Feeling politically homeless (new thread)

Absolutely agree with you MAMACAZ, and have felt this way since there were all those childish scenes in the House of Commons over the Brexit agreement. No one of the current crop has emerged who could handle the chaos we are now in and has the ability to lead us out of it.
For a start I hope the Tory Party wake up and get rid of Boris.
I have no political loyalty to any party, but I find myself wanting Tony Blair back together with some of his stalwarts who led us through the financial crisis.

I truly, deeply despise the current appalling Tories - and yet, if they win again, I will blame the Labour Left even more than the Tories. Because Labour has a real chance, for the first time in a long time- to beat those destructive, tax evading Tories who are prepared to scupper the country and destroy the NHS and abandon 10s of 1000s of the poorest and most vulnerable in society. And Labour is prepared to throw away that chance at opposing this - by fighting each other rather than the above! And come up with the utter nonsense that Starmer is just as bad as any Tory and has the same aims Oh I so agree! I have a lazy, complacent Tory MP in this safe constituency, we never hear anything of him, he is never involved in any local issues, bone idle too. Thus, our local Labour party is weak, and they field 'no chance' candidates, someone who doesn't have any connections with the area, and often an example of what some on here would call the 'loony left' with bonkers policies which just will not cut it in a strong conservative, rural constituency, so very frustrating.

montymops

We are just emerging from the Covid ‘era’ which has been incredibly difficult for all of us - we have seemingly been living on a strange alternative planet! The shock waves are still reverberating.
I’m sure things will improve for all parties and for all of us given time. I’m not a particular fan of Boris - but really don’t know how anyone else could have coped with Covid country any better.

If the political scene had been any better pre-covid, I might agree with you, but it really wasn't.
Labour had already become ineffective due to its in-fighting, and the Conservatives were already doing what they are doing now, only with less of a public spotlight on them.

What Covid has done very well is highlight Boris's pre-existing failings.

You might be surprised to hear this, but I don't actually think that any other party could have dealt with Covid any better either.

Why not?

Because I suspect that if another party had tried to do exactly what the current Government has done, they would not have managed to get the measures through Parliament.
The Tories themselves faced a lot of resistance _from the right wing of their own party_.
Had another party been in power, I believe a far greater number of the Conservative MPswould have adopted that stance, preventing the governing party from passing many of the measures that they themselves have taken.

Only my opinion though, obviously,

The ability to control our own future. Who did you vote for to lead the EU. Sorry of course we do not have a vote. Any vote for a Euro MEP was wasted, they have no control of the workings of the EU. It is the bureaucrats that are in charge. Can you name the president of the European Parliament ? without looking it up. At least now we can moan like we are on this forum and have a chance to vote for the party that we would like to be in control.

Under the current system, the importance of your political allegiance depends where you live.

I am on the left and have never felt that my views are represented by the major parties, except for the period when Jeremy Corbyn was leader. However, I have voted Labour all my life, for want of a better alternative, apart from some tactical voting when I was foolish enough to believe Nick Clegg. (And look what happened! Never doing that again.)

I have voted in General Elections and local elections all my adult life. Apart from anything else, I think of the suffragettes and feel that we owe it to them not to waste our votes. However, it hasn't made the slightest bit of difference. I live in a Tory stronghold. No-one I have voted for has ever won. I could have drawn Donald Duck on my ballot papers and voted for him, for all the difference that my vote has made.

Yes..was about to join the Greens but they arent targetting the right targets..ER nd Insulate Britain need to be glueing themselves to Mass developers and crony Tory Council and Planning Officers who nod through huge mass developments in eg Kent and Sussex. Especially a develoler called Quinn, and Persimmon, Gladman, Bovis ,Bell etc

Absolutely agree, I could have written this myself! Not sure who to vote for next time.

I have been a Liberal, then Lib Dem member since 1962. I have never been a 'my party, right or wrong' person, and for at least the last 5 - 10 years when my subscription comes up for renewal each year I think many times before I renew it.

I do so because I think we need to keep the existence of a centrist third force alive in this country. Although I have never been tempted to vote Conservative, I have at times thought long and hard about joining Labour, but always held back because I consider it to unstable, constantly yawing to right and left and I find the hard left, even more deeply of puttingbthan the Conservatives.

So like others. I am drifting rudderless, but cannot bring myself to not vote or spoil my vote so end up voting LibDem as the only port in a storm.

I have been a Conservative voter all of my life (65). But at the last election I couldn’t vote for them and never will again. Labour are definitely not for me, nor Liberals so I will probably vote Green next time.

It’s a world wide problem I think. Our politicians here in Australia are totally dire and an embarrassment from all the parties and look at the USA , their’s are dire,too. Where is there anyone decent ? Angela is leaving her post in Germany, she was half decent. Britain seems intent on putting upper class twits into power.

Well, I’m not politically adrift.

If anyone with any sense votes for the Tory party, then they need their heads tested.

Give Keir Starmer a chance, for heavens sake.
He’s got to be better than bumbling Boris.
And surely he couldn’t be any worse at managing the country.

Totally agree. I have always voted Conservative apart from once when I was very angry with them. Now I too feel in a wilderness. They really don't give a damn about older people and I feel as if we are an inconvenience to them despite paying taxes and national insurance contributions all of our working lives. The sooner we are dead the better it suits them. I have no confidence in any of the main parties but I also feel that the vote was so hard fought for that we have a duty to use it. Silver Voices is an organization that fights for our rights. I have recently been listening to what they say quite carefully.

