My voting intentions in the 2024 general election

Is that an election, or are you just happy to see me?

I'll be voting this week. I just thought I'd make 7 quick points about my intentions given I'm very opinionated about politics, publicly. This was supposed to be a tweet, but I waffled way beyond the character limit. I'm sure the following won't annoy anyone though.

1. People who are incredibly hostile, angry and abusive towards you because they don't agree with how intend to vote should be ignored. And pitied. Their entire worldview is based on a magical, childish black and white concept of 'good vs evil'. And they think of themselves as very, very good obviously. Therefore those who think differently must be evil. These types are intellectual children. Don't let brainlets who can't control their emotions shame you for exercising your democratic right.

2. I'm not voting Conservative. I voted Tory at the last general election for the first time in my life. As did many more of my fellow working-class, northern leftists. They won by a landslide.

I voted this way because as much as I disliked the Tories, I utterly loathed what my beloved Labour had become under Jeremy Corbyn. I simply could not allow that man to get his hands on the keys to no. 10 Downing Street. And it seems most people felt the same way about Corbyn when it came to an actual vote, rather than what the temperature of social media told us.

My warnings about Corbyn and his allies have been vindicated a thousand times over since his fall from grace, despite the alternate reality that bitter Corbynites still appear to inhabit.

Moreover, the fact that the Tories seemed to be the only party interested in honouring the outcome of the EU referendum was another factor. Whether you voted leave or remain, you should have been extremely concerned that many other parties had no interest in fulfilling the result of a democratic referendum. As Boris Johnson said after the Tory landslide, he understood that many of us had only "leant" our vote to him. That's true. A unique time, with unique issues which required a pragmatic vote. However, I don't think I can vote Tory this time. They talk furiously about the problems we are battling as though they are the opposition—rather than the government that created or ignored these problems. And if that makes you angry, I don't care.

3. I'm not voting for Labour. I've been looking for any excuse to vote Labour. I think Labour will win the election. I think Keir Starmer has done an incredible job in removing the Corbynite cranks and antisemites from the party. From the brutalized state Corbyn had left the Labour Party in, to where they are now is pretty extraordinary. And despite no small part of this owing to a shambolic Conservative party, Starmer still deserves full credit for how he's turned Labour around. Labour became a credible opposition because of him. This was better for the country, whether you would vote for them or not.

However, I just can't overlook several red flags on issues I care deeply about. I have no idea what Keir stands for or cares about as a human. I don't trust him to do the right thing on the issue of gender ideology and women's rights. I don't trust him to uphold freedom of expression (he's already pledged to tackle ‘Islamophobia’ online). I don't believe that he won't add to our highly divisive ‘DEI’ climate. This is a man that got down on his knees for BLM.

Also, there are still too many Labour MPs that are nothing more than infant activists rather than serious adults capable of serving the public and tackling the big issues of our day. And the number of people in the Labour ranks willing to pander to the ‘free Palestine’ crowd and their islamist bedfellows is sickening. And if that makes you angry, I don't care.

4. I'm not voting for Reform UK. Sure, I like the noises they make about free expression and gender ideology. I also like the fact that they are disrupters. People are desperate for change, and they offer that more than any other party. But I'm not so easily impressed by national populism. And the surplus of cranks within and around that party bothers me. They say they love free expression and tearing into the woke, which is all well and good. But once you start scratching at the surface you soon find conservative Christianity. You soon find homophobia. You soon find climate change denial. You soon find anti-vaxxers and deranged WEF conspiracy theories. I just don't think they are serious people. And if that makes you angry, I don't care.

5. I quite like what little I've seen from the SDP, but there isn't an SDP candidate on the ballot in my constituency, so that's out. It'd be really weird if this made you angry.

6. I won't waste your time by talking about the Lib Dems or The Greens. If that makes you angry, I don't care.

7. So, in conclusion, I'll probably vote for the independent candidate. They have no chance of winning, but they appear to be focussed on grass roots local issues like housing, roads, transport, businesses etc. I can get on board with that and I don't have to betray a number of my principles by giving my vote to the main parties. And if that makes you angry, I don't care.

However you decide to vote, I'm sure you have your reasons. Good luck.