I won't be voting Labour because

Clarissimo;

I must admit I have never really looked into the Green party, and being the political bore that I am, I read up on most parties...

..I will check them out..

Dp they do dtay up yes

Green isnt about making people eat their ownwaste (thats what macdonalds is for), it also is about scrapping rident, having a simplified welfare state and similar

A good read of all websites can be most illuminating, esp. if followed by a few succinct emails and questions

Or trees even..

Exogenesis;

If you vote green they'll make you eat all your household waste...

They're not just about tress...

PM;

You wont get any grief on this thread... the Labour lovers have their own thread..(deluded of the world unite)

I wasn't on MN last election...I wonder if people stay posting all through the night..?

Why the hell would the lib dems or greens be expected at this stage to say who they would form a coalition with in the event of a hung parliament, when faced with such a woeful choice!

I will not be voting labour beause quite frankly I would rather stick hot pins in my eyes and have hot wax poured in my eyes rather put up with ANOTHER 4 years of Mr brown and his "party" I might vote green party.... I would quite like more trees in my street ;)

It's a choice between labour and libdem where I live and I will vote for the latter.

I wont be voting labour because if I do it will be a vote for the conservative party in this area. We arent even having an active campaign. Lib Dems get my vote.

I think Panicmode there are really no advantages to nuclear weaponry. We should of course have a well equipped defense for our country - I'd prefer to give the troops the equipment they desperately need.

The UN security council has come under a lot of criticism of late and as such it has been suggested that the number of permanent members could be increased to include countries without nuclear weapons - all is not as it seems!

I dislike Labour for their 'nanny state' stances and for their shocking attitude to SAHMs. Made me really hate them. There are other reasons but they are the main ones.

...both labour and the tories are supporting a renewal of the uk trident nuclear weapons at a bargain price of £20billion - At least the Lib Dems and the Scottish Nationalists are clear about not supporting this absolute waste of money. Do we really want nuclear weapons on our soil - we are deluding ourselves if we think having them is worth it.

Bring on a hung parliament!!!

Double whammy there - the tax free allowances have not risen afaik; nor have the thresholds at which you change rate bands. The net effect of the latter is more people will pay 40% tax than before.

You also have yet another NI hike to add to this.

I agree with you as well, Panic Mode and Madam Castafiore.

Figures are very easy to massage and it's very hard to know what's what unless you want to go into the detail, which most people dont have the time or inclination to do.

Another example is WTC- are they a government expense or a reduction to tax income? Well it depends whether you want government spending to look higher or lower? Want it lower? Treat WTC as a reduction of taxable income. Want it higher? Add them onto expenses and show taxable income gross.

This election is depressing the pants off me. No party will tell me what they plan to do (budget great example- cuts are still secret squirrel). For the first time I actually cannot be bothered to vote.

No I'm with you PanicMode - it's just anybody who voices the 'personal responsibilty' attitudes usually gets shot down for being uncaring. Then the thread kicks off about 'accidental pregnancies' and not agreeing with abortion, contraception being infallible etc............

Has anyone heard much more about the lack of information on the tax-free allowance?

DH mentioned it at lunchtime as it looks like it hasn't been increased in line with the 'forecasted' inflation and Darling has said that he could of in theoriy reduced the threshold as we were in negative growth last year.

It seems madness as it is yet another stealth tax which will affect all members of society, whether wealthy or poor.

Gggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Jaysus, I've never been to Haiti either but I've still got a fair idea of what goes on in that country. Does everything need to be spoon-fed?

panicmode i'll admit I haven't got a bloody clue what PFI is, but I do know the UK is in a big bag of shit. It's all well and good "attempting" to compare the UK figures to those of other countries - but fgs, house prices and buying plastic shit from a container shipped in from China is not an economy!

Vicar - 'and no one has so much as knocked at my door or delivered a leaflet to tell me what that policy is, so think ill let them all get on with it.' No-one's bloody knocked on mine either - we are abroad with the Armed Forces, however, that hasn't stopped me keeping up with the news and looking at the various policies of the parties. Your inertia is what Labour is banking on. When it all goes to hell in a handcart, and I think we are getting there, and there is no police job for you, because there is no money, then again - don't moan. If you don't vote, then you can't moan about the consequences thereafter.

As for the tax issue - the basic rate may be 20%, but add everything else on and it rises. NI is a case in point - the government keep increasing it because the electorate don't think of it a a tax. It effectively adds 11% to your tax bill per annum.

Granny - what will happen to all the workers in Faslane if you scrap Trident and the knock on effect on the local economy there? If you want to move it and the submarines back to Devonport we need the work in the Southwest and would welcome it.

Unemployment figures are being massaged by "disability", "carer's allowance", "education", CTC, WTC, et al.

ivykaty Phew beaten by zimbabwe! [snigger] Anyway, if you think those figures are remotely indicative of the truth then you are unbelievably sweet and naive. Labour don't/won't even admit themselves the true picture. This is a government whose once chancellor, now unelected-PM (who confessed he wasn't very good at maths) lied about an illegal war. Credibility?

You're also being incredibly naive about unemployment. What sort of situation do you think we're in now? Why do you think young people are being coerced in to university? Do you suppose it's a lack of jobs? As for lack of manufacturing jobs do you realise that this labour administration have reduced UK manufacturing by 22% compared to "under maggie's 13%"? Nope thought not.

Those things are forgotten - or perhaps just misundderstood.

You are completely right PM..(can I call you PM..?)

labour are no longer the party of the "working class"...they are the party for the underclass, the benefit class, the "I want it all for nothing" mentality..

The benefit system was designed as a safety net..there to help the vulnerable until they got back on their feet..it wasn't designed for people who never want to get off their arse for their entire life..!

as for maggie being fashionable to hate - try talking to the miners from the 80's or the poll tax rioters.

1989 saw hugh rioting against the very unpopular poll tax introducation.

Or are these bits that are forgotten.

There was also high unemployments in the 80's - higher than the 70's or the 90's