The 2015 Popularity Contest (aka UK General Election )

[bring the ghost on]

Who do you vote for if you are an average voter who sways towards the left in your political persuasion?

You sure as hell don't vote for the tories, because they are the party run by the elite, for the elite.

If you have sense you won't vote for UKIP. Leaving immigration and the EU aside, they are a scary party whose leader would make thatcher look like Karl Marx given the chance.

Voting lib dem is unthinkable.

So, unless you have a good independent candidate or you want to spoil you ballot paper, you're left to choose between greens and labour.

I like the greens and they are likely to get my vote. I broadly agree with them on most points. Also, Labour pander to the middle and upper classes and big businesses too much. They are afraid to stick up for their core voters.

However, greens remain a fringe party and sadly don't get enough exposure. There are few alternatives out there for people of a left persuasion and it's not difficult to see why people vote labour. As @Seanjd mentions above, they're the lesser of two evils in many eyes.

 

[Jxg]

Policy Highlights of a future Labour Government:

Low Pay: Increase in minimum wage to a minimum of £8.00 by 2020.

NHS: Fully funded increase in NHS budgets. Greater integration of health and social services. Guaranteed GP appointments within 48 hours. Cancer tests within 1 week. £2.5bn Time to care fund for more care workers, doctors and nurses.

Taxation: Mansion tax, reintroduction of 10% income tax rate. Increases in corporation tax whilst committing to being lowest in G7. Closure of tax loop holes for hedge funds. Increased resource into fighting tax evasion

Immigration: Change in welfare rules. Law against companies employing immigrants and undercutting local pay structures.

Education: Maintenance of funding. Increased focus on vocational training, aiming to equal the number of vocational placements with university places.

Public Spending: year on year reductions with objective to balance the budget and no additional borrowing.

EU referendum: No referendum on EU membership in this next parliament.

Competition Laws: Strengthening of competition laws and much greater regulation of banks and utility companies.

Devolution: Further devolution of centralised powers including the re-introduction of regional transport authorities.

-£8.00? That's just going to lose thousands of people their jobs.
-Would be nice to see exactly how they'll fund the NHS budget increase. "Tax the rich" can only be done so much before they up and leave.
-I'll believe anything Labour says on immigration when I see it. They're complete snakes in this area and cannot be trusted at all.
-I'd have expected more from education, especially on tuition fees.
-Many people vote Labour because they believe they'll stop reductions in public spending, compared to the Conservatives. This seems to be misunderstood greatly.
-No EU referendum will lose Labour far too many votes to UKIP.

Nice to see a summary of their policies, though. I'd have hoped that should they get in, a positive would be that they'd rethink the tuition fees (perhaps reductions for STEM subjects like a couple of parties offer). Alas, that is not to be.

 

[Pienaar's gloves]

Who do you vote for if you are an average voter who sways towards the left in your political persuasion?

You sure as hell don't vote for the tories, because they are the party run by the elite, for the elite.

If you have sense you won't vote for UKIP. Leaving immigration and the EU aside, they are a scary party whose leader would make thatcher look like Karl Marx given the chance.

Voting lib dem is unthinkable.

So, unless you have a good independent candidate or you want to spoil you ballot paper, you're left to choose between greens and labour.

I like the greens and they are likely to get my vote. I broadly agree with them on most points. Also, Labour pander to the middle and upper classes and big businesses too much. They are afraid to stick up for their core voters.

However, greens remain a fringe party and sadly don't get enough exposure. There are few alternatives out there for people of a left persuasion and it's not difficult to see why people vote labour. As @Seanjd mentions above, they're the lesser of two evils in many eyes.

If I was in your shoes, I would vote tactically. If my constituency was a foregone conclusion then I would go for the Greens anyway.

 

[Groucho]

They're all crap. They're just varying degrees of crap.

There nothing between Labour and Conservative, nothing at all. Liberal Democrats are dead as a party due to Clegg. I hope to God UKIP don't get votes.

I'd vote for the Green Party, the most Labour/Socialist of the lot but they hate the car so that's them out.

The only decent Tory there ever was is Michael Hesteltine, but I just can't bring myself to vote for more of this.

