Vote: What /Who will you be Voting for Election ?

[JohnL]

steveo Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> There will also be UKIP'ers among us but they live

> in the shadows

I've got some Alt Right followers on twitter that post massive

amounts, but maybe twitter is the shadows.

But strangely rarely reply to any comment I make.

[Louisa]

I am hoping for a decent Indepedent candidate locally. This seat will always go Labour, through thick and thin- and I personally will not vote for them again, whoever is in charge. Been let down once too often. They are currently undermining our democracy by providing no opposition to this Government.

IF the polling so far is correct, May could walk away with a majority over and above Blair's 97' trouncing of Major. That would be a terrible affront to our democracy, and as stated previously, I fear Mr Corbyn will still not stand down, deluded and propped up by Momentum fruit cakes. No Government should be allowed such sweeping powers, and that's exactly what is going to happen.

Louisa.

[????]

steveo Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> Anyway, my original point was about the routine,

> rabid demonisation of the Tories, which apart from

> being a huge YAWN, is pretty irrational IMO.

This. I've still never voted Tory but the rabid, emotive hate they get from some (much) of the morally certain left is astounding, though to some degree anyone who disagrees with their views get it. Certainly has definitely pushed me away from the left over time - I accept not all of the left for clarity. Social media has highlighted this and I find it quiet astounding how many people hold such simplistic, non-rational and deeply unplasant views about motives, opinions etc of those that disagree with them. Very closed minds.

[JohnL]

alice Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> 'free at the point of delivery' becomes

> meaningless when the wait for that point is

> interminable.

if you have something big wrong (I had an intestinal

blockage due to adhesions a few years back) you skip

the wait at the triage stage (I didn't know that is a

life endangering event - but they did straight away).

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

All my political choices are bad and all my predictions are wrong. The time I voted Lib dem was the time they went into coalition. I will never vote Tory. I should probably have my vote taken away from me.

"appalling waste and their paranoid fear of being sued that leads to arse covering, over prescribing, doling out unnecessary antibiotics etc, and about undeserving, demanding, insulting, violent 'patients'"

None of that gets better with privatisation - it gets worse.

[Louisa]

As steveo and quids have said above, totally in agreement.

I voted Labour most of my life, even Socialist Labour a few times. But the way I hear these London luvvies all on the utopia bandwagon, often rather well off too- bad mouthing anything and everything that is remotely not in agreement with their opinions, makes me nauseous. Political Parties have always been a broad church of opinions, and yes some on the right say some bloody awful stuff, but so do some on the left - and indeed many in the middle. They even act upon it in Government. It seems to me the metropolitan Labour Party members don't take kindly to others within their own party, and those externally saying or doing anything that they can't agree with. It's pathetic, and it actually makes me dislike them immensely. People should be able to vote for whoever they choose, however much we disagree, however distasteful we find it. And be able to openly speak about it on forums such as this, and in the real world too. That's democracy.

Louisa.

[Jeremy]

Dogkennelhillbilly Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The time I voted Lib dem was the time they went into coalition

I've heard a lot of criticism recently for the Lib Dems entering the coalition.

I wonder, what were the alternatives? Labour and Lib Dems couldn't have mustered a majority between them. Was the coalition worse than a minority conservative government?

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Yes.

[Louisa]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Dogkennelhillbilly Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > The time I voted Lib dem was the time they went

> into coalition

>

> I've heard a lot of criticism recently for the Lib

> Dems entering the coalition.

>

> I wonder, what were the alternatives? Labour and

> Lib Dems couldn't have mustered a majority between

> them. Was the coalition worse than a minority

> conservative government?

The Lib Dems didn't go into coalition for "the good of the country", they opportunistically saw a route to Government for the first time in around a hundred years and jumped at it. If it were not for the Brexit result and the gift of a snap GE, they would be in the wilderness for a generation. The Tories didn't say no because they hawkishly knew the smaller coalition partner would be punished at the ballot box for joint decisions made in Government, and indeed they were.

Never understood the Lib Dems personally, they play the ultimate social democrat card on one hand, then go into coalition with the Tories. Hilarious. Sums them up for me.

Louisa.

[JohnL]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Dogkennelhillbilly Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > The time I voted Lib dem was the time they went

> into coalition

>

> I've heard a lot of criticism recently for the Lib

> Dems entering the coalition.

>

> I wonder, what were the alternatives? Labour and

> Lib Dems couldn't have mustered a majority between

> them. Was the coalition worse than a minority

> conservative government?

After the election in 2010 they went into secret

negotiations (tories and libdems) - and we just knew

they were talking about jobs rather than the good of

the country.

[Jeremy]

Come on, what sort of a politician DOESN'T want a job in government? The chance to influence policymaking and the governing of the country... isn't this their whole raison d'etre?

I think it's a given that careerism has a part to play with most politicians. But honestly, if I was a power-hungry career politician, I probably wouldn't join the Lib Dems!

[JoeLeg]

Dogkennelhillbilly Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

>

> "appalling waste and their paranoid fear of being

> sued that leads to arse covering, over

> prescribing, doling out unnecessary antibiotics

> etc, and about undeserving, demanding, insulting,

> violent 'patients'"

>

> None of that gets better with privatisation - it

> gets worse.

