The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Welcome to the official Cable Forum General Election Thread. This is the place to discuss any and all political stories during this week of the campaign. There is an opinion poll - please use it to indicate your voting intentions. There will be many more parties standing for election than we have room for, so please make use of the 'other' or 'none of the above' options if you need to.

This thread will remain open for one week. After that it will be replaced with a new thread with a new poll. This will allow us to see how voting intentions change and crystallize as polling day approaches. The final thread in this series will open on the day of the election with an exit poll so we can see which party wins the seat for Cable Forum Central.

Please do not start any other political threads during the election campaign. They will be closed.

Let battle commence. :D

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

And so it begins.... :D

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I am voting Lib Dem.

Labour have been in power far, far too long. Some of their bills, mostly the ones affecting piracy and freedom have scared me to death. The DNA Database, The Internet/Email History database are awful, awful things and on this alone they need to go. Their other mistakes, Recession, Iraq don't exactly help their case.

The Tories have opposed little of Labour's biggest mistakes. They failed to see the recession at all, same as Labour, and now expect us to believe they would have been different. They also supported the Iraq war. Basically their actions in oppersition are at odds with the government they claim they would be.

Lib Dems opposed the Iraq War and Cable warned of the recession while everyone ignored him.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Conservative :tu:

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I suppose someone has to. :D

Some of the Lib Dem ideas seem OK but I can't shake the thought that if they did one the first cabinet meeting would go along the lines of.

"I can't believe they actually voted for us, none of these plans will actually work"

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I'm afraid I'm in the 'I have absolutely no idea who to vote for' category..and there's no poll option for that...;)

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I think this is a false logic though. Government is about decisions and judgment, they will have civil servants well versed in the administration of government. How many of the Tory front bench have experience of cabinet work and those that have some experience (i.e Junior minsters) will have been out of that role for 13 or so years now.

As a party I think the Liberal Democrats have shown the best judgment in Parliament and so I shall be voting for them :)

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I can never vote Lib Dems as i cannot trust them to stand up for this country in time of need, They are the sort of party that will roll over and sell us out so they don't have to get in a argument. One of there policies is to take us straight into the Euro is it not ??

BTW

Conservative all the way for me :tu:

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

After working for a Lib Dem led Council I don't think i'd want them running the country.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Look again. ;)

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Dont worry there is more chance of seeing the devil ice skating in hell than of the Lib Dem's winning the election :D

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Labour

Would have been Conservative but Cameron is a slimy ****

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

See that's the thing - I've not yet been convinced that ANY of them are actually worth voting for.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Now that's a motion I could vote for:D

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Just remember. there is absolutely no way that Nick Griffin will move into number 10 anytime this year ;) :)

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

He's Barking.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Having lived through the hell that was the Thatcher/Major years and now the hell that is the Blair/Brown years I really don't know who to vote for. The politicians have let us down, sleaze and corruption on all sides. A pox on all their houses.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

The New Conservatives

Labours got it wrong and the LIb Dems living on a dream world.

The Lib Dems actually say what I want to hear but putting it into practice is a whole different ball game.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

It's funny how you can make such a wild claim when the Government currently in power has failed terribly over the last 13 years.

Let's have a look at a summary of facts shall we over this time:-

• Crime UP.
• Kids Murdering kids - Big Issue 'Knife culture'.
• Over crowded prisons leading to early releases under Labour's 'Early Prisoner release scheme'.
• Hospitals and Doctor surgeries failing patients by them working to the premise of set Targets introduced by Labour, rather than provide one-to-one real patient care.
• Council TAX risen to extortionate levels under Labour and the MP who was responsible for that area in Government (John 'Two Jags' Prescott) during these rises evaded paying it for years.
• Expenses Issue - Granted this was a Cross Party issue but it happened under a Labour Government - Unacceptable.
• Illegal Immigration - Out of Control under Labour.
• The Great Petrol revolt 2000 - saw the Country in 2000 grind to a halt because of the TAX on Fuel duty.
• Gordon Brown, under his infinite wisdom sold our Gold at rock bottom prices - losing us a fortune.
• The 'Made in Britain' Industry falling to it's knees because of the easy TAX avoidance systems abroad.
• Gordon Brown is not an elected Prime Minister.
• Britain's Roads - 'Welcome to Pothole City/Town/Village, sod it 'Welcome to the United Pothole'.
• Too much 'Red tape and Bureaucracy under Labour.

