POLITICS!!!!who did you vote for?

[jon0844]

I would never vote for BNP, even if 99% of its policies were quite 'normal' and sensible.

In fact, the thing I hate most about the BNP is that we do have some serious problems that need to be talked about, but thanks to the BNP, too many people are scared to discuss them.

Sadly, my belief in allowing freedom of speech means these people should be allowed to spout their racist drivel. I am sure people would disagree, but banning or censoring these people just means they get more support 'underground' - and they even get support for supposedly being victimised.

 

[Heinz57]

I voted Conservative for local (Only because at the time my aunt was the local counciler for my estate) and I can't remember who for in the general. I think I just closed my eyes and ticked a random box

 

[NSEFAN]

In fact, the thing I hate most about the BNP is that we do have some serious problems that need to be talked about, but thanks to the BNP, too many people are scared to discuss them.

Sadly, my belief in allowing freedom of speech means these people should be allowed to spout their racist drivel. I am sure people would disagree, but banning or censoring these people just means they get more support 'underground' - and they even get support for supposedly being victimised.

Oh, letting them talk isn't such a bad thing, especially considering how well they can shoot themselves in the foot. The best way to debunk bad arguments is to open them up to criticism, or just sit and watch them fall to pieces! As you mention, if there is a problem, or perceived problem, then it should be discussed openly and honestly so that it is resolved.

It's not so easy to fix long-term problems like immigration and energy, as these require many years of consistent policy; constant U-turns every 5 years only waste more time! If the government keeps changing in the merry-go-round fasion that it does, then all that happens is two parties are constantly at each others' necks trying to undermine the other, never really making any long-term decisions. This is especially bad near the end of a term, like trashing a house before the new tennants move in!

In the elections I've been to, I've either voted Green or Liberal Democrat, depending on what's available, although to me Green is preferable. I don't agree with their stance on nuclear energy; it will be difficult to sustain us on renewables alone. I agree with most other Green policies, however.

 

[LE Greys]

Under thirteen years of Labour, who are supposed to be the party of 'the working class man', the gap between the rich and poor increased. Under thirteen years of Labour, and their policies of 'Education, Education, Education,' the coalition took to office with more students failing to get good grades at GCSE level (C or better) than ever before. Under the reign of Gordon Brown, £90 billion was thrown away on public spending, despite repeated warnings to Number 10 that the economic situation was about to go the dogs. Under thirteen years of Labour, the party who were supposed to be in it for the poor, the working class and the ordinary, hard working people of Britain, employment went down, benefit claims went up, the gates of immigration were flung open and the economy took a dive thanks to their reckless spending and total mismanagement of public finances. And then Miliband has the cheek to stand up and address the crowds at the anti-cuts rally, lecturing on how the coalition were 'harsh' and 'unfair' to the people of England. That's hypocrisy.

I agree with that!

Also remember that if Labour had won the election, Brown would still be in power. Who was it who held the purse strings during all those years of overspending under Blair? If he had had the sense to reduce borrowing and build up the country's reserves during all those years of growth, then I might have been able to take him seriously during the recession.

New Labour, as it was then, threw out Clause IV and spent their first few years veering to the right. I think it may have been our friend Boris who called them "the best Tory government we've ever had". I've always wondered why the European Socialists never threw them out.

 

[bb21]

Lib Dem - but never again.

Hear, hear.

I think it's about time people voted for UKIP or the BNP because being a part of the EU is now not an option. It's verging on the suicidal in my opinion

Err, no.

- Could even have been Tory if David Davis was running them.

I agree.

None of the big parties have any credibility left and none of the small ones will ever get a chance to be voted in so it is totally pointless.

How I love living in a so-called democracy

 

[LE Greys]

How I love living in a so-called democracy

Move to America, then you'll find out what democracy is all about! :roll:

We're not so badly off if you consider the alternatives.

 

[exile]

Labour, though that doesn't imply I agree with all - or even most - of their policies.

That said, the coalition aren't doing badly so far given the circumstances.

 

[Yew]

You dont vote for who you want to run the country, you vote for the party you least dont want to run the country

 

[exile]

I always thought Gordon Brown was dodgy, from the time he sold off the gold reserves, and screwed about with pension funds.

