OT: General election

DonDaddyD

I don't know who to vote for.

My thoughts:

Tory

I can make a lot of money under the Tories, though I don't fit their particular image... and I can easily see me being marginalised or disadvantaged, not because I'm black, no, simply becuase of socio-demographic and professional life choices. I also don't believe what the Tories are saying will lead to economic recovery. I can't remember living under a Tory government but people I respect often meet mention of the Tories with absolute rage and unhappiness.


Labour

Traditionally has always got the ethnicity vote so I'm conditioned to like them. Educationally and with an open mind I ask why? In my experience at heart I think most Jamaicans and other ethnicities are actually very conservative (tough on immigration, homosexuals, don't like high-taxes and don't think 'we' should be paying for people to use health services when they're not even citizens of the Country)... Go figure... I guess many are Conservatives at heart but simply not British middle class Conservative so they vote Labour.

Lib Dem

In principle, I like them, but I struggle to understand what Cleggy represents beyond fairness. Fairness, often being code for "I will tax the sh*t out of you". Free University tuition fees scare me. When I went a lot of people wanted to go but didn't want to get hit with the £15,000 debt I've got. This was five or so years ago, it costs more now. I wanted to go, so had the loan, the overdraft, two credit cards and part-time job my entire time at Uni and holidays. I worked for it.

If all those people who didn't want to go because of cost went (and Uni's will accept them because money can be made out of them) then we would have to subsidise this through taxes and that's a lot of money and I pay enough already. However, the thought of my kids (if I have them) going for free is appealing and it would give many new opportunities in life, I'm not sure how I would benefit from Clegg.

In fact I don't see how any 28yr old first time buying on a livable salary would benefit from any of the parties.

MadammeMarie

CiB wrote:

The Telegraph had a good one, which suprisingly got it right for me and Mrs CiB, and we're poles apart politically. Bloody woman - don't know why I married her, cancelling my vote every time an election comes round.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7541285/How-should-I-vote-in-the-General-Election-2010.html

Thanks for this! According to it, I should be voting Green, next Lib Dem then Labour. Didn't include the Tories b/c I'd rather cut my hand off than voting for that lot!

Funny thing: my candidate for the English Democrats party is a guy called.... Jose Navarro!

CiB

DonDaddyD wrote:

I don't know who to vote for.

My thoughts:

Tory

I can make a lot of money under the Tories, though I don't fit their particular image... and I can easily see me being marginalised or disadvantaged, not because I'm black, no, simply becuase of socio-demographic and professional life choices. I also don't believe what the Tories are saying will lead to economic recovery. I can't remember living under a Tory government but people I respect often meet mention of the Tories with absolute rage and unhappiness.

That'll be because you only have to shout Fatch in some spheres and everyone claims to have been a victim of 'the mad old bat'. Doesn't matter that she was a blip in the longer view, and has been out of public life for 20 years near enough. Why not look seriously at the economy that Labour inherited in 1997 after 5 years of Major? That's a better guide surely?

Labour - for those us who gre up in that era, the 70s were domintaed by high inflation, faling pound, economy going down the pan. Who recalls Healy being called back from his plane to answer himself to the IMF? They were dark days ecnomically and socially, but like Thatcher, they've been aribrushed out of modern history.

rjsterry

DonDaddyD wrote:

In fact I don't see how any 28yr old first time buying on a livable salary would benefit from any of the parties.

That's kind of the point at the moment. The cuts in public spending that are needed, are not going to life better for anyone. It's a question of which version will be the least painful if anything. Crappy, but that's a recession for you.

DonDaddyD

rjsterry wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

In fact I don't see how any 28yr old first time buying on a livable salary would benefit from any of the parties.

That's kind of the point at the moment. The cuts in public spending that are needed, are not going to life better for anyone. It's a question of which version will be the least painful if anything. Crappy, but that's a recession for you.

I disagree, the waste in the public sector is extreme. Cuts are needed in certain areas and I don't think they would damage anything if managed properly. For too long the sector has associated cuts as meaning reduced quality. Spending cuts managed properly can lead to streamlining processes and making things more efficient.

