Valley This is the first government in a long time that has enacted policies from outside the red and the blue teams.....and as I established, they were policies formed by joe public who joined the Liberal Democrats. Off the back of only 50 seats they got a share of power and enacted these policies that have helped all of us....but all you and others want to do is talk about one policy (from page 38 of the manifesto by the way) they couldn't get into the deal. So the one party who has broken through and tried to force change is getting pissed on by all and sundry...which is exactly what Labour and the Tories want of course. What I hear all the time is "There's no point in me voting anyway, Labour/Tories always get in in my constituency, no point"....well The Liberal Democrats (Who wanted Proportional Representation but couldn't get the Tories or Labour to agree to it in a coalition deal) gave everybody the chance to start us down that road with the vote on AV.....get that? At the first opportunity they offered the voters the chance to reform the voting system to ensure that if you want to vote for a smaller party your voice would have had a greater chance of being heard (experts predicted that the Lib Dems would have got an extra 20 seats at the last election in an AV system....that opportunity would have been there for all smaller parties trying to break through). The Labour Party (who had offered the Lib Dems AV and nothing else in their coalition negotiations) largely got behind the "no to AV" campaign along with the Tories...the voting sheep bought it and so we have no electoral reform. Now we have people on this thread arguing for folk not to vote and gleefully rubbing their hands together at the prospect of the Lib Dems taking a kicking at the ballot box who complain that their vote counts for nothing and we need electoral reform?!?!? Valley If you vote Plaid and they along with the SNP prop up a Labour government are we going to see the same disgust that you show for Clegg if Wood doesn't manage to negotiate; 1) A referendum on Independence? 2) The scrapping of Trident? 3) The Barnett formula adjusted so that we receive the same funding as Scotland? 4) An end to Austerity policies? If the Labour Party give Plaid number 4 on my list will the media slaughter the Labour Party for selling out their English voters who thought they were voting for austerity policies?
At least Russel Brand see's the futility of voting, and he'd certainly laugh his sock's off at this thread of yours, I might just send him an email, giving him a link to these pearls of wisdom your giving us...................
They can vote for other parties mate. How about voting for the party who has actually tried to reform the electoral system? Who have delivered tax cuts for the poorest? Who have helped working families with childcare costs? Who have delivered thousands of apprenticeships? Who are 100% committed to Education? Who are against wasting money on nuclear weapons which won't ever be used? Who have a business secretary committed to growing the manufacturing sector and rebalancing the economy (...and who also warned us about the deregulation in the banking sector and the rapid expansion of credit years before the crash of 2008)? Who wish to decriminalise drug possession? Who are against the invasion of your privacy? ....I could go on
Well your rubber dingy is sinking rather fast dear, Man overboard!.................. PS: Aber has told me I'm being harsh on you, so on May 7th, I'll throw you a Lifebuoy..........
Leanne Wood hasn't mentioned a referendum for independence at all during this electoral campaign (there isn't an appetite for this in Wales). She has steered Plaid away from just being an independence bleating party from North Wales and has turned Plaid into THE ONLY party that is seeking financial parity with Scotland which would give Wales a further £1.5 billion. She is the only Welsh leader to rule out a deal with the Tories. Leanne Wood has also categorically stated that she will not prop up a Labour government that is hell bent on austerity, and should she do a deal with Labour without negotiating the £1.5 billion/a recalculation of the Barnett formula and an alternative to austerity, then I will criticise her as I have Clegg for the past 5 years. Just think, had Clegg not jumped into bed with the Tories and left them to govern alone, with the momentum that he had built in 2010 we could well be in a position today where Clegg could have been seen as a candidate for PM. Instead, his party face a crushing defeat.
Sounds good if the policies were stuck to and implemented fully but they would need to be in full power to do any serious good ? I feel the minor parties can say what they want up to a point because they know they wont get in a position where they have to put their money where their mouth is ! And for various reasons i dont think it will happen any time soon ? I know im being a bit lazy but could you summarize their stance on immigration and the euro question for me please ?
That Millipede meeting Brand was a shrewd move ? Brand though a tosser has the ear of the young voters and a huge following on social media you tube etc and is liked by a lot of media and celeb luvies ! Not seen any other leaders pandering to the young voter ? i supose most of their catchment are mid to pension age ?
Well they (like Plaid) stick up for immigrants and consistently make the case for the good that immigrants have done this country....both the economic case and the cultural case. Here is their immigration policy; Liberal Democrats believe Britain must be open for business and growth but closed to crooks and cheats. Britain needs more students and more visitors to come to help our economy grow. We will encourage people to visit Britain, learn in Britain and contribute to Britain. We will say yes to doctors, experts, entrepreneurs and investors. But we will say no to crooks, traffickers and those who would damage our country. By bringing back proper border checks - so we know who’s coming in and leaving the UK - we will identify and deport people who over-stay their visa. We will create visible security and firm control, with real processes to count everyone in and count everyone out. No more guesswork on numbers: real evidence to catch out overstayers. We’ll ensure people can speak English and are willing to work. We’ll ensure that migrants, including from the EU, come to work or study, not to claim benefits. And when it’s time for them to leave, we will make sure they return home. please log in to view this image
Most youngsters will vote Labour as a protest to the Tory rule of the last 5 years, those that don't will vote Green. You make some very good points there swantastic..................
I'm an unusual Lib Dem voter myself as although I agree with most of what they have had to say on Europe (in theory I think a more integrated Europe pooling resources and delivering outcomes that wouldn't be possible without the cooperation of the rest of Europe is a really good idea)....in practice I have come to believe that the dream is nearly impossible to deliver and that the construct has too many integral flaws. So I have voted UKIP in European elections 2/3 times as I reckon that what we need is an in/out referendum to get this issue sorted out once and for all. If we voted in I could get behind that and would hope that the UK threw everything into it to try and make it work. It would be an uphill battle but the benefits could be huge. If we voted out I would be satisfied with that also. As life outside of the EU would be just fine. Ultimately, a politically harmonious United States of Europe (which is what the countries who adopted the Euro currency need to become if they are to make it work imo) is a long shot so I lean towards reluctantly exiting and getting on with what's next. Sometimes you have to accept what's possible might not be what you want. Their Policy on Europe; Liberal Democrats want Britain to remain a member of the EU because we are fighting for a stronger economy and British jobs. Being in Europe allows Britain to project strength in the world when negotiating climate change agreements, in trade talks with global players like the USA and China, and when introducing sanctions against countries like Russia. But that doesn’t mean the European Union is perfect: far from it. Liberal Democrats want to reform the EU so that it concentrates on doing the things it's good at such as creating jobs, fighting climate change and combatting cross-border criminal gangs, but stays out of decisions better decided at national, devolved or local levels. We’ll ensure that migrants from the EU come to work or study, not to claim benefits. please log in to view this image
Interesting. You believe that the party I vote for losing some votes/seats equates to being "my waterloo". Is that why you don't vote? Because you're a coward?
I also think we should be fully independent of European / Brussels control of our countries laws, immigration, fisheries,H&S bannanas etc.....If we have goods and monies to trade they will still want it thats the nature of the beast.
How many of the electorate bother to vote these days? At the last election (2010) 65% voted, this was 4% up on the previous election, and out of a possible 46 Million eligible voters, only 29 Million voted, so what does that tell you Einstein? It will be interesting to see how many sheep turn out on May 7th, expecting to change the 'Status Quo,' but I'm sure I will not be wasting my vote on any of the main parties, and who says I don't vote? All the Cowards are in the Tory Coalition.........
