political disenchantment

[wheresmyplacebo]

dont you think no matter how bad labour are and how much you think they are doing some bad things to this country, that when it comes to voting, i have no idea who ill vote for

anyone else here have no idea wot to vote for??

i think ill be making my voe count by picking the bestlocal condidate no matter what the party, hoping socialist party even though my town is a safe labour seat, minister is in my ward (stephen timms = twat)

[Clandestine]

I feel the same way about my own elections in November. I want Bush out but i really don't have any faith that anything will improve under Kerry so the frustration mounts.

[morrocan roll]

spent the last two years thinking like this ...i'm now settled on voting for labour even with blair at the helm. rather he was removed but there you go.
i've been very tempted not to vote but ...that lets in to many freaks.

[FireFly85]

Well I turned 18 in October and I've yet to have my first vote...I really have no idea who I'm going to vote for, I take it quite seriously and think it is important to vote but I'll really have to look into it closer to the time.

My boyfriend refuses to vote not because he is politically apathetic but because he feels that there are no parties or individuals he feels that truly represent his views and that he would trust running the country.

[wheresmyplacebo]

i know that if i dont vote, it lets in people a bit more the centre-right/left and of the wrong sort... so ill land up voting labour only cause most of their mps are actually any good and care bout the country in the same way i do, but blair should go before he loses his mind, but most people would vote for an old labour style leader, so im just hoping the labour maority isnt much of a majority so bills etc will be properly scrutinised, and im hoping lib dems get more seats

[wheresmyplacebo]

Originally posted by almost_innocent
Well I turned 18 in October and I've yet to have my first vote...I really have no idea who I'm going to vote for, I take it quite seriously and think it is important to vote but I'll really have to look into it closer to the time.

My boyfriend refuses to vote not because he is politically apathetic but because he feels that there are no parties or individuals he feels that truly represent his views and that he would trust running the country.

remeber whoever you vote for you get the government!

so id rather have someone who if some of their views are slightly odd, at least they honest aobut what they want to do, other than if they wanted what hitler or stlain wanted

[Kermit]

I'll be voting Liberal Democrat because they do tend to fit in closest with my ideas on how the country should be run.

Though I might change my mind: Shipley, my constituency, is quite a tight constituency. The Tories had it for fuck knows how long, with Marcus Fox, and lost it in 1997- I see it swinging back, so I might be tempted to vote Tory because I believe that any party, even the Tories, is better than Blair.

It's a big problem with FPTP- a Lib Dem vote in a Lab-Tory marginal is a wasted vote, because it means Labour are more likely to keep the seat. The sooner we have STV+, such as with the Bundestag in Germany and the Parliament in Australia, the better.

[Dan the Man]

Originally posted by Kermit
I'll be voting Liberal Democrat because they do tend to fit in closest with my ideas on how the country should be run.

It's a big problem with FPTP- a Lib Dem vote in a Lab-Tory marginal is a wasted vote, because it means Labour are more likely to keep the seat. The sooner we have STV+, such as with the Bundestag in Germany and the Parliament in Australia, the better.

Seconded, I will be a Lib Dem voter next May (5th?). Just did a quick search and found my local MP here in Devon is Lib Dem (Not long moved down here).

Kermit, what is STV+? is it similar to Proportional Representation or completely different? I'm not a great fan of FPTP.

[lukesh]

I'm not old enough to vote but If i were I'd vote the Tories.

If labour get in again God help us, another 4 years of tearing this country apart. So if you vote Labour in again you moan about the situation arn't you a hypercrite?

The Tories seem fresh and ready for offcie again and I believe they can make this country good again like it used to be.

The Liberal Democrats havn't a chance. They are too soft. Most Brits don't support this party in anyway. All they think about its wether we should allow 16 year olds to buy porn. What a taste of aparty.

The minor parties such as Green party havn't a chance.
The BNP don't have a chance but it said in the Sunday mail and the Telegrah that they have a chance of getting 16% of the overal vote which is scarey but it's no wonder people vote for them when this government are in.

