Poll: Who will you be voting for on May 5th?

[fRostiE]

Conservative

i have my reasons

 

[Tweek_1984]

Well considering we've just experienced 8 years of labour hell, I don't think you can blame people if they want a change without having to listen to people harkening back 8-18 years ago. Besides, labour did far more damage than the tories during their 74-79 stint, are you seriously suggesting that people look to past performance as a judge on who to vote for?

Yes, certainly they should take it into account.

Fair enough Labour aren't perfect and I'm not sure whether to vote for them but I'd never consider voting tory. They should be wiped off the political compass imho.

 

[The Mad Rapper]

If you contribute nothing to the country, why should you get a say on how it's run?

Spongers on the dole get to vote, so your argument is fundementally flawed

 

[SCM]

I wonder how many people who have said they'll vote Conservative actually remember how things were under the Tories last time. Not many, I'll bet.

K.

I do which is why i will never vote Tory but i am stuck in the same boat as MB now with who my local MP is. So any vote i might make would be wasted as not likely she will be defeated.

For everyone knocking Labour believe me it was a lot worse under the Tories when had them in power and those of us who lived through it don't want to again. We are still seeing the long term damage from the privitisation policies in the railways from the Tory reign, the neglect of the NHS is not going to be easy to sort out and will take years yet. If the Tory party get in again i fear for what we will see happen to the NHS after what they did last time around.

If they get in once again the rich will get richer and the poor even poorer.

SCM

 

[The Mad Rapper]

Having read a few people's comments on my views, I am considering spoiling my ballot as suggested.

It's not an action I feel comfortable with - I'd far rather be able to vote for a party I believed in, but I can't because one doesn't exist

It would be good if ballot papers were ammended to include a 'None of the Above' option, and hilarious if 'None of the Above' actually won

 

[Matblack]

I agree that politicians cannot be taken at their word, but it is better to vote for change than let this current bunch of monkeys abuse their power and totally screw this country up. Our economic good fortune will not last forever.

This implies that any change is good change, a very dangerous concept

MB

 

[Haly]

This implies that any change is good change a very dangerous concept

MB

And I'd say one of the main reasons why Labour got in in 1997 too.

 

[nero120]

Spongers on the dole get to vote, so your argument is fundementally flawed

I REPEAT: it was a philosophical question - not practical. Labour wanted to let 16 year olds vote, which I think is absurd. Not only do most (if not all) 16 year olds understand NOTHING about the way the country is run, but most are still in education and not self sufficient. Yet really, since even prisoners are being considered to allow a vote then what the hell! Lets give everyone the vote who is past fetal development!

 

[Pho]

Abstaining from voting - i.e. can't be arsed.

 

[nero120]

This implies that any change is good change a very dangerous concept

MB

It does and it is, but what is the alternative? Truthfully, we do not have choice in this 'democracy'. All parties lie and most are as incompetant and corrupted as each other. However, those are our choices and we can take it or leave it.

 

[VIRII]

I REPEAT: it was a philosophical question - not practical. Labour wanted to let 16 year olds vote, which I think is absurd. Not only do most (if not all) 16 year olds understand NOTHING about the way the country is run, but most are still in education and not self sufficient. Yet really, since even prisoners are being considered to allow a vote then what the hell! Lets give everyone the vote who is past fetal development!

And statistically 16 year olds are extremely likely to vote labour - hence why they want to let them vote.

I'll vote conservative.

Those thinking it is all about voting on local issues need to bear in mind that it is also about major issues such as Europe and TAX.

Lib Dems tax nightmare is even worse than labours.

 

[Rich_L]

Sadly, at least regarding knowing about how the country is run, there's probably a helluva lot more people who are eligible to vote in that situation than there are 16 year olds..

I do think it's a bit strange though that you can be a member of the Armed Forces, or have left school and been self-sufficient and paying taxes for 2 years without being allowed to vote

Mind you, I recall a while ago one of Labours ideas was raising the school-leaving age to 18, so maybe then it would make more sense

 

[divine`]

Well i wont be 18 until May 9th

Which leaves uneligible to vote. However my dad wont be voting so i might be able to use his vote instead

If that happens then probably Lib Dem

 

[The Mad Rapper]

I do think it's a bit strange though that you can be a member of the Armed Forces...without being allowed to vote

I served 14 years in the Army. I was never once stopped from voting.

 

[Rich_L]

I served 14 years in the Army. I was never once stopped from voting.

Er, congratulations?

There's an important bit in those dots you've left out, the 2 years part meaning from age 16-18

 

[mcdermos]

Considering turnouts for voting is less than half the population of the country I don't see how 16-17 year olds would make that much of a difference and why would a 16-17 vote for labour over the others?

 

[Weebull]

If anyone wants to get a rough idea of the standings in their constituency, you can find all of the last general elections results here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/results_constituencies/default.stm

Quite suprised to see that many Lib Dem votes on here, considering their 50% over £100k tax plans, which I wouldn't have thought would have been too popular on the fairly affluent right-wing spread of this forum. I'm guessing those are mostly student votes then.

I'll be voting LD. Someone mentioned the Tories also planning to scrap tuition fees. Personally, considering they introduced them in the first place, I'm taking that with a large pinch of salt. I've much more faith in the Lib Dems doing what they promise, than what seems like purely to be the "vote-winning message of the week" from the Tories. Plus their idea of commercial-rate based student loans sounds horrible too. Plus there's a bunch of other Lib Dem policies I agree with (council tax scrapping, continued public spending, etc).

Unfotunately, it's a 16,000 Labour seat, to 5,500 Lib Dem second place, in this consituency, so I doubt anything will change. I'll vote anyway though, hopefully it might cut the lead just a bit.

 

[Greg]

Then leave this thread.

I was simply making a statment about what I feel, in reference to voting and following up and answering someone elses question. Whats wrong about that? Theres no need to be quite so blunt!

 

[Matallica]

Excuse my ignorance but how old do you have to be to vote ?

 

[The Mad Rapper]

Er, congratulations?

Thank you

Very kind of you TBH