And historically, me and my family have always voted Labour but they're without credible leadership. Ed should've conceded leadership to his brother.

They're all hopeless.

 

[Jxg]

Who do you vote for if you are an average voter who sways towards the left in your political persuasion?

You sure as hell don't vote for the tories, because they are the party run by the elite, for the elite.

If you have sense you won't vote for UKIP. Leaving immigration and the EU aside, they are a scary party whose leader would make thatcher look like Karl Marx given the chance.

Voting lib dem is unthinkable.

So, unless you have a good independent candidate or you want to spoil you ballot paper, you're left to choose between greens and labour.

I like the greens and they are likely to get my vote. I broadly agree with them on most points. Also, Labour pander to the middle and upper classes and big businesses too much. They are afraid to stick up for their core voters.

However, greens remain a fringe party and sadly don't get enough exposure. There are few alternatives out there for people of a left persuasion and it's not difficult to see why people vote labour. As @Seanjd mentions above, they're the lesser of two evils in many eyes.

You don't vote for Labour because they are, as the poll states, "Diet Tory." You certainly don't vote for Miliband.

I'm assuming you haven't read this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...nce-tax-the-Green-Party-plan-for-Britain.html
Because if (by some miracle), after reading it, you still find the Green's to have attractive, sensible, possible policies, vote for them. However, the Greens will not win any seats, so keep that in mind. It seems unlikely that UKIP will win more than 10 and they're projected to take over double the Green vote.

 

[Clint Planet]

Who do you vote for if you are an average voter who sways towards the left in your political persuasion?

You sure as hell don't vote for the tories, because they are the party run by the elite, for the elite.

If you have sense you won't vote for UKIP. Leaving immigration and the EU aside, they are a scary party whose leader would make thatcher look like Karl Marx given the chance.

Voting lib dem is unthinkable.

So, unless you have a good independent candidate or you want to spoil you ballot paper, you're left to choose between greens and labour.

I like the greens and they are likely to get my vote. I broadly agree with them on most points. Also, Labour pander to the middle and upper classes and big businesses too much. They are afraid to stick up for their core voters.

However, greens remain a fringe party and sadly don't get enough exposure. There are few alternatives out there for people of a left persuasion and it's not difficult to see why people vote labour. As @Seanjd mentions above, they're the lesser of two evils in many eyes.

Basically, the whole system is not fit for purpose and not only gives carte blanche to the ruling class to fill their boots and serve their own vested interests but also discourages the average man or woman from even "wasting their time" to vote - which of course, suits the ruling class.


That said, please DO vote!

 

[Clint Planet]

There nothing between Labour and Conservative, nothing at all.

Come on, Groucho - they're a party riddled with toffs who pander to the interests of the companies that they're all in the pay of. They're anti-workers rights, anti-gay rights (at least below the leadership - credit to Cameron on that one) and pro-TTIP (though, so might Labour be).

They are the self-perpetuating elite. Kick them out.

 

[bring the ghost on]

You don't vote for Labour because they are, as the poll states, "Diet Tory." You certainly don't vote for Miliband.

I'm assuming you haven't read this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...nce-tax-the-Green-Party-plan-for-Britain.html
Because if (by some miracle), after reading it, you still find the Green's to have attractive, sensible, possible policies, vote for them. However, the Greens will not win any seats, so keep that in mind. It seems unlikely that UKIP will win more than 10 and they're projected to take over double the Green vote.

My question was who do left leaning voters vote for... All you have done is tell me who they shouldn't vote for.

Anyway, I'm not advocating voting for labour because they're the lesser of two evils, merely explaining that it happens. The tories are such a nasty bunch that it's not surprising that it's tempting to vote to remove them from govt.

As for the article, no I hadn't previously read it (because it's in the tory-graph) and having just read it, it's just typical scare mongering mud slinging nonsense. This is the same paper owned by tax exiles and who come a close second to the daily mail for sheer wing right nonsense (denouncing the human rights act, questioning climate change, etc).

Ive read the greens manifesto at the primary source without the tory spin, and as I've said before, I agree with most of their policies.

Also, until there is a genuine left wing alternative and people start voting for them, labour will never learn their lesson.

