The 2010 General Election Thread: Week 1

[punky]

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.

[Lord Nikon]

Originally Posted by Xaccers

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

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.

Originally Posted by Sirius

May i say


Well said Sir.

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.

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.. ?

[Tezcatlipoca]

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).

Originally Posted by Sirius

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 ??

They dropped that a couple of years ago.

Originally Posted by Mick

• Gordon Brown is not an elected Prime Minister.

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.

[Jimmy-J]

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.

Originally Posted by Matt D

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

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

[Tezcatlipoca]

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...).

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.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Mick

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.

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

[Jimmy-J]

Originally Posted by Sirius

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

I remember feeling the same about Blair in 97'

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....

[sir_drinks_alot]

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.

Originally Posted by Product 13

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.

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".

[sir_drinks_alot]

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.

[Pierre]

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.