"When a Chair can give herself a pay raise from £25k to £56k for two days work, I find it hard to believe otherwise."

Agent57

CiB wrote:

Labour - for those us who gre up in that era, the 70s were domintaed by high inflation, faling pound, economy going down the pan

The 70s may have been dominated by those things, but 1970–1974 was under a Conservative government. It's disingenuous to suggest the period was wholly the fault of Labour. Inflation was pretty high in that period as well (10% - 16%), although admittedly not as high as 1975's 24%.

zrazzle

For those still undecided:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/co ... 62318.html

Another fun link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/ ... 663681.stm

Agent57

zrazzle wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/england/8663681.stm

Both sides got what they deserve.

Mickey Eye

Would have voted Labour if I had actuallt managed to register for my postal vote in time. Oops. As it is, it's an SNP safe seat., it shouldn't be because the SNP have more than outlived their welcome but hey, as the man said, so it goes.

rjsterry

Unfortunately, it's far easier to just cancel spending programmes and raise taxes, than really put the effort into making making efficiency savings. I have a fair amount of experience in dealing with local authorities, and so am well aware of the inefficiencies - I would bore everyone if I went into detail - but I'm just not convinced that this will be tackled properly, or to a great enough extent to meet the savings needed.

kurako

To paraphrase the old gag: There's nothing like balanced election coverage. And the Sun has nothing like balanced election coverage ;-)

Trying to compare Cameron to Obama. Give me strength!!

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... 961073.ece

rjsterry

Kurako wrote:

To paraphrase the old gag: There's nothing like balanced election coverage. And the Sun has nothing like balanced election coverage ;-)

Trying to compare Cameron to Obama. Give me strength!!

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... 961073.ece

I saw that this morning and felt like setting fire to the paper in the chap's hands. In the interests of balance, I thought the Guardian's similar effort with Clegg was pretty stupid as well.

Agent57

To quote someone from Twitter:

RT @willsmithuk: Dear The Sun, Cameron is to Obama what Jive Bunny is to Elvis #ge2010

DonDaddyD

rjsterry wrote:

Unfortunately, it's far easier to just cancel spending programmes and raise taxes, than really put the effort into making making efficiency savings. I have a fair amount of experience in dealing with local authorities, and so am well aware of the inefficiencies - I would bore everyone if I went into detail - but I'm just not convinced that this will be tackled properly, or to a great enough extent to meet the savings needed.

+1

If the health services actually tackled inefficiencies it would look and function completely differently to what it does now. No one has the balls to see the change through completely.

Jay dubbleU

TailWindHome wrote:

CiB wrote:

IIf you don't vote, you're a prat and I'll remove you from the SC Stats board if you admit to it on here. I will. Not voting in my view is a criminal shirking of public responsibility.

I don't vote.

I live in Northern Ireland

I don't get to vote for either Conservative, Labour or Lib Dem but get to live with the consequences

Stick your SC Stats

+1 - threats of any sort wouldn't get me to vote - everybody has a right to choose - deciding not to is not the same as can't be bothered

Agent57

Jay dubbleU wrote:

everybody has a right to choose - deciding not to is not the same as can't be bothered

I reckon deciding not to is better than "can't be bothered." If someone doesn't want to vote, I'd much rather it be for specific reasons, rather than laziness or apathy.

beverick

Thanks CIB, you've made my mind up about who to vote for.

I will not vote in the general election.

Due to the size of the Labour majority a vote placed is a vote wasted in our ward. You either increase what will be a 60-70% majority for the Labour candidate or you join a handful of the public who vote for the other candidate.

So by satying at home, not through apathy but by a protest to the unrepresentative, undemocratic and politically vacuous electoral system we have in this country I'll help to reduce the turnout which may, if enough people did the same in the 500 plus seats which are not marginal and therefore have no direct relevance to the result of the general election, would bring the electoral reform that we deserve in this country.

Bob

Stevo_666

I voted by post over a week back and have ignored a lot of the election fever since safe in the knowledge that it cannot influence my decision

Despite the likelihood that Brown and his sorry shower of overtaxing nannies may well have their hands prised off the levers of power, I can see a whole load of problems if there is a hung parliament of any combination. Particularly given the impending UK debt crisis. Fasten your seatbelts everyone...

