I'm a political nomad

If you think the country is doing well and you are personally doing well too, vote Tory.

If not then it's between a protest vote, tactical vote/Labour or dont vote.

I think the GE is as much about mortality as policy and only you can determine the border between those.

The forum has plenty of opinions (oh yes! 😁) but if you are cynical, it won't change anything for you to be honest. Not criticism, just reality mate.

I'm 55 but I'm actually not that cynical about politics. It really doesn't have to be this way.

Have you ever actually ever met an MP or a government minister?

I have , some were good, some were very very bad.  Some were quite clueless, some very clued in.

People I know in local politics are generally in it to try and help, but I do think that the rise of politics as a career, compared to old school MP's with a bit more life experience is a bad thing

It's also better to be a nomad than utterly dogmatic and vote for a party just because you always have..

I hope Poopascoop meant morality but his possible freudian slip might be more accurate for some...

I think you are in good company in the sense of disillusionment.

This may or may not help but in a way has helped me. I have listened to every episode of The Rest is Politics, it has helped give me, a much better understanding of how politics actually works (or doesn't work). This hasn't fixed everything for me but having a better understanding has helped me cope and have more balance in my thinking.

There is nothing wrong with just voting for a party whose values you share. Many vote Labour quite simply because they believe that a Labour government will always serve their best interests. They really don't need to think about it.

Obviously that has become a challenging theory for some people in the last two or three decades.

Yeah, morality. Bloody phone. 😁

In my lifetime I’d struggle to name a single politician who I would consider as ‘good’.

I’ve known good MPs from all parties, past and present… some now passed… and good candidates who sadly never got to become MPs. Voted LibDem, Green and Labour. Not Conservative. There have been Conservatives who have been in it for the good they they hoped do… but not where I could vote… and very few sitting in parliament currently, IMHO.

As the most obvious example of an MP who does not fit your negative description… Caroline Lucas. Sadly, no one can vote for her this year. A shame. Good luck to her… I’m sure she’ll continue to try and make a positive difference for us all outside parliamentary politics.

Wouldn't worry too much, it may appear on here that voting tory makes you the devil, and voting for Starmer makes you worse, but the reality is that voting is personal, and whoever you vote for, it's your decision.

Like you i just vote for what i'm believing in at the time, in my life i've voted SNP, then Lib Dem when i moved down south, then Labour back in Scotland and then Lib Dem again in the current area, both times i've voted Lib Dem were tactical, the one belief i do have about politics though is that i think a lot of focus is on the 650 politicians in parliament, but they are just the tip of the government iceberg, you have permanent under secretaries, their staffs, and subordinates, these are the people making daily decisions and feeding through info, don't get me wrong, when the likes of the tories get in, they can cause damage, but i do have the belief that there are good people underneath the surface minimising this as much as possible.

Voted LibDem, Green and Labour. Not Conservative.

I thought you had previously said that in your first election you voted Tory?

Nope, LibDem in what was a Tory/LibDem marginal at the time. The Conservatives won the seat, but lost the national election.

I'm a life long "Labour first" voter, mainly as their values do align more closely (but not very closely) with mine.

Politicians I think have been good ... John Smith (who I met) and Barak Obama (who I wish I could meet). On thr flip side, Graeme Stewart is someone who has impressed me with his intelligence, understanding, and sense of humour even though I disagree with the majority of his party's stated policies.

I've met quite a few politicians over the years and generally don't take well to them in person, no matter what party they are part of. Far too many who have opinions without knowledge or any apparent thinking into issues on their own behalf and far too many powered by naked ambition.

All politicians are ****s and I'll never vote for any of them

Have I fallen victim to propaganda?

There may be an element of that. The ruling classes would like nothing more than the proles not being interested in who rules over them. That they are all useless and as bad as each each is a lie that suits the Tories nicely.

Not engaging is a form of support that some political factions are very happy for you to do.

I thought you had previously said that in your first election you voted Tory?

😲 Watch out lads and lasses he's taking notes!  If he asks who you voted for....

Thanks for the interesting responses everyone, I'm heartened to hear there's some good ones out there!

