Who are you voting for OFFICIAL POLL

[Alty]

There's a lot of interesting debate in this thread, despite the occasional tantrum. It's particularly encouraging that there is little rancour compared to most local Facebook pages where you see some really nasty, usually "fashionable" attacks, particularly on Corbyn, the Lib Dems generally and Nicola Sturgeon. Quite why people in south Hampshire should reserve their venom for a small Scottish lady beats me, though.

Labour: the fact that Paul Dacre, Murdoch MacLennan, the Barclay Brothers, Whittow and the entire Murdoch clan spend so much time detesting and ridiculing Jeremy Corbyn only suggest to me that he is undoubtedly good enough to lead our country. After all, most of these odious, unelected, charmless media nasties favoured either Boris Johnson, Michael Gove or Andrea Leadsom. Labour is no less fit to govern than the Tories were in 2010. The open dissent between the PLP and local branches and unions provides some degree of hope that robust challenge has replaced the usual inerrant dogma.

Tory: There is clearly a lot of talent in the Tory party. I know this not because the media tell me, but because Tory MPs are generally better at being visible and many appear very able: Sam Gyimah, Heidi Allen, Sajid Javid, Victoira Prentis to name just a few. There are still arsewipes like Phil Davies, but then every party has some like that. They do have talent but they understand the law and business better than they understand compassion and inclusiveness, so everything on the social front will seem just a little patronising. Also, problematic is that Theresa May is as prone to bullshit spin, bluster and U-turns as any other party leader. The Tories present disagreement in the Labour Party as a negative, yet the rigidity of party dogma in the Tories is probably much more troublesome for many people.

LibDems: It is incredibly fashionable to mock and ridicule them, and in the age range for this forum, it may well be particularly acute as many here will remember the tuition fees fiasco. The LibDems were unfairly blamed for all that was wrong with the coalition government yet, looking back, it seemed a government that felt strong and stable without the nasty feel of a blunt instrument that un-coalitioned Conservatives have. Yet the LibDems are the party most capable of successfully finding, every time, a foot in which to shoot themselves. Every election they make a promise that massively damages their numbers: this year, it's the pompous declaration that they won't form a coalition with either Labour or Tories. It was that kind of statement that probably keeps half a million strategic voters in marginal constituencies in bed on polling day. A surprising number of people believe that coalition governments are preferable to the rigid dogma of left or right.

Greens: It's a brave vote but I can see a particularly strong vote for the Greens in really strong Tory seats. Personally, I can't see a huge difference these days between the Lib Dems and the Greens and I wonder if they might merge or form an alliance after this election.

So who am I voting for? I put LibDem in the original poll but I'm not so sure. I'm not strongly anti- anyone, to be honest, although I generally detest local-level Tory councillors with a passion. There are many MPs of almost shades that I admire or respect, but short of moving, I can't vote for any of them. So I'm still not sure. But I will vote.

Agree with a lot of that. You seem to start from the position of believing that all parties have some good and bad eggs and no single party has a monopoly on good ideas. A position I arrived at too, albeit a bit later than I should have done.

I'm your quintessential electoral slut having voted for Labour, Green, Lib Dem, UKIP and the Women's Equality Party in the past and am leaning towards Tory this time. It all depends on the tactical situation, the type of election and the particular candidates standing.

I still can't see for the life of me how Labour are going to win enough people round. There are too many problems. Those who like Corbyn tend to dislike his Parliamentary colleagues and vice versa. I think to have had any chance they'd have needed to go into the election united.

It does make all the intra party squabbling and backstabbing look pathetic now, though. If they'd just accepted the party was being led from the left and got on board from day one, they might actually be in a position to win next week.

 

[spireite]

It's difficult to see Labour winning without Scotland I think. Scotland was always Labours crutch, and with the SNP coming in and stealing their dinner, they are going to have to make serious gains in the south to make up for it.

On the subject, I don't know loads about it, but it's always looked on the face of it to me like Scotland is over-representated in parliament. They have around a 4th or 5th of the number of seats as England despite less than 1/10 the population size, or something like that. They definitely have the power to swing the whole thing if they are fed up of a Tory gov.

 

[Alty]

It's difficult to see Labour winning without Scotland I think. Scotland was always Labours crutch, and with the SNP coming in and stealing their dinner, they are going to have to make serious gains in the south to make up for it.

