Seeing as it’s anonymous… where is your vote going?

[Wheresyourvote]

My views -

Conservative - Potentially had a tough ride with Covid & brexit aftermath to navigate. However, looking at the state of the NHS & the ever increasing price rises in almost everything… how could I vote them in again?

Labour - Almost feels like the only likely alternative. Change is as good as any? But Keir starmer does precisely 0 for me. I cannot get passionate about him.

Greens - Won our constituency a while ago, whilst I appreciate what they stand for the changes they made locally have had a negative impact on the average citizen IMO.

Reform - Nigel Farage is DIFFERENT, I don’t think that can be denied. Part of me thinks bold and controversial is what we need and the other thinks he is a brilliant campaigner and is just playing up to the people trying to act like ‘one of the working class’ to garner votes.

Where is your vote going?

Was going Lib Dem. But just seen their policy to allow any man to become legally female based purely on the word of that man. No explanation about how this would work in practice (single sex spaces, prisons, refuges, women’s sport etc). So no.

Not Tory

might have to be labour as least worst option BUT I think a big majority will mean massive tax hikes which will have to be from places like pensions as they have ruled everything else out,

so no idea really

The choices in my constituency are Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem, Green and Reform.

I'm going to have to spoil my ballot paper, sadly.

How can it be that there is NO ONE I feel able to vote for? I'm just a normal, left-leaning woman and I am politically homeless. It's absolutely gutting.

But why would you rather not vote or spoil your ballot than vote?

They are the choices we have
none are perfect
but some are considerably less shit than others

wouldn’t you rather vote for less shit?

Some people don't consider any of the parties on offer less shit than each other, myself included.

@IClaudine "But the inference that there is an evil left wing plot to hijack Starmer's centrist agenda and turn the UK into a communist hell-hole is designed to frighten the gullible into voting Tory"

You mean there isn't?????

@TheSingingBean

"How can it be that there is NO ONE I feel able to vote for? I'm just a normal, left-leaning woman and I am politically homeless. It's absolutely gutting"

I am in exactly the same situation as you. It also frustrates me that the majority of people voting Lib Dem or Labour are doing it because they want the Conservatives removed from power, which whilst I can sympathise with that view it means that Lib Dem and Labour MPs get elected simply on the basis that they are not Conservatives rather than their actual policies.

I’m voting Green. Nothing is more important than addressing the forthcoming environmental catastrophe

Labour. I’m in a safe Labour seat but I’m left by heart. Im not green enough to vote for Greens and a bit suspicious about Lib Dems after their coalition with Conservatives.

SDLP or Alliance.

Rayner is a class act. Whatever your political opinions, people, especially women, can surely admire and respect her achievements.

Grew up in poverty with no books at home because her mother was illiterate. Left school at 16, pregnant and with no qualifications. Worked as a carer; one of the most important and yet undervalued roles in the country.

First elected as an MP 9 years ago. About to become deputy PM.

She hasn’t broken the glass ceiling. She has obliterated it.

Voting Reform this time

I think on balance I will vote Reform. Vote Tories, get Labour. Vote Labour, get Tories. Both are practically the same thing anyway and the country needs a change to shake things up a bit.

Reform would form a very strong opposition to Labour, and are also in favour of proportional representation, which would help a lot of the smaller parties like the Lib Dems and Greens etc who get a not insignificant share of the vote, but due to the current FPTP system, end up with hardly any seats. An end to the flip-flopping never ending two party disaster. Can't be any worse surely?

I was kicked out of school at 15 as I was pregnant. Working class family, lived in a council estate. Sorted my shit out and have done well for myself.

Angela Raynor does not represent me. I can’t stand her and she certainly isn’t classy. She’s just a rent a gob and embarrassing. Her conduct on Twitter is beyond embarrassing

I didn’t say she was classy. I said a class act. Quite different.

My point was that you don’t have to like her as a person to admire her achievements.

Rich, public school boys don’t represent most of us yet politics is full of them. We need more Rayners. She probably understands you better than most.

I don’t think she is a class act either sorry. Just because she sounds working class doesn’t mean she is good enough to represent the U.K. or deal with important issues. She acts like she would knock you out in the pub if you pissed her off. I know loads of gob shites like her.

I don't want replicas of me running the country just for the sake of it. I want intelligent, professional people who know what they are doing - I don’t care if they are from an estate or anywhere else. ( And I’m certainly not saying there is intelligent people in the tories!) and she is certainly milking the system just like like the tories!

