How will you vote on May 5th?

[victoriapeckham]

Just wondered. A little bit political...
a) how did you vote last time (if at all?)
b) how will you vote this time (if at all)?
c) what to you is the deciding issue of this election?
d) if you had to make love (not war) with one politician (past, present, senior or backbench?) who would it be?

Re the Iraq thing - I have done 2 or 3 on-line surveys which have asked a simple Q along the lines of, "overall do you think the Iraq war was a good thing or not?" There isn't an option for "not in the way it was done or for the reasons it was done" but if you don't answer (wishy washy neutral is only acceptable option) you can't go on to the next Q. So they are not getting honest answers to judge public opinion by.

Those who are voting Tory because of the Iraq issue - how can you square this with the fact that Michael Howard has said that - even knowing what he knows now - he would still have gone to war?

ionesmum - being against the EU constitution is effectively the same as being against the EU. If we voted no to the constitution, then what would happen? either there wouldn't be a constitution or we'd have to leave. I would definitely vote green if it weren't for that.

May vote green anyway - my proxy is doing some research. apparently Brighton pavilion (my constituency) had the biggest green vote last time.

morningpaper: i haven't read down loads so forgive if repeating myself, but how do you square the fact that labour are still LYING: saying that if 1 in 10 vote libdem, the tories will get in which is a lie...AGAIN!!!! they have no shame!

Agree that Iraq is a bizarre reason to vote tory.

caligula: tb and labour promised a commission on electoral reform and they haven't delivered! argh

sophable - they said if one in 10 LABOUR VOTERS voted lib dem, the tories would get in, which is what the BBC swingometer says. That presumably assumes that tory voters are tory voters and won't change their minds though.

Sophable: who said that where? TBH I don't really give a toss about the pre-election willy-waving - I DO give a toss about the NHS, schools, my friends who have benefitted MASSIVELY from the moves to bring financial benefits to poorer families through tax credits etc.

(BTW I thought the LibDems had conceded that even if they got their maximum expected number of votes, they would still not have enough seats to get into No. 10? Am I wrong?)

There was a good article in the Guardian today about the differences between the parties - how the Tories want people to have CHOICE so that they can opt out of failing systems (schools/NHS) whereas Labour are concerned about those are left behind. I thought it was very true.

sp! it's not true! the leading election expert at the uni of strathclyde said so on C4 news! it's a pile of tosh and a scare tactic....it would take one in four for labour to lose their majority and even in that case, the tories wouldn't get in!!!!!!

don't don't don't

can't bear to think about it

Sophable it's hardly on par with dismantling the NHS is it?!

sobernow: there is zero chance of the tories getting in....do not be scared into voting in a way that compromises what you actually feel...we are talking about levels of majority: and lets face it (and i've voted labour all my life) labour deserve a major kicking and the parliamentary party need to vote tony out sooner than later....

jeez mp: the whole campaign is based on rubbishing the libdems chances of making inroads. and surely you can't approve of the total undermining of cabinet govt that has happened under blair: our democracy is going to the dogs and you're urging people to vote against conscience on a false premise that if they do the tories will get in: it's wrong

Not at all Soph - but I do think people should vote for the government they want. Protest votes are noticed by no-one but education, healthcare and - oh that small matter of the economy - are areas where EVERYONE lives with the fallout of an inept or elite government.

I'm not voting for the government I think will be perfect - I'm voting for the government that I think will be best for the country - and that includes the poorest and the marginalised, not just the comfy middle-class.

sophable, but it says on the bbc

no...really i've just looked at the top lib dem targets and most are tory. wish i lived in a marginal seat. I voted labour out of fear last time and will not do so again.

It's funny but I remember this time about six months ago we all thought there was feck-all chance of George Bush getting in...

i didn't mp. seemed depressingly obvious (but didn't stifle my hope) that bush would get a second term.

what would be so bad about a libdem govt mp?

or a labour govt with reduced majority and libdems holding balance of power?

TBH, I wouldn't trust the LibDems with the economy. But then I will be terrified when I have to trust anyone apart from Gordon Brown with the economy.

I really REALLY don't believe that there is a cat in hell's chance of a LibDem government.

Senora, as I understand it the Greens are not against the European constitution in principle, but we are aginst the draft one currently put forward. As I said before, we want reform in the EU, not to dismantle it.

I'm sorry, I don't get why anyone who is a Socialist would vote for New Labour. They've introduced tuition fees that stop poor students going to universtity, they want to demolish whole swathes of houses in the North, they inroduced PPI hospitals which put profits before patients and as for Iraq...! Yes, the Tories would be no better but there is an alternative. If we do not vote with our consciences then we get the government that we deserve.

I heard if sedgfield don't vote labour then TB will be out anyway, is this right?