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?

Labour propped up by the SNP was never a given, the DUP was - the only bit that should have come as a surprise is the actual number of seats, not whether the DUP would be involved or not.

Unless people really don't pay even the slightest bit of attention to who sits in parliament anyway.

But it seems like the worst of all outcomes because I don't think it is clear how Labour would actually proceed in government (and I am not a hard left Labour supporter and I cannot warm to Corbyn). And May has no credibility at all

I think my days as a Labour supporter are over. I can't warm to him at all.

why, lass?

Me either lass, I'll have to hold my nose and vote labour if there's another election soon in my seat given the result but I don't for a second believe all or even of those policies are affordable over the next 10 years without crippling tax rises in everyone.

what's wrong with tax rises if it means the most vulnerable are looked after properly??

I don't get this at all, people so entrenched in an "I'm all right Jack" attitude and fuck anyone else

Because that's not what all the taxes will be needed for - I'd be all for that but his manifesto includes costly renationalisations and how is free university tuition for all protecting the vulnerable?

The labour manifesto takes us further away from funding the existing services properly and future proofing the cost against the aging population.

renationalising is the way to go to stop private companies making a fortune out of cutting health and safety to the bone

free uni tuition shouldn't even be discussed, of course young people outside Scotland should have the same deal as Scottish youngsters, these kids are the future of this country and bright kids wary of taking on so much debt should not be excluded from doing so

No point rehashing this now - i doubt either of us is going to be persuaded. Statements about rights don't fil me with any confidence about accurate costs.

fair enough., we'll agree to disagree

Pretty much what NoLottery said. Primarily renationalisation. What a waste of money. And if is happy to waste billions on that I don't trust him on other things.

I do wonder whether part of the problem with calls for renationalisation is that fewer people now remember what services were like before privatisation. All those jokes about British Rail have their roots somewhere. I'm also old enough to remember how expensive power was - a huge chunk out of an average weekly wage went on phone bills, electricity bills etc. Also the huge power militant unions had over our every day lives. I believe in good strong unions representing their workers rights and fighting for fair pay, but militant unions just bring everyone down, and the nationalised industries were often held to ransom.

Free university education was definitely doable when 10-12 % of the population went to university, and free good quality university education at that. Not so easy when 50% of the population expect to be able to go to university. Quality suffers.

I'm old enough to remember life before privitisation. I was hugely opposed to it out of unthinking ideology. I don't now want it reversed.

The last yougov poll before then election predicted a hung parliament.

So to say you didn't know there Thanks would was a high chance that your 'anyone but the snp' vote was going to hand power to the dup is disingenuous at best, ignorant at worst.

Quality suffers with 50% going to university, the support those people get is weakened, the existing university structures are groaning and the return to a degree goes down.

You know what doesn't change? The price tag, whether the state pays or the individual pays.

I'm not against all free tuition, this policy could've been better targeted at degrees that are socially useful but don't confer as much private benefit though and an expansion in scholarships and bursaries based on merit as well as those based on disadvantaged backgrounds would've been more achievable.

So to say you didn't know there Thanks would was a high chance that your 'anyone but the snp' vote was going to hand power to the dup is disingenuous at best, ignorant at worst

Gosh you are tedious.

I'm not against all free tuition, this policy could've been better targeted at degrees that are socially useful but don't confer as much private benefit though and an expansion in scholarships and bursaries based on merit as well as those based on disadvantaged backgrounds would've been more achievable.

I would have loved to have seen a system like that.

I firmly believe that education and healthcare degrees should be free.

Yes, education and nursing etc - Corbyn can't do that now though as he'll get accused of betraying his youth base sk sadly that shop has sailed for labour. The tories could do it...! And they should argue strongly that the other money they save from not having a blanket entitlement is spent on primary etc.

Ah if I were in charge for a day :)

ship has sailed!

I think the system we had in Scotland where graduates paid a tax once they were earning over a certain amount was a good compromise. That then went to fund grants for the less well off students.