The Election Thread

[Francis]

Been worrying whether I remembered to fill in my electoral roll form. Got the cards for the local elections through the post today, so I reckon that's confirmation for the big one. Phew!

Come on you Reds!

[Maisey]

Staunchly Yellow.

[DeWinter]

Purple & Yellow, or Green. Toss of a coin depending on who is standing a candidate here.

[robertzombie]

Lib Dems!

[Maisey]

You know, like many people I was beginning to be of the opinion "it doesn't matter who you vote for an MP gets into power" but after even the briefest of research I'm becoming more and more of a Nick Clegg/Lib Dem fan.

Part of me believes they could be a force for genuine change to the fundamentals of how this country is governed.

Also, based purely on leader's media profiles. Gordon leaves me uninspired and worried, David Cameron makes me out and out retch but Nick Clegg is actually kinda inspiring in a quietly determined kinda way.

I'd probably vote for Peter Mandelson if he ever ran for PM, purely because he's so clearly a force for evil. It'd be like voting in Darth Vader.

[moses]

Staunchly Yellow.

Are you sure?

I'm waiting for the revolution

[timsinister]

You know, like many people I was beginning to be of the opinion "it doesn't matter who you vote for an MP gets into power" but after even the briefest of research I'm becoming more and more of a Nick Clegg/Lib Dem fan.

Your local MP is Greg Mulholland, he's pretty decent. Keep him in!

I'd probably vote for Peter Mandelson if he ever ran for PM, purely because he's so clearly a force for evil. It'd be like voting in Darth Vader.

Your Empire Wants YOU!

[DeWinter]

You know, like many people I was beginning to be of the opinion "it doesn't matter who you vote for an MP gets into power" but after even the briefest of research I'm becoming more and more of a Nick Clegg/Lib Dem fan.

Part of me believes they could be a force for genuine change to the fundamentals of how this country is governed.

Also, based purely on leader's media profiles. Gordon leaves me uninspired and worried, David Cameron makes me out and out retch but Nick Clegg is actually kinda inspiring in a quietly determined kinda way.

I've never been able to work out what the Libs stand for, in all honesty. Perhaps it's possible to have too broad a church. His policies do seem quite out of tune with the public's mood, as well. For example, I don't think anyone denies if we were in the Euro, as the Libs want, we'd be where Greece is now, begging the IMF for help.
I think I'll stick with my theory of voting for whichever of the smaller parties will stand where I live. Maybe if we make the big three worried, they'll start listening to us.

[boudicca]

I've always voted Lib Dem before... I felt that they were more progressive than Labour, and under Blair they certainly seemed to be more left wing. But I have a soft spot for Gordon Brown - I do think he's somewhat misunderstood and his alleged lack of social skills and smoothness is something I find positively likeable, just on a personal level (though I realise it doesn't play this way with most, and no, personality shouldn't be the issue). I find Clegg a bit of a nonentity really, too young, too media friendly, and I don't think he's on the left of the party. Bring back Ming or Chas, that's what I say!

Basically, I like to vote for old Scottish codgers

[robertzombie]

I'm becoming more and more of a Nick Clegg/Lib Dem fan.

Part of me believes they could be a force for genuine change to the fundamentals of how this country is governed.

Also, based purely on leader's media profiles. Gordon leaves me uninspired and worried, David Cameron makes me out and out retch but Nick Clegg is actually kinda inspiring in a quietly determined kinda way.

I agree. If you get a chance to watch the debate from the other night you should (it's on iplayer i think). It definitely shines a new light on the three parties. Whilst Gordon and David bickered like children, Nick clearly laid out his policies and remained calm and somewhat above silly arguments. I don't agree with some of the Lib Dems' policies, especially their European ones. But I got the impression that he wasn't trying to dance around potentially unpopular policies like the other two were. He got stuck in and put his cards on the table, whether we liked them or not


Full Debate Video.

[nodubmanshouts]

Bring back Maggie; she'll get you all back on track.

