Elections 6th May...

[binley100]

As long as that's what you beleive in and not because as in some families it's tradition to vote for a certain party.

[bubblewrap]

As long as that's what you beleive in and not because as in some families it's tradition to vote for a certain party.

There is no tradition in the family in the way I vote.

[pigletwillie]

Its a case of looking at the whole in most instances. No one party has all the best ideas. You either lean to the left or to the right, the amount of lean varies between people. However, just cos you lean one way does not mean you dont like policies from the other.

With our system, the local level comes into it as well as the national level, if you have cracking local Mp but he is from the "wrong" party, do you vote for him or the other party. Like wise my local MP is the slimy Keith Vaz, a man even if I wore the Red rose I would struggle to vote for.

[binley100]

That's okay then

[Madasafish]

No one party will ever ever ever produce policies I always agree with.

And to suggest that as an excuse for not voting is in my view intellectual laziness. It's obvious any Party is a mixture of ideas and policies. The trick is to pick the one that is best or the one that will do the least damage WHEN IN POWER.

My MP is Charlotte Atkins - a trougher and expenses gouger who is as bad as the neighbouring Wintertons...The Wintertons are retiring through choice: hopefully Ms Atkins will be forcibly retired...

[binley100]

It was only a question not an excuse...........

[pigletwillie]

I think a few will go that route, and good riddance to them.

[organic]

So when I want a party that will reduce government back to covering things like law enforcement, defence and the likes...
...that will end prohibition in order to stop criminalising people who want to use drugs and to remove the power from criminals...
...that will take us out of the EU but keep open a good relationship with the same...
...that will give big businesses all the encouragement needed to set up here and so end the unemployment problem in one single move...
...that will stop sending our troops over to fight in wars that make us less, not more safe...
...that will stop spying on the people...
and
...that will simply let people get on with living their lives without interference...

...who do I vote for? "You couldn't get an anorexic fag paper between the three main parties" and none of the minority parties (and certainly none that stand in my area) fit the bill either.

Who do I vote for?
Or do I vote for one of the parties that will do pretty much the exact opposite of all of the above... instead continuing to tighten the ratchet of power and control?
I don't see a single party that will do even half of what I want. Not even close.
Voting for whoever comes close is fine when you actually want a government that thinks the state has the answers and that it's OK to tell people how to live beyond protecting personal and property rights... but if you want a state that just leaves you alone, doesn't tell you what to do or how to live, doesn't dip its hands into your pockets to fund every hair-brained idea you don't want them to carry out and so on... there is literally no place to put your vote that represents you in any significant way at all.

It's not intellectually lazy - it's a complete lack of real choice.

That your point comes down to picking "the one that will do the least damage when in power" is a perfect summing up of how utterly hopeless the current system is.

I don't want to vote for the lesser of evils and lend legitimacy to a group of people who are opposite to just about everything I believe in... I want to vote for someone who represents me - no such group exists... yet you say people who share such views and don't vote are intellectually lazy? Far from it... we just don't want ANY of them.

[FionaH]

I will vote because women died to gain that right for me. How I will vote is a matter for my conscience.

[Two_Sheds]

Election called, and I'm bored of it already. I would really like somebody to doorstep me, so I can rant & rave about my pet subjects (litter, late-night noise from drunk teenagers, illegal parking & how to make cycling safer)

[Jeanied]

I'd love to be a fly on the wall when the candidates canvass round your house, Organic. I bet you give it to 'em with both barrels.
Ooh, and Two Sheds as well!

[organic]

TS - I'm with you on those points too.
I figure, if they are taking loads of money from us - it might as well be spent in a vaguely useful way.

Jeanied - if they are lucky they come around when I've got loads of work on.

A few years ago I was on my way into a polling station (see - I do go sometimes as an act of "get these idiots out" desparation) and one of the people outside asking who you're going to vote for let on that she wasn't part of a political party when she clearly was - she tried to make out that she was part of the election when I asked why she wanted to see my voter card. I reported her to the election official inside who followed me out and tore a strip off her.

I was laughing my head off about that - even more so when she tried to make it out to be my fault.

[elsie-scot]

I always vote, even though it can be a struggle to decide which party has the least number of things I dislike about their polices. Realised yesterday afternoon we hadn't registered to vote at our new house, so we applied, few hours later the election was called - it was such a surprise , not!

We now live in Charles Kennedy land, can't see anyone but him getting in. Wondering if he might come round canvasing, he might have heard OH got a 40year old bottle of whisky for his birthday!

Was driving on the main Inverness to Aberdeen road and was surprised to see a huge billboard poster for the BNP in a rural location - can't believe that they would get much votes around there.

[BUFFS]

i got quite a shock when i found out that the tories are being funded by the scamming moneylenders(who charge over 275% apr)as they appear to have been assured that those kind of interest rates will be fine if cameron gets in,these polititions are all the same,freeloaders and chancers,with little or no morales,and an insatiable greed,the only exception i can think of is denis skinner,may be mad as a hatter,but really a genuine honest bloke,with no apparent need to line his pockets,what worries me is that after having to stop work due to a progressive mobility problem,if the tories get in, we are to be given to local charities to be looked after by them, not good in an area hit hard after 9/11 and the credit crunch,i know who i wont be voting for....

[sarraceniac]

We now live in Charles Kennedy land, can't see anyone but him getting in. Wondering if he might come round canvasing, he might have heard OH got a 40year old bottle of whisky for his birthday!

I'm voting for your OH.