Is anyone else really scared of the prospect of waking up to a tory administration on May 7th?

[electra]

Because I am! i think it will be truly awful. Don't get me wrong, I don't think labour are fabulous but omg surely they are better than another Thatcher style administration?? I have a disabled child who is 8 years old.......I somehow doubt that it will be any easier to get her what she needs as she goes into her teenage years under a conservative government. It's hard enough now!!

Yesterday the blues were campaigning in our town centre - I live in a swing area - traditionally tory but fell to new labour in 1997. They seem so.....backward thinking to me.

Am I overreacting? Is there an upside at all?

I remember this

Look at the nurses with hats strikes

SethStarkaddersMum - I didn't say people like lincstash, I said people who think like him/her - all that 'feminazi' shit.

Sadly, in my line of business I have met lots of Tories who think that way, and you can't tell me that at least some of them won't get positions in any Conservative administration

"By Sophia95

In addition to their deadful policies, David Cameron just seems to have a face that says 'I'm a smug Eton twat, please punch me'!"

Funny that, i think something similar about Harriet Harman, the silly smug daughter of a Duchess, who went to private school (£5500 a term, and is an anti-male, anti-english, anti- marriage, anti-christian, anti-middle-class bigot

And ive pointed out in another thread about the Unions plan to eject the Brownites and Blairites from LAbour and turn it back into a socialist labour party, by creating another Winter of Discontent. Welcome to the 1970's.

"By ilovemydogandmrobama

Disagree all you want about the EU, but it was a Tory government who signed the treaties and ratified them. "

Have you had lesson on diversion tactics from Mandelson? You should ask for a refund........

Ignore and deny it as much as you like its a FACT we were promised a referendum by Brown on the EU Constitution and its a FACT he then went back on his word because he knew it would be a no vote, so he didnt bother, he stuck two fingers up at the English Electorate, including YOU and signed it anyway, because the EU told him he had to.

DW made an comment which I think is spot on: the problem for the Tories is not DC,; the problem is that they are the Tories. DC would win if he was the leader of Lib-Dem or Labour. In fact he is aping Blair a bit,; arguably.

Don't write DC off just yet, though; he is a very resourceful charmer.

Other point, I want to make is that the fact that he went to Eton is irrelvant in my books. I send my kids to private school (even considered Eton ) and will probably vote Lib-Dem or Labour. The boys at Eton are lovely , well mannered, thoughtful youngsters by the way.

...DC would win if he was were...

Wow -- you are nasty and ignoring facts. I stated facts and you are making nasty personal remarks about me for some reason.

Good luck with your ranting....

That was not directed at you TDiddy

"And ive pointed out in another thread about the Unions plan to eject the Brownites and Blairites from LAbour and turn it back into a socialist labour party, by creating another Winter of Discontent. Welcome to the 1970's."

I would love this to happen. If Labour returned to their socialist roots there may actually be some difference between themselves and the Conservatives.

In my books it makes a lot of difference where a politician was educated. I know I shouldn't prejudice against a person on the basis of their education (after all, this is beyond their control), but it would be nice to know that at least some of them grew up in the real world. It seems to give an odd message to a child that they are somehow too good to mix with children in a state school. This will surely impact on their lives as adults. This Eton elite in the Conservative party deeply troubles me.

'Sadly, their is a whole new generation out there who are too young to remember the old Conservative years' and as Bruffin said , some of us are old enough to remember before this and not want a repeat thanks.

Sophia 'I know I shouldn't prejudice against a person on the basis of their education (after all, this is beyond their control),', so why display your prejudice then, if by your own admission where you are sent to school isn't your choice?

My ds doesn't go to state school because the Uk government has sent my dh to serve abroad, and we have brought ds with us. Does that mean he should be excluded from UK politics later?

I hope your prejudice extends to Nick Clegg, whose father is a banker and went to Westminster; and to Harriet Harman who went to St Paul's Girls; or is it just the Conservatives being privately educated that annoys you?

Incidentally, going to private school does not have a negative impact on your life as an adult; not does going to private school give the message that the child is 'too good' to mix with those from a state school. Children see school as school - they don't have these hung up prejudices that the adults do.

Of course your child shouldn't be excluded from politics on the grounds of his education. And it sounds as though your circumstances as exceptional. I realise there is a place for private education, but what kind of elitist message is a family sending out by sending their child to Eton???

You are right, I do have hang ups about private education, which stems from living in an area with an unusually high number of private schools and coming into regular contact with many parents who continually thrust their snobby beliefs about state education at myself and my children. Perhaps this has now blown my perspective, but experiences such as these have really impacted on me.

Half of all prospective conservative MPs have been privately educated, which is a far higher proportion than the other main parties. I'm afraid this does influence my vote, rightly or wrongly.

ilovemydogandmrobama - cheers

Sophia95- I know what you mean about many pivate school parents seeing it as a status symbol. I am not particularly pro-private school but whilst they exists and I can afford it then I consider them. I have learnt that I am not willing to make political statement with DC education choices.

Anyway, back to the point; I think that Harriet Harman has done much for equality (altho' the press likes to have a go at her). I think she went to St Pauls. Whatever education choice you make, I think you can influence your children to care about other people. So, I am not not dismissing DC because of his education. Further, I think that he is a very decent man. But as I said before I can't bring myself to a vote for a party that cares mostly about the few rather than the many.

