To ask who you plan to vote for and why?

[curiousgeorgie]

(Or why not?)

Reading the UKIP threads on here etc its a hot topic of discussion and maybe some people are like me and aren't entirely educated on what each party offers / doesn't and would be interested in reading some views?

DH says Green Party would literally be a wasted vote, and everyone else with a chance is pretty much as bad as each other.

Embarrassed as I am at my lack of political knowledge, I thought others may feel the same and find a thread like this helpful

[Salazar]

It will be read by a counter who will get a laugh though!

[SirChenjin]

Labour. Hopefully enough of us will and together we can wipe the smug grin off the face of Alex Salmond.

[Spottybra]

Milliband has no backbone and no policies. He shouldn't be opposition leader because he isn't making any opposition. The Labour Party stopped being a working class party aeons ago.

Cameron is verging on a narcissistic personality.

Both will look after themselves and their friends businesses first. Neither will look at reorganising working Britain innovatively enough to bring in family friendly working practices. They want mums into work for the taxes at enormous expense of childcare and despite research studies showing how important a child's early years with loving parents is.

The Green Party haven't been canvassing and I don't watch tv very often so I have no idea what they want.

Ukip endorse most of what I want to see in labour but their reputation precedes them too much.

The lib dems are a no. The needless and ill thought out free school meals for KS1 has put me off them.

Where is the raving loony party of my childhood?

I don't want false promises, I want a government that is wiley enough to negotiate with the EU on topics, give a firm no when needed, to put the public first, to stop demonising benefit claimants, to stop the bbc licence fee and change the universal credit system to one that works (after reading mumsnet i gather it doesn't work, I have no direct experience), I want green policies, and end to child poverty as promised by labour, an end to homework and education to be a priority. But I'm definately not in favour of an 8am-6pm school for anyone in state schools as the facilities in no way match those in the private sector.

I want someone with a bit of common sense and a firm sense of fair play.

I clearly want too much.

[SirChenjin]

Where is the raving loony party of my childhood

Up here north of the border - they're known as the SNP now.

[LifeIsBetterInFlipFlops]

Tory.

[AlpacaYourThings]

Green Party, because I agree with their policies.

[BrokenCircleBreakdown]

Green Party

[OneEggIsAnOeuf]

I'm an old-school socialist and don't think there is anyone who really represents my beliefs, but will still vote. I would vote Green as they are probably closest in terms of ideology and certainly further to the left than Labour, but they don't field a candidate where i am.

In the last GE i did vote LibDem (who won here) in an attempt to keep the Tories out and look how that ended. Not again. Much as they are no longer the party i would like them to be i will vote Labour next time, although they are lucky if they keep their deposit here.

[pointythings]

We could start a new MN campaign: Give a counter a laugh a day, spoil your ballot come the May Or something.

[MojitoMadness]

Labour. Couldn't vote for anyone else. Before the last general election I did consider voting Lib Dem but I'm so glad I didn't now. We went back to a Labour council a few years back after having a Lib Dem council for almost a decade. The Labour seats are very safe were I live, hell would freeze over before a Tory got in. To me Labour is the natural choice (and what I've always voted) they're the best of a small and poor choice.

[FatalCabbage]

If I'm going to waste my vote I want to make sure it's worth it

[LadyRabbit]

WhosLookingAfter Courtney

Tory Enablers

That is fantastic! I, um, do those online tests to see whose policies I most agree with, and always get told to vote Lib Dem, but your description is exactly why I never do.

Long time Labour Party member here, and in terms of my ward it's a fairly safe Labour seat with a lovely MP, but I cannot CANNOT bear Miliband and his shadow government. The useless Chuka Umuna as business secretary? You must be having a larf! I'll probably vote Labour but, strange as this sounds, hope they don't win. They just won't form a convincing government - and Given the current shower of crap running the show, this depresses me a bit.

[MoominAndMiniMoom]

No-one; I forgot to register to vote. The forms to register came through while I was in hospital having DD and now it's lost somewhere in the mess of the flat we moved into the week before. Even my dad, who believes everyone should go and vote even if they spoil their ballot, has forgiven me

Not sure who I'd vote for if I was voting.

Tory: Pfft, no. I'd call them dicks, but dicks are useful.
Lib Dem: As a student, HELL NO. It's not about the tuition fees, it's about the lies and false promises and the fact that Nick Clegg is a spineless tory bum licker
Labour: Potentially.
UKIP: To my shame, I was a member - I liked their policies on justice and a few others, enough to ignore their policies on immigration, plus it only cost £2 as a student so I wasn't paying them too much - before all their members and MPs and various important people revealed themselves to be racist, homophobic twats. I cancelled my membership when they spoke out against equal marriage; they've become more and more Tory-like since then, and now I don't understand how I ever felt able to look past their immigration policy. Would never vote for them now.
BNP: No chance.
Green: Possibly a wasted vote, but I'd probably vote for them.

