UK General Election 2005

Where can you get good information about the partys? As the media seem to think that every thing labour do is bad. People dont even bother to understand the policys they just want it hate the policy anyway.

Is there any way to know the good stuff labour has done

Originally Posted by Damien

Where can you get good information about the partys? As the media seem to think that every thing labour do is bad. People dont even bother to understand the policys they just want it hate the policy anyway.

Is there any way to know the good stuff labour has done

The minimum wage. Increased NHS funding (which is now starting to have an impact). NHS Direct. NHS walk in centres. Starting to campaign for serious debt relief. Ok, I'm struggling now!

I thought the NHS was worse....NHS direct is good though

Dog tax! Found it.... I think. The Lib Dems would require all dogs to be micro-chipped so that irresponsible owners and stray animals can be better dealt with. Registration fees would pay for chips, the register and wardens. Not high on my list of priorities admittedly (though it's hardly a LD flagship policy either) but sounds sensible and inoffensive enough to me.

Tory and New Labour scaremongering at work again. The fact that the phrase 'dog tax' is being bandied around against the LDs without anyone knowing (or explaining) what the policy is only goes to show the banality of political debate through the media in this country.

[bob_builder]

Originally Posted by Damien

Is there any way to know the good stuff labour has done

Well, do not go to Labour's website as they will tell you everything they have done is good

Seriously, I do not know of anybody or any newpaper, TV company, etc. that is not biased one way or another. Personally, I find it difficult to think of anything that Labour has done that is good as (for me) the bad stuff massively outweighs it (scrapping student grants, introducing tuition fees, introducing top-up fees, doubling council tax, increasing income tax on the sly by calling it a NI increase but without a cap, etc.) and I cannot say I have noticed any improvements in services (my wife works for the NHS).

[punky]

Originally Posted by Damien

Where can you get good information about the partys? As the media seem to think that every thing labour do is bad. People dont even bother to understand the policys they just want it hate the policy anyway.

Is there any way to know the good stuff labour has done

I doubt many of those sites exist because most people vote on principal rather than reality. Some people say they will never vote for Conservatives, or Labour, regardless of what they plan to do, or how well they do it. They don't care if a certain party will make their lives better, their principals won't allow it.

It would be interesting though to see how policies do compare, without the spin, side by side.

Andyl: I think we are going to have to draw a line under this, as we don't seem to be getting anywhere. I was a bit miffed though that you took one of my quotes deliberately out of context, which is misleading.

I am only better under the Lib Dems' income tax, because my wage is relatively low AND the house I am well out of my means range. If I moved into rented accomodation, I would be worse off, and if I owned my own place, the council tax would be much lower, and would be about the same or just lower than the Lib Dems' income tax idea.

OK Punky, line drawn (but I'm right !!). Only joking.
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Originally Posted by Damien

Where can you get good information about the partys? As the media seem to think that every thing labour do is bad. People dont even bother to understand the policys they just want it hate the policy anyway.

Is there any way to know the good stuff labour has done

You could look at all the parties pledges, manifestos press releases etc via http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/81344.stm then try and work out who is lying the least and is going to let you down the least.

Originally Posted by punky

I have just looked, and it seems I will be one of the ones better off.

It is just really poor thinking from Lib Dems. They come up with some idea which appeals to their ethics. They test it against one group of people and it (in their eyes) improves them. The don't adequately research to how everyone will fare under the scheme which makes them negligent. Either that or they don't give a monkey's about the poorer voters.

Apparently we would be better off to the tune of about £470 a year

I suspect this is because our household income is derived entirely from my wages (Mrs T is a full-time mum) so the 'hit' is not as big, with there being no second income to take tax from.

Link to Lib Dem local income tax calculator for those who want to try:
http://www.axe-the-tax.org.uk/localtaxcalculator.html

I am becoming more and more convinced by the Lib Dems, largely because of their approach to ID cards. I can't help admitting a £500 bribe would go down nicely though.

EDIT

Scratch that ... I am better off by a mere £127. The headline council tax figures quoted by Scottish councils still include water rates, being as we're not privatised up here.

Not sure which party to vote for?

This test will decide on a suitable one for you:

http://www.selectsmart.com/FREE/sele...ukelection2005
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Then again, the test seems to be quite poor

#1 Democratic Unionists ( )
#2 Ulster Unionists ( )
#3 British National Party ( I'd never vote these people)
#4 UK Independence Party ( Nope)
#5 Conservatives ( Yes, I would vote these)
#6 Respect (Hahaha, who the hell are these?)
#7 Sinn Fein (Nope.)
#8 Social Democratic and Labour Party (Non)
#9 Liberal Democrats (Hmmmmm maybe)
#10 Plaid Cymru (Nope)
#11 Green Party (Nope)
#12 Scottish National Party (Nope)
#13 Labour (No, in the right position, but I'd still vote for these before I'd ever vote for BNP)

Wow, quite shocking that it thinks my 3rd choice would be BNP.

[MetaWraith]

Where's the "Drown all Politican's at Birth" Party (assuming the human genome project manages to discover the politics gene)

[Scarlett]

weird to say the least

#1 Respect - George Galloways lot erm no
#2 Green Party - Quite possibly (if they have a candidate)
#3 Sinn Fein - (Ha Ha Ha NO!)
#4 Social Democratic and Labour Party (who)
#5 Scottish National Party - (yay viva revolution!)
#6 Liberal Democrats - normally gets mine
#7 Ulster Unionists - (how many parts of the country can I vote in)
#8 Plaid Cymru - anythiing to get rid of labour
#9 Democratic Unionists - another NI based party
#10 Conservatives - I'm in John Majors old constituancy but still no
#11 British National Party - No surprise here
#12 UK Independence Party - Actually voted for them in the last euro election.
#13 Labour - No surprise here either
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Quite amusing that the 2 lists published so far have labout at the very bottom...

[punky]

Christ!!! I think I am an uber-nazi in disguise.... It didn't help that the questions were a bit too simplistic.

This test is b****cks though, if I was as racist as this test made out, I would have less than half the friends I have now.

#1 UK Independence Party (Hardly... OK for getting us out of EU but then what?)
#2 Conservatives (Most Likely)
#3 British National Party (F**king never)

<skip loads foreign parties>

#12 Green Party (Bahahahaha. If I want a one issue party, i'd go for UKIP)
#13 Liberal Democrats (They don't deserve to be last. I'd even consider voting for them if were a bit more moderate and didn't insist on milking me dry in tax.)

[bernardm]

Originally Posted by Diamond

Anybody know what the minimum voting age is?

If you don't know then you are probably too young to vote.

Originally Posted by bernardm

If you don't know then you are probably too young to vote.

Yes, thanks for that.

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by Diamond

Yes, thanks for that.

It's 18.


There has been talk to lower it to 16, but it doesn't look like it is going to change.