I could go on - but crikey any of the above should make people see sense that Labour is not the party for the people.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

May i say


Well said Sir.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

we need a "None of the above" option as they are all worthless choices.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

So what would your choice be then?;)

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Im not bothered in all that all politicians talk out of their backside and you can bend any kind of figures to say what you want and can make any claims you want as I am basing my vote on the fact I just don't like Cameron personally, he seems like a ****, makes me feel uneasy and just reminds me too much of Obama.

If the Conservatives had a different leader my vote would be for them but as they don't Labour has my vote, simples.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Damn straight :tu:
Conservative here (even though they aren't much cop atm). Was going to vote UKIP but that would really be a vote down the drain :(
Can't vote for a bunch of communists/socialists since their ilk took my grandfather into a forest to be shot :2up:

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Even though a lot of people on this forum think I am a tree-hugging soppy liberal fellow-traveller :D , I will be voting, as I have since 1975, Conservative.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

So you live in Witney then?

I'm lucky, in my part of MK, we've got a Tory MP and he's pretty good.
Unscathed by the expenses scandal, above average verbal and written contributions to parliment, ex-regular army and now in the TA (he's handy if you need a bomb defused), voted against ID cards and infavour of a proper investigation into the Iraq war, and would also like pubs to use plastic instead of glass in pubs and clubs to reduce the number of potential weapons available to violent drinkers (a somewhat better idea than Labour's plan to introduce safety glass - which once put through the hot dishwasher can shatter into razer sharp shards just by touching them).

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Worlds Smallest Political Quiz

I'm a How wrong can the quiz be?

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Haha no ;) but I have at least met the bloke and that was enough to put me off him.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Have you met your Labour MP then? The guy you'll be voting for? Who's he?

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Dunno and don't care to be honest, just voting out of spite really ;)

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

And upon such things, the future of our country may depend.....;)

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Why?

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Just don't like the guy tbh it's that simple but after googling looks like I may be unable to vote anyway

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Not registered?
Not British/commonwealth?

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Private vote is it? ie - even mods can't see?

No politician type answers please :)

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Well I can't see who has voted.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

If you want to vote BNP, then you vote BNP. we won't hold it against you :)

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Labour back in 3rd :erm: could this be how things will be on the 6th-May, Oh how I do hope so :D

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Hopefully it will :D
And hopefully it will also send the first two parties a message that if they balls up and forget they work for us, they'll be out on the street too.
With Labour in 3rd, it wouldn't take much from some of the smaller parties to start taking politics seriously and behave like a real party to then kill Labour off by 2020.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I'm gonna vote this year for the first time, im stuck on who to choose? i don't even know what they are offering?.

I was thinking Labour

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Loads of false promises and 3 wishes. as long as you vote for them.

They have offered to make you even more skint than you could wish for.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Depending which ward you're in, here's some info on St Helen's MPs

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/dav...t_helens_north
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Watts_(politician)

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/sha...t_helens_south
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_Woodward

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

There is a link on the daily telegraph website allowing you to answer a bunch of questions and it shows you which party suits your views best.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/elec...tion-2010.html

I'll be voting for the party that suits my viewpoints 2nd best. :erm:

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Thanks, but that is not nessessarily why I asked :D

---------- Post added at 22:29 ---------- Previous post was at 22:29 ----------

Thanks Thomas :)

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I think we broke it :D

PS it didn't suggest the green party for you did it? :D

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

i Will be voting Labour (its Labour all the way For me) however I Think the Conseitve will win

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Hmm :rolleyes:

thanks for the link

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

In a true democracy there has to be the option for a vote of no confidence. That is to say, a vote which states that "I do not have faith in any of the above to perform the duties being elected to this position would endow them with"

At the moment the only real recourse to that is to abstain from voting, but abstention is not the same as a vote of no confidence.

