bickster Posted October 1, 2014 Author Moderator Share Posted October 1, 2014 No offence intended either but I find it staggering how anyone can contemplate voting for any of them considering how they've performed over the last 40 years or more 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted October 1, 2014 Moderator Share Posted October 1, 2014 No offence intended either but I find it staggering how anyone can contemplate voting for any of them considering how they've performed over the last 40 years or more I agree. I've always voted, always. I won't be voting this time around because I simply can't put a cross in a box of a party that I have anything even remotely close to faith or confidence in let alone trust. I feel our entire political system is just utterly broken. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 So do you tactically vote for the 'least bad' candidate in your area? So in scenario A: it's a straight labour / liberal seat so you vote against the party you least want - i.e. if you are a tory, you'd vote Liberal, you know how it works Scenario B: it's a three way between liberals, tories and ukip - if your a perpetual labour voter then perhaps you should be voting liberal here. To not vote at all is understandable in some ways, but can result in things being even worse than they could have been, it stops the moderating influence. Even a spoiled ballot gives some indication of discontent, having 'none of the above' added as last option on the ballot would be lovely but I don't see that happening any time soon. I wouldn't stay away from the polling station, but I would consider tactical voting or ballot spoiling. Put it like this, I'm in a labour / conservative constituency which has switched sides regularly, so tactical voting is important here. Votes for LibDem or Plaid are perfectly valid but they aren't going to win, they are just going to take a couple of thousand votes off the Labour total in a close vote. Lefties voting Libdem or Plaid could hand the seat to the tories... High ideals, or expediency? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eames Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 So do you tactically vote for the 'least bad' candidate in your area? So in scenario A: it's a straight labour / liberal seat so you vote against the party you least want - i.e. if you are a tory, you'd vote Liberal, you know how it works Scenario B: it's a three way between liberals, tories and ukip - if your a perpetual labour voter then perhaps you should be voting liberal here. To not vote at all is understandable in some ways, but can result in things being even worse than they could have been, it stops the moderating influence. Even a spoiled ballot gives some indication of discontent, having 'none of the above' added as last option on the ballot would be lovely but I don't see that happening any time soon. I wouldn't stay away from the polling station, but I would consider tactical voting or ballot spoiling. Put it like this, I'm in a labour / conservative constituency which has switched sides regularly, so tactical voting is important here. Votes for LibDem or Plaid are perfectly valid but they aren't going to win, they are just going to take a couple of thousand votes off the Labour total in a close vote. Lefties voting Libdem or Plaid could hand the seat to the tories... High ideals, or expediency? Very sensible strategy as always. I am/have been a Tory voter in a safe as houses Tory seat. Won't be voting for them this time and am totally stuck as to who to vote for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 What Trent says. I notice most of the debating in this thread of late is half arsed. I'm almost completely ambivalent, the thought of giving any of the main parties my backing hasn't even crossed my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Yeah, another in the can't really be arsed camp here, for a variety of reasons. The system's broken, that's plain to see. I'll still probably vote, but then am I just validating said broken system? I'll probably go and vote green come May, which in Macclesfield is completely pointless as the Tory monkey gets returned every time. I think the Kippers will do well, and could have a big say on where a large number of seats go (as they take votes from Tories and labour). I think they'll concentrate their resources and target a number of 'winnable' seats, and probably get about 10 or so at a guess. Could be an interesting GE. Turnout will still be shit though, and nothing will change. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakemineVanilla Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 What Trent says. I notice most of the debating in this thread of late is half arsed. I'm almost completely ambivalent, the thought of giving any of the main parties my backing hasn't even crossed my mind. I suspect that the election will follow the same sort of pattern as the Scottish referendum, and Tory voters will keep their intentions to themselves. It may come down to voting against the party they trust the least, rather than being motivated by the sort of idealism or motives which make for good debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Yeah, another in the can't really be arsed camp here, for a variety of reasons. The system's broken, that's plain to see. I'll still probably vote, but then am I just validating said broken system? I'll probably go and vote green come