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Do you feel politically homeless?

(135 Posts)
grannyactivist Wed 06-Nov-19 13:49:13

The news that Dr. Bendor Grosvenor, the art historian, has withdrawn his support from the Conservative party has got me thinking.

I wonder about how people are affected when they have become disenchanted with parties they have supported assiduously in the past.

My parents-in-law were lifelong supporters of the LibDems (previously Liberals), but they tore up their membership cards when they joined forces with the Conservatives. I also have a dear friend who has been a very active lifelong Conservative party member and even an Agent for many years. I know he has struggled with recent events and I don't yet know whether he has jumped ship, as I suspected he might do, but there must be a huge personal cost to someone in giving up on a political party they have been so invested in.

How do you choose who to vote for when the party you've believed in no longer seems like the party you joined? Do you feel you've been betrayed? How do you find a new political home?

Newatthis Mon 02-Aug-21 12:16:51

There is a saying "The only person who ever went in to the Houses of parliament with honest intentions was Guy Fawkes". This is so true - doesn't matter who you vote for or which country you live in. None of them ever keep their promises.

Bigirl57 Mon 02-Aug-21 12:12:33

I am not a sheep so I will not act like one and vote for a party regardless as to how bad they are like some people will. I have voted Conservative in the past but there was no way I was going to vote for Thatcher the harm that women done to the U.K. is still being felt today a truly wicked women. Since 2010 we have not had one competent conservative prime minister so I voted LibDems. I expect I will vote for them again. The conservatives and Labour have absolute moron MPs among them so I will not vote for them. I know what you men by being at a loss as to who to vote for.

Mollygo Mon 02-Aug-21 12:09:22

Alegrias1 your post about sums it up.
I am suffering from that lovely term electile dysfunction, but I will go to vote, and if there’s nothing good on offer as I feel is the current situation, I’ll spoil the ballot.
If I’ve voted for none of them I can moan about all of them.

Grannynise Mon 02-Aug-21 11:58:41

Because those posts are very old.

coastalgran Mon 02-Aug-21 11:58:15

Being in Scotland we have had the SNP government for ages and ages, it doesn't seem to matter who you vote for here in they go regardless. The only glimmer of hope we ever have had recently was when the Conservative leader in Scotland was Ruth Davidson, now Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links, sadly we will never see her like again north of the Border.

Grandma2002 Mon 02-Aug-21 11:56:38

Why are we talking about Jeremy Corbyn? I thought Keir Starmer was Leader of Labour party

Alegrias1 Mon 02-Aug-21 11:53:32

Becuase by turning up you are registering your disapproval, and the number of spoiled ballots gets counted.

If enough people care enough to turn up, but don't want any of the candidates on offer, that is different to just not bothering to turn up at all.

Fashionista1 Mon 02-Aug-21 11:51:23

There is no point spoling a ballot paper, it is just not counted and is thrown into a pile of discards. why bother? Just don't vote, it's pointless.

Theoddbird Mon 02-Aug-21 11:45:49

I vote conservative and will continue to vote for them...

Kestrel Mon 02-Aug-21 11:40:40

I vote Green these days just so I can vote for someone/something with some useful longterm ideas (this prob splits all sorts of votes and causes more chaos?) Always used to vote Labour but cannot bring myself to now. Sad state of affairs.

grannygranby Mon 02-Aug-21 11:23:31

the corporate conformity of so called 'diversity champions' has taken over all the parties. Tens of thousands of pounds are given to Stonewall for points. Core belief in this is that gender self ID cannot be debated and is being rushed into definitions of females (cervix havers, pregnant people) and even the law. This is not fair to the most vulnerable women, nor is it fair in sport. But no debate. This has been taken on without question by the LibDems, the Greens and Labour. I have always voted Labour. I wrote to my MP of my concern he replied on Twitter that people who are gender stereotype critical are bigots! For the first time in my voting life I didn't vote in the last local elections. It is just gobbledygook and bullying. It is led by ignorance and fear.
You'd think that the 'no debate' would remind people of Orwell's 1984 and the Ministry of Truth...but no. People have seen what happens to those who have spoken up and everyone is keeping their heads down. shameful. It has got to the point that protesting that as an adult female you are a woman is 'hate speech'. I cant vote for that. And I've never voted for right-wing politics so I am politically homeless. Which is staggering.

