

To wonder if many voters know what they are actually voting for?

(50 Posts)
superstarheartbreaker Tue 09-Apr-13 22:59:13

How many of you read a political manifesto, how many vote for who your parents vote for and how many vote for a change? Just interested after all the Thatcher threads.
Just wondering if many voters are either Labour or conservative due to a tribal identity rather like following a football team? Before I get flamed I know that you are all intelligent adults capable of making up your own minds; I speak also for myself. I just vote with a gut feeling and an allegience to a vague ideology. Also a bit of a fence sitter having been involved in quite extreme green political views in my youth and realising that the middle way was more me. I wish I knew more about politics so I could make an informed decision rather than the vagueries and stereotypes.

x2boys Sat 13-Apr-13 09:38:28

i have voted for both i voted for labour when they first got in but then regretted it when they screwed the country up big time last time i voted conservative as i liked there policies but there seems to be a lot of hot air and little action so far prhaps,i would vote conservative again if there was a different leader i do actually like IDS ,S policies as for labour i think most of them realise they need to change if they are to get in in the next general election apart from unfortunatley Ed milliband!

BegoniaBampot Sat 13-Apr-13 09:30:45

the year I turned 18 was a general election and thought i should vote for the experience. our area is staunch working class, council estate labour voters. i didn't know who to vote for. wouldn't vote Tory, and didn't want to just vote labour just because. walked to the station still undecided and the only person to even look at me and angage was an old man handing out SNP leaflets so voted SNP in a safe Labour seat. Dad voted labour, mum voted Tory (partly because of Maggie) and me SNP. so much for everyone just voting tribally.

CouthySaysEatChoccyEggs Sat 13-Apr-13 09:02:32

My mother is staunchly Tory, through and through. Even she is struggling with what they are doing to the disabled, as my Dbro will be losing his DLA when it changes to PIP. For the first time in her life, she doesn't know who to vote for...

I on the other hand am much more left-leaning.

However, I wouldn't just vote labour for the sake of it. Our local MP is a Lib Dem, has been the same one for years, does LOTS for the local community, etc.

So I read manifesto's online before voting. And vote for the person whose policies I most agree with.

Your classic 'floating voter'.

ShellyBoobs Sat 13-Apr-13 08:53:33

I've never voted Tory but I'm more and more inclined to do so, the more time I spend on MN.

The left-wingers here constantly saying vile and repulsive things about the Tory Party and their voters make it very obvious that Labour need to be stopped from ever getting back into power.

KittyAndTheFontanelles Sat 13-Apr-13 08:20:44

The reason I like the website below is that it uncovers the lifetime Tory/labour/green career voter who don't think about why they are voting.

It is about personalities, although IMO it shouldn't be. smile

What it should be about is policies plus ability - which is why the individual characteristics of the candidate are important.

I like the fact that in the UK, every MP has been personally voted for. I think it would be a great pity if that ever changed.

KittyAndTheFontanelles Sat 13-Apr-13 03:40:19

I totally disagree toad smile

It's about policies not personalities. Hackneyed phrase I know but true I think.

KittyAndTheFontanelles Sat 13-Apr-13 03:35:01

I believe this is how we should all choose who to vote for.

Try it it is very interesting smile

I vote based on policy. Sadly I live in a Tory stronghold anyway, so my vote is fairly irrelevant, but at least that saves me from having to vote tactically!

ComposHat I was in a marginal seat. For the local elections the local Labour party even called me up. They obviously had me as a tick box Labour vote. I told them what I thought. They were right, ID card fiasco and Iraq weren't their decision but they have the ear of the national party and I don't. I voted LibDem in the end. I won't do that again.

I'm living in Canada right now so I don't have to deal with the whole boiling of them. No idea who i will vote for when I live in the UK again.

ComposHat Thu 11-Apr-13 01:38:45

MrsTerry I start from the position that Labour have to do something to lose my vote in a general election and the Iraq war was that for me.

