I always vote for the party whose candidate is going to best serve my local constituency.
In my area that is Lib Dems.
This is also based on the assumption that nationally, the incumbent is going to lie in their manifesto and fail to deliver what they promise.
Add to that the inevitable revelations of scandal and noses in troughs.
It’s feasible that many others vote that way too
I usually note where the boxes for the Tory’s and Labour are and then put an X somewhere else.
Nail on Head.
I have to commend my local councillor, Zakher Choudhry - Lib Dem.
He is the only one of the local candidates I have ever seen. And this has been more than once and includes a number of times where he drove down my road - one time telling me they had arranged a waste collection for next week - and outside the polling station where he was talking to people.
I am under no illusion that his powers maybe limited, but his attendance, approachability and the impression that he cares goes a long way for me.
On a National Level, I am not politically aligned like others. Whilst, I am emphatic to other people’s hardship under certain Governments, I like you, adopt an open mind and accept that unfortunately, the majority of them are snakes in different colours and even if you remove the colours lack a back bone.
I think this is a question that shouldn’t be limited to the Tories,
In terms of there not being a centre-right party, or parties in general not doing what they say on the tin?
I think the Tories have always had this split between what I would loosely describe as Christian Democrats (usually called one-nation conservatives in the UK) and a more nationalist conservatism, possibly a hangover from imperialist and colonialist ideologies. They seem to have been gradually driven to the latter, whereas traditionally the former is seen as the mainstream view.
I suspect that it is a result of the UK voting system. In an effective two party system, it is difficult to get a minority view into power, so the major parties suffer from entryism whereby fringe views are pushed to the front.
Or maybe…
Valid points.
My thoughts are that the principles of the main parties were set decades ago and the World has changed since then. Labour today is completely different to its original principles, to the point where the Unions have at times removed their support for them. Their voters are predominantly Left however, the Parties principles are moving Right, This is because this is where the voters are. That is not solely a UK trend, it is a trend seen across large portions of the World.
Regarding the voting system, I agree and also disagree. Recent voting trends have seen voters opting to vote for the other Parties (admittedly at Local Level), so much so that it was a factor in Starmer resigning. Likewise, the Tories have lost a lot of their voters to Reform.
That being said, you have examples of Councils being run by a coalition of parties because the popular vote was not enough to secure a Single Party. In Birmingham, Reform was the popular vote but did not secure enough seats to be the majority, so now it is being Governed by an amalgamation of the other Parties. A Council being run by Parties who do not represent a majority of the constituency.
I know some people will jump on the Party mentioned, but removing that aspect it does highlight a flaw in the Voting system.
I did see an article a while back that suggested that the core Labour support is now amongst educated working people (i.e. those who went through further or higher education but have little independent wealth) rather than the traditional working classes and unionised labour.
The definitions have definitely changed anyway. Working class people are no longer those in overalls and flat caps.
I think there was definitely a growth with younger voters/students under Corbyn, probably off the back of the Referendum.
I think Labour have struggled for an identity for years, the decline in the Industrial sector coupled with the costs in supporting it, has led to that voter group being neglected.
Labour have also lost a lot of the Minority vote. In Birmingham, there was a massive independent campaign which was very focused on Labours failures.
I am confident, that in Burnham they have got the best person to lead the Party. Someone willing to make tough decisions, however, there will be a lot of traditional Labour voters who need to accept that they may not all be to their liking.
Initially I thought this story was typical Tory shit, but actually it’s a lot more complex than that.
The guy was a radicalised, anti-Semitic neo-Nazi but now actively works to combat radicalisation, and helps young men and boys to avoid the pathways that he fell down. At what point does someone do enough penance and can be forgiven for their past mistakes?
I think the other parties need to be a lot better than just jumping on this as a ‘Tories employ neo Nazi’s’ tub thumper. I mean, Zac Polanski’s job used to be telling women he could make their tits bigger with hypnotherapy, and the left have all forgiven him for that.
That’s politics in general. Nobody is willing to accept that a political party can’t possibly give you everything you want and there will inevitably be things yoh don’t like.
Except Reform, who’s supporters are willing to ignore a domestic policy agenda that funnels money to billionaires, destabilises the economy with crypto, privatises anything left to sell, and removes all their rights and benefits, in order to support acts of performative cruelty against immigrants.
The complication here is that Badenoch claimed that he was certified by the Home Office to train police officers on antisemitism and countering extremism. Which he wasn’t, they don’t even do such a thing. It does look a bit suspect.
This is the guy who was convicted of harassing Luciana Berger (and not antisemitism from Labour Party members as was portrayed in the media). If he has gone through deradicalisation training and is genuinely a reformed character then I think he would have some useful insight into what drives people into that kind of radical rabbit hole. The only thing is, I’m not sure he has, only that he has leant how to stay on the right side of the law. I don’t think that is the same thing.
I had a friend in Scotland (the father of one of my kid’s friends) who was a former UDA member and gave talks discouraging young people from becoming involved in gangs and sectarianism. I think the difference is that he was genuinely remorseful of his previous behaviour and wanted to make amends. He wasn’t just sorry that he was caught.
I am sure there is come contradiction in your statement.
Also, I don’t know why you had to refer back to Reform. It really is not a healthy obsession.
Anyhow, at least Labour have someone in charge who speaks with a bit of authority, long may it last.
If you can stomach it, watch this video.
FML…the far-right really is an intellectual wasteland. They clearly know their horseshit is just that, so they have to rely on obfuscation, strawmen and outright lies.
Go on then.
I will leave it for you to self assess.
I am sure you will find that my posts have been quite positive towards Labour/Burnham.
So I struggle to see why, Instead of being positive and engaging in debate, you have resorted to your common tactic of defending Labour and ignoring/justifying their actions on the basis that Reform are worse.
I get you don’t like Reform or their Voters - although, I am sure you made a statement in which you stated you wouldn’t generalise a voter by their choice of Party. - but you have to stop trying to shift blame.
You are literally accusing another party, who have never been in power, for things that they were not part of, or thing’s that have never happened.
I am in no way supporting the other Parties, but fuck me, why waste your energy negatively? Why let them live in your head rent free?
You have already come to a conclusion on how you view them, so why feel the need to preach, especially to a forum that is already converted.
The UK with its increasing support for Reform, is not an anomaly. It is a trend, echoed across Europe. Do I agree with their Policies or views? No! But I feel it is important to try and understand, rather than mock and dismiss.
Sometimes, Lynch, I suspect you don’t even know what you are arguing against.
I’ve read your post four times still I can’t find any point where anything you wrote bares any relations to anything in the comment from me you were replying to.
Prisons overcrowded, early releases planned to make room, meanwhile this cunt is going to serve around 6 years before being deported.
What would you suggest? Just dump him off at the nearest port and let him go?
I wouldn’t dare suggest anything