Lifelong Labour voters: how are you feeling?

[VerlynWebbe]

I ask because DH and I were discussing this last night.
He is of the opinion that he'll do anything that gets the Tories out, even if he has to hold his nose a bit.
I can't do it, though. I can't get over their inaction over the genocide in Gaza. Like, I can't imagine walking into a polling booth and setting aside that massive abdication of morals.
But I know things are fucked in Britain as well.
I really find it upsetting and wondered if anyone else feels the same.

The comment was related to people who look at the parlous state of our roads, the sewage in the rivers etc etc and still say 'Oh but Gaza...'. Some of them are Muslim and may feel strongly about Gaza ( by no means all Muslims care about Gaza more than they also want a decent education for their UK born children, better infrastructure etc). Its about people who don't really care if their vote lets the Tories in again, because they are somewhat cushioned from poor public services etc, because they can afford private health insurance if they need, can fly off the the Caribbean if the beaches get too dirty, don't really care about rising food prices caused by the Houthi's turning ships round in major commercial shipping routes, can absorb higher transport costs etc. And will probably benefit from a Tory government, while they show their friends how moralistic they are on Gaza.

Generally speaking the people I know who are most worked up about Gaza are also worked up about the NHS and poverty. I feel the right would call this virtue signalling. I think huge numbers of Muslim voters are very concerned about Gaza. We can see form politicians that there is a widespread acceptance that most Jewish voters are concerned about a rise in anti Semitism and about affairs in the Middle East, too.

Parlous state of roads is annoying but comes lower down the list for most as does sewage, vexing as it is. Some of what others describe we should care about might seem local issues, not local to specific voters. I can see why people might think the UK's posturing on a world stage is more of a vote issue than Mansfield (I have nothing against Mansfield - it was mentioned upthread!)

For example, some people might vote on nuclear disarmament, although this has been pushed so far off the radar it's now seen as fringe and crackpot (not so much maybe in parts of Scotland) .

I don't think we should underestimate the power of the press to dictate what are fringe views, what are 'liberal leftie ' views etc. The DM remains the biggest selling publication in print and the media is largely owned by influential, right wing forces.

In blind testing many people support things which are far left of anything on offer. When people say 'centrist', what do they mean? Just not corrupt??

I don't think anyone thinks they will put down arms but it's about applying international pressure and also occupying a moral zone. This is important to lots of Labour voters wo view the Labour party as more liberal and , yes, more moral. This is why Labour is often held to higher account. for its actions See Keir's Beer vs 'oh just a bit of cake' or Rayner's house business vs Zahawi's tax evasion, Sunak's wife's non domming and Jeremy'7 houses' Hunt.

Because I care about Israel's actions in Palestine does not mean I don' care about domestic issues.. I can do both. I'd like to hope voting Labour will change things for people in the UK, too!

The 'Hard' left as you call them are also furious about the dismantling of the NHS, hence Streeting's bitchy comment. The way you characterise them sounds close to calling them the prawn sandwich brigade of the Tofu eating wokerati. I like neither product.

Because I care about Israel's actions in Palestine does not mean I don' care about domestic issues.. I can do both. I'd like to hope voting Labour willchange things for people in the UK, too!Because I care about Israel's actions in Palestine does not mean I don' care about domestic issues.. I can do both. I'd like to hope voting Labour will change things for people in the UK, too!

I mean peopie can vote how they like on whatever ussue they like, but to not vote Labour because of Gaza ( I am also upset about Israeli actions in Palestine) will do nothing to help people in Gaza. What it possibly risks doing is rewarding the Tories for huge mismanagement of the economy and the country, which will make the lives of huge swathes of people in this country demonstrably worse. Unfortunately not enough people in the UK care enough about Gaza for it to be a vote winner on its own, when we are faced with as many problems as we have, and it allows the media to scaremonger floating voters and people who didn't vote Labour in 2019 because of Corbyn. Moral victories mean nothing in opposition.

Vote the Tories out.

My Labour MP has consistently stood firm about a ceasefire in Gaza and to stop arms salws to Israel. I will vote Labour because of this, because of my MP.

Otherwise I would vote Green.

Labour will win but I am also disgusted by the leaderships refusal to outright condemn the genocide of Palestinian people in Gaza and the illegal and violent settlers in the West Bank. It is a stain on humanity and many Labour voters feel this way.

I am not a Muslim by the way.

Go ahead and vote with your heart and morals. Keir will win as he's mopping up the Centrist Tory voters but why let him win comfortably of you feel strongly about the horror inflicted on Gaza.