I can't tell you how much I hope the Conservatives win the election.

electra - you know full well she meant the economy was in a good place.

How does the economy get to a good place?

You stop spending money you don't have.

How violent do you think the future will be when the freebies are axed?

Do you honestly believe that there's a giant bucket of money out there and the Tories are just mean and won't hand out 20s? Seriously?

'labour then inherited a country that was in a good place'

If it was in such a good place why was nearly everyone desperate to get the tories out at that time?

I remember the 80s as being very violent times.

Labour in the 70's run this country into the ground, the tories built it up again - not all good and it took a long time, labour then inherited a country that was in a good place and has run it into the ground again

I was a newly wed in the 80's. Our combined wages then were half of what I earn alone now. We had a very good standard of living - I scrape by now. Tory living caused the housing boom which now means house buying and borrowing is sky high and the majority that can buy, can only buy with two very good wages. Living costs are now triple what they were but wages do not reflect that

My children will never afford property, they will all start work with £20k of debt

Whilst, I understand that some policies that have affected me and my children were tory ones - Labour didn't remove them (student loans for eg)

We have once again close to 3 million unemployed - I remember the furore that figure caused in the 80's - where are the protests now?

The elderly and the disabled are still poor - that hasn't changed under labour

Someone needs to do something, I haven't seen Labour doing much to help in the last 10 years, it's time for a change.

The UK in financial trouble because of the banks, but the situation is a lot more serious because labour spent rather than paying down the national debt when times were good.

Coutries such as Australia were more prudent in the way they ran their economies so they won't be suffering the reductions in quality of life that we in the UK will.

'I don't think people in general understand quite how bad the situation is.'

It's true, I don't - and I am trying to find out more about it but nobody is answering my question about Gordon Brown and the banks!!

Hi, I agree with the title of your thread Antoinette. I will be voting conservative because they are the best party to get the country out of the financial crisis. I don't think people in general understand quite how bad the situation is.

I don't like any of the political parties because they are taking the electorate as idiots by not spelling out the cuts that will be needed, but the tories are the best option IMO.

Happy Mum - I thought we were mostly in trouble because of the banks.

How is it all Gordon Brown's fault?

I am really hoping they win too, Labour need to go and the Tories will be far better for the country. However, they will be blamed for the cuts they will need to make despite it not being their mess from those who fail to understand this.

GB appears to have got the country into heavy debt and is overspending every day. Think CTF, HIP grant, Surestart Grant etc - all these gimmicks cost money that the state simply cant afford. Not to mention the "benefit nation" labour has encouraged, thousands of people now choose not to work or work the bare minimum to maximise state top-ups. GB did his homework right as all those people will vote to keep him in to keep the benefits they are provided with.

The Tories have always had a great work and family ethic - something badly needed in the country now if we are to get ourselves out of debt.

I am all for paying taxes to help those in need of a welfare state, but many of people who do claim could actually work to support themselves and thats what needs to change.

Can anyone explain to me why there seems to be a general feeling that the Labour government has been giving away money in benefits that we cannot afford which is why we're in a financial mess?

My understanding was that the banks are mostly responsible for the economic crisis because they lent money that did not exist.

If anyone can explain it better to me I would be willing to take on board other angles....

I have to say though I really don't understand this idea of people having a party living on benefits. The people I know who rely on their tax credits to get by have to watch every penny and buy their children's clothes second hand.

Antoinette...read 'Why I'll be voting LIB DEM' from a EX staunch Tory voter. Be the change that you want by bringing in a real democracy. Perhaps you need to look beyond personal gain.

I don't think it really matters who wins does it - taxes have to go up and servies have to be cut...its going to be the same for whoever

'earlier she said her children would move away so as to not have to pay tax or vat.'

And here's a little newsflash: there isn't a country on this earth where you don't pay tax.

So regardless of where you live, you're going to have to pay it.

Oh, that's right, unless you're a non-dom!

LOL.

'It's so nice that you can escape somewhere else after enjoying the good times under labour as they squandered the wealth of this country, good for you, some of us have to stay here and clean up after your gone.'

Well, gees, alantis, some of your fellow Tory supporters banged on and on about how they were going to jump ship, too!

In fact, so many of them already have. Well, on paper at least. They are non-doms.

Funny that.

Also re your comment on pensioners... it was the Labour government who introduced the heating allowance in the winter of 1997/98.