On the subject, I don't know loads about it, but it's always looked on the face of it to me like Scotland is over-representated in parliament. They have around a 4th or 5th of the number of seats as England despite less than 1/10 the population size, or something like that. They definitely have the power to swing the whole thing if they are fed up of a Tory gov.

Scotland gets 59 seats out of 650. As a straightforward allocation of seats based on population you could argue it's fair. Then again, a lot of stuff debated at Westminster applies to England or England and Wales only. English Votes for English Laws is designed to solve that but it's all a bit messy.

 

[spireite]

Scotland gets 59 seats out of 650. As a straightforward allocation of seats based on population you could argue it's fair. Then again, a lot of stuff debated at Westminster applies to England or England and Wales only. English Votes for English Laws is designed to solve that but it's all a bit messy.

Oh right I thought they had like double that for some reason

 

[Ian_Wrexham]

I'm voting for anarcho-abstentionism although it's possible I'll crack in the next couple of weeks.

Probably gonna vote Labour lads, largely cos I'll have to go to the polling station anyway to do a proxy vote.

Just handing in my anarchist card to the anarchy cops.

 

[Red]

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/poli...-ian-lavery-after-heated-debate-a3556036.html

This perfectly illustrates why Boris Johnson at the EU negotiating table would be an utter disaster.

 

[Stringy]

I will probably vote Labour, but stuff such as a ridiculous minimum wage hike to £10p/h and scrapping tuition fees sound like ideas just to get votes. I don't see how he can ever implement those, outrageous. Which makes me wonder what else he's pie in the sky about, the man seems a bit idealistic.

Still, I've always voted Labour and probably will again, because a vote anywhere else is a vote for Tory, and fuck Tory

I don't think a minimum wage of £10 p/h is fanciful. There are many large businesses which can pay this amount but refuse. I would be concerned for smaller businesses but like Corbyn said, he wants to make it easier for smaller businesses to loan capital, which at the moment prohibits growth.

Besides, if businesses were unable to meet these costs, they would respond simply by increasing the price of their goods and services, which those earning more money can now pay for anyway. In reality, there's probably not that much to lose.

It's a more complicated position, but it makes sense if you think about it.

This is fully anecdotal and I'm not really sure how far is supports my position, as the price of milk could have been due to another factor - but I had a friend who went to Sweden and he said that milk was very expensive, something daft like £4 for four pints. But he earned £20 p/h as a minimum anyway, so he didn't care about paying it.

 

[Redfox]

VOTE UKIP OR I'LL POUND YOUR FACE IN!

 

[Aber gas]

VOTE UKIP OR I'LL POUND YOUR FACE IN!

Hiya Carver, how are you mate?

 

[JaseTheVillain]

VOTE UKIP OR I'LL POUND YOUR FACE IN!

To be fair, I agree with Carver, if you're thinking of voting Tory, remember to give UKIP or the BNP a think, they surely could offer a decent alternative...

 

[PIKT75]

To be fair, I agree with Carver, if you're thinking of voting Tory, remember to give UKIP or the BNP a think, they surely could offer a decent alternative...

yep they wont let anymore muslims in anyway

 

[Abertawe]

Muzzies

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

Hi Monkey.

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

Changed my vote again, from Labour to Liberal Democrats.

Edit:

Lols, then I scroll up the page and see this add on 1FF - TractorBoys - Really? Political adverts. Come on.

Back to Labour as a protest vote against the Tories. I'm so undecided.

 

[Redfox]

 

[spireite]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40181444

'I'll change human rights laws if they 'get in the way' of chasing terror suspects'

Another reason not to vote for Theresa May, as if you needed one. Ridiculous statement playing on people's anger and fear, lovely.

 

[Red]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40181444

'I'll change human rights laws if they 'get in the way' of chasing terror suspects'

Another reason not to vote for Theresa May, as if you needed one. Ridiculous statement playing on people's anger and fear, lovely.

The sad thing is a lot f people who are still frothing at the mouth will buy it.

 

[Redfox]

The sad thing is a lot f people who are still frothing at the mouth will buy it.

I'm frothing at the mouth but I'm voting for UKIP.

I can't stand Labour or Tory anymore, they can both fuck off to their beloved Saudi Arabia.

 

[HertsWolf]

It's difficult to see Labour winning without Scotland I think. Scotland was always Labours crutch, and with the SNP coming in and stealing their dinner, they are going to have to make serious gains in the south to make up for it.

