Just been canvassed by the Lib Dems

[Ingenieur]

I've just had a local representative from the Lib Dems canvass our house this afternoon.

I expressed that the local candidate has some odd policies regarding local issues for our borough, and our ward in particular, but because they are local council issues they probably won't impact my vote. The volunteer was happy to dicsuss why these things are policy, and what other things they might do.

However, I thought I'd touch on the issue of gender identity. The moment I stated that the national party's policies on gender identity and women's rights aren't aligned with my own political beliefs the volunteer immediately said "I can see you're never going to vote for the party", turned round and stomped away.

This really is a lightning-rod issue for them, and "no debate" isn't going to cut it.

Seems that this approach is firmly embedded in the LibDem’s.

I once heard a speaker say “when a politician says something is too difficult to explain to the electorate, it generally means that they don’t want the electorate to understand it”

#nodebate is still the principle approach to women’s rights from both the LibDems and Labour

They're dishonest.
They realise people can see how glaringly dishonest they are and literally are unable to face it.
The thing is, dishonesty is par for the course in politics so they've found a natural home there.

They are the only contender against the Tories here don’t know what to do.

backinthebox, that’s a seriously tough call! I suppose the only thing going for your mad Tory candidate is that the Labour gov won’t be following their mad policy ideas!

We have only had one piece of Lib Dem campaign material through our door - addressed to my DS who is too young to vote.

What are the candidates like? I can not vote Lib Dem due to gender and their silencing of women. But whether I would vote Tory instead would depend on the candidate. In my constituency Tory was the only viable option.

If I were you ( which obviously, i'm not) I'd vote for the candidate rather than the party. Which of the candidates do you most like, respect, trust regardless of party.

South West Surrey/Hampshire is now a shit show due to the boundary changes. So many constituents in bizarre non representative areas, and all having to chose between Conservative and LD. Most of them newbies and therefore no record. I have had a daily leaflet from the LD's, all in the recycling. One from the conservatives. One door knock from the LD who confidently told me my GC views are irrelevant. I will vote Tory for an unknown candidate who doesn't represent my area in any real way. Great 😡

That’s actually quite a good way of thinking about it. I have real misgivings about voting for a pro-Brexit candidate - I think it is the single worst thing a government has done to this country in decades. OTOH, I cannot give a vote to any candidate that not only can’t tell you what a woman is, but actually insists they are one of the non-cunty new types of woman themselves. By not voting Conservative, I would be leaving a chance for the Libdem TRA to get in.

Such a miserable choice, but as you say, at least if he is not in the winning party, he will be representing his constituency but with less chance of his mad ideas going through.

I had one addressed specifically to me, when my Electoral Roll application specified anonymity, I’m not listed on the general ER register, for safeguarding reasons.
I found this quite disconcerting.
The shiny pamphlet bore no means of contact whatsoever so they will never know
what I thought of this overbearing recourse.
AFAIK they were the only party canvassing here, hammered on our door, then kept
his/her finger on the doorbell.

Our neighbours in sheltered housing flats say LD’s were door to door there too.
Most of her neighbours have mobility difficulties, as does she, unable to reach the door easily apart from which, they are not used to unknown people going onto the site, for any reason, apart from friends family, postman. LD were ringing doorbells, canvassing old folks leaning on walkers and sticks, how desperate.

Really, they should have had more sense.

I know someone called Helen Belcher. From Reading too. Weird!

An actual female though.

There was a lot of talk about "hair on fire" analogy around Brexit. Depends what your definition of hair on fire is.

Labour aren't going to be much different to Conservatives on finance...is the difference worth voting for verses women's rights? (To you)

Sunak isn't that bad compared to Boris/Truss He's reasonably competent, helped with furlough and energy bills... But you have to decide whether this is enough and whether other policies are red lines for you... Every party has them. Which ones are your red lines? (And some of them are shockers) And every party has MPs who you don't like... Which party has one's you think might be too influential on policies you don't want?

Another one with Helen Belcher as the Lib Dem candidate. My in laws are true lib dem supporters and hadnt noticed the ahem, calibre, of the local candidate. I helpfully pointed it out.

I would love for the Lib Dems to knock on my door. My dog hates men.

Edited to add, I have had dealings with the Tory candidate and he has been very helpful with rebates and a council tax problem I had which was very stressful. He knows what a woman is because I asked him that several years ago when he knocked on my door as the local councillor.

Same position here (between Tories and Lib Dems, not actually sure how Brexity the Tory candidate is).

However, I'm an overseas voter and my postal vote has not arrived, so in the end I have no choice to make.

Is this Farnham and Bordon, by any chance?

lengthy debate here with lib dem regarding the issue. I was told they haven't internally (as a party) come down in favour of self ID and there is clearly a potential place for third spaces to protect the rights and dignity of biological women. At the same time they believe in the dignity of those who chose to present as the opposite sex.

I don't think they've all drunk the kool aid.

😂

As long as they are still telling gender critical women not to vote for them I will take them at their word.

Actually I think they've lost my vote permanently.

I forgave them for tuition fees because I wanted to vote for a pro remain party.

But you know what they say. They can fool me once, they're not fooling me twice.

Wankers.

I had this response from the labour canvasser (sneering) "well, other parties are available for you to vote for" when I asked nicely about GRA.
Fuck that. Lifelong labour voter and I'll have to spoil my ballot

The LibDem response is the main reason I will be gritting my teeth and voting for our admittedly decent Tory, who's a good constituency MP.

Labour will win the GE, but it's important to have an opposition who will challenge them on anything too gender-woo. That's my reluctant reasoning. The LibDems won't do this.

I'd have replied saying, "Thank you for confirming that Labour is not the party of women's rights. Women shouldn't have to choose between being able to vote for a left wing party and being able to vote for a party which respects our right to exist as a biological sex class, and it is shameful that Labour has thrown us under the bus like this."

No..... Normandy and Pirbright, who are now in Surrey Heath, were in Woking, should be in Guildford. Godalming and Ash is also a completely disjointed decision. Literally everyone consulted against, but they went ahead anyway.

Sounds like a pretty much identical situation then. I don't think the Tory candidate for F&B is local. I wrote to the Lib Dem candidate expressing my concerns about voting for the Lib Dems given their views on women's rights and child safeguarding and did not receive a reply.

@backinthebox have a look at this site, it has a slightly different take on the outcome in your constituency:

https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/calcwork23.py?seat=Reading+West+and+Mid+Berkshire

Interestingly, the BBC did an article on the misleading barcharts that are cropping up in party publicity, the Lib Dems got a special mention...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c722gl8rzdro

Very interesting! I’ve lived here nearly 25 years and in all that time there has never been a Labour MP. Always been a Blue/Yellow battleground.

Also interesting to note that a lot of my neighbours usually have candidate posters up in their gardens, but there are very few of them this year.