As for USA Elections, Come on Bush you can win it!!!!

[crossfire]

Vote for CPB..... or maybe not, they appear to be stalinists. Vote green.

[Braineater]

Won't vote Labour, political turncoats. Won't vote Lib Dems, not confident in their abilities or policies. Won't vote T**y, regardless of what their policies are now, Margaret Thatcher's reign will never be forgiven. Won't vote Plaid Cymru, they don't like us "hwntws". Won't vote Socialist or Communist, too disorganised and splintered. Won't vote Green, see Lib Dems.

I know.

I won't vote.

[wheresmyplacebo]

Originally posted by lukesh
The Liberal Democrats havn't a chance. They are too soft. Most Brits don't support this party in anyway. All they think about its wether we should allow 16 year olds to buy porn. What a taste of aparty.

The minor parties such as Green party havn't a chance.
The BNP don't have a chance but it said in the Sunday mail and the Telegrah that they have a chance of getting 16% of the overal vote which is scarey but it's no wonder people vote for them when this government are in.

As for USA Elections, Come on Bush you can win it!!!!

we've been missing people right of centre here, andwe got a regular poster here now :P

dont nkow how anyone could consider voting BNP no matter what you think of labour, lib dems are just far too disorganised and dont know what they want, but legal porn age shuld be 16 :P

and bush, anythings better, but ll US presidents are the same, okay clinton was human so part from him :P

[lukesh]

Originally posted by wheresmyplacebo
we've been missing people right of centre here, andwe got a regular poster here now :P

dont nkow how anyone could consider voting BNP no matter what you think of labour, lib dems are just far too disorganised and dont know what they want, but legal porn age shuld be 16 :P

and bush, anythings better, but ll US presidents are the same, okay clinton was human so part from him :P typical liberal. :)

[Blagsta]

Stop using words you don't know the meaning of.

[Aladdin]

Originally posted by lukesh
typical liberal. :)

Typical supernatural creature of Scandinavian folklore, variously portrayed as a friendly or mischievous dwarf or as a giant, that lives in caves, in the hills, or under bridges.

[lukesh]

every likely i get so much black lash your all a bunch of liberals.

[Blagsta]

Originally posted by lukesh
every likely i get so much black lash your all a bunch of liberals.

Can someone translate for me? :confused:

[lukesh]

Originally posted by Blagsta
Can someone translate for me? :confused: The Sun talk, you wouldn't understand... obviously.

[Blagsta]

I'm still none the wiser. :confused:

[Renzo]

I am sort of in the same position. I do not support Blair, I support Labour. But a vote for Labour is a vote for Blair. I am certainly not a tory *spits* I might go lib dem though, maybe. Though they have some privatisation policies i disagree with.

the european elections are on regional lists or something right?

It will be my 1st time :)

[marv]

I will most likely vote labour but i am tempted to vote liberal democrat.

i feel the country needs a viable third party to challenge the strangle hold labour and the tories have.
However my local MP who is labour seems a decent mp who listens to his consititualy (spelling )

No way in hell am i voted for the tories it offends my socialist sensibibilites

[LadyJade]

Originally posted by lukesh
every likely i get so much black lash your all a bunch of liberals.

Is there really any need for this? Its not contributing to the debate at all.

[crossfire]

If you speak to a lot of right-wingers they usually resort to useless rhetoric like that when they have no viable argument.

[Man Of Kent]

Originally posted by lukesh
I'm not old enough to vote but If i were I'd vote the Tories.

If labour get in again God help us, another 4 years of tearing this country apart. So if you vote Labour in again you moan about the situation arn't you a hypercrite?

The Tories seem fresh and ready for offcie again and I believe they can make this country good again like it used to be.

like it used to be...? How is that then. My experience tells me that many of the problems facing this country right now are the direct result of Tory policies from 1979-97... most notably their massive underfunding of the public sector during this period.

All they think about its wether we should allow 16 year olds to buy porn. What a taste of aparty.