JennyCee Mon 02-Aug-21 11:21:19

Grandmamoira
Moderate Blairite?? The same one who took us into a war still going on and then declared himself Middle East Peace Envoy?
The one who gave GPS licence to not have to out on evening
Visits to help the sick?
perhaps you could change. Your mind?

greenlady102 Mon 02-Aug-21 11:21:09

I have never ever felt politically homeless because I have never ever supported one party assiduously and i can't see why anyone does. Every time I vote, locally as well as nationally, I do my due diligence and vote for the party I think best suits my needs at the time.

GraceQuirrel Mon 02-Aug-21 11:15:32

I haven’t voted for the last few years. If I don’t want any of them to get in, how can I give one my vote?
They are all awful.

Alegrias1 Mon 02-Aug-21 10:44:48

Parsley3

I now have electile disfunction as for the seventh year running Scotland has the highest drug deaths in Europe. A national disgrace and I won’t be voting for SNP until a workable solution is in place. However, I can’t vote for the Conservatives as I have nothing in common with their ideology, Labour would be my choice but they are in no man’s land just now and the Lib Dems mean nothing to me. It will have to be Screaming Lord Such at the next General election. I can’t not vote as I have given my children stick in the past for not voting. Help!

Green?

the Lib Dems mean nothing to me

Is it bad that I now have the song "Vienna" running through my head.....?

Lincslass Mon 02-Aug-21 10:41:26

I vote for the one who has done most for the local people, and the work they have done for said community. Not for a political party. Not sure wether I will vote next time.

NotSpaghetti Mon 02-Aug-21 10:40:43

This is an interesting thread.
Thanks for reviving it Kali2

nanna8 Mon 02-Aug-21 10:15:25

Seems to be a world wide phenomenon. I have been a swinging voter for many years. Only problem now is I don’t know which way to swing. Nothing appeals. We have to vote here, it is compulsory but I would anyway thinking of the hard won vote for women in days past. To not vote is throwing back their sacrifices.

Kali2 Mon 02-Aug-21 10:02:11

It's hard isn't it? At least no-one has told you you have no right to an opinion.

JaneJudge Sun 01-Aug-21 19:06:23

yes i do and i suppose it is why I am making a joke of things and upsetting everyone sad

Parsley3 Sun 01-Aug-21 19:05:32

I now have electile disfunction as for the seventh year running Scotland has the highest drug deaths in Europe. A national disgrace and I won’t be voting for SNP until a workable solution is in place. However, I can’t vote for the Conservatives as I have nothing in common with their ideology, Labour would be my choice but they are in no man’s land just now and the Lib Dems mean nothing to me. It will have to be Screaming Lord Such at the next General election. I can’t not vote as I have given my children stick in the past for not voting. Help!

Kim19 Sun 01-Aug-21 18:26:05

Yes, I've become a floating voter. So much easier when I was a one party diehard. I will still vote but I anticipate huge difficulty in doing so. Cannot bring myself to spoil my paper but it is the closest I ever remember being to considering it. Another 4 ish years to go and they can create such havoc in such a spell of time. Dear me.......

Dinahmo Sun 01-Aug-21 18:21:51

Jo Swinson did a lot of damage to the LibDems imo. Maybe she was just too young to handle the power?

grannysyb Sun 01-Aug-21 18:12:58

I used to vote Libdem, went off them after Jo Swinson kept calling me a "cis woman". Won't vote Tory, and Labour also seem to have forgotten women.

Kali2 Sun 01-Aug-21 17:36:52

'Glad' that you can see what I mean, and why I revived this thread. Indeed.