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Post by kstar on Apr 3, 2015 20:04:26 GMT
I have never been so confused before a general election... I have absolutely no idea who to vote for. However I feel I have a duty to cast a vote as we know it's a privilege not everyone in the world is entitled to...
Anyone have a clue which party would be most likely to stand up for adopters? Funding for support services? Validation for the struggles we face?
I wasn't impressed with any of the leaders in the debate apart from Nicola Sturgeon but I doubt I will have an SNP candidate... Natalie Bennett was quite articulate too but the Greens have some extremely pie in the sky education policies that are completely unrealistic.
Someone just tell me who to vote for.
#confused
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Post by chotimonkey on Apr 3, 2015 20:54:11 GMT
I'm not sure of what the origin is, but ot takes about thirty mins and (on a website) you go through each main arena of politics and, without saying which party is which, you tick which policies you most agree with and at the end it calculates your political allegiance due to your choices. I got 49% lab/ 49% libdem, 1% green so it wasn't the biggest help but it was interesting reading the policies without the name attached
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Post by kstar on Apr 3, 2015 21:58:49 GMT
Haha mine was mostly Conservative with a healthy dose of UKIP thrown in... I despise everything that UKIP stands for and think Farage is a buffoon. But clearly he must be saying something I agree with lol!
At this rate I'll be looking to vote Monster Raving Looney party because that's how I feel...
Actually with our utterly archaic voting system my vote won't count anyway as I live in one of the safest seats in the country!
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Post by mudlark on Apr 3, 2015 22:06:44 GMT
I watched the debate and thought all the women were the strongest.
But the reality is a bit different...if there was any chance of the green party candidate getting in in our area I would vote green.
It's a fight in our ward between tory and labour... I don't like Ed milliband..but I do like our labour candidiate...he is gay, he is green, he is pro public services , he has a good understanding about adoption... I will vote labour.
I would never vote tory...just because I don't believe they would protect public services and probably do nothing for the very poorest in our society...
.. if your main aim is to keep the torys out then you vote tactically...
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Post by mudlark on Apr 3, 2015 22:07:46 GMT
I love an election... keep the thread going!
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Post by homebird on Apr 4, 2015 8:14:50 GMT
I watched the debate and picked out good points from all of them so if they could roll themselves altogether with those good points and make one party that would be good :-) Some advice from various tv personalities is - choose the party you hate least and don't think about party politics, choose the person you like best. It doesn't help when we don't have any faith on the party leaders though.
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Post by corkwing on Apr 4, 2015 14:14:41 GMT
To be honest, I think that all of the main parties have similar aims. They all want us to have good education, good health services, be happy, secure, content and financially comfortable. They just have different views on how you achieve it. Both the coalition and the Labour party increased the profile and support for adoption and adopters, so I'm not sure there's much to choose from that point of view, either.
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Post by gilreth on Apr 4, 2015 19:14:03 GMT
I cannot stand our current MP so voting tactically in hope to get him out. However shall be voting different locally...
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Post by cowgirl on Apr 4, 2015 20:16:00 GMT
Stuck in traffic yesterday & saw a lib deb bill board. Yellow background with red writing. Had to read it twice to be sure it wasn't labour
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Post by serrakunda on Apr 4, 2015 21:09:38 GMT
Did anyone see Jeoy Essex on This Week? Scary, couldn't decide whether he was poorly educated or just plain thick
Growing up when and where I did I could never, ever, vote Tory. Live in a safe labour seat so usually vote for whichever of the smaller parties I like the look of. But always preepared to vote tactically at local and general elections to keep Tories out and on occasion to keep ukip and BNP out in local elections
Bored of the election already, working for govt depts means you get taken over by it. We are now in what's called purdah, very restricted time so you gave to get stuff done before it starts. and then we havevto wait to find out what the new govt priorities are and start running round like headless chickens.
Strictly speaking I am not allowed to discuss voting etc but I guess I'm such a minion I csn get away with it
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Post by kstar on Apr 4, 2015 21:33:19 GMT
I live in a massive Tory majority constituency with a very high profile MP. At the last election it was the safest seat in the country! However I could never bring myself to vote Cons - purely because of what Gove has done to education if nothing else.
