Who do you expect to vote for in the next General Election?

[Guest MattP]

Cheaper footy tickets!

Send them an e-mail, I'm sure they will guarantee a free one if you arrive by public transport.

[davieG]

Send them an e-mail, I'm sure they will guarantee a free one if you arrive by public transport.

As long as I don't have to pay for the transport.

[Guest MattP]

As long as I don't have to pay for the transport.

Just enroll at your local college, free transport for anyone in education.

All covered by taxing the bankers/rich folks salaries at 900%

[davieG]

Just enroll at your local college, free transport for anyone in education.

All covered by taxing the bankers/rich folks salaries at 900%

I'm too old for that I'll stick to my old gits bus pass.

[BHAFC Braders]

Anyone to get rid of the greens down here for me.

[The Doctor]

You have to question someone's IQ if they would actually seriously consider voting for the Greens in this current financial climate.

Not really ready living in a mud hut eating my own turd just quite yet.

Why? Not everything's about economics - I'd vote green because in terms of their social policies they are the best of the bunch. I don't give a shit about the economy that's fake anyway.

[Manwell Pablo]

No ****er, pointless listening to poltical policies, as soon as said party gets in they screw up everything they said pre election and govern how they actually wanted to instead of what they camapaigned on. So whats the point.

[BunkMoreland]

Why? Not everything's about economics - I'd vote green because in terms of their social policies they are the best of the bunch. I don't give a shit about the economy that's fake anyway.

Pretty much everything important is massively connected to the economy. You might not think you give a shit about it now but you would if someone like the greens got in and crashed the whole thing. With comments like that you shouldn't be allowed to vote tbh.

[Guest MattP]

Why? Not everything's about economics - I'd vote green because in terms of their social policies they are the best of the bunch. I don't give a shit about the economy that's fake anyway.

I gather you don't give a shit about the economy as you would vote for the Greens.

Like Bunk said, you soon would if someone really crashed it.

[1964FOX]

As a paid up member of the Labour party and a true Leftie bastard as my mate calls me I think I may have to go red but as like others I'm in a safe seat for the opposition. Remember the only gay in the village well I'm the only leftie in the village.

[lavrentis]

UKIP got second in Rotherham and Middlesborough.

That's good for a loony and closet racist party

[Rincewind]

I'll vote for whoever has the best deal for pensioners.

[The Blur]

Pumped for Greens at the first partly out of protest against the big three but then I thought about whether if they actually got elected- would they have enough know-how to cope as majority of their MPs would be first timer in the cabinet/ house of parliament. Perhaps anyone with more knowledge of politics would could predict what happen if Greens got elected?

[Guest MattP]

Pumped for Greens at the first partly out of protest against the big three but then I thought about whether if they actually got elected- would they have enough know-how to cope as majority of their MPs would be first timer in the cabinet/ house of parliament. Perhaps anyone with more knowledge of politics would could predict what happen if Greens got elected?

[Captain...]

You have to question someone's IQ if they would actually seriously consider voting for the Greens in this current financial climate.

Not really ready living in a mud hut eating my own turd just quite yet.

Not really, if you believe what they stand for and they have a coherent plan on how to implement it, which we will have to wait and see in the manifesto, then you should vote for the candidate that best represents you otherwise what is the point of any of it.

I am seriously considering voting green, as a former lib dem voter I'm very disappointed in what they did, not just what they did and didn't agree to, and broken promises but just the general manner in which they handled themselves.

Secondly to vote green is to highlight the importance of green issues, even though they stand no chance of getting in, and a large swing towards the greens will hopefully force the red and blue party to take green issues more seriously.

[The Doctor]

Pretty much everything important is massively connected to the economy. You might not think you give a shit about it now but you would if someone like the greens got in and crashed the whole thing. With comments like that you shouldn't be allowed to vote tbh.

What a load of tosh - I shouldn't be allowed to vote because I care more about the way a prospective party treats it's citizens than about something that doesn't actually exist? Money and the economy are completely worthless, unless we actually put value in them. Besides, I'd disagree that the greens would crash the whole thing, I'd say the tories and their tax cuts for millionaires would do more damage.

[Guest MattP]

Not really, if you believe what they stand for and they have a coherent plan on how to implement it, which we will have to wait and see in the manifesto, then you should vote for the candidate that best represents you otherwise what is the point of any of it.

I am seriously considering voting green, as a former lib dem voter I'm very disappointed in what they did, not just what they did and didn't agree to, and broken promises but just the general manner in which they handled themselves.

Secondly to vote green is to highlight the importance of green issues, even though they stand no chance of getting in, and a large swing towards the greens will hopefully force the red and blue party to take green issues more seriously.

The mainfesto will be interesting, I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how they are going to raise the revenues to do what they say they want to implement.

On the point of broken promises this is the problem with the Greens, BNP, Lib Dems, UKIP etc etc, it's easy to promise things that are impossible when you know you won't be getting into power, unfortunately for Clegg things took an unexpected turn this time around.

[Captain...]

Right, just this once ( ), I'm going to get on my electoral reform hobby horse....

- It's seriously wrong that your vote in a safe Tory seat doesn't matter, Matt

- It's also seriously wrong that my vote in a safe Labour seat doesn't matter

Here are some places where your vote DOES matter: Loughborough, Milton Keynes, Northampton, the suburbs of London and other cities, Bolton, Bury, Lincoln, North Kent, Thames Estuary, Peterborough

Here are some places where your vote does NOT matter: Leicester, most of London, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield & South Yorkshire, Nottingham, Derby, Newcastle, Sunderland, most of Birmingham, most of the Home Counties, most rural areas throughout the country, most industrial or heavily working-class areas.....