As far as I am able to discern at this point, the only real change that would transpire from the election would be a change of face in the papers. Not a whole lot else would change, and yet change is EXACTLY what this country needs.

More of the same would put the final nail in the coffin that used to say Great Britain.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Well, not sure who i will go for just as yet. Will have to see how the week pans out I guess.

I personally reckon the Tories will get in, but to be honest I really do think they are all just as bad as each other.

Will probably end up middle of the road or a protest vote.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I suspect everyone who works for a local council feels that way. My own local council (staunchly conservative since the borough was first created). At one point (according to Private Eye) about 15 years ago, half the councilors were under investigation by Scotland Yard. Doesn't mean all Conservatives commit fraud.

Remind me.. Who signed the Masstricht treaty? Before you answer, remember that that treaty enabled massive changes in our constitution to enable greater integration into Europe?

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

This delivers :D

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

My personal thoughts at the moment:

- Labour: I don't trust them and want them out. Hoon is our current MP and doesn't give a fig for us not to mention his corruption.

- Conservatives: I don't trust them although I'm not sure why, I would class my views as conservative but certainly not aligned with the party

- Lib Dems: For some reason I want to give them a chance even though I don't agree with all there policies. Also there local MP and councillors are the only ones who appear to give a damn

- UKIP: I agree with the policies they advertise but what about the rest?

- Green: Extremists at heart, have some good points but they have an overriding agenda which goes to far and will always stop me voting for them.

- BNP: Fascists, How anybody can actually vote for them I don't know, It's taken more than one attempt to write a forum friendly description.

Anyway, I've voted for Lib Dem at this stage. Its a combination of local interest coupled with reasonable national policies.

I do however have serious concerns as regards our armed forces which in my opinion should be supported, upgraded and expanded to keep us world class which I don't believe the Lib Dems will support and also, Europe which I believe the Lib Dems will be to eager to be increasing our integration when I believe we should be looking more at separation.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

The trouble with the Lib Dems seems to be that a lot of people think they have good policies, and that they generally agree with the Lib Dems, but when it comes to voting , go back to Labour or Conservative because the Lib Dems "have no chance of getting in". Of course they have no chance if everyone thinks that.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

http://conferencepear.blogspot.com/

:)

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Nooooo, a party thats a little less liberal and lentil eating than the greens. :erm:
Even though I'm ridiculously right wing I couldn't bring myself to put an X next to their name.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Exactly! Problem is for all voters in safe seats of whatever colour due to the FPTP system it is only those voters in marginal seats who can really make a difference.

Will have all the choice in the world locally but no chance of anyone but DC being elected. :dozey:

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

The Vote Match is unbelievably off target!

Apparently my best match is BNP! How the heck do they work that one out?
Then UKIP (wasted vote), Lib Dem (bwhahahahaha!), Tory (yes), Green (wasted vote), and finally Labour (ok so that got that one right being in last place).

I'm going to have to watch myself for racialist tendencies!

The voting system is designed for people to vote for who represents them in parliment, not which party has power.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

You must have ticked the right boxes.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

except they weren't assigned to the right parties ;)

---------- Post added at 00:12 ---------- Previous post was at 00:09 ----------

In a true democracy you can stand and vote for yourself (oh wait, you can).
Of course if you don't think you've got faith in yourself to represent yourself properly, then perhaps you should indeed consider not voting, and perhaps re-attach the string to your mittens :p:

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

That doesn't make it right. Most people want to vote for which party has power, not some antiquated (imo) concept of local representation.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Tory again.

Labour has run the country into the ground. Lib Dem's idea of equality and fairness is punishing anyone who has worked hard or been successful and making them single-handly finance the country.

Incidently has anyone else noticed that whenever someone confronts anyone from Labour on their policies (even on crime), they still always reply with something about Lord Ashcroft. Its really getting tedious now.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I have faith that may represent myself properly, but not that I may represent the rest of the people.

However I do know that I do not wish any of the current political parties to be elected until they PROVE they are more in touch than the previous administrations.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Flyboy doesn't think so - infact - He's thrown me a passing comment. I cannot say how I got that comment - as it's generally not allowed to mention it how - Nor am I going to show the actual comment but it doesn't stop me sharing his opinion. ;)

Flyboy, thinks the Tories are responsbile for the things I listed in my earlier post. :D

I'd like to know how they are when they haven't been in power for the last 13 years?