[IwinIwin]

I honestly couldn't say. They're all a bunch of tits, regardless of their party. Whomever it will be will be same shit different face. They'll go back on assurances and promises and screw over all us normal folk- same shit as always.

I wish we could all have a 'no confidence' vote- i expect a much larger number of people would turn out to vote and say 'all you parties are crap'.

So I have no clue when it comes down to it. I vote every time but this time, really don't know.

[BitOutOfPractice]

Salazar oh I'm glad you enjoy the spoiled papers I must admit I do get a little frisson of rebellion when I do it!

I usually write "none of the above" across the paper - very satisfying with that lovely voting pencil. In fact I mentioned the fact that I love them last time I voted and the lady there gave me one! I treasure it!

[napoleonsnose]

Had to Google who our MEP was as I had no idea! Have now discovered it is a Tory. I am a Labour Party member, but they have no hope in this neck of the woods. I will probably vote Green as the online policy thing came back with a 40/40/20 Green/Labour/UKIP have no idea how that happened and I would never vote for them in a million years spilt.

[LoonvanBoon]

In the General Election, Labour. Not impressed by Miliband but I hate the present government; & in our constituency Labour generally comes second to the Tories, so it makes sense.

Have voted Lib Dem in the past when I lived in a Tory / Lib Dem marginal, & Labour when I lived in a solid Labour constituency. Not sure I could bring myself to vote Lib Dem again.

Reasons for not voting Conservative are too many to list. Michael Gove is a sufficient reason all by himself.

Not sure who I'll vote for in the European elections - Labour / Green possibly. Certainly not UKIP or Tory.

[specialsubject]

thank goodness for the BBC who actually explain how this works. It seems (correct me if I'm wrong) that each region has a number of parties, each with a number of candidates. A formula which is apparently secret works out how many from each party get to be MEPs from the votes cast.

The list looks like that episode of Blackadder that took the piss out of elections. Eliminating the comedians, the declared racists, the incompetent main parties and those who think windfarms are a good idea leaves me with...no-one. Almost impossible to find policies on websites which are a morass of stupid graphics, dead links and out of date news items.

So far only UKIP have delivered a leaflet. The election broadcasts are (as always) just slagging off other parties, no-one except UKIP declares their policies. And it is proved that UKIP lie, with all the others it is just a strong suspicion.

oh well, another spoiled ballot...

[BreakingDad77]

Ten years of labour and ten of conservatives and neither have done anything for me, I am basic tax payer and not on benefits, both have allowed the privatisation and creation of cartels for utilities etc,

There is no party that has my kind of values, such as:
-nationalising of power and utilities, this is a national security issue.
-revert the high tax rates the Con-dems removed
-No University fees, funded by taxing the grotesque bank, grants for STEM.
-Guaranteed apprentice jobs, not annual cheap labour schemes
-Private healthcare companies will be fined if they botch and then send people to NHS to fix
-Stay in europe, though under more scrutiny, most of our trade comes from Europe and we would still have to follow their trade rules etc anyway. Though obv dont just sign up to stuff which both Lab and Con have done.

Sometimes I wonder if we should just scrap the parties system that we have, and you vote for the cabinet?

[JennyCalendar]

Green if they're standing in my area, or spoiled paper if not.

[HappyMummyOfOne]

Tory, Lib Dem feel too weak and Labour waste far too much money and left the country in a mess.

[MammaTJ]

UKIP seem to be getting a major hold around here, so it has to be LibDem as they are the only ones who stand a chance of winning. I can't bear the thought of UKIP winning!

[SnowinBerlin]

I was Labour but switched to Green as a protest as I hated Labour's stance on civil liberties, amongst other things. Also my local Labour MP who was really good retired and was replaced by a Blairite clone. Never considered the Lib Dems, and after the tuition fees deception I'm glad I didn't.

However I do like Ed Milliband, and am very glad he rather than his brother was elected. Minority opinion I know! I'm also relieved to see that one party is at least starting to address the problems with renting /affordable housing in the UK. So Labour in 2015 almost certainly.

[ThatBloodyWoman]

I find it exciting to read how many intend to vote Green!

[zen1]

Green because it would prick my conscience not to.