Essentially this. Privatisation is not the answer to a lot of the NHS problems. Some, maybe. But it suffers mostly from cultural issues that can only be addressed by people being willing to pay more for the service, and the service then being run properly. I'm open to any arguments about how that can be, but I'm a long way from being convinced that profit and acute care/A+E/pre and post natal/paediatric etc services are compatible.

However, others are free to disagree and I guess time will tell.

I agree fulsomely with some of the vitriol being hurled at some parts of the Labour vote, and I'd even agree that there's a lot of 'Tory scum' as a default argument against them. Personally I just don't know what Labour stands for any more, which is why I'm very keen to see who arrives as my new MP before I decide whether to vote for them.

The left is spelt destroying itself as it fails to recognise the shifting political landscape. Labour was born in a world of very different politics and classes. I'm not sure it's relevant any more, and I certainly don't buy a lot of the arguments I see on FB and other parts of social media from grass-roots supporters that Labour is being undone by a media that won't cover it properly and people who don't want to listen just because they don't like Corbyn.

I think Labour has no idea what its core vote is, so maybe this election will be a good way for them to find out. I find most hardcore Labour supporters I know very unwilling to listen to criticism, and already making excuses for why they lost an election that hasn't happened yet.

I can't shake the feeling that left and right just don't exist any more, and Labour hasn't worked it out. The whole thing really depresses me.

[Mystic Mog]

teddyboy23 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'm voting for the party that always tells the

> truth.doesnt fiddle expenses always give a direct

> answer to any Question.and who's MPs are all for

> us .?

Me too, sorry which one is that again? So disillusioned, I only vote at all because of Emily Pankhurst!

[rendelharris]

Deleted - just realised I haven't the energy/time/inclination to argue with the "where did you get your figures from" cohort, some of whom, whilst offering no figures themselves, demand PhD levels of verification for those of others...

[Burbage]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Was the coalition worse than a minority

> conservative government?

It was worse for the LibDems, who got a kicking for everything the Tories did (tuition fees) and not much credit for the few pledges they got through (e.g. dropping income tax threshold, creating a government-backed pension scheme, which the Tories naturally nicked), despite having less than 1/5th of the cabinet.

All folk remember now is that the LibDems did the tuition fee thing, and they went into secret talks with the Tories to stitch up the coalition. But, to be fair - they went into secret talks with Labour, too - that's how coalitions happen. They could have not had secret talks, and then we'd have had to have another go at an election but, given the fraught financial conditions of the time, it was probably best we didn't.

A minority Tory government simply wouldn't have been possible. A government can't be formed with a minority, and so Brown would have hung on as PM, despite having resigned as Labour leader, until a coalition had been brokered by Whitehall. That was a prospect that nobody, with the possible exception of Brown, much fancied.

[Loz]

I'm a staunch remainer, so the Lib Dems are the only sensible option.

[Earl Aelfheah]

This: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/25/vote-labour-jeremy-corbyn-theresa-may?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

[Earl Aelfheah]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Come on, what sort of a politician DOESN'T want a

> job in government?

Jeremy Corbyn 😉

[Earl Aelfheah]

If you want to base your decision on more than personality, try this http://www.whoshouldyouvotefor.com

(I should say, I have no idea who's behind this, or how it's been designed so it could be nonsense)

[Townleygreen]

Lib Dem. I'm a Remainer.

[JohnL]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Come on, what sort of a politician DOESN'T want a

> job in government? The chance to influence

> policymaking and the governing of the country...

> isn't this their whole raison d'etre?

>

> I think it's a given that careerism has a part to

> play with most politicians. But honestly, if I was

> a power-hungry career politician, I probably

> wouldn't join the Lib Dems!

That's why I'm sure in University we called them the God Squad

Tories and Socialists would be brawling in some forum or another

and the Lib Dems would arrive and try to negotiate peace :)

[Earl Aelfheah]

It's all about your ABCs - anyone but conservatives

[Earl Aelfheah]

rahrahrah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It's all about your ABCs - anyone but

> conservatives

... I mean look at the current mess we're in.

[Alan Medic]

rahrahrah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> This:

> https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr

> /25/vote-labour-jeremy-corbyn-theresa-may?CMP=Shar

> e_iOSApp_Other

I enjoyed that article.

[BrandNewGuy]

Burbage Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Jeremy Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Was the coalition worse than a minority

> > conservative government?

>

> It was worse for the LibDems, who got a kicking

> for everything the Tories did (tuition fees) and

> not much credit for the few pledges they got

> through (e.g. dropping income tax threshold,

> creating a government-backed pension scheme, which

> the Tories naturally nicked), despite having less

> than 1/5th of the cabinet.

>

> All folk remember now is that the LibDems did the

> tuition fee thing, and they went into secret talks

> with the Tories to stitch up the coalition. But,

> to be fair - they went into secret talks with

> Labour, too - that's how coalitions happen. They

> could have not had secret talks, and then we'd

> have had to have another go at an election but,

> given the fraught financial conditions of the

> time, it was probably best we didn't.

>

> A minority Tory government simply wouldn't have

> been possible. A government can't be formed with a

> minority, and so Brown would have hung on as PM,

> despite having resigned as Labour leader, until a

> coalition had been brokered by Whitehall. That was

> a prospect that nobody, with the possible

> exception of Brown, much fancied.

This. With knobs on. I sometimes feel that this country is too politically immature to deal with coalition politics ? which is essential in an ideologically fractured world.