Come on Flyboy - please elaborate 'in public' on your 'passing comment' or are you afraid of your argument being ripped to shreds as usual.. ? :rolleyes:

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Has anyone tried this?

http://voteforpolicies.org.uk/

Gives you the policies to choose from, without saying which party they belong to, & then shows the result at the end.

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


I hate both the Tories and New Labour, so I'll be voting Lib Dem (again).

There are some Tory policies I agree with, & some Labour policies I agree with, but overall I agree with more Lib Dem policies... plus I despise both Cameron & Brown.

Cambridge used to be Labour, 'till the Lib Dems kicked them out at the last election (partly thanks to the anti Iraq war vote IIRC).

Our current MP, David Howarth, is really good. I've contacted him about a few things, & he actually replies (email & post). He even signed an EDM I wrote to him about. When the Expense Scandal broke, he was one of the very few MPs who wasn't milking the taxpayer - No 2nd home allowance at all, he did the sensible thing of COMMUTING from Cambridge to London.

Sadly he's stepping down this election, but the Lib Dem candidate to replace him sounds good, especially on civil liberties and science (two things Labour sucks at).

They dropped that a couple of years ago.

So? Neither was Blair, nor Major, nor Maggie...

I cannot stand Brown, or New Labour, but under our system he is PM, fair & square.

We do not elect the Prime Minister.

We elect our own local constituency MP, the party with the majority of MPs then forms a Government, with the head of that party as Prime Minister. If the party later changes leader, and so the PM changes...sucks, but that's how it works.

Sure, I think it would have been better if Brown had called an election after he took over from Blair, but he was under no requirement to do so. He was chosen by the people in his constituency to represent them, and his party chose him to lead it after Blair, so we got stuck with him. That's how it is.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Even after all the scandal and sleaze that's taken place in the past year alone, the lying, cheating, greedy, uncaring ****ers, still get the support from the masses. It's so predictable.

I thought the majority of voters wanted change? Unless the only way to make a change, is to vote to keep Labour where they are, so they can **** up the country even more, that it leads to a revolution.

Labour it is then. :D

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Er, with respect Matt - Maggie was and so was Blair.
How many times did Labour fail to make an impression under Neil Kinnock? - once a new leader (Tony Blair) showed up - history was made and Labour won a General Election in 1997.

I know what you're trying to say that 'No PM is actually voted for by the electorate as a whole'. But sorry mate, I do and I know many other people do vote based off the leader of party and subsequently 'elect' their chosen Prime Minister.

If what you are saying then why is there an 'Unelected Prime Minister list?'

By coincidence to the amount of years Labour has been in power '13' - there also been 13 unelected Prime ministers over the last 100 years...

They are as follows:-

2007 Gordon Brown Labour
1990 John Major Conservative
1976 James Callaghan Labour
1963 Sir Alec Douglas-Home Conservative
1957 Harold Macmillan Conservative
1955 Sir Anthony Eden Conservative
1940 Winston Churchill Conservative
1937 Neville Chamberlain Conservative
1923 Stanley Baldwin Conservative
1916 David Lloyd George Liberal
1908 Herbert H. Asquith Liberal
1905 Henry Campbell-Bannerman Liberal
1902 Arthur Balfour Conservative

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Maggie was elected to represent the constituency of Finchley, becoming PM due to being the Leader of the Conservative Party (the majority party after the election).

Blair was elected to represent the constituency of Sedgefield, becoming PM due to being the Leader of the Labour Party (the majority party after the election).

Neither one was *elected* as PM.

I know that some people do vote based upon the leader & therefore who they want to be PM, but regardless of that, it is not how the system actually works (although it would be nice if we did have a direct say in who became PM), as we do not choose our PM, not directly. OK so Brown is "unelected" directly... but technically, it's irrelevant. Whatever some people's intentions, the electorate does not elect the PM.