A family chooses a school for their child they know and are comfortable with. Had we remained in the UK, ds would have gone to dh's old school probably, as I like what I have seen of it, and it's product.

Eton is one amongst many private schools; it also depends where you live and how close you want to be to their school, and how much travelling you want to do for exeats, half terms, parents evenings, school productions, performances etc. Perhaps DC didn't pass the entrance exam for any other schools! Have you been to Eton? Do you know any Etonians? If not, how can you comment on the 'elitist statement' it makes. Would you be less prejudiced if DC had been to Gordonstoun for example?

My ds has always been in the private sector for education as it provided the wrap around child care I needed whilst I pursued my career as a state school teacher. Perhaps you need to consider why people choose the private sector and not the state sector, and if you dig enough it won't be because of an elitist statement but because of practicalities of fitting childcare in with the working day.

I like your reasoning, TDiddy. This too is the true reason I cannot bring myself to vote Tory. I feel they do not truly get to grips with the issues that matter to 'real' people.

I made a flippant remark about Eton, and I admit to getting quite hot under the collar about Private Ed. This is partly due to feeling quite defensive about state education, I guess. My neighbour recently withdrew her child from a ballet class also attended by my own 5 yr old daughter because the other kids there were "too state school". This is just one of many examples of terrible belief systems I've encountered in my area.

But back to the issue....I'm really quite excited about this election. The Leaders' Debate has thrown the whole contest open and feel this can only be a good thing for British Politics. My only fear now is that the smaller parties may be marginalised.

Furthermore, any extra exposure that DC can get is a good thing in my view. The more he speaks, the more his policies seem fundamentally flawed and offputting to many voters who initially liked him because he just seemed like a nice chap.

Sophia95- I really really hate the nouveau attitude of quite a few private school parents but I think there are more normal people than snobs at the private schools.

The comments by the left on this thread simply prove why we need a Conservative administration. Blair went here www.fettes.com/[

The fact politicans and successful people often went to private schools as indeed did I simply proves the schools are better.

What is wrong with elitism anyway? Aren't some people born ugly or with a very low IQ or a horrible personality or very slow on the uptake or very impracticable? Some people are simply better than others at some things. It's why our species survived over the Neanderthals.

The Tories do more for the poor always and better for the country.

I would be bricking it if Labour succeeded for another 5 years.

Look what they have done to the economy and I cannot believe that there are people on here who believe that Labour can get us out of the financial crisis we find ourselves in when they got us here in the first instance.

And that people here trust the Labour government when GB lied to the Chilcott Inquiry.

Also, I am working in the public sector and am thankful that at least the Tories have made it clear that large cuts will be made, rather than the spineless Labour party who wants to leave the decisions to the CSR in the autumn, where my job will probably be cut anyway...

Can I just correct a factual error (repeated several times on Mumsnet by Linctash) about Harriet Harman. She is not the daughter of a duchess. Her mother was a solicitor. Her father was a doctor and brother of Elizabeth Longford, wife of the late Lord Longford, - making her a cousin of Lady Antonia Fraser. So yes, she is posh(ish) by birth but not the daughter of a duchess.

"It wasn't the Tories who brought in the DDA or surestart centres etc, thats for sure. They don't help those at the bottom and margins. "

Well the tories bought in the buy you council home and the csa.

"This too is the true reason I cannot bring myself to vote Tory. I feel they do not truly get to grips with the issues that matter to 'real' people."

Well i'm a 'real person', and they speak to me (a previous labour supporter) I like what they have to say and how they want to change from big state to small communities.

As for the OP, i'm actually bricking it that we will wake up to a lib/lab pack government.

Yes, I'm terrified.

When the Tories won Hammersmith Council the new leader announced "the end of equality" in the Council.

"The fact politicans and successful people often went to private schools as indeed did I simply proves the schools are better.
"

No, it simply proves that some people can afford to send their children to private schools. And that some successful people had parents who could afford a private education. There is no logic in here to suggest that private schools are in any way better. [rolling eye emoticon]

Those of you who think cutting public services is essential to a healthy economy - bear in mind it means cutting jobs, a huge proportion of jobs in some areas.

Who will buy stuff from the shops, whether chain stores or small businesses, if we're all out of work? Who will be paying taxes? I actually think cutting public sector jobs will have a very negative impact on a lot of private sector jobs and businesses.

"Those of you who think cutting public services is essential to a healthy economy - bear in mind it means cutting jobs, a huge proportion of jobs in some areas.

Who will buy stuff from the shops, whether chain stores or small businesses, if we're all out of work? Who will be paying taxes? I actually think cutting public sector jobs will have a very negative impact on a lot of private sector jobs and businesses. "

But all three parties are going to be cutting public sector jobs, in fact labour have been doing it already, so i'm confused s to which party your having a go at?

One of my own fears is the thought of the Conservatives freezing public sector pay above 18k, when they are proposing little to impact on those high earners in the city. How about a higher tax on city bonuses before penalising the little people?

I agree that more years of Labour could be disastrous too. They are no longer Left-leaning in my view and perhaps need a few years of trailing behind to get back to their true 'old school' values.

"The fact politicans and successful people often went to private schools as indeed did I simply proves the schools are better." - Yes, you are right, it does seem to prove this to some extent. But does this make it fair? How about equal opportunities starting from childhood? Yes, some are going to naturally trail behind, but don't all our children deserve a chance, not just those from priviledged backgrounds?