I am slightly hypocritical and cowardly in that my 'protest votes' against Labour were made in safe Labour seats. If I'm honest, if it was a marginal seat, or there was a chance to unseat a Tory I may have voted differently.

I loathe this Tory administration so much, that unless Ed Milliband pisses on my Nan, I'll vote for them as the best hope of driving out the Tories.

Dominodonkey Thu 11-Apr-13 01:27:16

YANBU - many people vote both Tory and Labour because their families always have done so. It's not so common with Lib Dem voters as they haven't existed in their present form for as long.

My grandad broke the mould though - a proper East end working class bloke and everyone in his family voted Labour, they would have voted Labour if a pig had been wearing the red rosette. My grandad decided to vote Conservative as -'we've all voted Labour for years and we still all live in a shithole - why do we keep doing it?'

erowid Wed 10-Apr-13 23:48:40

I've not been compelled enough to any party in recent years to vote for any of them so the last few times I've spoiled my ballot because I still want my vote counted. Personally I think voting should be compulsory.

Archetype Wed 10-Apr-13 22:18:38

Im classed as a 'young voter' I genuinely have no clue. I don't know another person my age in my area that votes either.

I get sick of this "I don't vote, they all break their promises" line.

Voting is not about comparing some shopping lists of policies and seeing which one you prefer. What this attitude leads to is the sort of wailing you'd expect from a child whose sweets have been confiscated.

What voting is about is choosing individuals to exercise their judgment on our behalf.

Politicians are human, some of them are greedy, some of them genuinely want to do their best within their responsibilities. Parties set out in their manifestos what they intend to do, circumstances permitting, and it is up to the voter to assess whether the individual candidates in their constituency is going to be able to put those policies in place and develop new ones as matters arise.

Feminine Wed 10-Apr-13 17:46:08

Tee that was like me when I lived in the US.

My neighbour asked if I hate voted? I replied that I wasn't a US citizen.

"Don't worry" he said " We still think of you as one"

The don't worry bit really made me laugh.

My DH is American/now British the next election will be his first time here!

I grew up in a very conservative home. My conservative relatives have now given up on them, this time round. I have never voted here, doubt i ever will.

mrsjay Wed 10-Apr-13 17:34:44

I refuse to vote conservative but I do read manifestos and vote who i think is best, libdems let me down in the last elections though

I'm with you ComposHat. It's annoying because my local Tory was helpful, polite, engaged, even Red Ken thought he was a 'good' Tory. I just couldn't stomach the thought Scottish family. Although after the Iraq war and the ID cards bollocks Labour are out. The LibDems are turncoats and the Greens won't form a government.

HoneyDragon Wed 10-Apr-13 17:16:03

I don't vote unless there is a phone line number to do it that charges £50 per hour for the privilege.

I realised how important it was to vote after in went to America for 14 days and SUBO nearly won.

Abra1d Wed 10-Apr-13 17:11:26

Begonia if they do, they are being dim, too. Tribalism in politics is a bad idea.

It does tend to be more vitriolic and abusive on the left, though.

CockyFox Wed 10-Apr-13 13:03:27

I am almost obsessive over politics, so I would and do read the full manifesto of each party and the publications put out by our candidates, this means I have voted LibDem in the past two elections as our MP is fantastic for our area, and has been active at Westminster.
If I voted with my parents I would struggle to recconcile their ideology with mine.

ComposHat Wed 10-Apr-13 12:45:50

I am sorry in fact I know some six toed pony fuckers and they are floating voters. Lovely people if you can get past the whole pony fucking thing.

Kind of reminds me of the private eye headline 'Cuddly homosexual Michael Portillo plays down youthful experiments with Toryism.'

I've only recently taken a proper interest in politics, so before always vote for whoever vaguely seemed to have the right ideals. Not that there is ever any chance of my Welsh industrial town city being anything but Labour.

BegoniaBampot Wed 10-Apr-13 12:41:41

abra1d - and some Tory voters don't do the same?

Tee2072 Wed 10-Apr-13 12:40:46

I don't vote at all.

But, then, I'm not a citizen.


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