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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Who to vote for in General Election?

456 replies

Pariswhenitdrizzles · 18/04/2017 12:20

Aargh.

Would normally vote for Lib Dems (feel like I should apologise for this!), and voted for them in the last two elections. In an ideal world, I'd vote for them or Labour, but I'm not keen on Jeremy Corbyn's (or Tim Farron's) leadership. Really don't want to vote Conservative.

Wondering perhaps about voting for the Women's Equality Party? They seem pretty good, but are still quite a small party.

What does everyone else think?

OP posts:
LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 19/04/2017 01:17

You asked for one vote on a public forum. Can you not see that potentially a shitload of people could think 'oh okay I will help out' based on your request? Why should anyone have more than one vote at their disposal?

NameChanger22 · 19/04/2017 01:17

Lets just call this canvassing then shall we. Which it is.

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 19/04/2017 01:19

Oh FFS - you really don't see the difference? Grin

Willow2017 · 19/04/2017 01:19

Your friend isnt the lib dem mp though is he?
Are you really that dumb or just being goady?

Original poster
Pariswhenitdrizzles · 19/04/2017 01:20

Name as your friend isn't a British citizen, he's not able to vote in the British election.

It would be the same if you'd lived in France or Germany for many years (for the sake of argument), but hadn't yet become a French or German citizen. Do you think it would be fair to vote in their elections without becoming a citizen first?

As I said previously, I'm presuming your friend is eligible to vote in the elections in his home country. If he wants to vote in Britain so much, why didn't he become a citizen earlier on after living in Britain for so many years? (I appreciate that it's by no means not easy to get British citizenship, but I am interested to find out why he didn't look into getting British citizenship at the very least, if voting is so important for him.)

OP posts:
NotDavidTennant · 19/04/2017 01:21

You are asking potentially hundreds of people to vote for his preference.

Again, how is it different from any Tom, Dick or Harry coming on here and saying, "Vote for my party?"

People can ask other people to vote for a particular party they support. As long as there is no coercion or dishonesty involved then there is nothing wrong with it.

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 19/04/2017 01:21

can you not see that your imaginary friend shouldn't be able to get potentially hundreds of people to vote the way he wants?

NameChanger22 · 19/04/2017 01:22

If I started a Mumsnet thread entitled 'Vote Lib Dems' would that be unethical? And a few hundred people voted Lib Dems because of it, would that be unethical?

NameChanger22 · 19/04/2017 01:22

My friend is real.

NameChanger22 · 19/04/2017 01:22

I never, ever lie.

Original poster
Pariswhenitdrizzles · 19/04/2017 01:23

Name. I think you're wilfully missing the point here. You must see that you have to be a citizen of a country to vote in that country's election.

OP posts:
LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 19/04/2017 01:23

We get one vote in this country - you we potentially trying to blag hundreds. But I can see I'm wasting my time arguing with you as you aren't getting it.

Original poster
Pariswhenitdrizzles · 19/04/2017 01:24

Would you ask your friend to vote on your behalf in his home country, for example?

OP posts:
NameChanger22 · 19/04/2017 01:24

I'm not missing your point. Your point is meaningless. My friend isn't voting, he isn't able to. Other people can vote though.

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 19/04/2017 01:25

I was joking about the imaginary bit but you won't answer people's questions about why he's ineligible etc.

You are wilfully misunderstanding and it doesn't make you look great, tbh

Original poster
Pariswhenitdrizzles · 19/04/2017 01:26

Oh my god Name. That is precisely the point that Livia and I (and other posters) have been making. Yes, your friend isn't able to vote. And nobody else is eligible to vote in his place, unfortunately.

OP posts:
Willow2017 · 19/04/2017 01:26

Save time and just vote the way he wants yourself?

Why shouldnt you ? You would be doing him a favour after all and its only democracy....maybe you could tell him how to vote in his home country and do a vote swap?

NotDavidTennant · 19/04/2017 01:26

Canvassing for votes by an mp (aka doing his job) and asking 100's of people to vote for your friends' choice are completely different things.

You do get that political parties send out volunteers to canvass for them, right? It's not just the MP that does it.

There's no legal (or moral) reason why NameChanger's friend couldn't go out and canvass for the party of his/her choice at any time. Or if she so wanted, there's no reason NameChanger herself couldn't go out and canvass for a particular party on behalf of her friend either.

NameChanger22 · 19/04/2017 01:27

He's ineligible because he isn't a British citizen, in law. But, in reality he is.

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 19/04/2017 01:28

He doesn't get a vote, let alone 100s and coming on a public forum asking people to vote to help someone they don't even know out of kindness is weird.

I don't believe you really can't see the difference between that and starting a thread asking people to vote a certain way

NameChanger22 · 19/04/2017 01:28

I'm already voting Lib Dems, so I can't use my vote for him. I think this is the wrong place to ask for a favour. I will ask all my friends instead. Is that ok with the election police?

Willow2017 · 19/04/2017 01:29

Yep your right - he doesnt have a legal vote in this country therefore he doesnt get to vote in this country. So he doesnt get to ask someone else to vote for him. Its really not difficult.

Original poster
Pariswhenitdrizzles · 19/04/2017 01:29

Please could you explain what you mean when you say that your friend 'isn't a citizen by law but is in reality'? If your friend hasn't got British citizenship, he's unfortunately not yet a British citizen, regardless of how long he has lived in Britain.

OP posts:
LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 19/04/2017 01:29

How do you mean he's not a British citizen in law but he actually is?

He doesn't get a vote. He doesn't get a proxy vote either. Sad and all that but it's how it is

NameChanger22 · 19/04/2017 01:30

Anyway, it was nice talking to you all. I have other places to go canvass now.