a political party to be taken seriously, they and everyone who supported them need to own their serious mistakes and clarify how they're going to do better.

Amen to that. I think they’re going to be spend a long time in the wilderness before that happens though. They’re going to be in the denial and anger stages of grief for a long time.

BIossomtoes
anger stages of grief for a long time

Were you angry and grief stricken after the 2019 election? Poor you.

Miaow.

I think Brown's handling of this was universally seen as hugely detrimental and he's admitted some culpability too:

https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/business/finance-strategy/ifs-blasts-browns-financial-mismanagement

I've always tended towards conservative views and think the National Service idea is a good one, but cannot imagine it working in real life. Young people don't have the mindset for that anymore, many parents would also object so it's a non-starter.

I agree, a massive issue to introduce it here as we've not had it for so long. But I think it's inevitable whoever gets in. The rest of Europe are talking about either introducing or reintroducing mandatory national service due to Putin and the broader threatening geopolitical nature.

I'm actually not completely opposed to National Service - if the young people serving get something back for it. So looking at the Finnish model of doing it, where young people are paid and get free university tuition out of it.

The Tory proposal for reintroducing NS was useless - it was basically using young people as free labour rather than actually teaching them skills that would be useful in defence. It was all about punishing young people for being young. That is not the way to go.

Labour 🌹

Gransnet is (by the majority of those that give a view), more Labour or Greens than Tory.🤷‍♀️

National Service could be a good idea. But it will need organising. That is ORGANISING.
So far I don't know what Rishi had in mind when he jotted down those notes.
Is it to give a sense of discipline to the feckless.
Is it to give the country an organisation that would be mobilised in an emergency. If so where will it fit in with other organisations such as Red Cross, WRVS, St John Ambulance & others.
Some Nordic countries have these already. One is more militaristic, they see it as a proto resistance movement if invaded. (forget which) others are First Aid & being generally useful.
Lack of thought so far.

As it’s for 18 year olds parents don’t really have a say.
The threat from places such as Russia has highlighted the need for NS in other countries so I’d worry we won’t be prepared if the need arises.

Yep, Gransnet member here. Both DH and I vote Labour. The Tory demographic tends to be older than people think. Those of us in our 60s and 70s were teenagers and young adults in the 1960s and 70s. We are not the Vera Lynn generation!

I voted Lib Dem. I just can't endorse the conservatives this time. I hate the lib dems on womems rights, but I'm not letting perfect be the enemy of the good. I actually feel quite relieved that my part is over.

While I sympathise Labour now, I want the strongest possible opposition long term too. So I put a clothes peg on my nose and voted Tory today. It's tactical. I really don't rate our local MP to do more than hoover the red wine, but she speaks for an occupation that is going to be legged over in any move back toward Europe. Which is also at least partly an environmental issue.