Slacker Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I actually felt Scottish Labour had a chance, albeit a small one, to get people back onside - by voting for Neil Findlay to lead the party. However, by opting for Jim Murphy, they've ruined the little chance they had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon EF Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I've never voted for them. I used to want Labour to win because my parents were members, reasonably active and voted for them through the 90s. I started to dislike them in the early 00s as I was getting more into politics and the Scottish Parliament was up and running. I'd say it became very, very unlikely I'd ever vote Labour in the run up to the 2011 Holyrood election. Since the referendum it's went further. The Labour party are the only 'serious' political party in the UK I will never, ever vote for in my life. I include the Tories, Lib Dems and UKIP in that. I might vote tactically for one of them. But I will never cross a Labour Party box on a ballot. Edit: My parents have long since left the party, started voting SNP and both voted Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotbawmad Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I know it is trendy to talk about Red Tories and Blue Tories and I understand why but there was a point when the Labour Party did represent left-of-centre values. Sadly many saw the Thatcher years as an excuse to pull Labour to the right to capture the 'middle ground'. These people included influential figures like Blair and Mandelson; I have no idea why either of these men ever joined the Labour Party as they never had any affinity with what it stood for at the time of their joining. Thatcher came about because of Labour's weak and incompetent leadership in the 70's. British Coal/Steel/Leyland clearly needed to be ended. Of course I fully accept the unions back then were out of control and not representative of the average worker. I'm not fundamentally against privatization, but it usually means flogging it off to government cronies (who typically buy elections for that very purpose). Who then get subsidies to keep it in business. As for Blair and Mandelson, there is no problem with having people who want to take it in an entirely different direction. You should be blaming the delegates that put them into senior positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I was a member and in the GMB and paid the political levy. When John Smith died the writing was on the wall. Blair ditching clause 4 was the final straw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anonapersona Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I voted SNP in 1987, 1992 and 1997. I was out of the country after that and never did a postal vote. Still, not bad for someone who grew up in The Borders. My biggest influence was my dad, from Carlisle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny Danger Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Thatcher came about because of Labour's weak and incompetent leadership in the 70's. British Coal/Steel/Leyland clearly needed to be ended. Of course I fully accept the unions back then were out of control and not representative of the average worker. I'm not fundamentally against privatization, but it usually means flogging it off to government cronies (who typically buy elections for that very purpose). Who then get subsidies to keep it in business. As for Blair and Mandelson, there is no problem with having people who want to take it in an entirely different direction. You should be blaming the delegates that put them into senior positions. Disagree with the first part, it would be like me joining a Conservative association then trying to argue the Conservative Party should adopt left-of-centre policies. As for the second part, Blair and Mandelson were not exactly open and up front (surprise!); maybe Labour Party members should have been more aware but they were lulled by a seemingly attractive message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I've never voted labour. My dad actually saw through them and actively encouraged me not to. I come from a working class family, although he did run a few small businesses in the 80s around Perth and the Shire generally. He's completely disillusioned with politics now, but I gather from his tone that he used to vote labour. It's put me off as he does have quite a moral compass on him. I would probably vote for them if they actually represented what they're supposed to represent. I find their party completely reprehensible. They talk themselves up as progressive, but constantly use scare tactics and back business over the working classes, ie the people who vote them in each time they get in. They destroy the economy at the same time as not improving public services. Now, apparently, they're also anti-immigration. I would sooner vote any other party, unionist or otherwise, before I would vote labour. Self interested arseholes like Sarwar, Murphy and Curran don't help. I actually feel slightly sorry for people like Dugdale in that I do think she has joined the labour party with the right intentions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mizfit Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I made my own mind up about labour this time last year when Alistair Darling started shooting down Scotland about everything. I must thank him, his disdain for his own country lead to me voting yes, and has made me decide I will give my vote to the SNP next month. Let's not forget Margaret Curran sneering all over the place, and then bringing in David Tennant & J.K Rowling to continue to talk down Scotland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1320Lichtie Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I made my own mind up about labour this time last year when Alistair Darling started shooting down Scotland about everything. I must thank him, his disdain for his own country lead to me voting yes, and has made me decide I will give my vote to the SNP next month. Let's not forget Margaret Curran sneering all over the place, and then bringing in David Tennant & J.K Rowling to continue to talk down Scotland. Margaret Curran last night canvassing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1320Lichtie Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Who remembers the big red Labour No bus and Johann Lamont walking around with a big pound coin with Ooor Ecks face on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray_of_licht Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 When Blair changed Clause 4 in 1995 is the point where they lost me. Not that I was a staunch Labour voter before that but New Labour left me cold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrmad Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Weeks into slimy Tony's reign, when they decided to attack single mums I decided I could never vote for them again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrmad Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 To coin a phrase by Dennis Canavan I didn't so much leave the party the party left me. Aye Dennis started questioning his position at roughly the same time as myself, the attack on single mums really was despicable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA Baracus Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I think the more pertinent question is why did people vote Labour in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roversforlife Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I think the more pertinent question is why did people vote Labour in the first place? Cause their dad did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Dropping Clause 4. Have always been an snp supporter but you still used to hope Labour would win the election and kick the Tories out as opposed to today's whogivesafuckathon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingTON Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Never: they've always been utter c***s. Hating Labour since before it was cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I think the more pertinent question is why did people vote Labour in the first place? They had one decent government immediately after WWII that did a lot of good, and before that the threat of dealing with an even more radical left rather than a constitutional party like Labour was needed to get the elite to concede things like the old age pension and universal suffrage. Somewhere along the line though (I would say mainly with Blair but my old Communist granny used to claim much earlier back in the 1920s) they lost their soul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTG Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I was ambivalent before the 2011 election in Scotland. Always voted against conservative in general elections. Now i couldn't care less which of the 2 occupies Westminster. I'll never vote for them again. The referendum killed any chance of that stone dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alert Mongoose Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 The moment I was cut adrift from my mother's womb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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