If there was an election tomorrow

[Richard]

Which way would you vote

A poll out today puts the Conservatives on 52% a lead of over 28% over Labour.

[thecraft]

Other - Green or spoil vote.

[bickster]

BIAD

[kidlewis]

Conservative or spoil ballot paper. Not voting is extremely tepid. My policy is if you don't vote or even spoil your ballot paper with why you don't want to vote, you shouldn't be allowed to whige about anything political, or at least if you do whinge your point is invalid.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

I'm not sure, I've not lived in Sheldon long enough to know what the guy round here is like.

[Awol]

As it stands I'd vote Tory, then bitch about them for the next four years :-) I do think Cameron is a bit of a removed word but at least his lot would be competent. If Nick Clegg got hit by a bus and Huhne or Cable took over I'd think about voting Lib Dem.

Also agree with kidlewis that people who don't even turn up at the polling station have no right to whinge about politics. IMO.

[bickster]

Also agree with kidlewis that people who don't even turn up at the polling station have no right to whinge about politics. IMO.

I think that depends upon whether you think the system itself is a valid one. If you consider it to be an invalid system, what is the point in validating it by using it?

Me I'll probably be spoiling my ballot, I usually do. But I can see why others may think that participating in a system even to the limited degree of spoiling your ballot gives some sort of credence to that system. They still have a right to an opinion

[villal]

Also agree with kidlewis that people who don't even turn up at the polling station have no right to whinge about politics. IMO.

by whinge presumably you mean discuss? :winkold:

I personally would turn up, my vote would be spoiled as follows ..

None of the above X

Edited: my opinion for what its worth is that you will see no real difference no matter who is in "power" now, 2 heads of the same snake so to speak, metaphorically

[Awol]

Also agree with kidlewis that people who don't even turn up at the polling station have no right to whinge about politics. IMO.

by whinge presumably you mean discuss? :winkold:

I personally would turn up, my vote would be spoiled as follows ..

None of the above X

Fair play and without wishing to sound like everyones grandad, too many people have fought and died for our right to express a choice and if that is to spoil your ballot then as far as I'm concerned you have participated. We get precious little chance to influence the way we are governed as it is and should use it at every opportunity, particularly people who are clearly intelligent and switched on to the world around them. Doing nothing is little better than being another clueless and reality TV hypnotised mong imo, though I stress that is not aimed at anyone posting on this thread.

[paddy]

Where's the option for BNP?

Seriously though I'd probably vote Lib Dem.

[Awol]

Perhaps those who make a conscious and deliberate decision not to go to the polling sation are making a 'choice' too?

It might have the same net effect as the (in)action of the clueless mong but it is based on choosing not to vote.

Not really Daz, the numbers of spoiled ballots are recorded.

[bickster]

Perhaps those who make a conscious and deliberate decision not to go to the polling sation are making a 'choice' too?

It might have the same net effect as the (in)action of the clueless mong but it is based on choosing not to vote.

Not really Daz, the numbers of spoiled ballots are recorded.

And thus validate the electoral system

non voters dont need to be recorded, unless a simple x-y is beyond the scope of some people. Total electorate minus total votes cast equals those totally disaffected with current system in some shape or form

[Awol]

Fair enough Daz we'll agree to disagree but I think people have a responsibility to vote in some form or other even if it's the old 'non of the above' trick.

The fact that you choose not to participate for whatever your considered reason may be is not picked up by anyone but yourself and is therefore in my humble opinion, utterly pointless.

[mjmooney]

Labour. Out of sheer bloody-mindedness.

I'm a child of the postwar welfare state. Once upon a time the Labour Party stood for socialism, trade unionism, state ownership of industry and public services, free health and ediucation provision for all, equality of opportunity, opposition to privilege, the works. Things I believed in. Things I still DO believe in.

It hasn't meant that for many years. "New Labour" is basically "Tories Lite".

But **** it all, I will never, EVER vote for the **** Conservatives. Labour are down and reeling, largely through their own ineptitude, but I'd vote for the underdog, perhaps for all the wrong-headed reasons, but mainly out of defiance to the lying scum that make up Cameron's gang of reptiles.

But I'm sad that it's come to this. People have short memories, and will get the government that they deserve.

[Chindie]

Not a clue. Labour pissed all the confidence they had up the wall in the last few years and seem incapable of doing things right. Though on a purely principled stance, what Labour should stand for is probably closest to my own viewpoint.

The Conservatives are the only other realistic options thanks to our political ways and whilst they talk a good game, I'm not sure how much of it has any substance. I've felt from the beginning with Cameron he was a bit of a PR man, someone to make the party in the blue corner 'hip' and 'down with the kids', and generally not evil. But it seems that much of what he says is ambulance chasing, bang wagon jumping on anything the Sun and Daily Mail are shouting about today. I can;t get past that feeling that this is all words. I voted for the Conservatives at the last local election, more or less because I'd be damned if I voted for the cock up merchants and I'd rather die than support the BNP.

Lib Dems, well, it's all rather pointless really. I've not paid great attention to their policies, but what I have seen doesn't quite add up, I may be wrong here but they advocate a fair bit of public spending, but then claim yesterday that much of the population would pay much less tax under a Lib Dem government. That doesn't add up. But I like Clegg, he seems quite savvy, if his last little speech (Shaun of the Dead reference anyone?) was, erm... cringeworthy and sad.

No point voting for anyone else, undoubtedly many people in my situation would vote for the BNP as a 'protest vote', a strange phenomenon because you could 'protest vote' for the Green party, but it seems no-one ever does.

Burn it all down sounds pretty good really. A modern day Guy Fawkes knocking around anywhere?

[Hanky]

Not Labour.

Probably Lib Dem although probably wasted vote.

[El Zen]

If I could vote in Britain, Lib Dem or not vote at all.

And I'm a member of the Norwegian Labour party.

[Ryan.]

I feel I should get to know each parties policies before I back one but I really haven't got the motivation to do it, so I don't vote.

[acwilliams]

No point voting for anyone else, undoubtedly many people in my situation would vote for the BNP as a 'protest vote', a strange phenomenon because you could 'protest vote' for the Green party, but it seems no-one ever does.

I think I can explain that using a term called psychological transference. People become disillusioned to such a point that they lose rational thought, hence their actions would become virtually unconscious, and they would then radicalise their vote as they would then feel that this radicalisation would make more of a difference.

EDIT: Yes I am aware that transference is generally accepted as an inter-personal thing, but I'm trying to use it in political terms.

[ianrobo1]

whats strange is how the Lib Dems have lurched to the right when there was a gap on the left

there is no doubt as muh as I dislike it but no left wing party would be voted in by the English

Blair identified this but now we saw what Captilism can do is the turning point close ?