27% of us still support Labour apparently....

[Sarah_W]

WHo on earth are tehse 27%? I wouldn't expect this figure to be any higher than the level of long term unemployment... I'm simply astounded!

[Mars]

To some people, the Tories gave themselves a long-term bad name under Major. I know a reasonable number of people who'd never vote for them based on that reputation. I also know people who think the Thatcher years ruined the country. No amount of logic can move them from this position. Some even think the current situation was started in the Conservative era.

I can think of no other group of Politicians than the current govt that has come across so corrupt and self-serving but there are people who will never vote any other way. On top of your long-term unemployed you have to consider teachers and other branches of public-servants like them.

[cymtriks]

those on long term benefits
plus
public sector workers
plus
the "blame Thatcher for everything" lot
plus
anyone who thinks "fairness" is defined by sharing out wealth regardless of contribution
plus
anyone who thinks Labour are the least worst of a bad lot

Considering the above I'm surprised that it's as LOW as 27% !!!

[Sarah_W]

cymtriks said:

those on long term benefits
plus
public sector workers
plus
the "blame Thatcher for everything" lot
plus
anyone who thinks "fairness" is defined by sharing out wealth regardless of contribution
plus
anyone who thinks Labour are the least worst of a bad lot

Considering the above I'm surprised that it's as LOW as 27% !!!

I scripm and save to afford the small luxuries I have in life and I used to vote Labour myself, but since Brown has taken over, it's becmoe a total disaster. He even has members of his own party now declaring that the party is directionless, he pushes ahead with massively unpopular ideas the latest being privitisation of the Royal Mail and then when he gets into this expenses row, hasn't got the balls to do seomthing decent like call the Police in to investigate it properly and take action where needed. His leading of teh party is akin to a train that's been derailed and needs to be stopped. Thatcher was completely out of touch in her last year or two of power, but I don't think her leadership ever got as bad as Browns now. This country needs a leader and has got a prime minister who is incompetent and desperately tring to hang onto his job whilst als desperately hanging onto a fallacy that he's going to win the next general election.

Mini rant over :-) I feel better now and offf for a run to finish teh final part of de-stressing!

[Duke of Rothesay]

cymtriks said:

those on long term benefits
plus
public sector workers
plus
the "blame Thatcher for everything" lot
plus
anyone who thinks "fairness" is defined by sharing out wealth regardless of contribution
plus
anyone who thinks Labour are the least worst of a bad lot

Considering the above I'm surprised that it's as LOW as 27% !!!

Spot on. I am amazed that it is as low as 27%. That is a lot of public sector turkeys voting for Christmas.

[cs02rm0]

There are a lot of people who swear they'd never vote Tory, which is sad enough in itself, but even worse is that they really mean they'd only ever vote Labour. Often enough from people couldn't even vote the last time Labour weren't in government. Seen a lot of it in the North of England and parts of Wales.

Politics isn't covered well enough in most schools IMO. Even the concept of bias seems to evade far too many people.

[Duke of Rothesay]

There are many safe labour seats where you could put a chimpanzee up as the candidate and they would get elected. As we can all see in the current parliamentary labour party.

[Martial Arts Man]

Voting Labour is an institutional disease.

We just need to wait till they all die out.

Any measures for speeding that process up would get my support

[thinfourth2]

Duke of Rothesay said:

There are many safe labour seats where you could put a chimpanzee up as the candidate and they would get elected. As we can all see in the current parliamentary labour party.

Well lets be honest there are many safe seats where the chimpanzee would do a better job

[glazbagun]

I'm another surprised it's so low. I know more than a few whose memories go back to the miners strikes, etc, that wouldnt vote Tory if Jesus Christ himself returned as a candidate. My memory of the Major years is dim, but I always thought it was sleaze that brought that admin low- surely noone's going to hold a bit of bed-hopping against the Topries compared to what we've seen the past few years from the current govt?

[10 Pence Short]

Another recent poll suggestion 27% of the population are retarded.

[Martial Arts Man]

10 Pence Short said:

Another recent poll suggestion 27% of the population are retarded.

My experience would lead me to conclude that that figure is at least 50 points too low!