As a 71 year old, I am constantly amazed by people who say “ I never vote!”
I always vote , Local elections it is the Green Party, National it is Labour. However, I live in a Tory stronghold with an MP who is set on filibustering much of the time.
Personally I believe that Labour’s biggest mistake came by electing the wrong Miliband as leader ! I like Ed but David would have been a better choice. I had high hopes for Starmer as he is very intelligent and articulate but held back by the Left of the party. In fighting has to stop if they are to have a chance. However, my dream would be Andy Burnham , straight to the point, gets things moving and supports the people.
I will NEVER vote Tory . They have devastated too many industries, communities and inflicted a lack of hope on many. Big businesses and many media barons rule or dictate .
I have hope in the younger voters . They deserve better than what is on offer at the moment%.

I’ve always voted Labour but unfortunately there seems little hope that they will defeat the Tories in the near future.
It seems logical that as all the left wing parties votes outnumber Tory votes, that a progressive Alliance of Greens, Libdems and Labour should cooperate by not fielding candidates in areas where another minority party has more chance of winning. But tribal loyalties, and petty arguments will probably make that very difficult.
My constituency is a safe Tory seat, but at local council level, we have a Progressive Alliance of Labour, Greens, Libdems and Independent councillors which seems to work very effectively.
Tories are not going to support PR voting, so a Progressive Alliance is the only way we can move forward. Forget the tribal loyalties.

Give Keir Starmer a chance, for heavens sake

It’s not so much him that bothers me *Greciangirl’.
It’s his backing group ...
? ?

Dawn Butler, Angela Rayner, Ed Miliband, David Lammy to name a few that give me shivers.

But then in fairness there’s some on Boris’ team that aren’t cutting the mustard lately either.

David Lammy?

What on earth is wrong with David Lammy?!?!?

I put my hopes in the Labour Party. Any fragmentation is being sorted. This new party will be honest, full of integrity and will look after middle and working classes, not just the super rich!!

Young Labour rep faces SECOND investigation for speaking out against party leadership
Isn’t this targeted harassment?

I am familiar with Hasan Patel and his activities, both as a Young Labour representative and as an individual. I consider him to be a principled young man of excellent character.

It seems he is exactly the kind of person that Keir Starmer’s Labour Party doesn’t want.

Yesterday (October 4), he revealed that he has been targeted for “investigation” by Labour leaders – for the second time in five months.

His alleged crime? “Stressing young people’s disillusionment with the current direction of our party.”

5 months ago, I received an email from Labour’s NEC putting me under investigation for the crime of stressing young people’s disillusionment with the current direction of our party. Now I’ve been given a second notice of investigation. I have to speak out.

— Hasan Patel ? (@CorbynistaTeen) October 2, 2021

At this point I don’t know what to do but I know I will not stay silent or give up. I demand to hear from the party leadership about why I’m being silenced. Why am I being singled out? If anyone can help, please reach out to me. Solidarity.

— Hasan Patel ? (@CorbynistaTeen) October 2, 2021

This is a free speech issue.

Anybody, in any organisation, should be free to speak up if they believe it is going in the wrong direction.

Michael Heseltine did it yesterday, attacking the current Conservative leadership over its “levelling up” sloganising and failure to deliver anything apart from rhetoric. It’s a sad day when the Tories can demonstrate that they are more democratic than Labour!

But it seems that the current Labour administration does not want thinking people in its ranks – especially not among younger members.

Perhaps we should prepare for its imminent rebranding as the “Starmer Youth”?

Alegrias1

David Lammy?

What on earth is wrong with David Lammy?!?!?

I wouldn't even bother to ask, Alegrias

I REALLY admire David Lammy, he is straight, honest and says what he feels, and to be honest, what quite a lot of people think. I agree though that there are always going to be those we like/dislike in all parties, sometimes we just have to hold our nose and vote for what we think is best. I have always voted, even though my vote didn't count due to the ultra safe seat held by the ERG Brexiteer we have in place, living here it is like being in one of those strange republics where the dictator gets returned election after election......and when he finally stops pretending to be a constituency MP retires, they will put another one like him in the seat as it is so ultra safe. Mind you, a lot of the farmers around here are seriously hurting, so maybe things will not be quite so cut and dried for him next time.

Snap
No idea what the answer is.

GillT57

I REALLY admire David Lammy, he is straight, honest and says what he feels, and to be honest, what quite a lot of people think. I agree though that there are always going to be those we like/dislike in all parties, sometimes we just have to hold our nose and vote for what we think is best. I have always voted, even though my vote didn't count due to the ultra safe seat held by the ERG Brexiteer we have in place, living here it is like being in one of those strange republics where the dictator gets returned election after election......and when he finally stops pretending to be a constituency MP retires, they will put another one like him in the seat as it is so ultra safe. Mind you, a lot of the farmers around here are seriously hurting, so maybe things will not be quite so cut and dried for him next time.

Ultra safe seats can be anywhere, including, Labours Diane Abbott who has had a very safe seat since 1987. Bet Conservative voters feel the very same as you do.

I am sure they do Lincsclass, which is why PR would be better for everyone surely? In my opinion, safe seats, irrespective of the political party, can make for complacency and political laziness.PR would make sure that people got on with the job of representing their constituents, of making themselves visible. Nothing like the worry that you may lose your job every 5 years to keep people on their toes!

Totally agree and would vote Green if I lived in England as the SNP are another shower….!
The only solution is for an alliance between the opposition parties to stand down in constituencies in favour of the most likely candidate to oust a sitting or aspirant Tory…

What about the Reform party?