As for Kinnock > Blair & the landslide. It wasn't just a change in leadership when Blair took over, but a massive change in other ways too with the party when & after he took over. Plus don't forget that there was another leader in between the two, the late John Smith :( . I do wonder what would have happened if he hadn't died... some think that Labour could have won still under his leadership, given the economy plus people being fed up with Tory rule (I do think he'd have been better than Blair...).

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

You're missing the point Matt - I've already conceded that 'No PM is actually voted for by the electorate as a whole.' But people do vote based off who leads the party - We had a comment earlier from someone who said would have voted the Tories - but wasn't convinced of David Cameron. Therefore, theoretically speaking - People cast their vote, to vote in the next Prime Minister. So they are technically speaking, electing their Prime Minister.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Indeed some of the criteria of my vote is who leads the party, so that means that i would never vote Labour whilst Brown is in charge of them. Conversely i find Cameron fits my idea of a good prime minister and therefor the Tories will get my vote.

This is Browns chance to see if people will vote for him as prime minister and my wish is that people will dislike him that much we will see Labour drop to third place this time round :D

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I remember feeling the same about Blair in 97'

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Personally I'm in a real quandary about who to vote for in the up-coming elections. The last 12 - 18 months in both national and local politics have disgusted me. Locally the two parties I would most likely have voted for (Ulster Unionist and Democratic Unionist) have proven themselves utterly useless. I can't say the SDLP or Sinn Fein have covered themselves in laurels either with their execrable Orange v's Green v's Green v's Orange politics.

I really hate to admit it, but none of Norn Iron's political parties deserve support, but on the other hand its my civic duty to vote.... Bah ! Where's Lord Fit when you need him.... :(

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I don't know if anyone watched sky news yasterday but there was someone Holding up a sign behind the presenters.when ever thay where broadcasting from The green opposite parliament not just for a hour oh no the person kept it up for Most of the day thay where doing this untill at last 5pm.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Personally, I would prefer a cure that is better than the disease....;)

Reminds me of the 'Nam war saying - "Sir, in order to save the village, we had to destroy it".

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Is it just me or dose gordon brown need his wife with him to help with the small talk.And social situations i noticed yasterday that when ever gordon got uncomfdble sarah lept in at took over.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

When Labour came to power the nations debt was around £6 Billion, it is now around £18 Billion.

Labour, as they always do, have spent, spent, spent. Trebling the nations debt. Our money, and what have we got for this spending??????

How can we trust Labour to reduce the nations debt when it they that have trebled it, and we haven't got our gold reserves anymore to offset it. That was spent too.

Now they will increase taxes to further spend yours and mine money, wastefully.

The public sector workforce has increased by 914,000 since Labour came to power, jobs that are paid for by the private sector. Public sector workers do not create wealth. Also during this time public sector salaries have increased so much so that they are now higher than the comparable provate sector salaries.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle6974029.ece

I have had enough of Labour spending my money.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I'm just listening to Nick Clegg he's at it now.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Well here's Gordon Brown's thoughts on the economy in one simple paragraph.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle7090030.ece

No Gordon. Leaving £6 billion in people and businesses' pockets rather than taking it in tax and having the state deal with it is not taking it out of the economy it's leaving it in the economy. The only way to think otherwise is if one's opinion is that the state is the economy which is a pretty extreme left-wing point of view. You old socialist you, finally and accidentally showing your stripes even if the previous 13 years of social engineering and state expansion didn't give it away.

So, New Labour, PM is a raving socialist, deputy is a raving extreme feminist and social engineer extraordinaire, and First Secretary of State needs no introduction.

Still of course large swathes of the population will vote for this. I am starting to doubt natural selection more and more.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

PMQ's - Any equipment issues with the army is the fault of the army commanders seemingly... :mad:

---------- Post added at 12:12 ---------- Previous post was at 12:05 ----------

And now labour is the party to trust for policing. :rofl: Not amongst any cops I know it isn't.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Yes - "the military have been given the equipment it needs"; depends on who is defining the need, doesn't it?

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

PMQ's - A full 18 minutes before Lord Ashcroft was mentioned. Gordo must be slipping.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

And now he just made wild claims that he is proud to say his party supports the Industry in this Country. What a fool he is.

