Just wondered what the political leanings of the UK forum were before the Iraq war might have changed people's minds.

I voted Conservative, so I am hardly what you would call a floating voter.

Labour-for my friends Mum. :)

Just realised at least 3 quarters of people will have been too young to vote last time lol.

I was too young. Will be voting this time round.

Does any other party apart from Labour stand a chance of winning?

No.

So how does that work? Can the Labour party pass any law they want unchallenged?

Labour will get in with a slightly reduce majority I expect. Labour mps sometimes vote against the government though and with a reduced majority there is increased scope for a few rebels to obstruct a bill.

In some ways Toiny Blair has much more power than George Bush. He gets to choosewho does everything -including setting the budget - don't they have to vote on such things in the US?

Of course there is the house of lords oursecond house. They will sop some bills going through also - but the government can do things to fore it through (though I don't fully understand what they do).

i couldn't vote :(

In the 2001 elections I was just barely old enough to vote. I was looking forward to voting so much but when I voted it was rubbish. I voted Labour.

i voted labour in 2001 and 1997. i will vote lib dem this time

Too young to vote.

i voted labour in 2001 and 1997. i will vote lib dem this time

I thought you were going to vote Tory, because of your local MP?

conservative in 1997 and lib dem in 2001 - almost considered voting scottish national. Undecided for 2005

Labour will get in with a slightly reduce majority I expect. Labour mps sometimes vote against the government though and with a reduced majority there is increased scope for a few rebels to obstruct a bill.

In some ways Toiny Blair has much more power than George Bush. He gets to choosewho does everything -including setting the budget - don't they have to vote on such things in the US?

Of course there is the house of lords oursecond house. They will sop some bills going through also - but the government can do things to fore it through (though I don't fully understand what they do).

although the American system is more democratic, it seems to me like the British politicians act on moral obligations more.

REally - I thought that was more a US thing - eg abortions, or maybe other things related to releigion. USA seem much more interested in keeping value thatn the UK. But then again it doesn't have as good a welfare state. Bit of a contradiciton.

I worded that wrong. I mean like welfare, healthcare, education. Moral obligations to society.

conservative in 1997 and lib dem in 2001 - almost considered voting scottish national. Undecided for 2005


are you xapobha?? or whatever- you know the x ray guy who sticks up for the north east and scotland.

I voted Labour in '97 and '01.

I wasnt old enough to vote in 2001, but would have been Labour if I was.

I voted Labour in 1997, but Liberal in 2001 and if I can be arsed voting this year then Liberal again.

I would never, ever, ever, ever vote Tory... ever... Anyone who grew up in the UK in the 1980's like I did will probably say the same. I was all for Tony in 1997 and was proud to have been a part of finally deposing the Tories at my first ever opportunity to vote, but since then have become disillusioned with Labour.

At the last election I seriously regarded the Liberals as a party on the ascendency who could become the opposition after this current election, but they have done fuckall in the past 4 years really and Charles Kennedy in the past week has managed to destroy every last shred of faith I had that the Lib Dems were anything but a protest vote.

So there you have it, I won't vote for either of the main parties and so if I vote at all it will be for the Lib Dems... The last thing I want is for them to actually get into office as they are a third party in mentality and would be at a total loss if they ever were voted into power. I think what I want to see at the next election is Labour returned to power with a vastly reduced majority, such that there is an internal coup to depose Blair and perhaps so that Labour might start listening to the electorate.

I think what I want to see at the next election is Labour returned to power with a vastly reduced majority.

That's my aim as well, I think Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are good leaders but I can't stand most of the shite some of the Labour MP's come out with (they dominate all of the committees).

It would also make Tony Blair a bit more humble to Parliament which can only be good for our democracy.

I voted Labour last time round - cant see anything stopping me doing the same this time.

This whole party political thing strikes me as obsolescent in the information age. A policy pick-and-mix would be better - choose your favourite bits from each manifesto. I suppose the tricky bit would be choosing the right people to execute the winning policies.

I digress.

I voted Lib Dem last time- I probably won't this time.

MK61 is right. pick and mix is better. Also you could pick and mix with MP's working in the Government its a shame to have useless MPs in top government positions just because they are a member of the governing party. You could have the best from all the parties. We could have had a great government. Blair, Brown and perhaps other competent older MPs like heseltine, paddy ashdown in the top jobs.

i voted labour in 97 and 2001 and will continue to, as the torys are a "shambles" i could not imagine the damage Oliver Letwin could do as chancellor to this country. Lib Dems have lots of nice "campfire" policies but i dont trust them. If they are so left wing then why are they not in the labour party?

Tubeman wrote:

I would never, ever, ever, ever vote Tory... ever... Anyone who grew up in the UK in the 1980's like I did will probably say the same.

Yeah but tories in the 80's were picking up the pieces from Labour in the 70's
This country was on the verge of economic collapse - drastic action was needed.

Im not saying they didnt make mistakes, but it wasn't entirly there fault.

