Can't remember if I've posted this here before or not but still worth a meniton even if I did. I'm still pretty young, and my first election was the 2010 election. I was still new to politics and a student so my main aims were low uni tuition fees and to keep the Tories out. For those reasons I voted Lib Dems. . . . It was a good introduction on how our democracy works.
Oh just bloody great. All that we'll bloody hear about for weeks now. I'll have to avoid the media even more than usual I guess.
Might not be the slam dunk people seem to be predicting. If the Lib Dems (and possibly Labour) can shift the election to a vote on whether there should be a referendum after the negotiations and the Tories campaign on Brexageddon max, it might be interesting. Vin
I think you'll find that Nick Clegg's era is gone. If you corner the average Lib Dem MP you can almost certainly get them to apologise for Clegg's backing of tuition fees. It was an appalling thing to do, but the Tories do worse every day, and do remember, it was a Conservative proposal.
I know what you mean. They do seem to have a very clear message, and they want to be part of the EU. For me, moving to Scotland would be taking my principals too far, especially as a good climate is very important to me. But moving to Europe is very much something that I could and possibly will do eventually. If we haven't burned all the bridges by then.
Basically agree on the first point. It's hard to see anything except a Conservative victory but I don't see them getting the ridiculous majority some are suggesting. The Lib Dems will campaign for a second referendum and having a clear position on the EU will benefit them, particularly given their low starting point here. I can't see that working for Labour though. Given the number of people complaining about having an election I'm not convinced there's any really widespread appetite for another vote. The public appear to be sick of what feels like continual campaigning and I don't think a promise to hold yet another national vote would be very popular.
I'm well aware. I'm far more political now and although I black listed Lib Dems in the last election, I'm part of the marginal itchen ward. So unless I want this guy to represent me: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25345/royston_smith/southampton,_itchen Then I have to vote labour anyway.
I'll be voting for Catherine West, my excellent local MP, who happens to be Labour. Certainly not for Jeremy Corbyn.
This is the problem with the First-Past-The-Post voting system. You can't vote for who you want because you almost certainly know you won't be represented. Proportional Representation would be the salve for many political ills in this country.
I happen to live in the awful constituency of Romsey and Southampton North. I say awful because it means that whatever happens in my tiny part of Southampton North, I live under a Tory MP because Romsey says so. Caroline Nokes and I agreed on the non-sell off of forestry commission land, several years ago. We even emailed each other that much it became a first name correspondence. That's the single thing we've agreed upon.
Mrs Onionman: "No idea yet who I'll vote for..." Me: "Me neither. First time ever for both of us". Vin
I totally agree with this. Many of the Labour seats are "traditional" ones which they would still manage to hang on to irrespective of the party's leader. It is a shame what has happened to Corbyn as he has done the right thing in taking Labour to the Left of British politics. However, I just think that he has been a massive disappointment in the last 12 months and never really recovered after the boot was out in to him by Laura Kuenssberg. who is an absolute disgrace as a reporter. I think John McDonnell would probably have made a better leader as at least there is a toughness about him. I think that Tim Farron stands the most to gain as the Liberals have already been punished for going in to coalition with the Tories and I can't see that happening again. The anti-Brexit faction vote Liberal and I can see them holding the balance of power. Seats like Winchester will be obvious targets and I can see them winning there as there has been a lot of dissatisfaction with the Conservatives locally. I can't help thinking that the electoral fraud enquiry would have scuppered the Tories with , I believe, 27 MPs under scrutiny. I hope that there is some development in these cases prior to the election so that the Tories can be shown up for the crooks that they are. The two obvious losers will be UKIP who have no relevance and the SNP. Calling a snap election was a bit of a masterstroke as Nicola Sturgeon was emerging as the most vociferous critic of the Tories and although intensely irritating, she seems by far the most capable political leader in the UK of any of the parties. She will struggle to repeat her success of 2015 but I can't help thinking that she would be a brilliant Prime Minister . Unfortunately her selfish pursuit of nationalism will made it more difficult for progressive politics to become established in the UK. Anyway, it is probably irrelevant because the result will be decided by Vladimir Putin!!
The very wonderful Tessa Munt, who, since losing her Wells constituency in 2015 to the dreadful and useless James Heappey has done rather more for her former constituents than the sitting MP, will hopefully make a comeback on 8th June. I might even go and give out leaflets for her, as I have never known such a committed and principled MP. She even stepped down as a junior minister in the coalition to campaign against fracking in the Mendips.
We already had a vote on that and most people overwhelmingly voted against AV despite complaining that the government does not represent the majority of people as explained in this great Youtube video: I think Mixed-Member Proportional Representation is actually a better way forward, like New Zealand use but we will never get there as people are too conservative (with a small 'c') in this country!
I agree that this could be an opportunity for the Lib Dems. If you consider the south east many of them work in London and the financial industry and may have voted to remain so all they have to do is ensure that they differentiate themselves from the Conservatives by saying they wish to remain in the Free Market. The only way any party will make inroads is by strongly differentiating themselves from Conservative policies by saying they back Remain or the Free Market.
