Why I'm voting Conservative

[jomartin281271]

Firstly, let me say, it pains me to admit this because I’m not a Tory. I’ve always looked upon myself as a slightly left of centre, live and let live, community based, floating voter. But the more I look at this election campaign, the more I’ve realised that, to me, this is a one issue election. Women’s rights.
Starmer has been asked countless times about women’s private spaces, on radio and on TV. Each time he’s done everything he can to avoid answering the question. In any one of these interviews, he could have made his position clear, particularly on that phone in last week where the caller Jane said she was sick of the twaddle that comes out of his mouth.
Now he’s being quoted in the Telegraph as having said that biological males should not use women’s public toilets. This is a typical move by a politician. Leave it until the last minute, so he can’t be quizzed on what he actually means and then twist and deny it afterwards. I don’t trust him.
I don’t want to vote Conservative. After Partygate and the chaos caused by that idiot Liz Truss, they need a good kicking. But they’re the only party that have consistently come down on the side of women. If Labour get in and shift the gender landscape, the changes they make could be irreparable.
In the Victorian era, they didn’t build public toilets for women. It was a way of keeping women chained to the home. This is the direction we’re heading in if we don’t stand up and put a stop to it. And I don’t want to look back on this in years to come and realise I could have voted against this shift, but I let my political views get in the way.

I can totally see why Labour’s stance on gender is deeply troubling, it is for me too, but I just can’t ignore the results of the last 14 years of Conservative government & vote Tory on that one issue.

The list of the damage that Tory policies, actions & corruption over the last 14 years is too awful to risk giving them more time to do even more damage as a protest vote against Labour on the gender issue only.
Surely one issue, as important as it is, can’t cancel out the devastation Tory policies have caused to so many women & children’s lives.

The complete erosion of our access to healthcare including mental health care, dentistry, and social care.

Huge reduction in quality & promptness of Gynaecology & maternity services, practically non-existent Health visitor services.

Spectacular rise in food bank use, childhood poverty, and the complete disenfranchisement of the poor.

Crisis in Childcare system & hugely expensive.

The destruction of our education system, teachers are burnt out, resources are scarce, and students are left behind.

Decimation of support for SEN children, 18months wait for paediatric assessments, no speech therapy available unless parents pay.
Lack of places at Special school.

Housing crisis, with soaring rents and unaffordable homes.

Chaotic and costly Brexit process, which has led to economic instability and strained international relations.

Over a million excess deaths linked to austerity measures.

The longest period of wage stagnation in over a century.

Abject-mismanagement of COVID which led to one of the worst performances in developed countries.

Climate change - cuts to environmental protections and policies have accelerated the degradation of our planet.

Windrush scandal, lawful residents threatened with deportation.

Soaring levels of homelessness.

Transport - constant delays, cancellations, fare hikes and, of course, the debacle of HS2.

Underfunding of local councils leading to the closure of libraries, youth centres, and community services

Human waste in our waterways.

Highest tax burden in 70 years.

The largest transfer of wealth we’ve seen in modern history where the 1% now have the vast share of money of the country while the rest of us have to hope that we can pay our rent or mortgage.

Labour can’t perform miracles, there is no money for miracles, but I choose to be cautiously optimistic that perhaps, just perhaps, a new government might actually attempt to improve things for all members of our country, especially for the most vulnerable.

You need Proportional Representation.

Like we have in Europe. Yea. Shit Right Wing getting in but at least the Greens have a say. Everyone has a say! That's democracy.

Labour/Conservatives is just old school look at Lord Snooty Jacob Rees Mogg

Let's not even talk about the disgrace that was Boris Johnson.

And Suni will be off to CA at the first opportunity

The harm that the conservative party have done to (mostly) women in low income families with disabled children and other caring responsibilities is unforgivable. On the side of women my arse. I wouldn't vote for them in a million years.

I don't believe Tories give a flying fig about women. Its just electioneering.
If they did, they would make public sector pay better (where the majority of the workforce are women) improve social care where the majority of the burden falls on women, improve child care, even improve conditions for female staff in the houses of parliament, many of whom are subject to sexual harassment, do something about waspi women...

Yes he was wonderful on this very early on. I wish I had a decent sitting MP who had shown half of his courage and insight. Mine is lazy and invisible it seems.

The Greens are absolutely extreme on this issue - completely batshit woman haters the lot of them.

Oh FGS give it a rest. Harmful?

Stop telling people who do not think as you do that they are 'stupid'.

She is right. The vitriol is something to behold.

Me too OP.

For me it's absolutely a fundamental thing. Women's rights. And this is so obviously and blatantly flying in the face of them.

Men in women's sports, jails, toilets and changing rooms.

I can't get beyond it, I've tried believe me but I just can't. Why would I vote against something so fundamental? Particularly when I know how globally women are massively subjugated. These rights are so fragile, I'll never take them for granted again.

There are so many who are intolerant of people with different opinions to them it's quite an eye opener to see some of the vitriol on this thread. This was clear to see after the Brexit referendum when everyone who voted leave was automatically categorised as a stupid, uneducated bigot by people who couldn't stomach the fact that people who had different opinions to them were allowed a vote too.