</troll>

[stufarq]

Worryingly, I find myself liking the Tory policy of allowing local people to force a vote in local government if 5% of the constituents sign up (or saomething like that - I may have the specifics wrong). I've always been of the opinion that governments aren't supposed to be in charge but are supposed to work for us and should therefore do what we tell them to. I've loong thought that this should be achieved by having something akin to permanent polling stations where there are referendums all the time. And now the Tories are proposing something in vaguely the same area.

I really don't want to like the Tories and certainly don't like David Cameron but this is a genuinely democratic idea. In fact, it's the sort of idea that the Lib Dems should have come up with. I've always supported them (in a noncommital sort of way) as the reasonable middle ground and the best hope of ending the two party system (and because John Cleese made elction broadcasts for them) but it worries me that, while everyone's praising Nick Clegg for his performance in the televised debate and saying that his chances have improved now that the public knows who he is, no-one's asking why they didn't know before! If the party couldn't do much with a well known, respected and popular figure like David Steel at the helm or even Paddy Ashdown or Charles Kennedy, both of whom were household names, then what chance have they when most people only discovered who the leader was two nights ago?

[Erudite]

I'm going to side with the Lib Dems to, although Clegg worries me.
He has that media friendly and manipulative use of sound bites that reminds me far too much of Blair.

I'm half tempted to vote Tory on the grounds that a fresh five years of ass raping will push the cause of Scottish independence forward no end.
But that would probably be too cynical even for me.


Given the first past the post system and the current boundaries the best we can hope for is a hung parliament and a Labour / Lib Dem coalition.

[DeWinter]

Erudite: We gave you Thatcher, you gave us Blair, Brown and Darling. We're more than even now! In fact, I think the grievances are slightly on our side now. Thatcher didn't bankrupt you for generations, or get us involved in wars of dodgy legality.

[Erudite]

Erudite: We gave you Thatcher, you gave us Blair, Brown and Darling. We're more than even now! In fact, I think the grievances are slightly on our side now. Thatcher didn't bankrupt you for generations, or get us involved in wars of dodgy legality.

I have one thing to say to that:

North Sea oil and gas.

[DeWinter]

HBOS, RBS, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, foundation hospitals and Univerity fees and the Barnett Formula!!

The gas is ours, anyway!!

[stufarq]

you gave us Blair

No we didn't. He's not Scottish, despite being born in Edinburgh. His father's English and his mother's Irish. We tried to give him a better upbringing but we're not miracle workers. That's why we gave him back.

[DeWinter]

Born and raised in Edinburgh. Got more right to call himself Scots than English, by my understanding. Mind you, if he'd been any good I'd probably be saying he's so English that he knows all the words to "My old man's a dustman", and you'd be claiming he dines off haggis and fried confectionary nightly he's so Scottish.

[markfiend]

Is it just me or is Cameron's constant blathering about a hung parliament tantamount to an concession of defeat?

[markfiend]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... ch-lib-dem

David Yelland (of all people) throws his hat into the Liberal circle.

"...a vote for the Lib Dems is a vote against Murdoch..."

An interesting argument!

[Norman Hunter]

Think I'll vote SNP.

[hellboy69]

Staunchly Yellow.

Liberalism is such a persistent stain

[DeWinter]

Is it just me or is Cameron's constant blathering about a hung parliament tantamount to an concession of defeat?

I suppose he's talking the liklihood up so it doesn't appear as disastrous to the Tory party that they can't drum up the support to eject one of the most unpopular governments and prime ministers we've had. He's deeply disliked amongst a large section of his own party, and some of his actions have alienated a lot of natural Tory voters. I think Peter Hitchens or someone similar claimed that David Davis quit more to avoid association with a Conservative defeat than to moral qualms over civil liberties. The Tory party deal with useless leaders a lot more ruthlessly than Labour do, out of all three current party leaders, he's the one that HAS to win to keep his position.

[Erudite]

Is it just me or is Cameron's constant blathering about a hung parliament tantamount to an concession of defeat?

He was doing a fair bit of scaremongering last I saw - "Only a Tory government in full control of the country can save us etc."

[stufarq]

Staunchly Yellow.

Liberalism is such a persistent stain

Nah, that's diarrhoea.