So have you decided who to vote for yet?

We've got, probably, about 5 weeks to go to the General Election. If parties are going to change your mind about who to vote for, they're running out of time to do it. Most pundits think that Brown will call it next Tuesday, for May 6th, that being when the local elections are to e held. If he does, the campaign starts in earnest on that day, though to be honest, they've all been in semi-campaign mode for weeks if not months.


But here's my question .... do you know yet who you will vote vote?

I'm not asking who that is, just if you're decided.

For once I don't know if there is much point. The party I would vote for will never get in, I and I can't bring myself to vote for the other two. Although I might need to work out who would be best to vote for to try and block the SNP.

Yes, heaving spent 4 years at University, got a good paying job lined up and have every intention of going somewhere in life I would like to keep what I have worked so damn hard to get! :)

Yes I have :)

I haven't the slightest clue tbh, and it's my first vote as well.. I'll have to vote for someone though, otherwise that just extinguishes my rights to twine about the government.

Yes, definitely. Bring it on!

Unsure at the moment, although I am fairly certain I don't want to vote for labour.

I think our government system works best when no party is allowed to stay in power long enough to actually do anything!

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Originally Posted by pipTheGeek

I think our government system works best when no party is allowed to stay in power long enough to actually do anything!

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Lulwut ? :confused:

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Originally Posted by pipTheGeek

I think our government system works best when no party is allowed to stay in power long enough to actually do anything!

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Governments work best when allowed to start sensible plans, then leave the civil service to get on with it.

In the end, *elected* people are nothing but knee-jerk popularity seekers, because they rely on popularity to get anything useful done.

Maybe they should reverse how it all works, every 4-5 years we get to vote to eject our MP, then vote in a replacement. Means we can save time by not voting when were happy and politicians would be happy because theres usually less than a majority turnout on polling day.

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Originally Posted by Saracen

But here's my question .... do you know yet who you will vote vote?

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I'm 60% there, but have a few questions I want to ask at our local hustings first though.

Has anyone had a look at this site? http://voteforpolicies.org.uk
The irony. Says that I should vote Green (though I only ticked half the boxes) though I am Lib Dems in the Environment section :laugh:

At least we know where we are at the moment and if anyone else got in there would be a few things in the public sector that would be wrecked beyond recognition.
I will be voting tactically because where I live the party that I want have no chance, but just maybe we can get rid of an overpaid (in expenses) lazy a**e.

I've got no clue who I want to vote for. I tend to just pick someone at random when I've got the form in front of me.

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Originally Posted by TooNice

Has anyone had a look at this site? http://voteforpolicies.org.uk

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That's an excellent website and I urge everyone to go through the survey. It's a long read if you do every topic, but if everyone read the policies there, and then voted based on what they believe, politics in this country would be a lot stronger, alot more honest and lot more effective. Apathy is everyone's enemy.

There's nothing more irritating that people saying "I'm not going to vote for so-and-so because they've got shifty eyes". Shifty eyes, dodgy teeth, oily hair, and even the pre-natal state, or lack therof, of spouses have no bearing on our economic, environmental, national and international wellbeing. Get over it.

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Originally Posted by Saracen

But here's my question .... do you know yet who you will vote vote?

I'm not asking who that is, just if you're decided.

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Im not sure whether anyone from my dads party is standing yet to be an MP, if so probably them. :D

lib-dems have way to much controversy around here lately by spening money on whats seen on pointless projects while the main shopping street has been turned into a 'ghost town'. labour are useless, conservatives have had some recent controversy too.

that goes for the council around here too.


in the council elections, someone from the party my dads a member of is standing here, so it will be them i'll be voting for.


(and just as saracen asked, i haven't said which party it actually is:p)


edit: response to saracens post below - its the way i read it, while half asleep after a long day.
i've also finished writing the post, i.. erm.. missed a few bits, so it makes slightly more sense now.

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Originally Posted by stevie lee

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(and just as saracen asked, i haven't said which party it actually is:p)

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I'd just point out I didn't say "don't say which it is", merely that the point of the question was if people have decided, not what they decided. I don't feel it's my place to ask how people will vote. It's a private matter .... though from some comments, there are occasions when it seems pretty clear. But if people want to say, that's their choice.

No, but given the choice, RON

Definitely won't be voting labour this time around. Conservatives are at the top of my list this time. Can't see me changing that.

All I know is who I'm not voting for.

No idea, I need to sit down and have a good look at all them. However I have feeling because they are all so lame, we may end up with a hung parliament.

If I had to make a choice now, then probably lib dem.

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Originally Posted by shadowmaster

However I have feeling because they are all so lame, we may end up with a hung parliament.

If I had to make a choice now, then probably lib dem.

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IMO if too many voters vote for Lib Dem, then we will have a hung parliament,
since they will just be taking away a majority vote from Labour & Conservative.

At general elections a vote for anything other than the two main parties is a wasted vote IMO,
in local elections it's a whole different story.

