The mistake we make is thinking that some of them are decent people, just with different views on how to do things.
Far be it for me to jump to the defence of any Tory - most particularly the current crop of no-mark right wing nutjobs.
But there are decent Tories. And Tory voters. Do they see the world differently than us? Possibly. They certainly interpret the problems and solutions differently.
Last Sunday I went for a pub lunch with some very old, dear fishing mates. One, a very successful businessman, was telling us how he and friends, for the fourth year running, would be having family Christmas early, because on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, they are once again devoting time to Crisis at Christmas, in London, working ‘on the ground’ with London’s homeless.
Another very dear and very old friend has for 25 years, since retiring, worked two mornings a week voluntarily washing up, serving and clearing tables at the WVS canteen in his local hospital. He gives blood every week, and runs Sunday jazz concerts in aid of a local hospice.
I could give many other examples. These people are lifelong Tory voters. They are not only not evil, they have good hearts, similar ideals and values to me. But very different views about politics.
Blair and Mandelson understood how vital it was to gain power in order to be in position to create and inact policies that made people’s lives better. They also understood that to gain power, they would need the votes of people who had voted Tory.