[Gunny Sergeant D]

Here's a supporter of Labour from labourlist. Her name is Elizabeth. From previous posts she discusses how here father indoctrinated her with the virtues of socialism.

http://www.labourlist.org/mps_expenses_great_natio...

Brian

I like your article ---

I think the expenses row is only part of the present culture that has been evident for a while.

Cameron is a lightweight politician but has the confidence when it comes to personal attacks on PM because the media is behind the Tory Party and footage shown will be edited to make PM look inadequate.

The Tories have no answers to the financial tsunami the world is facing but they are using every trick in the book to attack and discredit the Government.

Gordon Brown got rid of Draper & Mcbride for smears but what is blatently obvious is that this is how the Tory camp operate both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.

The rich have seen their wealth greatly reduced in the last few months and
are funding the Tory Party to the hilt to get a Conservative Government elected because the know they will be looked after with their inheritance tax reduction etc. and possible removal of %50 tax band.

We can see that money being spent on BBC, SKY, for eg. new reporters are Conservatives. These companies need Tory money.

I now distrust the Tories so much that I think they have funded the Telegraph to gain these receipts to discredit the Cabinet & Labour MPs.
They know by leaving the Tory MPs to last the initial furore will have died down as people become less interested.

Should the Government bring in the police to investigate who took or sold on the receipts----
I'm sceptical that what has gone on previously regarding Damian Green and the Civil Servant getting off for their misdemeanors if it would be just a cosmetic exercise with no findings.

Our PM & Chancellor have their critics but I support them I know as Scotsmen they could've been Nationalists---
They chose the Labour party in their youth and I can recognise that they are true Socialists and practice fairness and justice for all and not just the few.
Socialism is not just a belief it comes from inside a person on how they think everyone should be treated.
It was only recently I heard it put really well by the comedian Frank Skinner when on Question time he said "If jesus was alive he would be a member of the Labour party" that's what he was brought up to believe about socialism.

MPs should get behind the PM unity would show strength and resume Brown's
confidence. He is the right man for the job.

[ShadownINja]

Martial Arts Man said:

Voting Labour is an institutional disease.

We just need to wait till they all die out.

Any measures for speeding that process up would get my support

Unfortunately, they are breeding more than any other class.

[All Jagged Up]

Brown was always the wrong man for the job. He does not possess the same "gift of the gab" as Blair.

My personal worry? Ed Balls becoming leader.

[s2art]

All Jagged Up said:

Brown was always the wrong man for the job. He does not possess the same "gift of the gab" as Blair.

My personal worry? Ed Balls becoming leader.

Why would that worry you, unless you dont like the idea of a labour wipe-out.

[s3fella]

All the long term spongers and dolies will suppor them. Expect that % to inrease!!

[Don]

Currently my view of the chances of the Conservatives coming to power is a bit like my view of Jensen Button becoming F1 World Champion.

It really could happen. But it's too early to be sure. The slightest complacency and it's gone.

I harbour the hope, though, that the absolute crushing, politics changing defeat that will split the Union and destroy the possibility of the Labour Party gaining power in England for at least a generation will come to pass. Frankly I think the Lib Dems would do a better job of being in Opposition and I hope they get the chance.

[Don]

driver Down said:

why is this topic still in the lounge?

I thought the politics section was created so we didn't have to have continual Tory Boy politics shoved down out throats all the time on this site?

It isn't.

PH has been resolutely right-wing (with occasional left-leaning debaters) for ten years. That's unlikely to change anytime soon. So you'll find "Tory Boy" rhetoric in any of the forums if you hang around long enough.

[andy400]

cs02rm0 said:

There are a lot of people who swear they'd never vote Tory, which is sad enough in itself, but even worse is that they really mean they'd only ever vote Labour. Often enough from people couldn't even vote the last time Labour weren't in government. Seen a lot of it in the North of England and parts of Wales.

Was chatting just a few weeks back to a contemporary (mid 30s professional - intelligent) who grew up in the North. He was aware that NuLab/Brown etc are all rubbish, self-serving, incompetent etc, but insisted that he would still vote for them and never the Tories because of 'The Miners' and family tradition.

Never mind that the country is going to the dogs - let them carry on because some miners lost their job some 20+ years ago and because Dad has always voted Labour!!! WTF etc?

I wanted to slap him, I really did, but violence is not the answer.

Or is it.......