Read on Twitter
My dad's shift from Thatcher to Starmer (thread)
Just had a long, very interesting talk with my dad about politics and about his political history. As I've said on here before, dad voted Tory for 32 years from 1983 to 2015. I wanted to find out exactly what had made him switch
Just had a long, very interesting talk with my dad about politics and about his political history. As I've said on here before, dad voted Tory for 32 years from 1983 to 2015. I wanted to find out exactly what had made him switch
in recent years to voting first for the Lib Dems (2017) and then for Labour in last year's election.
Part of it, dad admitted, was because he lives with 4 left-wing liberals, having married one and fathered three more. Politics is a frequent conversation topic in our house and
Part of it, dad admitted, was because he lives with 4 left-wing liberals, having married one and fathered three more. Politics is a frequent conversation topic in our house and
over time we have made dad re-evaluate certain viewpoints & priorities. But that's only part of the story. Despite coming from a traditional working-class background, dad has always had a "net positive" in life (his phrasing). He passed his 11-plus, went to grammar school, got a
good, high-paying job as a commercial pilot, was able to buy a nice house in a good area and bring up a family of his own. In his view he had achieved all of this himself by hard work and effort, and had a somewhat Tebbitite attitude towards people who had come from the same
background; that they too could succeed if only they tried and worked as hard as he had (dad has achieved plenty in his life, and this thread is not to take away from that in any way). Dad identified as Tory and always voted for them, even in 1997 when Tony Blair greatly appealed
to him but tribal loyalty kept him voting Blue.
Dad says that he had a "lightbulb moment" during the 2016 EU referendum campaign, when he concluded that the referendum and the issues around it were about control of the Conservative Party, not the good of the country. At first,
Dad says that he had a "lightbulb moment" during the 2016 EU referendum campaign, when he concluded that the referendum and the issues around it were about control of the Conservative Party, not the good of the country. At first,
dad blamed the then-current crop of Tories; Cameron, Gove, Johnson etc. But then he thought back over his political memory and realised that the Conservative Party had always been this way, always more interested in who their leader was than in what was best for the country.
For that reason, dad says, he will never vote Tory again.
He was also opposed to Brexit. Dad voted Remain and subsequently wanted a second referendum. He voted for the Liberal Democrats in 2017, voted for them in the 2019 EU elections, and would have voted for them in the 2019
He was also opposed to Brexit. Dad voted Remain and subsequently wanted a second referendum. He voted for the Liberal Democrats in 2017, voted for them in the 2019 EU elections, and would have voted for them in the 2019
general election if not for two things: 1. Labour's adoption of a second referendum policy 2. Our constituency being a straight two-horse race between the Tories and Labour. Dad had (has) an extremely low opinion of Jeremy Corbyn and was glad to see him go as Labour leader.
Dad now fully intends to vote Labour in 2024, partly because he wants the Tories out and partly because he is extremely impressed by Keir Starmer, whom he describes as competent and highly able. My dad, who voted for Thatcher and thought Norman Tebbitt was right about
"on yer bike", wants to see a Labour majority government in 2024 with Keir Starmer as Prime Minister
End of thread
End of thread
