Now I know this may upset a few peps but I'm really not interested in all this election guff. I was wondering what the SF community think about the subject?

For a start I dont really understand politics. I get the basics, you know, the structure of the government and how discussions are made, laws are passed and so on but it fails to excite me in any way.

I abstain from voting as do it seems 35% of 18-35 year olds (the times yesterday). That means that there are still 65% of folk putting an x on a bit a paper, dropping it into a box and thinking that it matters. The reason I dont vote is that I dont know the ins and outs of the election, the 'promises' of the partys or much else surrounding it. I'd feel hypocritical voting without knowing about each partys manifesto and their views of running the country and I'm not interested enough to find this stuff out. So I dont vote. I also get the impression that if I were to look into it all to see whats being put forwards by each party I'd only be disappointed when they fail to do as promised!

I also got really bored by the whole fox hunting thing, a great example of how dumb politics is. But lets not get into the fox hunting thing.

SO

Local politics, boring. National politics, even more boring.

What are your thoughts on a) my opinion and b) politics?

Dave

I could care less about Politics... All Politicians are scum IMO.

What concerns me is that I don't hear a thing from my MP or local political parties for years and then all of a sudden glossy brochures come through on a regular basis.

I don't know if yours are the same but there seems to be a competition on mine to see how many times the MP can get their full names into it. On my last Lib-Dem one the MP got his name onto a two sided piece of A4 no less that eighteen times!

I find the observations by dwhembro interesting.

Why not follow the election news over the next few weeks, on tv or radio, or buy a paper (The Guardian do a special election spread every day). Read the letters that the would-be MPs in your area will shortly be sending you, asking you for your vote. Then decide.

Keep all the election literature for the winning candidate. In 4/5 years time, when the next general election comes round, dig it out and compare what your winning candidate said they would do with what they have actually achieved as an MP. You can then decide whether to vote for that person/party, or another candidate/party.

Politics is about how your child is educated, ensuring that you don't wait for ever for that NHS operation, and how much tax you pay for these and other things. Don't vote by any means, but please don't complain about anything over which the politicians have control if you suddenly find them to your disliking.

if you don't vote you have no right to complain about whichever government gets in.

And if you never want to complain then you must be living with your head in the sand.

Originally posted by alchresearch
What concerns me is that I don't hear a thing from my MP or local political parties for years and then all of a sudden glossy brochures come through on a regular basis.

As a party activist I get depressed about the amount of times people say 'we only hear from you at election time'. What do you want to hear?

It concerns me that we never hear from people until we knock on their doors. If you've got a problem then do something about it, don't wait until someone comes and asks you if you've anything you want to complain about.

We're in the phone book as are your elected representatives.

Originally posted by max
As a party activist I get depressed about the amount of times people say 'we only hear from you at election time'. What do you want to hear?

Perhaps more frequent newsletters showing what you've done, rather than just the one four weeks before your meal ticket wants renewing would be a start.

In fairness the Lib Dems do this, Labour don't.

Originally posted by alchresearch
Perhaps more frequent newsletters showing what you've done, rather than just the one four weeks before your meal ticket wants renewing would be a start.

In fairness the Lib Dems do this, Labour don't.

But this would waste taxpayers money, money that could be spent elsewhere...

How is it that the opposition party always has all the solutions ?
Maybe the losers should become the next government.

In this country we vote negatively- we vote people out and not in. We vote for the party we fear the least. Elections are a damage limitation exercise.

Originally posted by alchresearch
Perhaps more frequent newsletters showing what you've done, rather than just the one four weeks before your meal ticket wants renewing would be a start.

In fairness the Lib Dems do this, Labour don't.

We're not exactly a rich party and someone has to pay for leaflets. I have to sell a lot of raffle tickets to be able to afford to put one leaflet out in my ward.

What meal ticket am I on by the way?

Politics? Boring..... where's the yawning smiley? :D

I enjoy politics, but I find the party politics stuff very annoying at times. I find Gordon brown's inpenetrable interview technique annoying, and I hope his style isn't the shape of things to come.
It would be better if they got an electric shock if they don't answer a question directly.
I enjoy voting and making my mind up which set of clowns to vote for. It is quite a nice thing to do actually putting a cross in a box in an old fashioned polling station, I find a kind of kinky satisfaction when I'm there.

I would prefer if journalists were more technically competant, as they don't understand the statistical tricks which the polititians constantly use with percentages. Jounos all seem to be literate people rather than scientiific/technology/maths people. This lack of balance leads to a certain flavour of challenge to politicians, and a lack of expertise.

It's going to be a very boring few weeks with the media full of the election. No amount of canvassing is going to change my mind over which party I vote for. To keep it simple, if you want to vote for workers and their rights, you would vote Labour. :thumbsup: If you want to vote for the Bosses, you vote Tory :loopy: and if you don't fall into either of these - vote Lib Dem :rolleyes:

Got this website from a radio ad, it pretty much sums up all this politics hoo ha. Still dont excite me though...

http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/

[i]To keep it simple, if you want to vote for workers and their rights, you would vote Labour. :thumbsup: If you want to vote for the Bosses, you vote Tory :loopy: and if you don't fall into either of these - vote Lib Dem :rolleyes: [/B]

Thanks for that summery.

What if... i'm a "worker" but don't want to be for the rest of my life? Maybe one day i'd like to be a.... tory...? Maybe even a boss one day. *Gasp

-PK-

Originally posted by Cyclone
if you don't vote you have no right to complain about whichever government gets in.

And if you never want to complain then you must be living with your head in the sand.

What I want to vote for NONE OF THE ABOVE?

Do I spoil my ballot paper like these people

http://www.spoilyourvote.co.uk/

If you don't like any of em, stand for election!

I think voter apathy is just an indication of the fact that the parties are all similar in many ways and that we do in fact live in a pretty ok country with a good economy/job prospects/health service etc. If we'd just got rid of some evil dictator like saddam then we'd be queueing at the ballot boxes like the iraqis.

What am I saying? don't worry about it! But don't NOT vote, you might as well, its good fun.

Vote for some random guy who's got no chance so he feels special.

Now I know this may upset a few peps but I'm really not interested in all this election guff. I was wondering what the SF community think about the subject?

For a start I dont really understand politics. I get the basics, you know, the structure of the government and how discussions are made, laws are passed and so on but it fails to excite me in any way.

I abstain from voting as do it seems 35% of 18-35 year olds (the times yesterday). That means that there are still 65% of folk putting an x on a bit a paper, dropping it into a box and thinking that it matters. The reason I dont vote is that I dont know the ins and outs of the election, the 'promises' of the partys or much else surrounding it. I'd feel hypocritical voting without knowing about each partys manifesto and their views of running the country and I'm not interested enough to find this stuff out. So I dont vote. I also get the impression that if I were to look into it all to see whats being put forwards by each party I'd only be disappointed when they fail to do as promised!

I also got really bored by the whole fox hunting thing, a great example of how dumb politics is. But lets not get into the fox hunting thing.

SO

Local politics, boring. National politics, even more boring.

What are your thoughts on a) my opinion and b) politics?

Dave

I am not interested enough to find out anymore than what I know , I know women died for this voting thingy and that is sad in itself but I didnt ask them to and I wouldnt have been one of these women fighting for the right either . I am not entitled to moan though as ive had no input into who ruins the country but I still do I enjoy a moan every now and again lol