-
Great for you that you're in a solid labour constituency so can say things like that.
I would say it anyway, and act on it and vote for what I want anyway.
For me, I am reduced to be a single issue voter... the turkey who does not want to vote for Christmas.
The Tories are a vote for Christmas, and Labour have committed, on the single issue I care about, to also be a vote for Christmas.
I'll vote for my survival, and because Christmas is going to come anyway I'll then do what I can to survive despite it.
What I won't do is use my vote to further empower a "we have a mandate to make Christmas happen"... I'm a turkey, and won't vote for Christmas.
That there may be so many secondary factors that say "oh but Labour are better than the Tories in this way" is a moot point, why would I vote against my own existence? All other considerations are secondary.
On my second issue... Labour are still virtually indistinguishable from the Tories... so even if I were at peace with the first issue (and I am far from at peace with it), then the second is also an existential issue and still represents turkeys voting for Christmas.
It really doesn't matter to me whether we have a Labour or Tory govt when on the biggest issues of my life I cannot tell them apart.
I used to argue the differences vociferously, and clearly I acted, campaigned, and fought for those differences, but time passes and I am older, and the single issue is fundamental to me and cannot be ignored, and Labour have not committed to do anything here, well... they have, they've committed to do nothing and accept the Tory position, and I won't vote for Christmas.
Velocio-
What's the single issue you're talking about, if you don't mind disclosing it?
-
With that elaboration I completely understand your position. I feel that most people will be unlikely to feel as passionately about one issue on which the Tories and Labour are indistinguishable.
In my case, having been a Green Party member for several years, and having voted Green more times than any other party, if I now vote Green, I’m giving the Tories a greater chance of keeping a seat. The Lib Dem’s are now very close according to polls/tactical voting sites, which gives a vote a different meaning.
slippers
JonD
Great for you that you're in a solid labour constituency so can say things like that.
However, both May and Johnson's election success shows that these things aren't set and can change very quickly.
If Starmer gets:
And Reform get:
What do you think that will do to Labour's plans over the next 5yrs?
The only way we will get any meaningful change in this country is an undisputable thumping majority. That Starmer is trying to appeal to the majority shouldn't be a reason for people to throw their toys out the pram, it is democracy and concensus politics in action.
After the last election we were looking at a Conservative government in perpetuity. The level of utter complacency from certain quarters of this forum staggers me.