Will you vote on the basis of the candidate or the party they stand for?

[lucydogz]

We've got a good local MP, but I don't support the party they stand for. Still not sure how to vote and would be interested to hear how others decide.

I had a similar dilemma in the last election. My local MP is excellent; he works very hard for his constituents, he's responsive and thoughtful. However, his party is not the one I would traditionally support and so I didn't know what to do for the best.

Fortunately (sort of) the party I would normally have supported ran a dreadful local campaign, including accusing the MP of having voted a particular way on votes where the public record showed he had not even been present. This happened not once but twice during the campaign and frankly I could not in good conscience support a candidate with such a poor grasp of fact-checking.

This time I shall be voting for my MP again, more to ensure the vote does not get split and to make sure a third candidate does not get in (from a party I do not want to see win the seat under any circumstances).

The problem is the whip system. Most MPs vote along party lines so if you don't agree with the manifesto, don't vote for that party's candidate.

I am voting against the SNP, and I think most people in Scotland are voting purely for or against independence. I can't see a time in the near future when we will have the luxury of voting for other policies or personalities.

Lifetime Labour supporter here who will be voting anti-Brexit, so LibDem. Doesn't matter either way as the Tory chump will get in here.

I always vote in line with the party that has policies I believe in. I did actually struggle at the last general election as I was undecided for a while but then I researched the manifestos for the policies that I cared about (NHS, Welfare, Education) and went with the party that I felt offered the best solutions on those areas.

I hate it when people say "I'd vote for Labour but I can't stand Jeremy Corbyn so I'll vote for another party". No. If you are ideologically aligned to Labour vote Labour. Leaders can change during government terms (Tony Blair/Gordon Brown, Cameron/May).

My local paper just ran a report on the most effective MP's in our region based on constituent meetings, voting history etc and my MP came 21st out of 22. So not good. However, I'll vote for him again this time as he stands for the party I want.

If I have strong views about which party would be best I vote based on that. If I'm not convinced either way I choose the candidate I think is best for the local area.

I'm torn because my MP is a bit of a media darling and is more interested in things that affect him personally or keep him on the telly than local goings on. I support his party and their aims but I cannot stand the arrogance of this man. I'm not really sure what to do...

I don't know who the hell the Labour candidate is. We have a slim Tory majority in a remain voting area. The Tories as far as I can see are the only ones bothering to turn up. I'm not happy with Labour. I'd prefer to vote lib dem but I will probably vote Labour as they are second and could oust the Tory MP if they could be bothered

The party. But happily he's been our mp since the last one and he's really trying..

I'm in Scotland too, Twooter, and although a second Independence ref is a factor in who I vote for, it is not the only consideration. I live in a safe SNP seat, and I really like my MP. I like many, many, things about the SNP, except Independence..... If a second referendum wasn't on the table, I would definitely vote for them this year. I probably will anyway - I worry too much that this constituency could turn blue otherwise, but will be doing so reluctantly.

ALL the Conservative marketing I've seen is about independence - even the council election leaflets had Ruth Davidson plastered all over them with a "only the Tories can stop it" sort of message. If anything, that has put me off them more. There is barely a mention of any other issue, nothing about Brexit, nothing about TM, and very, very, little about the actual local candidates (for council or GE).

Its a UK wide GE, not a Holyrood election, and they are trying to imply that voting a Tory MP in will support the opposition Ruth's party provide in Holywood - I don't think it will, particularly. They are cynically conflating two separate things, whilst refusing to address many important issues. They are treating us like we are stupid, and I hope it wont pay off for them. (And no, I am not calling people stupid for the way they vote before I get accused of that. My point is about the attitude of the Tory campaign, not the voters.)

I have voted a certain way in every election since I was 18.
However, our local Liberal Councillor has decided to stand for MP here. I have met him a few times and I was involved in organising a couple of local events he gave support to.I know he is very active locally. He is extremely hands on and will pitch in and help if required ( even if there isn't a photographer from the local paper there). There have also been a few local issues I have asked for help with and he has replied to my email the same day and tried to help sort things out.
Given all that and the fact that he's a throughly nice man I can't really NOT vote for him.

Squishy- I am very anti- independence. If the SNP could swing the Brexit result to mean the Scots want independence, then they'll certain say that SNP votes in a GE do.

I like many, many, things about the SNP, except Independence

The SNP is nothing but independence. It really doesn't matter what you think an SNP vote is a vote to have an IndyRef.

I so don't know who to vote for. Lib dem is just a joke so not them. I like Corbyn but not the people around him and am not sure he'll be able to effectively fund the policies they are proposing anyway. not keen on Tory as am not traditionally a conservative. But I voted to leave the EU and so want to see that followed through with so might have to go with Theresa, albeit a bit reluctantly.

It's so hard this time around.

Party because of their policies.

Our Tory candidate is a more or less invisible. He is useless but in a safe seat. I used to vote Labour but cannot do this anymore. I am not happy with the Liberals and UKIP well that is the pits. So I am voting for a useless nobody.

Surely the priority has to be to get the tories and all they stand for out?

I live in Jeremy Corbyn's constituency . He has a huge majority and is apparently a good consituency mp. It would take such a huge swing to get him out, so even if I didn't want the tories out, my vote doesn't really count.

I think people should be voting tactically.

We should all vote tactically for the party that is closest to our beliefs. I can't belief so many people are happy to sit and watch while the NHS is destroyed by the tories. How many red flags do we need?

I will be voting tactically this time. I've learned my lesson since the last election.

The fact that you are here shows you are a thoughtful voter. So look at the policies, look at the candidates and think about what is most important to you. Is in Brexit - then vote for the person with the best chance who is closest to your views. Is it the NHS - then vote for the person whose promises are genuine and is most likely to win in your constituency.
This is a link for the issues for the Lib Dems : www.libdems.org.uk/issues

This is a link to get the labour manifesto : www.labour.org.uk/index.php/manifesto/2017

And this is the best i could get for the Conservatives www.conservatives.com/

Other parties will have similar sites, and there are websites to help you decide how to use a tactical vote and even to swap your vote with someone in a target seat for the party you prefer.

If your MP is a decent constituency MP then it's worth taking a look at their voting record. I think there's a site called They Work For You. So you can see whether they always toe the party line. Would they put their constituency above the party? Were they in line with your referendum vote? Any other issues you feel strongly about?

It's all very well looking at manifestos, but we all know that parties don't always stick to them (Lib Dems and tuition fees anyone?) so it can only be one part of the decision making process. This also means that tactical voting is unreliable, since this tends to benefit the LibDems, and you cannot be sure what they will do, since they basically seem to jump on any bandwagon going and then desert it when they actually get into power - again - tuition fees!

A really good, hardworking local MP is what you need, regardless of their party affiliations. I would add to Exploded's list - how did they come out of the expenses scandal?

For the party.

I will be voting Labour purely because they are only party that stands a real chance of getting the Tories out.

Mariposa Not round here they don't. They consistently come in third place, and that'll be the same for many places in the south west. I presume you are talking locally for you?

www.whoshallivotefor.com/