That's something of an urban myth (pension funds). He put a tax on dividends earned by pension funds - but the collapse of final salary schemes has a
number of other causes including the volatility of stock markets, the low interest rates paid on government stocks all over the world (now down to virtually zero%), low inflation, increased longevity and the introduction of safeguards for pension schemes after Maxwell which now made them unattractive from the employers' point of view. Final salary schemes started to die in the US in the 80s - Gordon Brown can hardly be blamed for that.

If the problem was the dividend tax - has the coalition shown any signs of removing it?

Although I was always traditionally a Labour voter.

 

[table38]

That's something of an urban myth (pension funds). He put a tax on dividends earned by pension funds - but the collapse of final salary schemes has a
number of other causes including the volatility of stock markets, the low interest rates paid on government stocks all over the world (now down to virtually zero%), low inflation, increased longevity and the introduction of safeguards for pension schemes after Maxwell which now made them unattractive from the employers' point of view. Final salary schemes started to die in the US in the 80s - Gordon Brown can hardly be blamed for that.

But what Gordon Brown did was a deliberate act calculated to extract money from private pensions. By 2006, independent research suggested his "stealth tax" had reduced the value of retirement funds by at least £100 billion.

It has been suggested that Tony Blair was against it at the time, but Brown saw it as an easy target and pushed it through anyway.

The other reasons you cite were mostly just consequences of the economy or the market at the time, hardly comparable to the deliberate actions of a chancellor who thought he'd eradicated "boom and bust" and would get away with it.

Who is to say what the state of UK Pensions would be now if they hadn't been plundered first. This isn't the first time we've had low interest rates, volatile markets or low inflation, and pensions have ridden out conditions like that in the past.

If the problem was the dividend tax - has the coalition shown any signs of removing it?

I'm guessing it's a bit late now, and they have more pressing things to sort out. Horse - meet stable door!

 

[scotsman]

I always thought Gordon Brown was dodgy, from the time he sold off the gold reserves, and screwed about with pension funds.

Although I was always traditionally a Labour voter.

He's my local MP and he does a rather good job, as do his counterparts in Dunfermline and Glenrothes!

Labour got the vote as they are the lesser evil. I wish Milliband well, but I don't think he's got the sales pitch Blair or Maggie had. Burnham should have won gotta have another Scouser as PM, last one was Gladstone (1890ish)!!!

Labour needs to shift back towards where it came from, Burnham or Abbot for me!

 

[12CSVT]

I think it's about time people voted for UKIP or the BNP because being a part of the EU is now not an option. It's verging on the suicidal in my opinion

You could also consider voting for the No2EU coalition if you are anti-EU.

 

[Flamingo]

He's my local MP and he does a rather good job, as do his counterparts in Dunfermline and Glenrothes!

We've got two aircraft carriers with no aircraft to carry to prove it!

 

[SS4]

Thanks to first past the post my vote doesn't matter.

 

[strange6]

To Strange6 (rather an apt name in my opinion) voting BNP is not an option in my household, my wife is not Caucasian and her family are from the caribbean.

What has that to do with the price of fish? Yes, there are a lot of racists in the BNP but you can say that about every other party going. The point I was making are that these two parties are the only parties that would pull us out of the EU. But then again, we can't have a proper discussion about things like that because we're being racist, aren't we? Now that is strange!

 

[DarloRich]

We've got two aircraft carriers with no aircraft to carry to prove it!

just as disgraceful, the Conservatives did away with the aircraft carrier and the aircaft we DID have!

 

[Flamingo]

just as disgraceful, the Conservatives did away with the aircraft carrier and the aircaft we DID have!

Very true. But I never voted Conservative. I EXPECTED them to do wrong!

 

[SS4]

Very true. But I never voted Conservative. I EXPECTED them to do wrong!

That pretty much sums up my attitude to. Tory track record has not been kind to the poor.

 

[313103]

What has that to do with the price of fish? Yes, there are a lot of racists in the BNP but you can say that about every other party going. The point I was making are that these two parties are the only parties that would pull us out of the EU. But then again, we can't have a proper discussion about things like that because we're being racist, aren't we? Now that is strange!

So what your saying is that the BNP is not a racist organisation? Or are you saying they are an organisation that is not racist but has racist people within their ranks? Now that is what i find strange.

Yes we can have a proper discussion about things like the EU, the fact you had mentioned a known group with extreme right wing views is what is being questioned. That i dont have a problem with because with the EU you are either in it or out of it.

 

[gg1]

You dont vote for who you want to run the country, you vote for the party you least dont want to run the country

Spot on, I've traditionally voted Labour for that reason although last time I voted Lib Dem, won't be doing that again for a while

Of all the current parties I prefer the social and economic policies of the SNP, not much use if you live in England though.