So which party allowed or sat back and watched what is now being considered a hostile takeover of Cadbury by Kraft? Oh that would be the Labour Party... :rolleyes:

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I think I'm more interested in the results of our polls than I am in the results of the election.

Primarily because it's interesting for me to think about how much our poll is actually a reflection of real life, and how much it is actually a reflection of the opinions of the sort of people that frequent Internet forums (or, more accurately, who have a reasonably strong online persona/presence).

I'm sure there's some correlation, but I don't believe that your average Internet 'dweller' is truly representative of today's average 'man on the street'.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I was going to say that from experience, polls on CF show disproportionate support for the Conservatives and other right wing parties.

Then I found the election thread/poll for week 1 2005. Results are virtually identical to this poll, but Lib Dems followed the Tories more closely. And we all know what happened in 2005.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I look at it this way, Liberal Dems, are not worth wondering about, so that rules them out, so it is between T and L,.

Do you want a party, that will almost certainly ruin the health service, like under Thatcher, and the Tories will want to save money, they put will more pen pushers into certain areas to streamline things, to save money, they put will taxes up to help themselfs, they will cut services, they will bring in another local council tax, like the poll tax, l would not trust the tories as far as l could spit, and Cameron doesn't have the experience to run the country.

Labour, has been running the country, they have cut the recession, they have brought down the unemployment, they have defended the rights of people, other countries, even Iraq, they brought down a tryant, and this was need, he has sent troops to Afghanistan as part of the alliance that our troops are trained for, Let Brown finish the job. Otherwise If Cameron gets in, this country will be ruined within 12 months, remember Thatcher gave us promises, before look what happened after she won.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

:rofl:

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Err yes. Labour have been overspending for several years and getting the country into debt with their profligacy. What's wrong with trying to save?

I think you're very confused here - Tories are constantly complaining about the enlarged public sector, and you're confused as to the pen pushers, Labour installs them just for fun.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/20...rontline-staff

Had you said they'd lower them I might get you. As it is their main policy on taxation is a partial reversal of a Labour NI increase.

Probably some non-key ones will suffer. In case you hadn't noticed we're in rather a lot of debt at the moment thanks to Labour spending the past several years spending money they don't have. Something has to give. Or you could believe Labour's diatribe about how they won't cut services at all.

There is absolutely no basis in fact or any indication that this is the case. I have no idea where you get this from at all, even Labour haven't claimed the Tories will do this.

With huge deficit spending, not to mention we went into said recession in one of the weakest positions of all developed nations due to Brown's deficit spending. They are a large part of the reason we were the last major economy out of recession despite their prodigious spending..

Simply wrong. You don't read the statistics much do you Arthur? Do.

Are you having a laugh?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...rity.terrorism

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/ja...se-stop-search

Without a clear mandate, lying to us about an imagined threat of weapons of mass destruction based on a report plagiarised from a PhD thesis.

While by all accounts, apart from Labour's own, not equipping them properly. Soldiers have died due to this. Brown couldn't even be honest with the Chilcot enquiry and had to issue a correction to them by letter after being caught telling a cynical, politically motivated and calculated lie.

Which job? The one of running the country to the point of needing another IMF bailout in the style of the previous Labour administration? Having unions running mass strikes which Labour can only offer an impotent response to due to the unions supplying the overwhelming majority of their funding, kinda like the previous Labour administration?

I respect that you are entitled to your opinions, I do however find the rationale behind them utterly baseless and frankly ridiculous.

EDIT: As an aside shame Gordon sold the gold when he did and indeed announced the fact. Thanks to the pound being so weak due to the job he's done so far it hit a record price recently.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSGE62001V20100301

Indeed it looks like business people, those people who are probably far more qualified to discuss economics than you or I, appear to disagree with your upbeat assessment of Brown and Darling and the job you want them to finish.

http://www.dailyfx.com/forex/fundame...US_Dollar.html

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Hmm - is there a letter out of place there? - I am sure that should say 'Ruining'. ;)

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Gordon's clearly relying on people like Arthur to keep him in power.... :D

Anyway, it's time for all those promises about parliamentary accountability and electoral reform to be wheeled out again and Brown's promising referenda now, having denied us a very importanat one that'd previously been 'promised'... :confused: :rolleyes:

I've got a new slogan for Brown:

"Same Old Promises, Same Old Lies, Same Old Labour"

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Arthur,thanks for the laugh! ;)

anyways,I am quite stuck on who to vote for....