Mickey Eye

Nigel Farage crashed while in a plane towing a UKIP banner. I'd say it was hilarious but he didn't die.

jonginge

Mickey Eye wrote:

Nigel Farage crashed while in a plane towing a UKIP banner. I'd say it was hilarious but he didn't die.

Only funny till someone gets hurt, eh?

Saw that. Didn't find it funny even though Mr Farage is not my cup of tea. The pilot got more badly injured. Didn't find that funny either.

turnerjohn

CiB wrote:

northstar wrote:

CiB wrote:

northstar wrote:

We need the Australian system where a nominal fine is imposed for those that don’t vote.

No we don't, if people don't want to vote that's their choice.

Crap. It's a public duty to vote, not an option about whether or not you can be ar$ed. And before anyone raises it, there should be a 'None of the above' option.

Not "crap", people have the choice what to do with their vote, if they don't want to then that's their personal choice (Naturally they won't be able to complain if they don't).

Utter crap. Good job you're not in the Stats board or you'd be first to be oiked out.

Agree that people should vote, but its not law now is it ? so technically if you dont want to you dont have to !

Stevo_666

Nobody has to vote (unlike some countries like Aus where it's illegal not to...), but in my view if you don't vote then you effectively lose your right to moan about how bad things are. I enjoy a good whinge from time to time.

roger_merriman

Stevo 666 wrote:

Nobody has to vote (unlike some countries like Aus where it's illegal not to...), but in my view if you don't vote then you effectively lose your right to moan about how bad things are. I enjoy a good whinge from time to time.

to whinge is to be british! so yes.

Stevo_666

roger merriman wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

Nobody has to vote (unlike some countries like Aus where it's illegal not to...), but in my view if you don't vote then you effectively lose your right to moan about how bad things are. I enjoy a good whinge from time to time.

to whinge is to be british! so yes.

Pity it's not an Olympic sport as we'd double our tally of gold medals in 2 years time. I might even be in with a shout of getting on the squad...

Fireblade96

Vote cast.
Lovely walk across the park to the polling station, all quiet at this time of the day :-)

Oh yes - Stuff tactical. Vote for what you believe in !

will3

Fireblade96 wrote:

Vote cast.
Lovely walk across the park to the polling station, all quiet at this time of the day :-)

Oh yes - Stuff tactical. Vote for what you believe in !

Good for you.
After all if the best a party can come up with is that they''re not the other party, then they're probably not worth it.

theblender

Fireblade96 wrote:

Vote cast.
Lovely walk across the park to the polling station, all quiet at this time of the day :-)

Oh yes - Stuff tactical. Vote for what you believe in !

+1 vote for who you believe in.

Green.

wgwarburton

beverick wrote:

...So by satying at home, not through apathy but by a protest to the unrepresentative, undemocratic and politically vacuous electoral system we have in this country I'll help to reduce the turnout which may, if enough people did the same in the 500 plus seats which are not marginal and therefore have no direct relevance to the result of the general election, would bring the electoral reform that we deserve in this country.

I think that not-voting undermines democracy. it will be interpreted as apathy. You are more likely to get electoral reform by spoiling your ballot or by voting for a party that supports it.

I would have thought that a resident of East Timor would be particularly sensitive to this...

Cheers,
W.

rjsterry

One thought on 'wasted' votes. You might not back the winning candidate, but if your choice came a close second, his/her party are likely to push a bit harder next time round, rather than write it off as a lost cause. Playing the long game and all that.

lost_in_thought

JonGinge wrote:

Mickey Eye wrote:

Nigel Farage crashed while in a plane towing a UKIP banner. I'd say it was hilarious but he didn't die.

Only funny till someone gets hurt, eh?

Saw that. Didn't find it funny even though Mr Farage is not my cup of tea. The pilot got more badly injured. Didn't find that funny either.

Two people involved in a very serious light aircraft accident? Pilot had to be cut from the wreckage and is seriously injured?

Definitely not my idea of funny.