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Originally Posted by mikerr

At general elections a vote for anything other than the two main parties is a wasted vote IMO, in local elections it's a whole different story.

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That depends on your local area. We've always had a two horse race between Lib-Dem and Conservative, Labour haven't had a look in for years!

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Originally Posted by Salazaar

That depends on your local area. We've always had a two horse race between Lib-Dem and Conservative, Labour haven't had a look in for years!

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But even where that (or similar) is true, it still is arguably, and often, a waste, because unless something radically changes in the attitude of the population, the LibDems aren't in for a chance of actual power .... though this time, they might get enough in a hung Parliament to be a very influential power-broker. But even then, it's only going to be as a result of horse-trading, where they agree to support something they otherwise wouldn't, in order to get something they want but don't have a direct mandate from the people for. Hardly a glowing example of democracy.

Oh sure, an MP has two main functions - the constituency "surgery" function to directly help individual constituents, and the "Party" function. But in the former, it didn't ought to matter which party the MP is because they're supposed to help regardless, and on party matters, the above argument holds true. However you cut it, the LibDems come up WAY short.

Consider the last election. Labour and Conservative were within some 800,000 votes of each other, on roughly 9.6m and 8.8m votes respectively, and that was enough (largely due to the way 'first-past-the-post' works) to give Labour a 160+ majority over the Tories, and 60+ overall majority. The LibDems were about 3 million votes short of that. If, this time, it's dubious whether even the Tories can win an overall majority, I can see any chance of a vote switch of anything remotely resembling the magnitude required to give the LibDems a short at power, short of power-broking.

Maybe, just maybe, if we had PR, there might be a chance, but even that has to be on the assumption that a lot of people that currently won't vote LibDem might do so under PR where their vote actually counted.

Given the two-horse LibDem/Tory race you have, perhaps voting LibDem is the best option available if the objective is to reduce the chances of the Tories getting an overall majority thereby letting Labour back in is the objective, or if supporting directly supporting Labour is the aim. So as a pro-Labour or Anti-Tory vote, it might be the best available option. Short of that, it's largely a waste because there isn't a viable option .... until or unless we have PR. But if the objective is to support he LibDems, it won't matter much if at all in the final result, and if the objective was to get Labour out, then the only real way to do it is to vote to put the Tories in, because at least under FPTP, it's a two-horse race for actual power, and the LibDems aren't in the race.

Unless we have PR for a General Election, in terns of national government for the UK, it's a two-horse race. That's not to say that regions voting for Plaid, or the SNP, or various NI parties etc aren't a viable option for regional purposes, but in terms of Westminster government, it's one of two. That is also, in my opinion, why the chances of ever getting PR are remote ... the only two parties that could do it have a very strong vested interest in not doing it - it might just let the LibDems in with a chance. It would certainly put more actual power in our hands, over determining who gets their backsides on the seats in Downing Street and the various Ministries, and I'm convinced the notion of giving us more say in that is abhorrent to both Labour and Tory parties alike.

I would like a hung Parliament. Or at least those members of it who took the country to war with Iraq should be hung. And probably the buggers who claim for homes they don't own etc.

I think there's a technical difference between a hung Parliament and a 'hung-from-the-nearest-tree' Parliament.

Though, I grant you, as a way of getting the turnout up, I'd guess it'd be a rip-roaring success. Probably close to 100%. :D

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Originally Posted by Salazaar

That depends on your local area. We've always had a two horse race between Lib-Dem and Conservative, Labour haven't had a look in for years!

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Same where I live, I always wonder why Labour, or any other insignificant parties, bother to field a candidate who will never win.

When the results look like ~25k, give or take a few votes between the two, for Lib-Dem and Conservative, and the Labour candidate gets 7k, and then all the others are lucky if they get more than a few 100, it does make you wonder.

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Originally Posted by Saracen

I think there's a technical difference between a hung Parliament and a 'hung-from-the-nearest-tree' Parliament.

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Sadly politicians dont think that the public should resort to overthrowing them, it worked in the past, dont see why it couldnt work again.

Of course, its also worth remembering that we dont live in a democracy, we just have democratic elections, after which its just 4-5 years of tyranny, where the majority of people arent represented because they didnt vote for the person representing them.

Yes.

I vote at every opportunity and never miss...local/national/euro/xfactor....

I vote on policies and principles....to do other in my opinion is abusing your right/privilege/duty to vote. I would encourage everyone to vote positively not voting to prevent someone getting in or because they feel their choice has no chance (we'd all be supporting Man Utd with that view). I respect those that vote according to their beliefs and values, no matter what those are.

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Originally Posted by Saracen

I think there's a technical difference between a hung Parliament and a 'hung-from-the-nearest-tree' Parliament.

Though, I grant you, as a way of getting the turnout up, I'd guess it'd be a rip-roaring success. Probably close to 100%. :D

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Not enough tress in London, but we do have many lamp posts, all we need is enough rope :D