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British elections, have a say. - 4/5/2010 9:27:00 PM

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From: Tamaris
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Today, the 6th of April 2010, Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to seek an audience with the Queen to dissolve parliament, the procedure required for a general election to be held on the 6th of May 2010, where at last the British people may have their say on who they want to run the government by simply ticking a box for whom they personally want to run the country for the next government term.

So, of the world that visit these forums, which of the political parties vying for the people's vote would you like to see governing the British, and, why ?

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/5/2010 9:54:02 PM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Aneirin

Today, the 6th of April 2010, Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to seek an audience with the Queen to dissolve parliament, the procedure required for a general election to be held on the 6th of May 2010, where at last the British people may have their say on who they want to run the government by simply ticking a box for whom they personally want to run the country for the next government term.

So, of the world that visit these forums, which of the political parties vying for the people's vote would you like to see governing the British, and, why ?

NOT!

not if they are electronic voting machines. (which i bet they are!)

Electronic voting machines do give a great illusion of an election however.

Now if they have numbered not named ballots with a copy you can take home for a recount great, otherwise you may as well just stay home.

< Message edited by Real0ne -- 4/5/2010 9:55:03 PM >

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/5/2010 11:34:35 PM

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To be honest, I'm in a total quandary about who to vote for this time. I'm from a very blue-collar northern area (The Foreign Secretary is my local MP, and before I moved house, The PM was my local MP) and have always voted Labour.

But in the last few years I gave up my well-paid job in the City and became a teacher in a state school. I've seen the dreadful results of interference in our education system and how it has affected our children, and I've had to start living on a wage that wouldn't allow me to be a home-owner if I didn't already have money put by. And that's only the start!

So, no Labour this time round. But having perused the Conservative's plans...there's no way I can vote for them either. Lib Dem? Not a backbone among them.

Sigh...I WILL vote. If I want to whine about who is running the country, I feel I have to have participated in the system. But it's going to be a wasted vote in the sense that whoever I vote for won't get in. Maybe if enough people follow my example then it will send a message to the blinkered 'big 3' parties. Hey, I'm an optimist!

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 1:56:42 AM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Real0ne

NOT!

not if they are electronic voting machines. (which i bet they are!)

Electronic voting machines do give a great illusion of an election however.

Now if they have numbered not named ballots with a copy you can take home for a recount great, otherwise you may as well just stay home.

We still use the old fashioned x on a ballot papaper, you will be pleased to know. I would think that in the future online voting would be the mainstream.

For anyone worried about the BNP. Mark Collett has been arrested over threats to murder Nick Griffin. Collett has been expelled from the party, although I suspect this has caused a massive rift. Expelling the chief publicity officer right before an election, wont help the new image these rascists are trying to project.

I should vote Labour but cant bring myself to vote for these lying parasites that we have got presently. Gordon Brown has been caught in lie after lie, which he maintains are errors. The man plays hard and loose with facts and figures and can no longer be trusted.

Is Dave going to be any better ? Well lets hope so. We need a leadership that will be honest about the hard times ahead, and take the spin out of politics.

< Message edited by Politesub53 -- 4/6/2010 1:57:20 AM >

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 3:09:28 AM

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A vote for red or blue is a vote for Britain!('s banking and finance elite).

Any other vote is a wasted vote, (unless its BNP and then any vote is deeply dangerous in a curiously effectual way compared to other wasted votes).

Seriously, of the three contenders for power I'd rather not have Brown again, but anything as long as the Tories are kept out. My preference would be for the Lib Dems to hold the balance of power in a hung Parliament and thereby force through electoral reform and put our Vince in as Chancellor for a couple of years before a new election with PR.

The televised debates (first time in the UK, for our US friends) should be good. I expect Brown to bamboozle with stats on achievements and come off well overall but not be as telegenic as his opponents. I expect Cameron to be well prepped with all manner of lies and deceits and to con many with his "call me Dave (peasant)" style. But overall I expect Clegg to come out on top, as Vince did in the Chancellors' debate, telegenic and not mired in banks, business and unions to which the other two are beholden - and also leader of the only one of the three that was right on Iraq, right on the finance sector, right on the gurkhas and now stands right on tax policy, a fairer deal for the majority and electoral reform.

