Consider this before voting…

[Ourfuturetheirfuture]

We are in a unique and dangerous time in history. We are potentially on the cusp of a world war and climate chaos has started and will get worse. Children are growing up in poverty, public services that we rely on are struggling. There is much that needs attention to give us safety, stability and better life chances.

Today we are choosing who we want to lead us through the dangerous seas ahead and to try and improve our lives.

AIBU to ask you to consider;

Reflecting on your reasons for voting one way or another? Is it driven by feelings or facts? Is it a knee jerk decision based on a headline or a carefully thought choice based on research or somewhere inbetween?

Reminding yourself that the way to solve, minimise or survive the above issues will be complex and slow so anyone promising one quick solution is lying.

Russia are trying to create division and instability and are using SM to do this. Many politicians resort to whipping up fear, anger or other emotions to get you to vote for them. Look out for any information that looks too good to be true or seems to be trying to make you angry - consider fact checking it.

If you are thinking of voting for a party as a protest vote then please reconsider. Your voice is unlikely to be heard and you will still have to live with any consequences. Spoiling your paper is better than voting in a party you don’t really want at the helm.

Checking that it’s your head and not your heart making the decision.

Working class men, and then women, all fought a long hard battle to give everyone the chance to vote. Democracy is a great thing and we all have a duty to use it responsibly, especially now as we all stand at this particularly perilous point in history.

I know IAB a bit U posting this here as it’s not really an AIBU but I’m hoping I’m forgiven. Long time poster (darked on washing, Mexican house thief are in my memory bank). I’m not a Russian bot and I did my postal vote already. I’m a mum and worried about the future. I want the best for us all.

Happy voting day everyone whoever you decide to vote on. I’m so glad we all get a chance to. 😊

I agree we are much safer with the conservatives when it comes to national security, and we are in a perilous position in the world with Russia, China and the ME.

I will be voting for the party of women and girls, the conservatives.

Please please go and spoil your ballot paper then. It reflects that you are engaged but can’t vote much more clearly than staying at home.

@VogueDarling thank you for that link 😊

For our constituency we have the basic 5 to chose from. Sadly.

Con, Lab, Lib, Green, Reform.

What’s the point?

Genuine question. What happens to spoilt ballot papers? Are they somehow taken into account, or is it just a symbolic act that nobody but myself will be aware of?

I will be voting for the party of women and girls, the conservatives.

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-01-11-maternal-death-rates-uk-have-increased-levels-not-seen-almost-20-years

Just saying.

I think that is as much to do with the maternal age of the mothers as anything else. Of course I would like to see improvements, but we won't get that with Labour as they can't even recognise a chest feeder?

Yes they’ve really shown how much they care about women and girls over the last 14 years …… have you been admitted to hospital in that time at all ? To a mixed ward ? Have you or your dd had to access free period supplies because the cost of living has got out of hand ? Have you been a new mum living in a deprived area needing support and there isn’t any because the sure start centre is t there anymore ?

I will be voting on local issues our previous MP was so bad I will vote for his opposition and hope he will be better.

This is the conservative message change is scary blah blah blah. Just because someone quotes mexican house thief doesn't stop them being a bot, in fact it is exactly what a BOT would. Several of the items you describe our services going to pot, children growing up in poverty are caused by the government. I'll be making a positive vote for change.

you're deluded.

It's like choosing what STD you want isn't it really.

Me too. But Russia has now invaded a European country. I see that as a more direct threat than what was happening in the 70s and 80s. I am basing my fear of us being drawn into a WW on documentaries of how WWII started and the similarities now and an American military expert (can’t remember her name) saying we may already be in the start of WWIII. It’s not an irrational and unfounded fear driven by SM. This is the only SM I do (if it’s even classed as that).

There is clear evidence of Russian interference in the last election and Russian bots whipping up division has been investigated and reported in several reputable news sources.

Climate change is a massive existential threat. The evidence is robust and scientific consensus strong.

I am an educated, woman in her 50s, not prone to over worrying. I am only irrationally scared of spiders! My feeling of fear for my DCs future is not unfounded. My feeling of this being a more important election than my previous voting age ones hasn’t come from nowhere.

I would much rather people didn’t feel the need to spoil their paper too but if you really don’t feel you can vote for anyone then it’s better than abstaining or voting in a party you know will be detrimental.

😂

They are counted and read out as part of the list, for each constituency. You always know how many votes have been spoiled in each place.

Hardly seems worth it.

Well, that's me patronised for the day.

I'm literally stuck but I find it's not the first time I've been in this position; I didn't particularly like David Cameron nor Ed Miliband etc.

Maybe it's as I'm getting older and taking more notice of current events but I find myself overthinking it.

We have Labour who will make it easier to be a female (yes, I know Tories haven't nipped it in the bud either)

They will recognise Palestine, they haven't let their citizens vote since 2005. Don't get me wrong, it deserves to be a recognised but not under its current circumstances.

Publicly owned services like energy/ rail - anything publicly run is crap and expensive.

Zero hours contracts being banned is a good idea though.

Then there's the Tories... its not been the greatest the last few years especially with world events like covid/ war that has plunged us further into debt and made COL horrendous. It's hard to judge the real ability because if Labour was running the country then, everyone would be voting Tory under the same circumstances.

Tories- Childcare being unbelievably expensive. High taxes etc have crippled families. Run by someone who was also fined for breaking covid rules. Rwanda mess up, Hs2 cock up and I'm sure there's more.

We need a party more than ever that will protect women's rights, get more people secure well paid jobs and to stop UC plugging the gap- its not great that employers aren't paying a living wage/hours and you need 2 people working full-time to live a mediocre lifestyle. Mental health crisis also needs sorting .. how, I don't know!

Anyway I'm still stuck as I feel no party is offering any solutions to my concerns. I think we will have another election in 2 years to be honest, as no one actually seems happy with the choices.

It really is!!! 😂

And that's all before we get into drones, nuclear weapons, advanced cyber warfare etc.

The party for women and girls? Are you on glue?

Sorry to be a downer but https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/

I am not going to share who I voted for as my aim isn’t to persuade one way or another. I just want us all to step away from the game playing and hyperbole. I don’t agree that no change is a safer option at all. I think you can judge any long standing current Government by its track record. You may or may not feel they have done a good job so you may or may not trust them to do a good job going forward.

Im just hoping people will choose who to vote for on solid principles and not be swayed by hyperbole and (I hate this term but can’t think of a better one) dog-whistling. I feel the weight of this election like no other election before - I’ve been voting age for just over 30 years.

I'm having a wobble. Have ruled out three options and as it happens it's between my options A and B here as to who gets in.

Decided on B as ruled out for personal reasons and local candidate for B has done a lot for the most important issue to me. Half thinking this morning I should go back to option A as seems to be my strong preference on the electoral quizzes. Have been going through the manifestos this morning, and whilst B has some good points, there's a lot I don't support.

Nothing happens to them.

Whether left blank, or voted for more than one candidate, or signed, or scribbled all over, or anything written outside the boxes from rant to political essay, they're all totalled up and that's it.

If you want to send a message, then email the candidates/parties.

Voiding your vote has the same effect as abstaining and staying home.

Reflecting on your reasons for voting one way or another? Is it driven by feelings or facts?

Checking that it’s your head and not your heart making the decision.

Oh don't be so bloody patronising.