Hit the nail on the head. I can't see a Labour victory again while the SNP are strong. Also, the Greens and some LibDem candidates further skim small percentages off the Labour vote.

Like or (probably) loathe them, Blair, Campbell and Mandelson knew how to win elections...with the catalyst of Anthony Giddens. Maybe Corbyn, Farron et al should read some of the work of Giddens and those in a similar orbit...including Haidt, Jacobs and even Mark Satin.

 

[HertsWolf]

I'm frothing at the mouth but I'm voting for UKIP.
I can't stand Labour or Tory anymore, they can both fuck off to their beloved Saudi Arabia.

With your sound-bite shite, you'd make a good UKIP parliamentary candidate.

 

[Captain Scumbag]

Ridiculous statement playing on people's anger and fear, lovely.

Mrs May has had it in for the ECHR ever since that rather embarrassing saga involving her, the European Court of Human Rights and Abu Qatada.

I won’t recount the case in full. The gist is, she wasted god knows how much public money on hopeless appeals before she grudgingly did what the court required (a deal prohibiting the Jordanians from using evidence obtained via torture). Then she pretended she hadn’t. The way she presented it, she had defeated the pesky Human Rights lawyers through sheer force of will.

Somehow she got away with it. To some extent, she’s even been able to trade on the whole thing. The ‘no-nonsense’ woman who finally kicked evil Abu out of fair Albion. That sort of thing. Hilarious really.

Anyway, the point I’m labouring is that today’s talk about ignoring the ECHR (or opting out of bits) isn’t entirely new and opportunistic. Being shite on individual rights/liberties and wishing away legal facts that inconvenience her are among the few things Mrs May does fairly consistently.

 

[Red]

I'm frothing at the mouth but I'm voting for UKIP.

I can't stand Labour or Tory anymore, they can both fuck off to their beloved Saudi Arabia.

This does not surprise me, every UKIP voter is in the grip of some psychotic mania and froths at the mouth.

 

[Red]

I think the best we can hope for tomorrow is a hung parliament, but I think the reality will be a Tory win with a reduced majority. Should that prove to be what happens I think it puts May in a precarious position, especially if its a slender majority. If the Tories do win I'm trying to draw some positives from it. One will be Brexit which I believe without a shadow of a doubt she will monumentally fuck up.

Despite her mantra of strong and stable she has done a U turn only days after releasing her manifesto and she's got previous on being indecisive. By her side will be the impetuous manbaby Boris Johnson who had proved time and again in interviews that he is impetuous and arrogant. Then we have the arrogant David Davis, a man who makes any person's skin crawl. These are the people that the incompetent May will be taking to the EU negotiations. My prediction is an unmitigated disaster. The problem for the Tories is that unlike other bad policies or poorly judged mistakes they won't be able to kick Brexit into the long grass when it goes tits up. May has specifically framed this election as the Brexit election and a lot of people will be voting for her solely on that basis. When she messes it up I think it will be a massive stick to beat the Tories over the head with at the next election. They will go down in history as claiming to be the best party to handle Brexit, but the ones who messed it up.

 

[Habbinalan]

Tactical vote cast - not that it will make much difference, even though Labour were actually second here last time around.

 

[mowgli]

Vote Lib Dems earlier but not for the party only for our candidate Tessa Munt in Wells. I really can't stand Farron and Clegg i'm hoping they both lose their seats but the rabid meekat Farron has a massive majority unlike Clegg who is at risk.

 

[Redfox]

This does not surprise me, every UKIP voter is in the grip of some psychotic mania and froths at the mouth.

If Labour and Corbyn were not so soft then I would of voted Labour.

I still wish for a right wing Labour leader.

 

[Renegade]

Just voted for Naomi Long of Alliance in East Belfast, one of the few constituencies in Northern Ireland that looks neck and neck. Alliance vs DUP. The polling centre was completely empty.

If Labour and Corbyn were not so soft then I would of voted Labour.

I still wish for a right wing Labour leader.

would have*

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

My polling station was fairly busy. In the end I caved in, becoming 1FF's most reluctant Labour voter.

 

[Red]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-40201908/media-scuffle-outside-polling-station

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-40201908/media-scuffle-outside-polling-station

"Having a proper scrap". Fuck me, it couldn't be more handbags if they tried.