 

[Jxg]

My question was who do left leaning voters vote for... All you have done is tell me who they shouldn't vote for.

Anyway, I'm not advocating voting for labour because they're the lesser of two evils, merely explaining that it happens. The tories are such a nasty bunch that it's not surprising that it's tempting to vote to remove them from govt.

As for the article, no I hadn't previously read it (because it's in the tory-graph) and having just read it, it's just typical scare mongering mud slinging nonsense. This is the same paper owned by tax exiles and who come a close second to the daily mail for sheer wing right nonsense (denouncing the human rights act, questioning climate change, etc).

Ive read the greens manifesto at the primary source without the tory spin, and as I've said before, I agree with most of their policies.

Also, until there is a genuine left wing alternative and people start voting for them, labour will never learn their lesson.

You may consider the article scaremongering but it's absolutely true. 100% of it. If it were not, the Green Party would have complained and it would have been removed, or they'd have gone a step further and taken them to court, because it would be clear-as-crystal slander.

I wasn't trying to tell you who to vote for, just giving you some though on your decision. If I were in your shoes I'd vote for an independent candidate, assuming you've one with a reasonable chance of election. They tend to care more about the area.

I do agree with your point on Labour. I've never been a fan of them but it irritates me that they collect so many votes because people view them as the "worker's party" when I can't recall the last time one of their leaders held an actual job, didn't go to university and didn't plan to go into politics. It's because of this that they don't actually understand their voters and won't change.

 

[ilikecheese]

Well it's good to see that political polarity is not just an American problem.

 

[Pienaar's gloves]

You don't vote for Labour because they are, as the poll states, "Diet Tory." You certainly don't vote for Miliband.

I'm assuming you haven't read this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...nce-tax-the-Green-Party-plan-for-Britain.html
Because if (by some miracle), after reading it, you still find the Green's to have attractive, sensible, possible policies, vote for them. However, the Greens will not win any seats, so keep that in mind. It seems unlikely that UKIP will win more than 10 and they're projected to take over double the Green vote.

That article is sensationalist.

'Vegetarianism for all.' is not the point of the policy.

And they are right when they say:

While their rivals recognise more trade, more innovation, more competition and more globalisation as an engine for prosperity for everyone on the planet, the Greens argue it is nothing more than a race to the bottom that has made the poor poorer, the rich richer, and pillaged the environment.

 

[bring the ghost on]

You may consider the article scaremongering but it's absolutely true. 100% of it. If it were not, the Green Party would have complained and it would have been removed, or they'd have gone a step further and taken them to court, because it would be clear-as-crystal slander.

You and I both know that a lot of political mudslinging, scaremongering and slander goes on in these papers as common practice without repercussions. The editors know the law on defamation and they use the loopholes to get around it.

I can't take serious an article which claims to be an insight into green policies, but which has subheadings such as ''vegetarianism for all'', ''sign up to al-qaeda'' and ''open doors'' as if it is all so black and white and as if these are the outcomes the greens purport to achieve. It's so biased and selective in its quoting to suit it's own anti-liberal agenda.

 

[Pienaar's gloves]

You and I both know that a lot of political mudslinging, scaremongering and slander goes on in these papers as common practice without repercussions. The editors know the law on defamation and they use the loopholes to get around it.

I can't take serious an article which claims to be an insight into green policies, but which has subheadings such as ''vegetarianism for all'', ''sign up to al-qaeda'' and ''open doors'' as if it is all so black and white and as if these are the outcomes the greens purport to achieve. It's so biased and selective in its quoting to suit it's own anti-liberal agenda.

The 'Sign up to al-Qaeda' one was ridiculous!

I can tell you only where you will not find the answer to your original question, any newspaper. All utter garb. No wonder the population knows so little about politics!

 

[Seanjd]

Well I'm going to vote green anyway. It's got nothing to do with the fact that I'm an al-Qaeda supporting, vegetarian, drug using immigrant prostitute.

 

[bring the ghost on]

Well I'm going to vote green anyway. It's got nothing to do with the fact that I'm an al-Qaeda supporting, vegetarian, drug using immigrant prostitute.

But the big question is, do you want to see Beyonce in concert?