Really? And there's me thinking that they have policies on Iraq, Education, Health, Crime as well...

As for USA Elections, Come on Bush you can win it!!!!

And I'm sure he will. Legally or not.

Seriously, this would be a big mistake...

[dantheman]

I have no idea whatsoever, I didn't vote in the last elections and I may not bother this time. I can still moan all I like though.

[LadyJade]

Yes you can moan all you like but if you don't do anything to change what you don't like about society then it is really just all pointless hot air.

[Renzo]

Originally posted by dantheman
I have no idea whatsoever, I didn't vote in the last elections and I may not bother this time. I can still moan all I like though.

Just go in an spoil your paper or something. Or write "none of the above" atleast go to the polling station and do something. I don't get it how someone can just not vote. Even if i didn't know who to vote for i would still do something.

[Man Of Kent]

Originally posted by Renzokuken
Just go in an spoil your paper or something.

The thing I love about this option is that under election law, all candidates must see every spoiled paper. So will read anything you write...

[dantheman]

Hey don't blame me, blame the parties that are making it difficult for me to warm to them.

[Renzo]

Originally posted by dantheman
Hey don't blame me, blame the parties that are making it difficult for me to warm to them.

so there is no policy at all that you support from any party out of the god knows how many parties there are

[dantheman]

Originally posted by LadyJade
Yes you can moan all you like but if you don't do anything to change what you don't like about society then it is really just all pointless hot air.

My vote won't change a thing, If my vote was on specific issues then you would have a point.

[dantheman]

Originally posted by Renzokuken
so there is no policy at all that you support from any party out of the god knows how many parties there are

Not enough of them, no.

[Renzo]

Originally posted by dantheman
Not enough of them, no.

I still fail to beleive that.

[wheresmyplacebo]

Originally posted by dantheman
Not enough of them, no.


which is why you vote for your local constituency representitive, so along to whatever they doing to promote themselves and find out which ones are decenct people, that is WHY we have a parliament, for people in it to question the government as a whole no matter what the party in control
which sadly seems to be disappearing under blairs presidency

[Kermit]

STV stands for Single Transferable Vote.

Say there are three candidates, Ann, Bob and Colin. You choose the candidates in order of preference, and you can decide none of them are suitable candidates or only one or two of them are. All the first choices are added up, and the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Say I voted for Ann, but she is eliminated. In the next round, the people who voted for Ann would have their second choices counted instead. IN this case it would be a straight count between Bob and Colin, with ther person gaining the most votes winning.

It sounds complicated, but basically it works on order of preference. As your preferred candidates are eliminated, your most preferred candidate takes your vote.

This is how it work in Australia, but I was incorrect about Germany. In Germany they have a conventional FPTP election, in order to maintain constituency needs, but al the votes cast are added up, and there are extra members added to the FPTP members to make sure than the Bundestag numbers tie up to share of the popular vote. This is what happens in SCotland, as fara s I am aware.

[The Matadore]

Whatever you do - do not vote Liberal Democrat.

They are a mess of contradictions and oppertunism.

They want to be all things to all men.

Since I would never vote Labour anyway, I will be voting Conservative.

[Namaste]

I tend to vote Green or Lib Dem depending on their policies. The only thing I disagree with about Green policies is that they want to stop animals being kept in zoos... which I believe is useful for conservation purposes.

[Renzo]

Originally posted by The Matadore
Whatever you do - do not vote Liberal Democrat.

They are a mess of contradictions and oppertunism.

They want to be all things to all men.

Since I would never vote Labour anyway, I will be voting Conservative.

Personally i see the Conservatives as the ones who always contradict themselves and you any opportunist moment to criticise government policy when either a) the Conservatives did it while they were in office (any referendums on EU policys then?) or b) They oppose Labour policies that would have traditionally been that of the Conservative Party. (Top Up Fee's anyone?)

[Kermit]

...or maybe they truly represent the Third Way.

Taking the good from both sides is a favourable characteristic in political parties, but I suppose those who don't really pay attention would just see it as opportunism.