Every time a Tory opens his /her mouth its to promise everything for the person who's worked hard and done the right thing. I've worked hard all my life especially during my mining years and I've looked after my family without ever being over excessive extravagant or too wastefull and never been anywhere near the riches the Tories promise nor have the Tories looked after me as they say they have done .
"Especially during your mining years".. Thats the saddening part because the torys took that away from you.
The thing is that is their political view in a nutshell and one that resonates with a lot of people. They believe in people looking after themselves. Its individualism, survival of the fittest, that not having state support will drive everyone on to provide for themselves. People who tend to vote Conservative vote on the basis of self-interest, they think if less money is given to the state and instead is given to them their quality of life will be better. I'm keen to stress here that what follows is simplistic in the extreme and I have many friends who vote Conservative. Now, when it comes to wealthy people that probably is the case. Because if public services are bad they can pay for a private alternative. If crime increases they can move to a gated community. They can (to an extent) cocoon themselves from the reality of those who don't have the wealth to do those things. For the majority they do so because they think they work hard and pay taxes which allow other people to not work hard (IMO this view ignores so many environmental, economic and societal factors). The problem is, and why I can't understand voting for fiscal conservatism if you are anything other than very wealthy, is that you can't cocoon yourselves from the rest of society. You rely on public services and public spending. Parks, swimming pools, libraries, refuse collection, schools, health service and on and on. And lets say you choose not to use any of these recreational facilities, you are still highly likely to still need public education and healthcare. And if you get to a point where you are paying for these privately too, you will still get to these places on public roads, be protected from fire and crime by public services, have emergency care at A&Es, use doctors and teachers that were trained by the state. I completely understand the wealthy voting Conservative. They vote for their own self-interest and would benefit from Tory policy. But the majority of people aren't better off under fiscal conservatism. The reduction in taxes for people of most incomes is negligible, yet they suffer disproportionately from the consequent cuts to public services and welfare (particularly in areas like Barnsley). Because even though they may not need welfare (at that point in time) they will have friends, neighbours or people in their community who do. And if you cut them adrift because you are ok, your quality of life will quickly deteriorate once the reality of people living in abject poverty in your community bites. Again this isn't a dig about people who vote Conservative. They just have a different opinion on how the world should be run to me. Personally I don't agree with it but I'm not going to fall out with them about it. Of course I tell my friends it makes them bad people but I'm only joking (well, sort of ). And finally before the response about Labour comes, I won't be voting for them either because they are not prepared to argue for any of the above. I sympathise with them to an extent, they are to a degree shackled by a first past the post system. But until they return to being a progressive party which has real policies for a fairer redistribution of wealth they have lost my vote and I will be voting Green in the hope of a progressive left alliance which IMO would benefit the vast majority of society.
The majority of people are not very wealthy, so for the Tories to get in, many working and middle class people must be voting for them. I don't get this thing about them looking after the top 5% of the richest when so many others must be voting for them? opinions?
That's my point, they say that if you work hard you will benefit under them when the reality is it will only ultimately benefit the wealthy.
Great response and informative view there arc. My biggest argument with Tory /rich mentality is that they supposedly champion upwardly mobile outlook but stiffle it with hereditary positions and or wealth. Which IMO is totally wrong and the reason is that their family have probably had the best start in life,good schools etc and should get on in life on their own feet. Surely by their own rantings this is what should happen their should be no dynasties everyone should be up their on merit not privilige which is what they are preaching. I too know people from working class who praise the Tory mantra but they're usually folk that have done OK for themselves (worked hard and done the right thing) who in their struggling days were labour. Its just a Tory lie being pedalled to convince people who have had breaks in their lives that its because everyone else has been callous with their money and therefore should consider the selves Tory. Highlighted wrong thread sorry
Fantastic summary that ark and one that deserves a much wider audience than the few that will read it on here. From a personal point of view, I'm a son of a miner made good and whilst it's probably in my interests to vote Conservative nowadays, my conscience will never allow it. Until someone can convince me they're not just a career politician and can genuinely inspire me like I remember the likes of Tony Benn and Michael Foot used to when I was younger and admittedly much more naive, I'll be abstaining.