May, which in Macclesfield is completely pointless as the Tory monkey gets returned every time. I think the Kippers will do well, and could have a big say on where a large number of seats go (as they take votes from Tories and labour). I think they'll concentrate their resources and target a number of 'winnable' seats, and probably get about 10 or so at a guess. Could be an interesting GE. Turnout will still be shit though, and nothing will change. Centre ground politics always had a shelf life because of this very reason. There's very little for them to make a stand on because they seem to have decided the public want middle of the road. Except the public are completely disillusioned with the system, with MOR politics. We've lost the ability to differentiate... What we actually want is change. Something "radical". Let's hope that change comes from the left rather than the right or we are all well and truly ****. I hate the Tory party. But at least they've a little *something* about them I suppose. Labour are as damp and dreary as it gets. Where are the strong leaders? Where are the radical thinkers? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 No offence intended, but given how they've conducted themselves since the last election I find it staggering to imagine anyone voting for the Lib Dem's in the next general election. Its the least bad option. I disagree with a lot of Conservative policies, but i have zero faith in Labour managing to do anything useful. At least a hung parliament means that the Lib Dems will (hopefully) stop the worst of bad policies from Labour & Conservatives. My other option could be Green party, but in effect thats a wasted vote even more than voting Lim Dem might be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted October 1, 2014 Author Moderator Share Posted October 1, 2014 The rise of UKIP shows how voting for a party that stands little chance of winning can in time have an effect. Look at how they've risen and the attention they get even though they've never yet won a parliamentary seat. Compare that to the Greens or Respect who both actually have an MP but their share of the vote nationally is much smaller and they get little attention so their policies are less well known. UKIP have now ceased to be a protest vote for some, its actually the Party they support. Sure the bias of the media comes into play but if the smaller parties can increase their share of the vote substantially then the media can no longer afford to ignore them and the left of centre press at least will feature them more and the right of centre press will vilify them more, both serve to spread their message. If anything is going to break the two party state then voting for the smaller parties isn't pointless in the longer term, sure you'll probably end up with the usual dickhead as an MP but you would anyway, next time around however it might just be different, or the time after that…. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Designer1 Posted October 1, 2014 VT Supporter Popular Post Share Posted October 1, 2014 http://youtu.be/0YBumQHPAeU Cassetteboy 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 In an attempt to be less half-arsed, then, a graphic from the Harvard Business Review. You'll see a tiny nugget of blue in the middle, which represents the ratio of CEO's to worker's pay that people believe would be ideal. Outside of that is a minuscule dollop of red, which is what people believe that ratio is. The grey represents what the ratio actually is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colhint Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Doesn't that put the UK in a reasonable position overall? 3rd or 4th best maybe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted October 1, 2014 Moderator Share Posted October 1, 2014 Yeah, another in the can't really be arsed camp here, for a variety of reasons. The system's broken, that's plain to see. I'll still probably vote, but then am I just validating said broken system? I'll probably go and vote green come May, which in Macclesfield is completely pointless as the Tory monkey gets returned every time. I think the Kippers will do well, and could have a big say on where a large number of seats go (as they take votes from Tories and labour). I think they'll concentrate their resources and target a number of 'winnable' seats, and probably get about 10 or so at a guess. Could be an interesting GE. Turnout will still be shit though, and nothing will change. I agree with every word, Jon. Sums up the mess nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Doesn't that put the UK in a reasonable position overall? 3rd or 4th best maybe Yes, comparatively speaking. Though obviously the difference between the blue line and the grey one is still enormous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I heard that on Sunday Politics David Cameron will reveal himself to be Batman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I heard that on Sunday Politics David Cameron will reveal himself to be Batman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l1PMVvfjDM 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Freudian slip? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA66Yp2Vx7Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Nick Griffin has been kicked out of the BNP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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