Politicians of all parties can afford to either completely ignore that 2nd group of areas, or pay token interest. Even in the "crucial swing seats" (i.e. small towns and suburbs) that hold power over our entire electoral system, the only votes that matter are the "swing votes" - those who are not sure how to vote - whereas convinced and thoughtful voters who have a decided opinion can be ignored.

This is a can of worms worthy of a whole different discussion (which has happened - and will happen again), but I say...

- General Election: Single Transferable Vote (1-2-3) in multi-member constituencies, with choice between candidates of the same party;

- Much more devolution of power/resources to local councils (I'd also prefer accountable regional assemblies, but accept there isn't going to be the support for that any time soon)

- A sustained effort to politicize society (i.e. encourage interest/knowledge of politics) - I applaud Milliband's interest in votes for 16-17-year-olds in this regard

- Sod "faith schools", let's introduce more politics into schools (in a thoughtful and balanced way, of course)

"Politics" and "Democracy" are concepts that go back to the Ancient Greeks - and they're important!

How can people have "no interest in politics" or not be bothered to vote (spoiling a ballot is quite different, I understand)?!?

Politicise the nation! STV in multi-member constituencies with no party control!

How can anyone not be bothered who controls their life? Who takes the decisions that can affect whether they live, work, survive, enjoy themselves, suffer pain, have a family, feel comfort....

Politics matters - and it should matter more to people. For now, it's a mess in this country and the democratic deficit is getting worse (a serious danger in itself)....and that's not even addressing the massive international aspects!

On that last point people stop caring and voting because we vote based on the manifesto on what they promise to do, but more often than not they break the majority of their pre-election promises.

So all we are left with is the option to choose the party whose lies you most agree with.

[Captain...]

The mainfesto will be interesting, I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how they are going to raise the revenues to do what they say they want to implement.

On the point of broken promises this is the problem with the Greens, BNP, Lib Dems, UKIP etc etc, it's easy to promise things that are impossible when you know you won't be getting into power, unfortunately for Clegg things took an unexpected turn this time around.

Labour and conservatives are just as good at breaking pre-election policies, they just have a little more experience in wording them in such a way that it allows them to wriggle out of any such promise.

At the last election the lib dems had a very clear manifesto detailing their policies and how they would fund it, obviously they didn't win so were unable to implement it, but they left themselves open to criticism by actually having clearly defined policies. Whereas labour and Tory manifestos were just full of sound bites and fluff and on actual content. So they could get away with pretty much anything and not come under too much criticism.

Lib dems will learn and I expect a suitably vague manifesto next time.

[RobHawk]

I would vote green or consider any independent candidates first off! But we don't get many independents and green don't stand here either! Between Plaid, Conservative Lbour and Lib dem i would vote labour all day! I'd rather have a better choice of candidates though!

[Rincewind]

I tenbd to agree with Captain. I was hoping with the LibDems being in the Coalition they would stop the more extreme policies that hit the most vulnerable but this has not been the case. Cleggy has rolled over like a pet dog to have his belly tickled by his master Cameron. With the LibDems now out the picture that leaves the two main parties who would argue black is white if the other said the other, The racists BNP or Naughty but Nice UKIP or Greens. There is not a decent choice among them all. To the ordinary man on the street things will not change whoever gets in. There will still be those living on the breadline and those living in tax havens then there will be those in between who will look out for themselves. Journalists will still listen into conversations. MP's will still fiddle expenses, celebrities will still have secrets revealed about their sex lives after they die and LCFC will not win the European Cup nor England the World Cup.

[Guest MattP]

I tenbd to agree with Captain. I was hoping with the LibDems being in the Coalition they would stop the more extreme policies that hit the most vulnerable but this has not been the case. Cleggy has rolled over like a pet dog to have his belly tickled by his master Cameron. With the LibDems now out the picture that leaves the two main parties who would argue black is white if the other said the other, The racists BNP or Naughty but Nice UKIP or Greens. There is not a decent choice among them all. To the ordinary man on the street things will not change whoever gets in. There will still be those living on the breadline and those living in tax havens then there will be those in between who will look out for themselves. Journalists will still listen into conversations. MP's will still fiddle expenses, celebrities will still have secrets revealed about their sex lives after they die and LCFC will not win the European Cup nor England the World Cup.

The Lib Dems had 57 seats to the Tories 306, people speak about it like Clegg could march in and demand whatever he wanted.

[Monk]

I'll be voting for 'all hail the great leader' Alex Salmond. He's done a pretty decent job up here, regardless of the referendum vote and it's hard to see Scotland going with any other party in the next few years.

If I was in England I would spoil my ballot. There simply isn't enough choice out there. Instinct says vote Green, but I honestly don't think the party does their mission justice right now.

[Captain...]

The Lib Dems had 57 seats to the Tories 306, people speak about it like Clegg could march in and demand whatever he wanted.

As I said it is not so much what they did or didn't do but how they went about it.

Starting with agreeing to a coalition in the first place, they wanted electoral reform, why not push it through by exposing the flaws in the current system by forcing a re-election, or a lame duck government.

[Guest MattP]

As I said it is not so much what they did or didn't do but how they went about it.

Starting with agreeing to a coalition in the first place, they wanted electoral reform, why not push it through by exposing the flaws in the current system by forcing a re-election, or a lame duck government.

He couldnt really do anything else, the other choice was propping up Gordon Brown and that would have left him with about as much credibility as Jimmy Savile has left.

Suppose he could have let the Tories rule with a minority but was that really what was needed at the time? I think Clegg did the right thing and I think history may be kinder to him than people think at the moment.