As my vote won't really count I will probably vote for a smaller party, based on what I think the local candidates would do for our area. I will be watching re results with interest because I have no idea how to call it this time.
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Post by mudlark on Apr 4, 2015 21:58:25 GMT
I feel quite strongly about politics and voting...
some women fought hard for women to get the vote.
some black people fought hard to get the vote....
gay men and women have suffered and died because of governments...
... if we don't take it seriously....
then...we will end up with UKIP having a say in how we can live our lives.. people have lived and died believing politics can make us better ..make a fairer society... and they were right...
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Post by mudlark on Apr 4, 2015 21:59:34 GMT
every vote counts...or else it would not work!
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Post by kstar on Apr 5, 2015 7:52:45 GMT
I know it does in theory, and I will vote no matter what - even if it's just to make a point.
However in principle with our archaic first past the post system, some votes do count more than others. In our constituency, the Conservatives are currently polling at approx 70% of the vote share. In a neighbouring urban constituency, just three miles from our house and the constituency where I work, there's a very real danger that UKIP will woo voters over with their rhetoric. And I can do nothing about it.
In the past I have voted Lib Dem on the basis of their support for proportional representation because I feel we are desperately in need of an overhaul of the system.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2015 8:12:08 GMT
Agree with Mudlark and think it should be compulsary to vote as it is in Australia I think? I think if you don't vote for say 5 years in a row, you should lose your right to vote. People died for this right! What I find is, it's usually the people who moan most about the Government, who are the ones who don't bother voting. That bugs me! In my area it is impossible for Labour to ever get in, so it is tactical voting for Lib Dems to keep Cons out as Lib Dems are in power here, but are very closely followed by Cons, so if nothing else I vote to keep them out, so like Serrakunda, I sometimes vote one party in local elections and another in general elections just to keep the Cons from winning in my area. I have never voted Tory in my life and never would because they only help the rich get richer and don't give a damn about the rest of us. Cameron is a nice enough man on a personal level, but I'm afraid he has had too priviliged a life for my liking and I can't abide the Eton nepotism. Even though he did have a severely disabled son, he had the money to pay for respite carers to come into his home and sit with his son overnight while himself and Samantha got a good nights sleep and some respite, unlike the vast majority of parents who care for their disabled children 24/7 with absolutely no help or respite at all, not even one night off a month, so although he has some inkling into what parents of disabled children have to endure, I don't think he has done enough to help them as he always had the money to buy in help unlike the majority. Same went for Gordon Brown with his son. Money can buy help/respite, so they never had it as hard as they made out. I think the problem these days is the lines between the various parties are so blurred that it's hard to see much difference between them TBH, unlike in Maggies day, but there is one common theme that runs through all parties - They all made a load of promises in the run up to the elections and once in power they all go back on their word and don't achieve half of what they promised to do. I think that's why a lot of people don't bother to vote, they don't see the point, but they also don't seem to realise that if everyone took that attitude, nothing will ever change. I actually like the way some of the smaller parties are slowly coming through and are gradually winning support from those disillusioned with the big parties, it is making them feel a bit uncomfortable when they see these smaller parties gaining more support, so that can't be a bad thing can it? Makes them try harder and actually think about what they are proposing to do. So for me it will probably be Lib Dems locally and either Labour or a smaller Green party nationally, anything but Tory is alright by me. They sooner they bring in proportional representation like they have in Ireland in this country the better, that way every vote counts and the big parties can lose out. Power to the people I say.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2015 8:51:20 GMT
I'm not sure of what the origin is, but ot takes about thirty mins and (on a website) you go through each main arena of politics and, without saying which party is which, you tick which policies you most agree with and at the end it calculates your political allegiance due to your choices. I got 49% lab/ 49% libdem, 1% green so it wasn't the biggest help but it was interesting reading the policies without the name attached Have you got a link to this Choti, sounds interesting especially if it doen't have party names attached.
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Post by kstar on Apr 5, 2015 9:25:20 GMT
uk.isidewith.com/political-quizI've just done it again, this time sticking to just yes/ no answers instead of the extra ones you can add and I would say it's much more accurate for me! Fairly evenly split between labour and lib dem.