The Cass Review was commissioned in 2020 so for the last four years the UK government has been aware that gender ideology might be being prioritised over evidence based medicine and was taking action to address it. The Review is probably the single most important step forward anywhere in the world to dismantle some of the myths about gender ideology. Those who say the Tories have done nothing on this issue are completely ignoring the global significance of the Review.

As someone with a gender dysphoric child who is desperate to see evidence based approaches to gender ideology, I'm incredibly disappointed the election has been called before the government was able to make significant progress on its implementation. I don't trust Labour on this matter - their manifesto was too vague and most of the other parties are hopeless on it. It's for that reason alone that I've voted Tory (postal vote). The staff at NHS gender clinics have blood on their hands for supporting this medical scandal and it makes me question whether it's even fit for purpose as an institution.

I don't think life will change significantly under a different colour government as they all have the same basic building blocks to work with, it's the same old shit whoever is in charge. I also don't see Scotland doing any better than the rest of the UK with a non-Conservative government in place for years.

I somehow get the feeling that there are some posting on the thread who dont usually bother with FWR.

But now having seen the number of threads about not voting or voting Tory have taken it upon themselves to re-eduacte as silly uninformed women who have to be told what to do. And if we question them they just shout at us and call us stupid.

The problem is they are the ones who are stupid. A bit like the usual suspects who have been turning up and derailing threads, thinking their great oversight and Labourist opinions MUST BE LISTENED TO.

It must be self evident, or they haven't bothered to do their research that a forum sub titled sex and gended will primarily be made up of those interested in this aspect of politics, the law, health, etc..

Do they make any effort to engage on those issues.

No.

Just tell us we are stupid.

So (although these interlopers wont get the inference because they are too lazy and arrogant to inform themselves about this forum) it only confirms that Labour has no commitment to women's sex based rights, think we are demented for being angry about it, and if the just shout at us long enough we will realise the error of our ways and just stop caring about something most have been posting on this forum for years.

Sorry to say Starmer Stormtoopers, but your mission has failed.

On one level its just so funny that anyone would think barging in and screaming and shouting would in any way advance your cause.

X

Well celebrate when we’re out of the ECHR if the tories win. And those fragile rights for all of us will soon disappear especially if you’re a certain colour or religion…

I agree about Labour which is why I'm spoiling my ballot.
Dont underestimate how GP can grow influence, Scotland would like to have a word.

I understand your point and find labour’s stance on gender laws worrying. However, I could not bring myself to vote for a government with such an appalling record, one of biggest issues for me would be the utter inhumanity of the Rwanda policy. But as soon as Labour gets in, they better get their house in order on gender!

And countless left under their own voilition including me.

Thanks for posting this OP. The truth is, our political systems and parties are man-made and have never really been structured around women-centric policies. That's been particularly marked - and depressing - in this election campaign.

I can understand why left-leaning women might do any of the following - vote Tory because this is a red line and they are the only major party where the current leadership has been completely clear on where they stand, vote Labour in the hope that Keir is... thanks to JK and numerous other vocal women... starting to realise the seriousness of what he's proposing or spoil their ballot because there's nobody that represents them. I'm not going to disagree with anyone who does any of those things because there is no perfect solution in this election and we are arguing over the scraps from the (rich) man's table.

I'm somebody who, in the past, has been so passionate about the Greens I've gone door to door, leafleting on their behalf. Never again. What I feel about all the left-leaning and centrist parties (Labour, Lib Dems and - most of all - the Greens) is a sense of total and utter betrayal. They pretended they cared about women's rights... but that was all it was. Pretending.

When people point out the Tories are misogynists... well, in some senses that's true. There are Conservative MPs I'd cross the street to avoid. But sadly, it seems to be true of all political parties. There is not one among them who have consistently backed women on this issue - and some of them are still proudly refusing to see or admit to the damage they are doing, barring a few brave souls.

I can give people chapter and verse as to why a change of government is needed on almost every issue apart from this one. Like so many others, I've waited 14 years for this. And yet, now the moment is here, I don't know if I actually want a new government because the alternatives, for women, look so much bleaker. I'm not sure if it's any consolation that, for women in the US, the choice is even more depressing.

Anyway, basically what I'm trying to say is that you can't make a good decision because there isn't one. Good luck to all regulars here with whatever you decide and let's hope we somehow get the result we need.

I feel they are anti-women.

They have demonised

Single mothers
Menopausal women
teenage girls
Waspi women

I think the list goes on....they have done nothing in 14 years to help women but what I've noticed is more misogyny and violence against women.

The hyperbole from posters like Guava is laughable.

I am not sure how Tories have "demonised" all of these groups of women.

I don't think there is anything more anti woman than not recognising we exist as a sex class.

I'm a menopausal woman with a teenage daughter. Neither of us is feeling in the least bit demonised. I also have a teenage disabled son and he's not feeling demonised either.

On the other hand I have a young adult son with gender dysphoria and the Labour manifesto is promising to ban exploratory, holistic therapy for him. This would mean his former therapist (a thoughtful, principled practitioner who was a Tavistock whistle blower) would be operating illegally.

Oh yeh him.

All these threads may be counter productive. It's obvious why Conservatives would target MN and also focus on gender issues, thinking it's going to be an easy win.
Have you all considered that it may ensure a good turn out for Labour? People slightly apathetic now may be reminded on here how awful the last 14 years have been for all but the most privileged.

Totally understandable OP.