Her conduct on Twitter is beyond unprofessional and shocking and I’m shocked that Keir allowed such a senior MP behave so unprofessional. She is good at inflaming things I’ll give you that. She is good at getting people riled up but being able to deal with world leaders and navigate this country out of the mess it’s in … no. A good local MP yes - but not deputy leader of the Uk

And what she did to Rosie Duffield is disgusting.

I think the older woman get I see they are all just a bunch of clowns.

I do actually like Starmer. I think currently he is most likely the most intelligent out of all the parties. His hands were tied over trans issues as his party bought so heavily in to it and he ended up embarrassing himself. There is a few from the tories that I like too. I wish they would just team together tbh

That’s not true at all. SNP don’t have a majority because of PR. The greens would never have 7 MSPs if it wasn’t for PR. It does make a difference even if you haven’t liked the results.

I just looked at Reform and initially they look very appealing based on their stances on biological reality and free speech.

Digging around in their policies though and they want the 'disabled, sick, vulnerable and unemployed' to all get off benefits, and think getting a job is the solution to mental health problems.

The routine of a job and the boost to self-worth can definitely help someone's mental health, if their difficulties aren't too severe and it's a reasonable job and not one where you're paid poorly, treated worse, and have no steady schedule or income because you're on a zero hour contract. And even the nicest job is not going to be helpful to someone having an active mental health crisis - recovery has to happen first.

I have never been on benefits, but I was in a position where my savings could support me when I had mental health issues and couldn't work. I'd actually happily pay a bit more tax so that people who felt as bad as I used to but don't have that option have a safety net to fall back on.

Can't vote Labour for numerous other reasons though (mentioned upthread I'd be spoiling my ballot, decided to take a look at Reform just in case)

Mental health is a hard one. My mother had sickness benefits due to mental health but also worked in cafe. So I know people do play the system. My cousin at the moment is in severe crisis mentally and is having fits because her brain just can’t deal with the trauma she has been through. I’ve begged her to sign off work which she has just done. So I also know there are definitely real cases.

But there must be a system for people who have been off work for years because of ‘metal health’

Same again for disability. Having a disability doesn’t mean you can’t work although som disability makes it impossible.

Have you got a link id like to look through them. I like Ben Habib

I do think PIP needs to be reviewed and means tested.

My FIL has over a hundred thousand pounds in the bank. Owns his property outright. A generous pension, full state pension etc…. and receives PIP and a Motability car because he has mobility problems. A brand new car every three years and he only does about 1000 miles a year. I’m really really struggling to see why the taxpayer should pay for it when he can easily afford to pay for it himself.

I do believe in a welfare state but I honestly don’t think there should ever be a system where the taxpayer pays for something a person or family can easily afford themselves. I know we can’t discriminate against disability and health problems, but is it really discrimination to ask for people to pay their own way if they can afford it?

Maybe it’s controversial but I really struggle with wealthy people getting free money they don’t need.

Would you include pensioners in this, out of interest?
Both my parents and my ILs have £75k+ in the bank and state and private pensions far in excess of their needs now. They both own £300k+ properties outright.
Both sets get free bus passes, TV licences and winter fuel payments of £600 last year.
To be honest, the tax changes for pensioners announced by the Tories was the first nail in the coffin for me. I am far nearer pension age than most on here I guess but I struggle to understand why income from a pension should be treated any differently from any other income.

Means testing PIP would probably be counter productive. The system is already expensive to administer, means testing would add to that enormously.

You FIL has a lot of money (how do you know how much he has in the bank) but if he has mobility problems bad enough to get the higher rate of mobility element of PIP it it is likely that he will need care in the future as he gets frailer. His savings will be needed for care costs or changes to his home etc. exactly the extra costs of disability that PIP is meant to mitigate.

If PIP was means tested that might encourage people to spend their savings instead of putting the money aside for future care costs etc., costing the state more in the long run.

and receives PIP and a Motability car because he has mobility problems

Just to add that this is not quite right. You don't get the mobility component of PIP and a Motability car. The former is used to pay for the latter.

Preferably Labour. But I'll wait for the MRP polling for my area because it's close between Cons, Labour and Lib Dem. Won't be voting for Cons.

LibDem for my MP. If we had direct elections for Prime Minister, I'd probably vote for Starmer.

Same. Voting Green. They won't get in in my constituency; but I still feel the actual votes are noticed, and I want the government to know many of us recognise the climate emergency.
I can't vote Labour this time (did last time) as they're too right-wing for me now.