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Post by chotimonkey on Apr 5, 2015 13:31:55 GMT
I think if you google Voteforpoliicies.org.uk You'll find it
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Post by esty (archive) on Apr 5, 2015 20:31:13 GMT
I think in the next ten years politics as we know it will be very different. I'm hoping there will be an uprising of people not willing to follow the male, monied Eton route and that new ways of governing and being are sought out and found. Politics as it is at present is based on such an archaic system it doesn't work in this day and age. It is all very short sighted and just for self betterment or votes. I'm a very political being (the personal is political) and don't think any of the top level politicians really care or understand what life is like for many. Nobody seems to think globally or about the butterfly effect. Sorry just very disillusioned with them all.
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Post by mudlark on Apr 5, 2015 21:30:39 GMT
I agree Esty but until that uprising happens (and I am sure it will with a new generation of young people who see the world and communication totally differently to their parents) until that happens...we have to vote we have to engage with the present system as if we don't ...there are some very wrong thinking people who will vote the torys in... and we all know they just want to perpetuate the rich being richer and the poor, the hopeless, the sick, the old, being...well...on the scarp heap...why is the NHS struggling, we is there not enough housing, why is there cuts in funding for mental health, why are there people homeless on our streets, there are so many of such questions...
I don't think labour have the answers or are even much better, but they are not as bad...and at the moment..( until the 'revolution') that is as good as we can hope for..
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Post by mudlark on Apr 5, 2015 22:04:27 GMT
message in a nutshell... vote tactically ..keep the tories out...( as they will do nothing for our children)
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Post by esty (archive) on Apr 5, 2015 22:04:42 GMT
I'll still vote though and left ;-)
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Post by serrakunda on Apr 6, 2015 8:31:28 GMT
I know they are all doing this to some extent but I am finding the Cameron's sudden need to give in depth interviews about their son who died very distasteful.
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Post by gilreth on Apr 6, 2015 18:48:55 GMT
Serrakunda - currently on holiday with one of our friends who also works for government - makes us laugh about purdah as he is a patent examiner. He is allowed to talk about voting & even campaign at current level (but must make it abslutely clear it is a personal person) - when he goes up a grade he will not be allowed to do latter. My vote will be going to labour locally given how much I hate the current MP. We are not a marginal but could be one as has see-sawed between conservative & labour over recent elections. I strongly believe that I should vote given how many people battled for women to be given the vote in the first place. I have voted in virtually every election sicne I turned 18 except for the local ones the year I was in the US. These days DH & I have postal votes as until this last year we have normally been away on election day.
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Post by mudlark on Apr 6, 2015 19:19:26 GMT
Serrakunda I felt the same way...but almost couldn't believe he was doing it..
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Post by pirate on Apr 29, 2015 21:01:38 GMT
Not sure who I will vote for! I must say.....politicians lack eye candy!!! Not 1 of them gives me goose bumps or the coooorrrrrr factor! Lol
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Post by larsti on Apr 29, 2015 21:23:22 GMT
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Post by mudlark on Apr 29, 2015 21:27:59 GMT
...that is too funny!!!!!!!!!
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Post by bop on Apr 30, 2015 16:14:09 GMT
uk.isidewith.com/political-quizI've just done it again, this time sticking to just yes/ no answers instead of the extra ones you can add and I would say it's much more accurate for me! Fairly evenly split between labour and lib dem. Not sure how independent this survey really is - apparently I side with the SNP which I absolutely do not - they are doing nothing for adoption and are too busy trying to get independence and crush Westminster to actually run Scotland....Nicola Sturgeon isn't even a candidate in this election - and don't get me started on some off the deeply insulting comments made by some of the candidates about over half of the Scottish population! Think it goes mostly on postcode - it seemed to know roughly where I live.....anyone north of the border supports SNP.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2015 7:11:00 GMT
Pretty accurate for me.
I came out 92% Liberal, Democrat (who are running my borough) and 81% Labour which is who I voted for in my postal vote, as Labour can't win in my area and i wanted to keep the Conservatives out as it's very close in my borough.
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