Politics gets weird, it seems like a lot of people treat it like football. You pick a team and support them no matter what.

I could take this further and say I'm politically schizophrenic.

Leftist - I'm strongly in favour of giving a helping hand to those who start out in life in a disadvantaged position (welfare state) and that everyone should have access to healthcare no matter their financial situation (NHS)

Rightist - I'm strongly against mass immigration, DEI, trans stuff in relation to children.

I feel this is a weird position to hold and politically I'm trying to thread the needle but it is what it is.

Strongly against diversity, equity and inclusion?

Why?

Ah, I have just realised who the OP is..... it's billabong!

Forever the provocateur, eh billabong?

Strongly against DEI because it divides people into racial groups/gender. The best person should get the job, role or whatever regardless of any of that stuff.

Yes it is I, I'm not trying to be a provocateur. This is what I believe. If you disagree feel free to rip me to shreds.

Equality means offering the same rights and opportunities to all people.

Diversity is understanding that each person is unique. It means embracing people's differences, including their beliefs, abilities, preferences, backgrounds, values, and identities.

Inclusion is an extension of equality and diversity.

If you disagree with this, you're not really worth my time tbh.

Strongly against DEI because it divides people into racial groups/gender. The best person should get the job, role or whatever regardless of any of that stuff.

That's the trouble really, for years, decades, longer, the best person to get a job had nothing to do with them being the best person. You can break that down to far more than colour too. Their accent, school tie, nepotism etc.

I see nothing wrong in helping a talented white lad from Newcastle and a poor background become an architect, neither do I about helping a similar person with a foreign accent become the same.

Anyway, that's how I see it.

I do not disagree with this.

There's a big difference between equality of opportunity and equality of outcome.

There is nothing wrong with just voting for a party whose values you share.

I think being a nomad means that none of them fit?

Clearly no party is going to share every value you have unless you start your own party or stand as an independent but neither of those are realistic so you just have to pick the closest and that is all anyone can do.

I used to vote Labour when they at least pretended to have socialist values but now vote Green as they are closer to my values yet I don't actually care quite as much about the environmental stuff!

I think being a nomad means that none of them fit?

I thought it meant wandering from one party to the next, like a nomad wandering the land? Not necessarily that none of them fit, just that at different times, difference parties are the best fit.

I don't vote.

The government might get in 😯

Our democracy is very flawed, but failing to vote, even if it is to spoil the ballot paper, is a duty that every responsible citizen should undertake.

I get what you mean and inevitably no one party is going to perfectly match your political and ethical beliefs all the time.

Having said that, there is no way my upbringing or morals would ever allow me to vote for the Tories…I’d feel like I was selling my soul.

In my time I’ve voted for: Conservative, Labour, LibDem, Green, SNP and Scottish Socialist. Maybe it’s time to give Reform a go 🙂

@roverpig, maybe not, gotta draw the line somewhere.

I think being a nomad means that none of them fit?

Ah so that explains the Starmer thread.

I don’t vote.

The government might get in

Thats actually quite funny.

But you seem happy to dislike any policy that might fix that ...

The combination of mild leftist economic and populist on culture puts you in a good place for Victor Orban if you can take a bit of corruption

Strongly against DEI because it divides people into racial groups/gender.

All lives matter?

Centre left, socio-capitalist here. Not against folk making money provided everyone in society has both opportunity and a safety net.
If education is an economic benefit then everyone in society should pay for it as we all benefit - and I’m happy to be taxed on that view.
There does need to be some inter-generational truing up as for the last ten years or so (maybe longer, maybe not) the older generations have expected resources spent on them that the younger generations will pay for (see pensions, climate change, university fees).  At 52 I probably sit just into the “older” generations bit.
And the country probably needs more immigration, and probably evenly split across socio-economic profiles to avoid some really horrible effects of immigrants can only have good jobs, but shit jobs are reserved for the indigenous population.

And I’m probably pro-Britain - it has served the Scots, of whom I am one, well overall.  In fact I’m pro-economic unions generally. The administrative blocks need to be bigger than the corporations or democracy fails.

