Do the Tories want to lose the next election?

drc

Anyone else think that the Tories don't actually want to win the next election.

They have done quite a few things recently that will very negatively affect their core voters such as cuts to child benefit and now they are saying they are going to slash pensioner benefits if they win. Hardly the action of a party that wants to keep its voter base. I think the most likely scenario is to do a Labour (scorched earth) so that when Labour are re-elected they have a lot of difficult choices to make. Either that or the Tories are completely stupid and out of touch (which is also quite likely).

Graham_Devon

70%+, in a recent poll, are behind them (not just their voters either).

I'm not sure they don't want to win. It's just these things need to be done. I think a lot of the bungling is down to the coalition and having to appease all the time.

drc

Graham_Devon wrote: »

70%+, in a recent poll, are behind them (not just their voters either).

I'm not sure they don't want to win. It's just these things need to be done. I think a lot of the bungling is down to the coalition and having to appease all the time.

In most polls Labour have a huge lead.

CWSmith

Sadly, in our benefit-ridden society, that's what its come down to now. Most people no longer vote for the political party that is best for the country as a whole - they vote for the party that will bung them the most money.

wotsthat

Giving benefits to middle-class people just doesn't make sense. The Conservative core voters understand this and might be forgiving come election time but...

What might 'do' for the Conservatives is that the 'we're all in it together' message is starting to look less credible by the day. Whether this is reality or down to the Conservatives ineptitude in developing policy, explaining it and introducing it without making a pantomime I don't know.

If the core voters, who consider themselves 'hard working' and 'striving' start to think that they are making more of a contribution than group x, y or z then the politics of envy may well take over. That'll be despite the fact that no alternative party is going to re-introduce the lost benefits.

BertieUK

They are most certainly wanting to win the next election and indeed have done quite a number of things recently that will not please their core voters, but they must have done some good somewhere otherwise their Backbenchers would surely be showing their feelings by now.


What frightens me is if Labour did win the next election they would bring out the Hydraulic Plough and go silly and plough all of the fields that had been planted with crops by the Conservatives,but had not yet broke the surface because the crops needed more time to germinate.

Or am I being too kind to them?

DaddyBear

To be fair to the Tories, they're making decisions that Labour wouldn't have the Balls to. I suspect they will continue their current austerity and the. Hand out a few carrots the year before the election. They are already hinting at further tax breaks for childcare. That could swing my vote from a deliberate spoil to Tory. What I dont like about the Tories is their passiveness regarding tax loopholes and tax avoidance.

Wookster

Like it or not, the Conservatives and the Lib-dems (for all their dilly dallying) realise that this country is broke and cannot afford the enormous willy nilly spending of money that Labour left.

The age old mantra of the Conservatives coming into power, sorting out Labour's mess and then getting the blame as the nasty party is coming true. Yet again.

Conrad

drc wrote: »

Anyo

They have done quite a few things recently that will very negatively affect their core voters

Tis the hallmark of true and brave leadership.

Any fool leader can shower the masses in coin.

Read the history books. All too often tough and courageous leadership despite cost to the leader, is misunderstood on the day.

GeorgeHowell

Conrad wrote: »

Tis the hallmark of true and brave leadership.

Any fool leader can shower the masses in coin.

Read the history books. All too often tough and courageous leadership despite cost to the leader, is misunderstood on the day.

That certainly is the lesson of history. But I do wonder whether swathes of modern Britain would recognise something tough and courageous if it jumped up and bit them on the a**e -- unless it were Premiership footballer undertaking a diving header near the toe of a defender's boot, or an X-Factor contestant performing something outside their usual genre in the sing-off.

IveSeenTheLight

Graham_Devon wrote: »

I'm not sure they don't want to win. It's just these things need to be done. I think a lot of the bungling is down to the coalition and having to appease all the time.

I just wish that the parties would stop harking back to previous administrations and get on with the job.

Instead of saying things like "look at the economy we inherited" I'd much rather there was a simple blunt truth and positive outlook going forward.

I'd much rather they simply stated something like "The country cannot afford to spend as it currently is. We the government are pro-actively dealing with this situation and prioritising the available funds where we think it is best utilised"

Things will be tough until we understand to live within our means