I voted Labour in '01 and i'm still undecided about who i'll be voting for this time.

The trouble is, like many have pointed out, we've got to point were each party is as bad as each other; tories banging on about immigration, labour eroding freedom (ID cards), etc, etc.

I would personally like someone else to have a shot at government (be it Lib Dem or Tory), i've lost confidence over Blair, i think he fucked up big time on Iraq (although I wasn't totally opposed to the war) and i also feel the UK economy is not as rosey as made out by Labour (just look at Rover), massive personal debt.

Tubeman wrote:



Yeah but tories in the 80's were picking up the pieces from Labour in the 70's
This country was on the verge of economic collapse - drastic action was needed.

Im not saying they didnt make mistakes, but it wasn't entirly there fault.

Indeed, and lets remeber the current economic sucsess was started by the conservaives. And whilst there economic legacy is seemingly blackened by the ejection (nice word) from the ERM there was of course a switch to intersts rates relating to inflation (rather than worrying so much about propping up the pound for example). Deregulation of the financial industry helped make this country a world leader in services (we are the worlds second biggest exporter of services after the US). During labour's previous term there were terrible problems with strikes, and many people were working 3 or 4 day weeks. If you think growing up in the 80s was bad - at least your rubbish got collected.

Also policies bought in to relieve planning restrictions and tax i ncentives for London Docklands is what has lead myself and many others to this forum. So they are to blame for the drop in productivity in the country too :D

As I suspected this board is very left/liberal leaning. It confirms what I expected, and explains why most political discussions are very one sided.

I voted lib dems, but I ave no idea who to vote for this time.

Another thing it shows is a particularly politically engaged group of forumers - judging by the current results, last election we had a 70% turnout. While the sample is small and imperfect, thats still pretty good.

As I suspected this board is very left/liberal leaning.


The avearge age explains that

i think its great to find such a young crowd that are interested (to a certain extent) in politics
- Unlike the twats who say "i cant be arsed to vote" - fine, just dont moan when the govenrment makes a decision you object too! (i.e war)
God Bless Democracy!!

As I suspected this board is very left/liberal leaning. It confirms what I expected, and explains why most political discussions are very one sided.

I voted lib dems, but I ave no idea who to vote for this time.
every messageboard i've ever been on has leaned left. i've come up with two theories to explain this:

1: the act of getting onto the internet and communicating with people who share their interests is something that predominantly leftish, progressive people do, while the tories are too busy getting enraged about darkies.
2: left-wing views are cuddlier & nicer and people can pretend to hold them on an indirect medium like the internet, in order to be popular.

i suspect that both come into play to a greater or lesser extent; you folks can choose whichever one you prefer.

incidentally - libdem. last time and this time. hopefully by the next one i'll have buggered off to a country that can provide affordable housing and a transparent government and that won't try to rob me of £12,000 because i went to university.

English Democrats were on the Politics Show today. A pretty interesting feature on how smaller parties should have better PR with the media.

The avearge age explains that
That's what I thought. In adition I think most people on here are middle class - not that I'm sure what party middle classes vote for these days.

see below, posted twice by mistake.

REally - I thought that was more a US thing - eg abortions, or maybe other things related to releigion. USA seem much more interested in keeping value thatn the UK. But then again it doesn't have as good a welfare state. Bit of a contradiciton.
America has one of the worst laws on abortion. Have you heard of something called partial-birth abortion? Well it will disgust you if you haven't. When the baby is being born an instrument is inserted into the brain of the baby to collapse it's skull and kill it. Now, you say it's a U.S. thing to be moral? Well not on this matter. That pathetic exuse of a president clinton agreed with it and i don't know it's current status in the US. I came across it a couple of years ago when i was doing an R.E. project on abortion and saw it on the internet. There is no exuse for this and it makes me feel sick and i could'nt believe it when i first saw it. Barbaric in the extreme. As long as the women's views are heard then it seems the baby even when it's being born is irrelevant to some-how wrong an immoral is that?

America has one of the worst laws on abortion. Have you heard of something called partial-birth abortion? Well it will disgust you if you haven't. When the baby is being born an instrument is inserted into the brain of the baby to collapse it's skull and kill it. Now, you say it's a U.S. thing to be moral? Well not on this matter. That pathetic exuse of a president clinton agreed with it and i don't know it's current status in the US. I came across it a couple of years ago when i was doing an R.E. project on abortion and saw it on the internet. There is no exuse for this and it makes me feel sick and i could'nt believe it when i first saw it. Barbaric in the extreme. As long as the women's views are heard then it seems the baby even when it's being born is irrelevant to some-how wrong an immoral is that?

Hello easysufer nice to see you again.

from memory of your other posts, I would guess you are a Catholic, so I can appreciate / respect your thoughts towards abortion. However, abortion is one of those things a bit like eating lamb, that everyone knows about but doesn't really want to think about it's death.

Abortion in my opinion is a necessary evil, because the alternative of what would happen if it was outlawed is far worse.