On that basis, not Reform, not Tory (or any of the other right wing anti-Britain, little England parties) and not the SNP even if they were standing in York - but other than that, convince me.

but failing to vote, even if it is to spoil the ballot paper, is a duty that every responsible citizen should undertake.

Ha ha ha ha! Yes of course, everyone should be solemnly thankful and appreciative of the negligible influence they are allowed to exert once every few years over the people who rule us. 🙄

I see Sir Keir on the news again today (Saturday), calling for a ceasefire at some unspecified time in the future. Inspiring

In my lifetime I’d struggle to name a single politician who I would consider as ‘good’. One who actually cares about the normal person on the street.

Aneurin Bevan, FDR, Clement Attlee, Mo Mowlam, Dennis Skinner, Alf Dubbs...

Perhaps more controversially, I have a friend who's father worked with John Major.  They've nothing but praise for him as a human being, apparently a very nice man.  The same applies to someone else I know who sort of knows Gordon Brown.

Centre left, socio-capitalist here. Not against folk making money provided everyone in society has both opportunity and a safety net.

100% ^

I could never vote Tory. They’re too self-centred to be good for society, especially now.

Lived for 34 years in one of the strongest Conservative constituencies - never bothered voting, it was just pointless. In my previous job, I spent a fair amount of time working with Government departments in Whitehall and some cross-sector initiatives - since 2010, it was noticeably how ‘political’ everything came, policy and dogma over outcome. After 2015 it was joint pointless - everything ditched for the altar of Brexit.

The UK is now little Britain - internationally shrinking in the eyes of the world and totally in the thrall of a corrupt media. The main parties are effectively 2 cheeks of the same arse - only working at the behest of their sponsors, doing nothing to unify or rebuild the UK and getting us back in the EU. Reunification of Ireland is almost inevitable and hopefully Scottish independence too.

All politicians are **** and I’ll never vote for any of them

Luckily, by refusing to vote for any of them, they make sure to leave you alone and not interfere in your life in return.

Oh, wait....

Lived for 34 years in one of the strongest Conservative constituencies – never bothered voting

Same for me for 25 years. I still vote as it is on the way to work in the morning when it is quiet but it is a waste of time. What highlights how crap the system is that the council elections (with smaller areas than the government elections) returned a Green and Independent for my specific area which makes me feel a bit happier about the specific area I live in although still a tory majority council because of all the ****ers in the other areas!

What do you mean by trans stuff in relation to children? What defines children? I'm just trying to decide whether to even get into a debate with you.

This - the gradual othering of the trans community is one of the reasons my vote will be for whoever has the chance to beat the Tory candidate. Right now it's nicely simmering away just under the surface, but if these were to get another go, emboldened, I am hugely concerned about what follows. They must not get the chance.

To clarify I meant any kind of medical intervention for children. Be that puberty blockers, hormones or surgery.

I've been mulling over whether to respond to this because I have a pretty good idea where it's going to go and I very much doubt it will be informative or productive.

To clarify I meant any kind of medical intervention for children. Be that puberty blockers, hormones or surgery.

what business is it of yours?

Define children?

Puberty blockers for example - although a bit 'juries out' on this, partly because without support and appropriate trials it's tricky to absolutely know the long term effects. My son started on them late, after puberty had started, and we have to pay for it privately - not because it's not available on the NHS, but because the CAMHS and GIDS are so underfunded he's been on waiting lists for assessment way beyond when they would have been most useful.

As a result he is going to have to have (also privately funded, if anyone has a spare £8000 let me know) costly, painful and debilitating surgery to reverse what could have been delayed. The surgeon(s) we are in contact with will not even consider doing that until he's 18 and after several consultations to make sure he's aware of what he is opting for.

I’ve been mulling over whether to respond to this because I have a pretty good idea where it’s going to go and I very much doubt it will be informative or productive.

I'm pleased you did and I at least will try to keep it respectful if I can. Respectfully, seems like you have an opinion but might not actually be particularly informed and thought through. So hopefully it will be informative to you.