I once voted...
...for the Labour Party.

:-(
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Mon 1 Dec 2008, 21:18, 5 replies)

Ah, but
you do remember how most people felt about the Tories ten years ago, right?

It's the same old story... this party promises great things, delivers a few, cocks-up and falls out of favour, the other party gets in on big promises... etc etc.

I have voter apathy anyway. I wish my vote made a difference, but I know it doesn't.
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Tue 2 Dec 2008, 7:51, closed)

Yep, I hated the Tories
Even now I still can't quite forgive them... Their lack of clearly defined policy does nothing to warm my heart to them.

Yet I remember the fanfare in 1997; "Things can only get better!", it felt good to give the Tories the kicking they deserved. I voted Labour for the first and only time. Never again.

Eleven years later we have had an illegal war which has killed over 100,000 people, the continued hysteria surrounding unwanted ID Cards, swingeing stealth taxes targetted at the middle classes, uncontrolled immigration, irresponsible spending, the neutering of the police, the death of social mobility, UK sanctioned torture of detainees, failure of transport policy, hypocritical environmental policy - simply a means of leveraging more excessive taxation for those who can ill afford it, legalized discrimination and the denial of a referendum on further EU integration - contrary to election promises in 2001 and 2005.

A piece of graffiti scrawled on the wall of the US Embassy in Moscow during the 90s summed it up perfectly - "No matter who you vote for, you still get screwed".
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Tue 2 Dec 2008, 10:05, closed)

I live in the narrowest marginal constituency in the county
So my vote could well swing a general election!
Funny old world, innit?
(davywavy, Tue 2 Dec 2008, 10:06, closed)

Parties
Well, it's not like you English are confined to two parties. Onward Liberal Democrats, or somesuch.
(devotched, Thu 4 Dec 2008, 0:21, closed)

Well it's like this:
Conservative: Have not released any policy commitments of substance. Historically if any party is going to threaten civil liberties, push the bulk of taxation onto the middle/working classes and encourage monopoly businesses to charge captive consumers whatever the hell they like, it'll be the Conservatives. Also responsible for Thatcherism and therefore about as trustworthy as a third hand Albanian contraceptive.

Labour: Traditionally the party of high taxes and spending addictions akin to Posh Spice at Harvey Nicks. Latterly, they're copying Thatcherism while heavily pushing stealth taxes. They're also erasing civil liberties at an alarming rate (3000 new laws in the last 11 years) and since 1997 have shown utter disregard for telling the voting public the truth. Utterly unelectable under any circumstances.

Liberal Democrats: Love taxes. A lot. They aim to mix the best bits of a liberal market economy with state funded social engineering. A heck of a lot like Labour in fact and therefore not to be elected under any circumstances.

Green Party: Has been guiding the Labour Party on environmental policy since 1997 and therefore partly responsible for the plethora of "green taxation" which is the current buzzphrase in government.

No-one is taking on the big issues - erosion of civil liberties, growing unease over the ever-increasing powers of the European Union and its endemic problems of beauracracy and corruption, the crumbling transport infrastructure being starved of public funds, the lack of affordable housing, the lack of proper immigration policies and the fact that environmental policy is massively flawed with the onus on shifting a burden of taxation onto the public.

In short, all the main parties are broadcasting the same message and are utterly out of touch with the voting public. Only 22% of people polled by MORI think our ministers are trustworthy.
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Thu 4 Dec 2008, 13:41, closed)