The City Of London wants red or blue; that should be enough to justify any other vote

E

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 3:52:09 AM

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We have a constituency system....look at the candidates in your area, vote based on that...not on national.
There are currently ~100 seats NOT held by either cons or labour....and probably be even more after this election....there's no such thing as a wasted vote, would the Greens have grown so had they never had a single person vote for them at GEs? I doubt it.

If you do live in a marginal involving cons or lab......well it's a tricky decision.

Call me Dave is a slimy slimy publicity obsessed lying twisting bugger on a scale that stands out even amongst politicians.....however, much as that leaves a bad taste in the mouth, it doesn't necessarily mean he'd be a bad PM. Economically the cons are very very shaky...especially with the recent statement of intent to cancel the NI rise....their numbers are looking most unrealistic. They're widely expected to cut taxes for the rich, and cut out a lot of the nanny-statism. They've also promised not to actually cut the NHS budget. Other than that....it's hard to tell what they'll be like in government, they're (mostly) not thatcherites any more.

So....it's really a case of what your main priorities are, and what you think of labours performance.
Personally, I think Labours 13 years have been pretty good, ignoring the war. Economically pretty sound (although I realise it hasn't felt like it lately), massively improved NHS, minimum wage, various important and well worked reforms (devolution, house of lords, etc), hugely reduced crime (despite what dailymail says), brought the childbirth rates up to almost replacement levels (a lot more important than it sounds)...and the freedom of information act is monumental. However....does any of this matter? Does introducing minimum wage 13 years ago help them now? Surely the election is about what they'll do in future, not in the past.
Additionally, there are things they've messed up.....they've poured money into schools with significant improvements resulting....but improvements to the schools themselves, while not having classrooms that leak in the rain is surely a good thing, I reckon their failure to address the major issue of the examination results problem is one of the biggest failings. Civil rights have been strained somewhat, nanny-statism is rife (though not as rife as many think)...and...of course, I said 'ignoring the war'....and you CAN'T ignore the war. It isn't that much of a plus for the conservatives, as they supported it completely....but in the mind of 99% of the population the legacy of labours 13 years of power will be blood in the middle east....and nothing else.

Overall, like I said....I think it boils down to what your main priorities are, and I think, in descending order, the common ones are:

The economy/deficit/national debt: This one should be a reason to vote for Lib-dem/Labour alliance....however, in reality it will favour mostly the conservatives, and hit labour bad.....much as it wasn't labours fault, with them as the government, people will hold them ultimately responsible for the economic problems, just as the people in every nation have held their 2009 governments to blame, consciously or not.

The War: A clear case of voting lib-dem, or failing that....anyone but labour.

Nanny-statism, civil rights, etc:Conservatives are the clear choice for this, but lib-dems also do much better than labour.

Immigration: much talk about BNP, but I strongly advise voting UKIP instead if immigration is your main concern....the conservatives also a good choice to a lesser extent. Lib-dems would be a terrible choice for someone whose main concern is poles.

Electoral reform: The lib-dems seem to be the popular choice for those whose main concern is polls, but personally I don't like their party-list ideas....Labour would also be a good option, with talk of Alternative Vote.

The enviroment:The greens, obviously, with lib-dems as a 2nd option....conservatives probably do badly here, despite their attempts at rebranding.

Europe:UKIP all the way. failing that, anyone but the lib-dems. I am assuming here that anyone with Europe as a big concern is anti-europe...

As for me.....well, like I said....look at your local area, in my local area.....safe conservative seat, so.....as just a show of support, I'm torn between the Lib-dems and UKIP. I have a weird mix of political views I know :)

(in reply to LadyEllen)

RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 3:57:50 AM

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Immigration - the big, rotten, stinking red herring in the room.

