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Voting quandry

(809 Posts)
marbles Mon 24-Apr-17 12:42:44

I'm a life-long Labour voter but cannot bear to suppprt Corbyn in the forthcoming election. The party will remain a shambles until it is under proper leadership and he seems to have totally lost the plot. I will not vote Conservative for many reasons and I feel betrayed by Theresa May's u-turn on Brexit, u-turn on not calling an election...there is no trust.

I will not abstain - the vote is a privilege. But for the first time I am seriously at a loss. There is no credible opposition. Locally there are no viable candidates that I feel I can endorse in order to make a point. I need to put my X in the box and it's the first time ever I've thought they are all as bad as each other.

norose4 Sun 07-May-17 20:17:50

If she fairly & squarly wins this election there is no comeback, if she losses well w who have we got to do any sort of bargaining to get us a good deal ???

norose4 Sun 07-May-17 20:15:44

NO I am saying that we the electorate cannot say that say she has no right to be doing the remain bargaining because she was a remainder & not the prime minister at the time of the vote .

MaizieD Sun 07-May-17 20:11:22

What ever the outcome the people of Britain will have no excuse that they did not know who or what they are voting for..

So although you're a Remainer voter you're prepared to give her a free rein and to appear to indicate that you're in favour of Brexit after all?

norose4 Sun 07-May-17 20:05:15

Except it's a good idea if you are a remainder politician ,then priminster of a leave electorate to ensure that there is no comeback & she can't be accused of taking the country out of the EU on a technicality that some bright spark is sure to come up with. What ever the outcome the people of Britain will have no excuse that they did not know who or what they are voting for... & you can be sure that is just what would have happened if she didn't call an election damned if you do dammed if you don't. ... politicians can never win & im just mrs average

MaizieD Sun 07-May-17 20:02:07

When the NHS is privatised, welfare cut, education cut even further and she makes a bonfire of worker's rights with her Henry VIII powers I'm sure that you'll all be pleased that you gave her a huge majority, that that she doesn't actually need, for 'Brexit'.

Eloethan Sun 07-May-17 19:56:47

anniebach You aren't secretive about telling people about your former role in your local Labour Party, your long history in the party, your high profile political friends in the party, the hours you have devoted to canvassing for the party, etc.

Having identified yourself as a "loyal Labour member" of many years' standing, you have not been shy either to rubbish the elected leader of the Labour Party and in so doing undermine the party, not only throughout the last few months but also during an election campaign - to great applause from several of the Conservative supporters on this site who were quite happy to divulge who they voted for.

Perhaps you were not aware of the fact that many people object to political activists approaching them to try and find out their voting intentions. Now you say it is ignorant and nosy for people on an anonymous social website to ask who you are voting for. Yet you have, as you say, throughout the years actually approached people in their homes and asked them face-to-face about their voting intentions.

M0nica Sun 07-May-17 19:54:47

We do not live in a Presidential democracy, we vote for a party not a leader, there is no reason at all why we should have an election just because the leader of the governing party changes.

norose4 Sun 07-May-17 19:50:07

Because she wasn't the leader at the time of the last election. So by going to the vote it will be clear to all who the public have voted for.

MaizieD Sun 07-May-17 19:45:06

Brexit needs to be handled expertly if we are to stand any chance of getting a good deal.

Leaving aside the question of whether or not May was handling Brexit 'expertly' there was absolutely no need for this general election. She had a majority, she had no problems with Parliament. Except, of course, for some toothless opposition from the Lords.

There is no quandry, because there is no viable opposition

This is a really extraordinary piece of reasoning. She has no problem with Brexit (as above) but what about her domestic policy which is looking strongly like being extremely damaging to our public services and many of our rights? Don't you think we need a sizeable number of MPs in Parliament who are able to fight for our services? An 'opposition' doesn't have to be one party; it can be made up of MPs from all the non-government parties.

She doesn't need a huge majority for Brexit but she does for demolishing all the institutions we have benefited from over our lifetimes. I am horrified that people are willing to even contemplate being complicit in that just because of Brexit.