Link here (It's a pdf).

Atlantis -

Interesting to hear your memories of the 1980s.

I too grew up in the 80s and remember that bad stuff, also the good things you describe (community spirit, people looking out for each other etc).

I also see those things in the area where I live now - kids playing together outside, neighbours helping each other out.

'There you go again, Thatcher, always Thatcher, do you really believe David Cameron is a Margaret Thatcher clone?'

I've heard him talk, I've read his policies and those of his party. I don't see any evidence of 'nu-conservatism' at all I'm afraid. Sounds like the same-old, same-old to me.

Skihorse, I find that interesting, having worked with a great many numerate and educated people who - dare I say it - have voted - and probably wills still vote Labour. (They used to be particularly thick on the ground in the dept of applied economics at Cambridge, not, IME, a breeding ground of brainless idiots.)

There are strong disagreements about the best approach to take to the economy, and anyone who claims to have all the answers is awaiting a fall, but there are certainly many well respected economists who feel that Labour's approach to the crisis has been the right one. (Which is not to say that their approach BEFORE the crisis was necessarily right!)

There are two types of people in this world, those who can count and those who vote Labour.

They say if you're not a socialist at 16 you're heartless - if you're still a socialist at 30 you're brainless.

"Many of us who don't like tory policies did not like the 'I'm alright Jack' selfish mentality that seemed to define Thatcher's era. "

There you go again, Thatcher, always Thatcher, do you really believe David Cameron is a Margaret Thatcher clone?

Why is Labour allowed to reinvent itself and become nu-lbour, and the lib-dems are allowed to evolve into the 'third' party (when they have more clowns than the local circus ) , but the Conservatives are not allowed to leave the Thatcher era behind and become, dare I say nu-conservatives??

"It all depends whether you fall to the left or the right, but there is really no need to insult other people who don't think the same way you do by referring to them as 'dregs'"

Maybe because it's late, or maybe because i'm just pee'd off with everyone claiming that conservative voters are all well off and don't give a poop about anyone but themselves, the lib/ labs don't have the monopoly on caring you know.

Maybe if we didn't give a rats we would all vote LAB-dem and let them get on with finishing off the country, handing it over to europe, bankrupting us.

Trouble is we do care.

'It always comes back to the 'we care about society' attitude, when no, in fact people who vote labour obviously didn't give a rats about society in general, if they did they wouldn't have voted for the above.'

That's ridiculous - if people don't agree with you they are wrong and don't care? Many of us who don't like tory policies did not like the 'I'm alright Jack' selfish mentality that seemed to define Thatcher's era.

Where was this party everyone had? I think I missed it

I do agree about ID cards but I think the downsides of a tory government would be worse. Remember the poll tax? A poster on here the other day was saying that she was paying 25% of her income on this tax when she had just started out working.

It all depends whether you fall to the left or the right, but there is really no need to insult other people who don't think the same way you do by referring to them as 'dregs'

I have conservative voting friends, I respect their views and don't refer to them as 'unprincipled' just because I don't agree with tory policies.

"Nice attitude - so those of us who actually care about society as a whole are 'dregs' are we? "

It always comes back to the 'we care about society' attitude, when no, in fact people who vote labour obviously didn't give a rats about society in general, if they did they wouldn't have voted for the above.

I don't think caring about society means sitting back and watching pensioners struggle with the dilemma of heating or food.

I don't think caring about society means watching as neighbourhoods rip themselves apart with gangs of kids carrying knives.

I don't think caring about society means voting back in a government who took it's people into an illegal war and placed good people in harms way.

I certainly don't think caring about society means electing a government that spies on it's people.

And I certainly don't think caring about society means voting for a government that allows the gap between rich and poor to widen faster than under those 'bad' tories.

"atlantis - that is unfair - expat was not gloating about being able to move elsewhere - I took her meaning that she feels she will have no other choice as life will be so bad here."

She has a choice, she can stay and clean up the mess like everyone else, earlier she said her children would move away so as to not have to pay tax or vat.

Life's going to be bad here whoever gets in, suck it up, people had the party now it's time for the hangover.

"What exactly do you mean by 'leftie bullshit'??? "

Exactly what I said, databases , erossion of civil liberties, dismantling of the education system , assult on families, big brother, I.D cards, big state little person, the we know better attitude of government.