If I vote Tory, would I be shooting myself in the foot, as a lone parent?

[BertieBotts]

Just that really. I am musing. Never voted before and never been interested in politics (though I am fascinated by it all now) so I am feeling a bit blind with all this! I keep changing my mind about who to vote for.

I want to go back to college either this or next September rather than getting a job just yet. DS is 18 months. Do you think that I would be able to do this under a conservative government, or will I be forced to work? Thinking childcare costs etc. I can't find anything in any of the manifestos about it - does anyone know what the other parties have said or are likely to do?

and Atlantis, too - if you think what people say is the only defining factor in how we are viewed, you are being very short sighted.

It's very non PC to put down single parents audibly. It's the underhand taking away of social standing, or benefits, of rights that is the point.
The tories are masterful at this stuff. It's all hidden deep inside the manifesto - the attitude is well covered up but the results are the same, we will get trashed by a tory government once again.

They just know that there are a lot of us, and that we might vote for them if they keep quiet about it.

imho of course.

Just to hark back to the HE comments, could anybody tell me how much a child costs the state to educate per annum as opposed to those on benefits that are home educated, not claiming free dinners etc. Maybe home educators on benefits actually save the government money!