I’ll give it one more try: the suggestion is that all Tory voters are either uncaring or ignorant of the consequences of their vote.
There are many shades and nuances in politics and political thought. For the past 3 years, these boards have seen long, detailed, protracted debates - examining core beliefs - and what it means to be a Labour voter. Sometimes those debates have become so heated, and personalised, that they’ve been shut down.
My contention is that it’s far too simplistic to create a narrative that essentially states, “Labour good, Tory bad”.
And then we get the polarisation I referred to most strikingly at G.Es. Because of our FPTP system, which practically forces voters into a stark choice.
I’ll finish with an illustration of what I’m driving at. Take two privately educated politicians whose background, education and upbringing made them natural Tories. They have successful political careers, and hold high office. Then take two classic Labour equivalents, who rise through the union ranks to hold high office, and influence.
Dominic Grieve and Ken Clarke. Len McCluskey and Ian Lavery. Two Tories and two staunch Labour men. I could go on, but I’ll leave it there.