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Well Mr Blur has announced our general election date , May 5th. Of course all the TV stations are on to it. BBC Newsnight has adopted a student house in Nottingham with 6 students in residence.

4 out of the six are not voting so they say because "they are not interested" in politics. So they can shut up when university fees go up, the price of beer is increased, tax, interest rates etc. When will people learn that you must exercise your right to vote. IMO you can even go to the pollling booth and spoil the paper or write "none of the above" because that at least tells me you were not just bloody lazy.

I think the Aussie system where as I understand it you have to vote or pay a fine is excellent. many thousands if not millions have given their lives for people all over the world to be able to exercise their rights, I would like the UK population to show that was not in vain.

I 100% agree. If you don't vote you can't have a say. Simple.

That is fine Doc, just don't moan about anything in your life that is brought about by politicians.

posted by bothwell

I think the Aussie system where as I understand it you have to vote or pay a fine is excellent. many thousands if not millions have given their lives for people all over the world to be able to exercise their rights, I would like the UK population to show that was not in vain


I basically agree with you except about the compulsion bit. Biggest problem is I think i feeling that it makes no difference, our electiral system is heaviky weighted in favour of the bigger parties, even with his hige majirity most people did not vote labour just as most did not support Thatcher.

The tories can't complain too mush as they gerrymander with the best of them.

I was talking with my mum about the election today & asked her who she'd vote for & she said "No point voting because that smarmy little bugger'll get in again" (does'nt mix her feelings my old ma!)

Thinking about it though i have to agree, he does appear to be the best of a bad bunch.

People of Britain seem so apathetic, all they do is moan on about who is in power, but do sod all when they get the chance.

MY dad has been staunch Labour all his life, but flat out refuses to vote anymore as he feels it would be hypocracy, as he calls the "New labour" Conservative in drag!!.

posted by abbey

People of Britain seem so apathetic, all they do is moan on about who is in power, but do sod all when they get the chance.

MY dad has been staunch Labour all his life, but flat out refuses to vote anymore as he feels it would be hypocracy, as he calls the "New labour" Conservative in drag!!.

I wouldn't say apathetic so much as slow to anger and disposed to put up with a lot. I think i like your dad. Mind you a lot of old labour are or were a bunch of self seeking well you get my drift. be interesting to see what happens to godron Brown, his constituency is in the labour heartland.

i was thinking of voting for the first time this year, was going to last year but there was a muddle with my voting card

except im not sure i know enough to make a educated choice..... gonna have to swot up on the news over the next few weeks......

at the mo my decision will simply be based upon what my parents used to do when i was younger.....

If Kennedy gets it right I think there could be a significant swing for LIB Dem party this time round. Like a lot of you I have had enough of both of them, but particularly Mr Blair, I still have this vision of him bounding up the white house steps to reassure Pres Bush that he is the next Churchill

If he puts any more of those strategic"Trust me" pauses in his speeches he may have to shut up altogether

I live in a Lib Dem seat where the sitting mp is retiring and it used to be safe tory, it may be a close run thing here.

posted by arnoldlayne

Hey GMC

what will happen in Scotland do you think?

Not a happy hunting ground for Tories. Does it mean a clean up for the SNP


Tory? What's a tory? Joking aside scots tories tend to be in favour of PR now as it is the only way they can get a seat in the Scottish parliament. The SNP are too busy infighting to be taken seriously they may actually lose seats. The SSP might have gained ground but like just about every left wing party get more fun out of fighting amongst themselves, Tommy Sheridan was their key but they booted him out.

I don't know is the answer, the lib dems might make some gains, the constituency boundaries tend to favour labour and scotland is predoninantly left wing anyway. On the other hand the NHS and labour's treatment of it is a big issue as is Iraq and the scottish regoments. By and large scots labour MP's are seen as lying self seeking incompetent idiots whose rallying cry is "it wisnae me" (don't mention the parliament building) Useless scunners i perhapd the kindest description.

It used to be said a monkey in a red suit would get elected.

posted by pink princess

i was thinking of voting for the first time this year, was going to last year but there was a muddle with my voting card

except im not sure i know enough to make a educated choice..... gonna have to swot up on the news over the next few weeks..


You're not in Birminham by any chance? Vote postal and we'll make up your mind for you (unless we get caught).

At least you are thinking about it which arguably is more than a lot of people do.

posted by doctor who

The shoe is on the other foot here in my view. If politicians want to get more people interested enough to bother voting, THEY need to put in more effort to win them over, not force them to vote anyway. This would undermine all the principals of genuine democracy. A principle, by the way, that we are currently trying to push on the rest of the world (Iraq, Afghanistan etc).


What makes you thnk they want people interested in what they are up to? Especially local politics many of them carry on as if no one has a right to question them. Voting is not something they should persuade you to do it is a right that has been hard won. Neither of the two major parties want electoral reform as effectively neither of them would get a majority of the seats.

Bothwell this might interest you. Saw it on a banner during a report on a protest march about scottish regiments.

http://www.dont-vote-labour.co.uk/

the results

http://www.dont-vote-labour.co.uk/election2005/vote/

Given the predominantly labour voting patterns of the scots it's quite interesting.

i was watching GMTV this morning and charles kennedy was on, have to admit i was quite impressed, seems like hes more 'up-front' then a large majority of politicians, doesnt want any nonsense just talks his politics and has some fairly decent campaigns by the looks of it

and he was really sweet talking about his wife and their baby thats due in like 2 weeks....

never paid that much attention to the lib dems but i think i will be over the next few weeks