E

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 3:58:49 AM

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Oh, and almost all reputable polls predictors are showing a cons&lib-dem coalition government result at the minute....but I think most expect it to swing one way or the other as we get closer to the big day...

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 4:08:22 AM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: DCWoody

We have a constituency system....look at the candidates in your area, vote based on that...not on national.
There are currently ~100 seats NOT held by either cons or labour....and probably be even more after this election....there's no such thing as a wasted vote, would the Greens have grown so had they never had a single person vote for them at GEs? I doubt it.

I agree with this. There is no such thing as a wasted vote. If you have an ideal then there is only one way to throw a significant message, even if its not in the direction of a winning cause.

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 4:12:07 AM

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I'd say immigration is a potentially unpleasant symptom, not the underlying problem.

We are, with 60 million people, very nearly the most crowded nation on earth.....to address the aging population problem mostly with immigration is expected to raise the population to ~75 million within a single generation. Certainly a legitimate thing to worry about in my opinion....even if most of those who do so do in strange and often unpleasant ways.

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 4:18:07 AM

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No no no, far more than one way :)

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 4:24:21 AM

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No, no, no. You must vote red or blue. Otherwise we shall fuck your exchange rate, put your interest rates to 20%, bankrupt millions and then render your gilts unsaleable until you do.

So speaketh the City; praise be to the Lord Our Market.

E

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 4:29:47 AM

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I think you're massively over pessimistic E, Vincents plans are financially sound, disliked by 'the city' as individuals what with the 'mansion tax' and all, but not disliked by 'the city' as a whole...

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 4:42:28 AM

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I'm being as sarcastic as hell DCW - the "wasted vote" shit peddled by red and blue just pisses me off no end. As if either has a clue, let alone any answers - except those their banking friends have told them to tell us. Electing red or blue is merely choosing which puppet the City will use the next few years.

The one glimmer of hope this time round is that the Lib Dems are finally going to get a good hearing, instead of being shut out. It isnt "prepare for government" but it might just be "get the top manifesto policies achieved by strong arming whoever needs us". If we can get PR installed, that would be enough. No tax on the first £10k of earnings and a more proportionate tax system would be nice to haves, but PR is the single most important thing to change our pretend democracy into a real one.

E

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 4:45:32 AM

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I got the sarcasm, it's the control of the city I think you're pessimistic about. And I couldn't disagree more about our democracy, of course it's real......and I'd much much rather have it stay the same as it is than have the lib-dem reforms....although ideally, I think reform would be a good idea....just not those ones.

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 5:24:04 AM

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sadly in my constituency, any vote not for Labour is 'wasted'. The North East has always been Labour and, from talking to friends/neighbours/people on the bus it's going to stay that way. There isn't a snowball in hell's chance of Conservative getting in, and Lib Dems are held in pretty strong contempt round here.

But I shall vote with my conscience - either independent (if a half-decent one comes along) or green.

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 6:00:47 AM

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Paper ballots?

Gee,   we could learn from that one.   A voter can ask for an absentee ballot and vote on paper- not too many do tho. I live in a small town- and we have one of those dazzling vote machines. argh.

but then- vote fraud is nothing new- not really.

So tell me ole chap, does Britain have any REAL choice?    Or is it Pepsi-Coke, like the US?

And are ya guys still   (gags) our poodle?   (gags ferociusly, LOL)

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 6:09:24 AM

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Of course we are: we're still fighting two of your occupations for you.

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 6:11:38 AM

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Its been Pepsi or Coke for a long time Hunky, but this time round its neck and neck for Pepsi v Coke in the polls such that if theyre right then no one is going to have an overall majority - and then it will come down to brokering a deal with Dr Pepper for either Pepsi or Coke, or calling another election.

E

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RE: British elections, have a say. - 4/6/2010 6:28:10 AM

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Well I will be voting Lib Dem because they are so apposed to the ID card.
Apart from that I like the whipping pictures they have in the LD building. If you ever get chance to go in there, they are downstairs, just outside the ladies toilets

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