Poll: General election voting intentions poll

[Trifid]

It's not just Airbus. If you want to be in business in France or Germany (specifically speaking from experience), you need to be fluent in English.

Speaking from your experience, how well did you need to speak the native language? Making more use of this freedom of movement appeals to me.

 

[Tunney]

To be fair to Nick Clegg, I think his party took the edge off some of the Conservative's sillier plans.

And hopefully the LibDems have demonstrated that coalition governments are nothing to afraid of. The government didn't collapse after a year like some predicted.

 

[Andreas.96]

Personally I think that we need to see a change in electoral system so that our government actually represents the political opinion of the country. Something like a proportional list system or single transferable vote would help in my opinion. But hey this is only my 2p

But to answer the question I think either Green or Conservative is for me, have a dislike of UKIP so they're out for me.

 

[Castiel]

This far I just cannot see any viable alternative to voting conservative. They seem to be the most capable and shocking as it might sound, the most trustworthy of all the others.

I'm already sick of the Labour/SNP thing, the Conservative/UKIP thing and whatever other concoction of political coalitions the media seem to be concentrating on...lets just focus on the manifestos and parties as they are approaching the election...we can worry about whose snogging who later...

The two Eds holding the two most important offices in the land just scares the bejesus out of me and the thought of the most odious, two faced, hypocritical politician in UK history sitting in a parliament he fought so hard to dismantle just fills me with such joy.....

So I'll be putting my postal cross next to Glen John MP, as I did last time...which is the first time I've voted for the same party in two successive elections.

 

[mid_gen]

Speaking from your experience, how well did you need to speak the native language? Making more use of this freedom of movement appeals to me.

Depends on the job, obviously a lot require fluency in the native language. In a mixed international workplace the language of meetings will be English.

 

[Mr Jack]

And, while the public is distracted by Clarkson, there's a £1.2 billion privatisation of the NHS going on.

 

[platypus]

Speaking from your experience, how well did you need to speak the native language? Making more use of this freedom of movement appeals to me.

Depends how well you want to integrate. The business language is most definitely English and whilst I could certainly just speak English to people it would most definitely be taken as being rude, and an awful lot of people would simply ignore me. All on site meetings/presentations are conducted in French, all bulletins are in French, and people don't make an effort to make sure that the English chap is following along. No one in my town speaks English day to day (I'm sure many do, they just choose not too).

The only time business is conducted in English is when we have international meetings, which does happen quite a lot to be honest, but yes, I had to learn French and rapidly. I would say that I'm fluent now from a business point of view - it's a certain type of language and especially in meetings/presentations is structured and very formal.

My conversational/casual French is ok and getting better, but it's a bloody nightmare, as obviously it's all very colloquial and very very fast.

 

[joeyjojo]

And, while the public is distracted by Clarkson, there's a £1.2 billion privatisation of the NHS going on.

Very interesting but worth posting in the NHS thread really.

 

[humbug]

UKIP 2'nd?

Wow. lol.

 

[StriderX]

This far I just cannot see any viable alternative to voting conservative. They seem to be the most capable and shocking as it might sound, the most trustworthy of all the others.

I'm already sick of the Labour/SNP thing, the Conservative/UKIP thing and whatever other concoction of political coalitions the media seem to be concentrating on...lets just focus on the manifestos and parties as they are approaching the election...we can worry about whose snogging who later...

The two Eds holding the two most important offices in the land just scares the bejesus out of me and the thought of the most odious, two faced, hypocritical politician in UK history sitting in a parliament he fought so hard to dismantle just fills me with such joy.....

So I'll be putting my postal cross next to Glen John MP, as I did last time...which is the first time I've voted for the same party in two successive elections.

The moment a manifesto is fulfilled will be the moment party systems cease to exist.

You don't play the game by...actually playing it, that is auto-lose territory, frankly i'm of the opinion, that since we the public always lose, that we at least take some hilarity out of it.

I could just glee every time that Ed Miliband is in a photo with much greater leaders, with his awkward face...not to mention the wonders his voice would do when speaking to them as well.

The prospect of seeing the SNP, would be priceless...almost too much hilarity in fact.

TL;DR...the system is a joke.

 

[elmarko]

This far I just cannot see any viable alternative to voting conservative. They seem to be the most capable and shocking as it might sound, the most trustworthy of all the others.

Capable or not, surely there intended goals & the people who suffer the most of those goals should be a focus?.

I dislike all the major political parties myself, but the fact the Conservatives so openly inflict misery on the most vulnerable isn't' something I can ever stand by.

There is also very little evidence that any of the major parties is significantly more competent or trustworthy than the rest (economic records are similar when looking historically, as is the failure to achieve manifesto promises).

 

[Castiel]

Capable or not, surely there intended goals & the people who suffer the most of those goals should be a focus?.

I dislike all the major political parties myself, but the fact the Conservatives so openly inflict misery on the most vulnerable isn't' something I can ever stand by.

There is also very little evidence that any of the major parties is significantly more competent or trustworthy than the rest (economic records are similar when looking historically, as is the failure to achieve manifesto promises).

I don't agree they do that so it's moot.

