So is it just a choice between Labour or The Tories?

[MoreSpamThanGlam]

Because I cant stand either of them. Old Labour yes, but New Labour are so like the Conservatives now, it seems like a bit of a joke....a bit like the Emperors New Clothes. We all think we have a choice but really we dont.

We dont get to vote on anything do we? We vote for a five year dictator who makes his own mind up as he goes along. What they say today could all change tomorrow and just get blamed on the past government. Isnt that always their excuse?

It all seems a bit bleak.

Apathetic? Yep.

Fair point Flock. But isnt a debate, then a democratic vote on an issue better than just slagging off the other side...because thats all they seem to do.

Sigh....

I want to vote, I want to believe in someone, something...I want to be inspired. But I cant help feeling that both the Tories and New Labour are just lining their own pockets and the Lib Dems remind me of the vultures in Jungle Book that shrug their shoulds and say "I dunno what to do? What d'ya wanna do?"

PLEASE!!!! If you are a politician out there...INSPIRE ME! Tell me why you want to do what you want to do, be honest about the bad stuff but tell me why other things are more important and finally...stop slagging off the other side. Its childish.

There is only one choice, the BNP, the only party free from expense swindling etc, the only party that really care about the family unit. How many more times are we going to swop red for blue and then back again? It is time for a complete change!

Greens doing well down here (Brighton)

The establishment parties (and I include Greens, UKIP, Plaid and the Tartan Tories in the establishment) are virtually identical in both policy and make-up of candidates. Middle-to-upper-class policy-wonks, lawyers and public-sector workers.

You, the British public, will have mass immigration, enforced multiculturalism, pointless foreign wars, a huge and overbearing state, ever more intrusive surveillance, nannying and social liberalism (gay marriage, abortion on demand, no chance of capital punishment etc.). Now choose which bunch of careerists you think will be least bad at delivering this. Great choice I think (not).

I certainly won't be voting for any of them.

That said, a strong Tory victory will be good for two things:

1. To kick out a government, which even given the identikit uselessness of all main parties, has been especially incompetent and corrupt, and replace it with what is - whether or not you take mainstream politics seriously - the least bad option.

2. To take another step forward in the Great British Public realising that the establishment politics is a waste of time. A hung parliament is only going to lead to more messing about over who is best for schoolsnhospitals and such rubbish.

But for me, regardless of who wins, I'll be most interested in select results in one or two or more places .

Re title, no, just the Tories...

I'm perfectly happy with gay marriage, abortion on demand and no capital punishment!

and enforced multiculturalism!

so I may as well not bother voting because everything will be fine!

I'm voting labour. because I am happy with the above, think the tories are fundamentally wrong (my family is not broken, it has a hard working single parent at the head of it, I will not be married off to provide a 'father figure' they already have one, he just doesn't live with us.) I expect a hung parliament and then another election.

I agree with David Tennant. I want my PM to be the clelverest man in the room, not the one that looks best in a suit and tie.

You may, be downcast about so-called New Labour. However, out there in the workaday conurbations Real Labour, notwithstanding parliament, is always beavering away to maintain those good old fashioned, honest-to-goodness truths that are as relevant today as they ever were. Truths that no other political party can historically own as Labour may proudly proclaim upon today?s Labour banner be it so ragged that Britannia?s breath can barely unfurl the legend. Such truths and principles seek, as they did then, as they do now, to uphold a confident, self-assured, moral, equal, forward thinking society. Of course, principles may be well-worn. Regarded as staid. Yet, those aphorisms, bandied about down the ages, still hold true. Principles of equality ? Principles of a moral, safe society - Principles of fairness. Principles of rights - Principles of faith - Principles of justice before the law ? Principles of the whisper from the modest being as important as the pontificating of the arrogant ? Principles of free education ? Principles of free health care ? Principles of free speech ? Principles of family ? Principles of an equitable minimum wage ? Principles untold and principles still to have their telling. Against present odds Labour?s founding principles will always stand the test of time.

Yes, but Microbe, they seem to have abandoned these principles with gay abandon. At the end of the day, they are politicians and they have shown by their actions that they care diddly-squat about any form of principle.

Wasn't it Plato, in The Republic, who said that if someone wants to be king, that's the first sign that they shouldn't be? They're all career politicians; they're not in government to help the poor, the oppressed, the weak. They're there to feather their own nests.

[Former Labour voter, never Tory voter, future vote spoiler]

I agree with Serenity about Labour's loss of moral conviction - I think this last term has just shown how self-seeking they all are. I think the worst case of this was the appalling Ed Balls on his appointment as Education Secretary saying how proud he was, what an honour and a privilege and how he would not let the children of this country down - 6 weeks after this appointment, it transpires he was actively toadying about trying to manoeuvre himself into becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer. Presumably messing up the education of a generation wasn't enough for him. Odious creature, and symptomatic of his odious party who have let the country down and bought us to the brink of bankruptcy due to GB's lack of foresight during his years as Chancellor.

I have never voted Labour, but I did think that after the last Conservative run we needed a change. As I do this time, but I have no idea who I will vote for - I'm naturally a Tory voter, but I just don't believe in Cameron at all.

Ideally, I'd like Vince Cable to be PM but with Tory policies, as I do think that the work Iain Duncan Smith has done on trying to find ways to improve 'society' is good. However, voting for the Lib Dems where I live is pointless - we're one of the truest, bluest constituencies in the country!

Not voting has to be the most counterproductive protest strategy of all time. Given your views GYF, I must say though that I'm delighted you're not. Trebles all round!

Having said that, if turnout fell to under 50%, maybe there would be change. I can't see it being good change though.

A Mumsnet party sounds like hell on earth. With Netmums as the official opposition perhaps? Good Lord.

truebrit, the BNP have already had their own expenses scandal.

Gosh, maybe they really are politicians after all

Serenity and Panic: (Not sisters of different fathers, surely?)...

I was referring to 'True Labour' away from parliament within the nation's conurbations which is definitely alive and kicking and ready to be reborn again...

We agree (don't we?) all Parties, not just Labour, are discredited re expenses issue which none of us should let get brushed under parliament's plush Pugin carpet.