Ana Sun 07-May-17 19:37:30

I certainly think Annie would be identifiable by someone determined enough to establish her identity - as would durhamjen.

norose4 Sun 07-May-17 19:33:59

Ps Durhamjen. I don't read the papers

MaizieD Sun 07-May-17 19:30:31

I wouldn't be so confident about my anonymity on Gnet, or any other forum, as to think that no-one could find out who I am and use their knowledge of what I say on-line to attempt to manipulate me or, as in the example of the LP banning people from membership on the strength of what they had said in the past about voting etc, actually use that information to my detriment.

I don't think it would be too hard to ID me if anyone really wanted to (though that is partly my own fault for using the same username on several forums). Also, hasn't there been a recent law to oblige ISPs to give the government access to our emails and search histories? If any of you have had an email from Gnet then you're identifiable...

Anniebach Sun 07-May-17 19:14:06

It matters because it just isn't the polite thing to do Eleothan , it shows great ignorance to ask such a nosey question

Anniebach Sun 07-May-17 19:11:56

Jen, think deeply ok?

The thread is headed voting quandry yes?

You state I have a quandry yes?

Then why ask such a daft question , unless it was just to bait ?

If I knew who I would vote for I wcouldn't be in a sodding quandry would I?

Eloethan Sun 07-May-17 19:09:46

I can see why some might not want to tell certain people, such as canvassers, who they are going to vote for - personally I wouldn't give the information to someone from a party I wouldn't dream of voting for. Other thabn that, it isn't an issue for me as I'm not embarrassed or ashamed about who I'm voting for.

I really don't understand the need for secrecy on Gransnet because we are all anonymous so what does it matter?

norose4 Sun 07-May-17 19:05:22

Marbles thanks for the thread, yes it has put many of us in a quandary re principles, beliefs etc, but we cannot put our heads in the sand & if that means swallowing some pride & voting for the most able party at this present time then that's what we need to do , next time aroun however we should have a clear picture of where we are all at. There is a saying about a bough that bends with the wind will survive , whilst the unbending will not . We need to survive theses shambolic changing times

norose4 Sun 07-May-17 18:48:05

Not given up Durhamjen , just being realistic , the other options at the moment are just too shambolic , next time around well that can & will be a whole new ball game & we should be beginning to see the wood from the trees you then, I was unashamedly a remainder, but we are brexiting ,and there is no other credible opposition to handle that imho ,

durhamjen Sun 07-May-17 18:42:19

fullfact.org/news/why-local-elections-are-not-useful-indicators-national-votes/

Of course there is a quandary, norose.
Lots of questions about who to vote for in every constituency and why.
You don't just give up because of what the papers tell you.

norose4 Sun 07-May-17 18:30:15

There is no quandry, because there is no viable opposition, Next time around perhaps there will be , Brexit needs to be handled expertly if we are to stand any chance of getting a good deal. Horses for courses, idealism some times has to take 2nd place

durhamjen Sun 07-May-17 17:57:50

No, but you have a quandary, don't you?

Anniebach Sun 07-May-17 17:35:08

The thread title is not - who will you vote for

Anniebach Sun 07-May-17 17:33:02

I told who I voted for because I chose to not because anyone was rude enough to ask.

this time is much more difficult, we haven't a labour candidate from this constituency, no one wanted to stand , I don't know much yet about the candidate we have, it was said Kirsty Williams would stand for the Libs but after Thursday I doubt it, the sane useless Tory MP is standing again. If Kirsty were to stand she would have s good chance, lsbour not a cats chance in hell. So I don't know . Waiting for a lead from Carwyn and private mails from a few Welsh MP's and Assembly Members, so much said of Wales being taken by the Tories , thsnkfully they cannot affect the Welsh Assembly.

I do know the leader of Merthyr council who lost his seat blames Corbyn, he said so on Wales News

durhamjen Sun 07-May-17 17:30:36

Thanks, Maizie. I understand where you are coming from. No reason for me not to ask, though. I am genuinely interested in what Annie will do. The thread is titled voting quandary, after all.

durhamjen Sun 07-May-17 17:28:30

Who are you going to vote for, niggly?

MaizieD Sun 07-May-17 17:26:52

I didn't intend to start an anti dj witch hunt, nellie. I agree with much that she posts. I just find this dj/ab feud very tedious and irrelevant to the very serious political situation we're now in.