Argh - how to vote !

[rookiemere]

In scotsnet as this is a uniquely Scottish problem - apologies if there's a politics area somewhere that I should be in.

My postal vote has been sitting staring at me for days.

I know who I don't want to get in. As a non-scots British person with an English DH, I'll do everything I can to avoid another referendum.

Our local Labour MP actually does a lot for the local community and seems like a good egg. But the overall party is a disaster and SNP are talking about going jointly with Labour so they can push through another independence vote.

I cannot bring myself to vote Tory after what they've done - also every time they think up a remotely fair taxation idea i.e. making self employed pay same taxes as employed or making rich OAPs pay for care, even though Ruth Davidson seems very different from the conservatives in England, can't bear to watch the Westminster crowing when/if they get a huge victory.

My heart says Lib-Dems and in fact I've done some campaigning for them at local level, but pre voting questionnaires seem to suggest it's a 3 way race between Lab/Con/SNP so it would be a wasted vote.

Is anyone else really struggling to decide for this election?

I'm having exactly the same dilemma as you. I keep flip flopping between parties. I just wish it was over!!

Sorry that wasn't much help.

first time I've not voted labour - sounds like you should vote lib dem if tories and lab both ruled out - at least it's not indyref, we'll all be united then! I was hoping this election would be the end of Corbyn and his mates, so that this would be my first and last Tory general election vote...

I am umming and ahhing it is driving me nuts last GE i voted Libdems but they sold out imo I might vote tory to make Theresa sort out Brexit but that just goes against everything i stand for like i said driving me nuts

Rookie, in Scotland only one question matters: do you want inyref2 or not? Since your mp is labour it is no mystery where you are ;) according to electoral calculus it should be a lab hold, but lab e con are neck at neck. Voting libdem would be a wasted vote.
If you are lab inclined so vote lab, but JC's latest utterances are not promising. Otherwise vote Tory. I know who I would vote for there ;)

You're right Arkadia Tory it might be then. I'll try to think of it as a vote for Ruth Davidson rather than the Westminster lot.

I've never been in such a dilemma over an election.

I have heard so many people (including me) say they would class themselves as a lib dem, but it's a wasted vote. I really wonder what the result would be like if all those closet lib dems actually voted the way they felt.

Although I guess a lot of them got burned by the tuition fee fiasco.

Trixie, let's not kid ourselves... A vote for the libdems is ALWAYS wasted vote. The only time it wasn't was in 2010 when they were actually in government. Being a protest party and being in government (especially in a coalition) is another matter as they discovered at their own cost. Personally I feel the libdems did very well indeed, especially making sure the rate at which you start paying tax has been raised. So they voted for tuition fees... Too bad... That's coalition government for you ;)

I think the Lib Dems did a good job of moderating the Tories - look how much worse they got on their own.

From a purely self interest perspective there's lots of good reasons to vote conservative. I just wanted to be a better person than that.

I hate the way politics are now so polarised, I liked it better when they were all grouped round the middle.

and Ian Murray just seems like such a nice genuine man. He runs a Christmas card competition for all the schools and everything.

I'm in same boat but there is really only a very slim chance that the SNP candidate can be ousted and that would be by the Tory candidate as the local elections showed a clear increase in their vote compared to labour. It really isn't my normal leanings but I feel I have no choice.

On the other hand, a vote for anyone else other than the SNP (or Green) can only be a positive choice.

The deed is done.
I feel grubby .

Cant say I'm looking forward to voting on thurs either - let's hope for a decent, achievable labour offering next time

Apparently Labour is officially dead in Scotland.

If only they'd picked the right Milliband brother a couple of years ago or Tim Fallon looked land sounded less like Wallace from Wallace and Grommit, there might be an actual choice.

Oh well if the Tories get their resounding majority , that I've now helped them achieve , SNP should surely have a bit of a trouncing, which is some cold comfort.

There's a few folk on twitter saying they would like to vote labour to get Corbyn as PM bit can't vote for the Scottish labour red tories. It's the same manifesto you fuckwits .

Do none of them ever consider that maybe, just maybe independence isn't the socialist solution they think it is and Scottish labour were standing up for the poor and needy by opposing independence ? Corbyn thinks independence would bring turbo charged austerity. I wonder will the penny ever drop with them.

Not struggling at all.
Lib Dem all the way.
No question about it.
Good luck OP

Arkadia, you've pretty much demonstrated that a vote for the lib dems isn't always a wasted vote! If they did well in 2010 they can do well now.

I also wouldn't call them a protest party, they did very well in the coalition government reining in the tories. There will always have to be compromises made in a coalition, unfortunately the tuition fees seems to have been a compromise too far.

Trixi, the problem is that they found themselves in a coalition by accident more than anything else. I do think they did the best they could and they got undeservedly punished by the electorate, however to me that proves the point that the LibDem are perceived as a protest party because when they do govern the electorate doesn't like it (so they got obliterated not once, but TWICE :D).

Well done Rookiemere... Fuck public services further into the ground and all the people who are genuinely suffering all over the uk under this appalling government, eh?

duck, that is very unfair and uncalled for comment.

I think it's called for. Have you been following the denigration of public services, across the board? Know anyone employed in the public sector? Know any disabled people who've been kicked in the teeth by this government?

duck if you really want to fuck public services keep voting for the SNP

duck, are you in Scotland?

Public services here have been fucked up by the SNP.

I have never and would never vote for the SNP or independence. I'm a social worker, DH a nurse, brother disabled, children being shortchanged in state education. I am voting labour because their policies give me hope for a better future.

So why are you slagging off a poster for trying to get rid of the SNP who have ruined public services here? Most of us are labour supporters at heart but haven't been left with a a choice.

I voted Tory then Labour in the local elections to get rid of the SNP. I've ended up with a aSNP/Labour alliance because Labour were told that they couldn't form an alliance with the tories to keep the SNP out.

That was a kick in the teeth for me and also I just can't vote for a party that has Diane Abbott in it.

The OP has voted Tory to remove her current Labour MP, who is clinging on with a small majority for dear life.

You can't vote for a party that has Dianne Abbot in it but can vote for one with Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt? Doesn't make much sense to me.

I'm not a fan of of Boris or Jeremy (and many others to be fair) and they have their faults but Dianne is a racist with as many brain cells as fingers. Do we really think the security of our nation is safe in the hands of that moron Abbott and drippy Jeremy?

Rookie is objecting to Labour attempting to get in bed with the SNP.