Tories lost the 2019 election among working age adults

cheesyboy · 3 Jun 2021 at 19:56

Interesting stat that's been knocking around for the last day or two. It feels to compliment, and perhaps provide context to, the "highest ever working household poverty" thread

It seems that the will of the old and economically inactive is what really matters in UK politics now.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1400363770434707458

And drilling down, again excluding retirees, the Tories only won with working age people earning £100k+

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1400377453076439041

I suppose the question is: is it potentially problematic to have a government who are only favoured by groups whose interests are so different to the majority of working people?

Hades · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:00

Are the views of older, economically less active, people somehow less valid than other people?

Efour · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:02

If you don't like Tories then.....yes.

Martini1991 · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:02

Hades said:
Are the views of older, economically less active, people somehow less valid than other people?

Well, it's not their future....

413x · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:03

no surprises really.

Hades · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:03

Martini1991 said:
Well, it's not their future....

Is that a "yes"?

Martini1991 · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:06

Hades said:
Is that a "yes"?

In my opinion.

adolf hamster · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:16

this doesn't sounds like much of a revalation?

sometimes i wonder if certain political decisions should be weighted by how long an individual is expected to have to live with said decision.....

cheesyboy · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:17

Hades said:
Are the views of older, economically less active, people somehow less valid than other people?

I think it's problematic if the voting power of the old is so much stronger than the young, that we see it bending policy to disadvantage people at the start of their lives, or at the age we might expect them to have children, to give advantage to those who will only be affected for a relatively short time.

Clearly, society should look after all ages. But does a government appointed by only the elderly have incentive, or even the mandate, to do so?

Stumble Bum · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:32

Always makes me laugh when people complain that older people tend to vote Tory. What is it that the Conservatives are doing that the likes of Labour are so incapable of doing??

One vote per person, can't get fairer than that.

dlockers · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:39

cheesyboy said:
I think it's problematic if the voting power of the old is so much stronger than the young, that we see it bending policy to disadvantage people at the start of their lives, or at the age we might expect them to have children, to give advantage to those who will only be affected for a relatively short time.

Clearly, society should look after all ages. But does a government appointed by only the elderly have incentive, or even the mandate, to do so?

Maybe they're just older and wiser and the younglins should just get with the picture?

BowdonUK · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:39

I think the issue is more that working class people don't vote in enough numbers compared to the older people.

I remember back in the day trying to get the signatures for a candidate on what would be termed a "sink estate" in the north of England. It was difficult because a lot of people liked the candidate but weren't on the electoral register because of various social reasons i.e. mainly they didn't want to be registered to a house.

When those people do vote they tend to end up voting for far right parties. All the strong holds of the BNP and NF in particular, and UKIP and the Brexit Party all tend to be from working class areas. Pensioners aren't voting for those parties. So how does that figure in to the equation?

arknor · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:46

Hades said:
Are the views of older, economically less active, people somehow less valid than other people?

when it comes to the future yes because they won't be here but their offspring will be.

It's kinda said it takes so many generations for any change with politics and our current government and political parties are all bottom of the barrel imo

our government is as out of touch with society as the old people who keep them in power.

I suppose we should be grateful we don't have a dodgy coffin dodger like biden at the helm

Slam62 · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:48

Yeah, this is rubbish, labour are unelectable, get over it move on.

robfosters · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:52

arknor said:
when it comes to the future yes because they won't be here but their offspring will be.

It's kinda said it takes so many generations for any change with politics and our current government and political parties are all bottom of the barrel imo

our government is as out of touch with society as the old people who keep them in power.

I suppose we should be grateful we don't have a dodgy coffin dodger like biden at the helm

Elections are not all about the distant future. You vote parties in for 5 years max. These retirees are probably expecting to live for those five years, so you can’t blame them for voting in their own immediate best interests.

Are we to leave it just to working age people so they can vote in a party that will look after them but **** the elderly over?

Slam62 · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:54

arknor said:
when it comes to the future yes because they won't be here but their offspring will be.

It's kinda said it takes so many generations for any change with politics and our current government and political parties are all bottom of the barrel imo

our government is as out of touch with society as the old people who keep them in power.

I suppose we should be grateful we don't have a dodgy coffin dodger like biden at the helm

You make the mistake of assuming older people don't care about the well being of society. This reflects your own bias, not reality.
You assume they are all selfish and greedy which is simply not true.
People seem to form very strong opinions based on an impulsive idea which conveniently means their own predicament is someone else's fault.

arknor · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:58

Slam62 said:
You make the mistake of assuming older people don't care about the well being of society. This reflects your own bias, not reality.
You assume they are all selfish and greedy which is simply not true.
People seem to form very strong opinions based on an impulsive idea which conveniently means their own predicament is someone else's fault.

well tbh my opinion was formed by old people voting for brexit which seems pretty fair?

Elections are not all about the distant future. You vote parties in for 5 years max

yea and usually they don't do a whole lot in that 5 years that's of much benefit to society.

any party ever stood by their mandate? I'd be all for longer periods of power if it means a government will actually implement whatever promises they make.

200sols · 3 Jun 2021 at 20:59

Labours route back to power - deny retirees the vote? Pathetic.

adolf hamster · 3 Jun 2021 at 21:01

Slam62 said:
You assume they are all selfish and greedy which is simply not true.

It's not an unreasonable assumption, everybody else is greedy, altruism is not a common trait when it's applied to people outside our immediate sphere.

Slam62 · 3 Jun 2021 at 21:01

arknor said:
well tbh my opinion was formed by old people voting for brexit which seems pretty fair?

Again, another assumption which conveniently blames someone else for something you don't like.