I'll be voting conservative.

 

[elmarko]

Do you not feel that focusing cuts on welfare which the poorest are most reliant on (as opposed to attempting to recoup costs elsewhere) is achieving exactly that?.

I'm just interested in hearing the reasoning behind supporting one party over another, as clearly the infliction of greater misery is comparative in this case. Do you think Labour will inflict greater or less?.

 

[Castiel]

Do you not feel that focusing cuts on welfare which the poorest are most reliant on (as opposed to attempting to recoup costs elsewhere) is achieving exactly that?.

I don't agree with that statement. There have been cuts across a large demographic, there have also been help to some of the poorest, such as lifting many of them out of income taxation. Some cuts I don't agree with, others I see as necessary.

The other parties would have done no different, which is the point. They have no alternatives that warrant serious consideration...if they had then I would consider them.

this is I'm just interested in hearing the reasoning behind supporting one party over another, as clearly the infliction of greater misery is comparative in this case. Do you think Labour will inflict greater or less?.

I think labour will not be able to improve upon the outcomes set out under the conservatives, with worse outcomes regarding the economy, which will direct impact their ability to fund any proposed improvements in the medium to long term.

I don't agree that the conservatives are some form of misery inflicting sub human people who are just out to service the rich at the expense of everyone else.

 

[Calpol]

Wow. I am quite staggered by that result.
Personally I could not bring myself to vote Conservative even if I felt some of their policies were aligned with my value system. The make up of that party has some many people that are almost as objectionable as the pseudo racist's in UKIP. In the past I have voted Liberal but they have paid the price of seeking power at any cost. Cameron has finished them as a credible party and sadly it now means that the likes of UKIP and SNP will potentially exert more influence.

As for Labour - with UK politics becoming more presidential in its nature then you have to think that Milliband has a weak chance. I don't find him a credible alternative. Cameron has him on toast I reckon. I am sure there are some worthy people in UK politics but they are well hidden. I reckon I will be abstaining on grounds of apathy - not something I am particularly proud of .

 

[elmarko]

I don't agree that the conservatives are some form of misery inflicting sub human people who are just out to service the rich at the expense of everyone else.

I wouldn't go that far, just that they are indifferent to the suffering caused to those at the bottom of the economic ladder & make little effort in hiding it.

Rarely if ever do the wealthiest or even the moderately wealthy pay the price or suffer during a Conservative government - if anything tax breaks are common (resulting in a net gain). I agree when you say the difference isn't that great overall, but attitudes towards the disabled, out of work & in receipt of government assistance are different in these cases in my view.

 

[RDM]

Rarely if ever do the wealthiest or even the moderately wealthy pay the price or suffer during a Conservative government - if anything tax breaks are common (resulting in a net gain). I agree when you say the difference isn't that great overall, but attitudes towards the disabled, out of work & in receipt of government assistance are different in these cases in my view.

I am sure the last figures I saw showed the rich being hit hardest by the tax changes in the UK. On my phone so can't check unfortunately.

 

[Castiel]

I wouldn't go that far, just that they are indifferent to the suffering caused to those at the bottom of the economic ladder & make little effort in hiding it.

Rarely if ever do the wealthiest or even the moderately wealthy pay the price or suffer during a Conservative government - if anything tax breaks are common (resulting in a net gain). I agree when you say the difference isn't that great overall, but attitudes towards the disabled, out of work & in receipt of government assistance are different in these cases in my view.

We are probably in the moderately wealthy bracket (you would have to define that though) and we are actually worse off now in real terms than under the previous Govt.

As I said I don't agree with everything they do, but I don't think the others have as yet offered any significantly better alternatives that would convince me to change.

To clarify I have voted across a broad range of parties in previous elections both local and national. I hold no party affiliation or particular loyalty. I just vote for the best of a bad bunch as a rule.

 

[joeyjojo]

Just found this.

http://realukip.tumblr.com/

Yes it's a collection of isolated quotes and anecdotes but it would be hard to give the same treatment so effectively to any of the other parties.

 

[scorza]

It seems like it's all getting too much for poor old Tory Grant Schapps - after having his dodgy business past resurrected again recently, where he went by a different name, it now seems like he's forgotten which party he's in: http://www.libdemvoice.org/grant-shapps-991.html

Now here’s an interesting tale. … can anyone provide a decent explanation?

Over on one of the (official) YouTube films from the Liberal Democrats there is this comment from someone:

"Okay, realistically we’re not going to win though. Especially since the Tories have just received 5 defecting Councillors from Labour. Don’t quite know how they’ve done it, but the Tories have stolen a march on us this time."

With phrases such as “us” this is clearly written as if from a Liberal Democrat member or supporter.

But according to YouTube the comment was posted by a “GrantShapps” (look just above the comment for the name), which is the name of the Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield, Shadow Housing Minister and their Ealing Southall by-election campaign supremo.

A forged name perhaps? Except that click on the name and it takes you through to Grant Shapps’s genuine YouTube profile: http://uk.youtube.com/user/GrantShapps

And yes, I know it is his genuine YouTube account because it is the one linked to from his own website, http://www.shapps.com/