Liebour is totally out of the question. :rolleyes:

Normally I would have to say Lib Dem,but I dislike their talk of equality and fairness (life isn't fair,so get over it).
I'm a Libertarian at heart,so..... on some policies Libs are ok,but their economical profile is not for me!

and finally,the blue team.... :D I could vote for them,but some of their policies are utter pants (crime).
I thought David Cameron was on good form at todays PMQs,however I just don't think much of him or Osborne;both are lightweights and do not really stand for anything,other than the policies that bring in the votes.

I shall reserve my judgement until the last day,and then I'll vote Monster Raving Looney :p: :D


as long as the ruling Stalinist,Communist party is gone I'll be happy,at least for a while :2up:

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I'm curious to hear, from the 11 people who so far have voted Labour in our poll, just exactly how much worse things would have to get before they would consider withdrawing their support from that party ...

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

:rofl: :rofl:

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I am speculating, given the above, that at least one of those people thinks that things have dramatically improved and is looking forward to further improvement so your question is moot to at least one of them.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Really??? Who could that be????? Don't be daft mate... ;)

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

When it comes to Brown's record and judgement I reckon there are some very short memories around here:

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_68_07.htm

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Brown see's the army as a easy target, Well hang on so do the enemy because of the lack of kit thanks to his mismanagement

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

Because of course, that fine idea PFI (bought in by Labour, and essentially the Conservative Privatisation plans given a new and funky acronym) works soo well.

A good thing, surely, for the long term. Bearing in mind the country is in debt to the tune of billions, thanks to Labour.

As opposed to outsourcing whole departments. An idea wholeheartedly endorsed by the current mob, which has directly lead to a lot of the recent security breaches.

And labour haven't?
As opposed to what? Keeping them (which is all that Labour have achieved).
Neither did Brown. OK, he was chancellor, but he actually wasn't any good at that either.

That they (indirectly) caused. Look it up. The banking regulations that were in use and largely to blame for the credit crunch, were bought in by a group of men, including our very own Gordon Brown.

After causing it.
And removed quite a few. Including (under certain circumstances) the right to trial, and the concept of innocent until proven guilty.

As did Labour, or did you miss the vague promises of lower taxes, full employement and a fully integrated public transport system? None of which have yet to appear, even after 12 years.

Make no mistake. This country is in a state, and the current government has lost the right to complain about the mess the previous goverment left the country in, because labour *formed* the previous government. They've had 12 years to get things right. They have failed.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I am still waiting for Flyboy to bring his reasoning to the debate by suggesting most of the issues, 'Under a Labour Government' could possibly be the fault of the Conservatives. Come on now, stop hiding Flyboy - or have you actually realised you are flogging a dead horse, with that incredibly inaccurate forensic analysis skill you got there?

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

I am one of those people! i have my own reasons for voting labour sure brown has made mistakes but cameron just looks like a snake oil salesman,i work within the NHS and have seen massive investment in new hospitals and treatments it could be argued some of the money has been wasted which i am sure it has any organisation employing around 1 million people is bound to have some waste ,but even allowing for that people ought to see some of the state of the art facilities in NHS hospitals certainly my expierience of NHS investment under the last tory administration was not great.

Also a lot of the problems brown has had to deal with are worldwide america had a republican administration (american tories) before the democrats were elected,and their banking system went to pot the same as ours did. In short the financial banking services disaster was pretty much western world wide,it was no respector of political parties.

This election is wide open however but to be fair if cameron pulls it off good luck to him,but i shall not be voting tory.

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

that's the fault of the electorate, not the elected

Re: The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1
 

That's a bit of a chicken and egg problem, as the ones that would reform it haven't got a hope in hell of getting in under the present system. Here's hoping for a hung parliament though :)