 

[Hydro]

I'd vote BNP if my brain suddenly melted out of my ears. I've never heard a political party sound so much like an intellectually challenged, hormonal teenager.

 

[LE Greys]

So what your saying is that the BNP is not a racist organisation? Or are you saying they are an organisation that is not racist but has racist people within their ranks? Now that is what i find strange.

Yes we can have a proper discussion about things like the EU, the fact you had mentioned a known group with extreme right wing views is what is being questioned. That i dont have a problem with because with the EU you are either in it or out of it.

I would appreciate just such a discussion. I don't like the EU, but not just because I don't like seeing my country being pushed around, I see it as undemocratic and dangerous. I would be prepared to live in a democratic EU if there was a fair referendum on the subject, even if it were a nation state. I would prefer a strong and independent UK in thrall to nobody, but that's my Red Tory side showing through. Democracy should mean more than it seems to in this country, even if it creates some problems.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

I'd vote BNP if my brain suddenly melted out of my ears. I've never heard a political party sound so much like an intellectually challenged, hormonal teenager.

Intellectually challenged hormonal teenagers everywhere are disgusted that you associate them with the BNP.

 

[gg1]

just as disgraceful, the Conservatives did away with the aircraft carrier and the aircaft we DID have!

This has to be one of the most ridiculous, illogical defence decisions any British government has ever made.

• If we need a fixed wing carrier capability, why are we scrapping the Harrier/Invincible class combo 9 years before a replacement will be available?
• If we can cope for 9 years without the above why do we need them at all?

There are good arguments both for and against maintaining a carrier force but the government’s solution offer the worst of both worlds. For the next 9 years our ability to respond to overseas threats is greatly limited but we are still committed to spending billions on new ships and planes.

 

[ACE1888]

On railway matters both Labour and Tory 'shafted' our wonderful railway system between them in the 1960's/early 1970's...both as bad as each other...Rant over/'Nuff said...

 

[strange6]

So what your saying is that the BNP is not a racist organisation? Or are you saying they are an organisation that is not racist but has racist people within their ranks? Now that is what i find strange./QUOTE]

I'm not saying anything about the BNP; People can interpret them as they so please. The very fact that they still exist as a legal, legitimate party may be interpreted that they are not a racist organisation - yes, they seem to campaign for white, British People but then again the Black Police officers Association uphold the interests of Black police officers only.Would a White police officers association make that racist if it could get past the PC brigade? I can bet you there would be howls of racism if ever somebody did initiate such a body. It is true that the BNP does have some biggoted, nasty people within its ranks but if you broadly agree with what the party legitimately stands for, then like it or lump it, that's my democratic right to vote for them. As it happens, I vote UKIP but I still respect the right of the BNP to express their political agendas; so please go ahead and accuse me of being racist because quite frankly, I don't give a stuff. I respect your opinion so please respect mine. That's how a democracy is supposed to work but it's all become too one sided in politically correct Britain these days. That's all I have to say in this thread.

 

[scotsman]

We've got two aircraft carriers with no aircraft to carry to prove it!

Industry needed the carriers, Rosyth needed the carriers, Govan needed the carriers. We've plenty of time to order the planes by the time they'll be read anyway!

 

[NSEFAN]

On railway matters both Labour and Tory 'shafted' our wonderful railway system between them in the 1960's/early 1970's...both as bad as each other...

Indeed. Come to think of it, the only real difference between the two parties is their view on taxes. Everything else is almost identical!

 

[Flamingo]

Industry needed the carriers, Rosyth needed the carriers, Govan needed the carriers. We've plenty of time to order the planes by the time they'll be read anyway!

But did the country? Obviously not. Therefore they were to create a certain type of employment in a specific area. Why not just increase the benefits in those areas instead?

 

[Buttsy]

When I lived in the Oxford East constituency it was Labour as there was no way a tory was getting back in after '83. (My first election '87). When I moved to Oxford West & Abingdon, it was Lib Dem as I didn't want the tory in, but they changed the boundaires last election and added in a tory village which meant Nicola 'I've got a pony' Blackwood snuck in by around 100 or so votes over Dr Evan Harris (Lib Dem). Not that that's made a lot of difference.

I'm with Billy Bragg in as much that 'if you aren't likely to get who you want in, make sure you vote to try and avoid getting who you don't want'.