[UK Election] Who are you going to vote for?

[Kaligraphic]

The Times Online quiz said I was right-wing authoritarian because I don't like my extended family and would blow off my distant cousin's lesbian marriage. (of course, it couldn't have anything to do with the fact that I dislike her, no, it has to be political.)

Oddly, the Times Online quiz put me somewhat to the right, while the political compass one put me a little to the left. Interesting. Maybe I'm a centrist?

(and no, I'm not in the UK)

 

[Sam_The_Man]

The Times Online quiz said I was right-wing authoritarian because I don't like my extended family and would blow off my distant cousin's lesbian marriage. (of course, it couldn't have anything to do with the fact that I dislike her, no, it has to be political.)

If you couldn't see that a question like that was asking about your stance on social issues, and not about your opinion of your family, that puts you in the 'Confused' section

 

[Kaligraphic]

I know, but if I put any other answer, I'd be answering for someone else.

 

[_Zd_Phoenix_]

No, you'd be answering on the issue and not a personal responce. It isn't about whether you'd attend a wedding, it's about what you think of gay people.

 

[Symbolikal]

hahaha, unfortunatelly interest in politics doesn't mean they're no ****nuts
maybe you're wise enough to vote, but most children have to calm down first, before they should be able to vote and decide in which direction the country has to go(and I don't want to have a right- OR left-radical party in the parlament and studies showed that many 16year old kids would vote for them)

btw. I don't like the idea of balking people from voting, who have a different opinion or prefer a piece of **** to a newspaper, but maybe that's just me

Not all the kids, just kids who had a genuine interest in politics and knew what they were talking about when they did that exam or when they put the cross on that ballot paper. You are entitled to that opinion, therefore you're entitled to think different to my way of thinking.

 

[Otej]

If you are old enough to become a parent or pay taxes you should be old enough to vote, in the Uk the age for the first two is 16, and in my opinion so should the third

 

[Selerox]

18+

Sorry, but however informed and mature you guys might be, the vast majority of <18 year olds shouldn't ever be given a vote. It's not like it's an issue anyway really, most sub 21s (I don't mean here, I mean in general in the UK) don't give a **** about anything, let alone politics. Cynical? Yes, absolutly, next question.

 

[Sam_The_Man]

The fact is, most people shouldn't be given a vote.

If you were to set a test which people had to pass before getting the vote, who do you think would set the test? The Government, of course. Oh, you could put it in the hands of an independent commission, but who would be on the commission? Disgraced ministers and retired civil servants. The Government, in other words.

 

[anaemic]

haha that list of things labour has done is the biggest pile of bull**** ive ever read; this one in particular popped out at me as lolwtf

10. Written off up to 100 per cent of debt owed by poorest counties
when exactly did they do this ? and why havent they told anyone so we can stop protesting and petitioning people to do it ?

basically raw statistics are bull**** and mean nothing, wow the economy went up? what does that mean? nothing, if they increase the rate of chance of increase, well good on em, for all those figures tell us labour could have been greatly decreasing the increase... (if ya get me )



the bottom line is that the liberal democrats are pledging equal or above labours targts on all key issues.
eg, lib dems are aiming for 10,000 more police than labour targets.
lib dems plan to invest in renewable energy sources with intents to have us up to 50% by 2050 - whereas labours genius plan is to keep importing oil products indefinately (not to mention the lib dems want to decomission nuclear plants).
lib dems vastly outstrip labour on investment for nhs, how? by charging people who earn over £100,000 a year, FIFTY PENCE extra tax
lib dems dont want no stinking compulsary biometric id cards

 

[Otej]

up to 100% could still mean 1%

and maturity doesn't factor into the debate. There are immature 30 year olds, and excpetionally mature teenagers. If you're old enough to be taxed by the state you should be allowed to decide where the money goes through elections.

 

[_Zd_Phoenix_]

Depends what they count as the poorest countries i guess

 

[Sam_The_Man]

Depends what they count as the poorest countries i guess

And how much 'up to 100%' means. And when they're actually going to do this, because so far it's still only sound and noise at international negotiations.

Debt relief won't mean anything unless the EU lowers its trade barriers anyway, and I haven't heard a peep from Labour on that issue.

The state of the Third World is one of the things that most pisses me off, because left-wingers routinely ascribe it to 'free trade'. Yes, it's true that Third World countries lowered their trade barriers in exchange for aid and subsequently became a lot poorer... because rich countries didn't do the same. Any A-level economist will tell you that free trade only works if both countries engage in it. So free trade is still the solution, not the problem.

Looking at Phoenix's beloved list again (originally I tildred it), about 40 of the 50 relate to meaningless statistics, new quangos and good old pork, and about half the rest are plain stupid. Free entry to museums? Great, the oldest of the middle-class rip-offs is back. 'Historic' Northern Island agreement? The IRA still exists, in case you hadn't noticed. Though to be honest, I am somewhat impressed that as many as 10% are actually quite good.

*edit*

Anyone see Question Time? It was quite good, but it really only reinforced what we already knew: Michael Howard is a lawyer, not a politician, Blair is the best leader the Tories never had, and Charles Kennedy is the only one who is even remotely likable, even if his central idea - that tax revenue can be sufficiently increased by raising the top rate of tax, and that this will have no disincentive effect on earners - is utter bollocks.

And I'm glad I'm not a politician, because although I think Howard's policy on immigration is nothing but racist pandering, in his place I would have got up and throttled that Godwinning moron who told Howard he was "evil" and "like Hitler".

 

[MÆST]

"Statistics are like the old drunk who uses the light post for support as opposed to enlightenment."

 

[Sam_The_Man]

Oh, and every time I see Howard I think "Wow, he really does look like a vampire".

 

[MetalMickey]

Howard is such as scumbag he actually makes Blair look good. Its mind blowing.

 

[_Zd_Phoenix_]

Looking at Phoenix's beloved list again (originally I tildred it), about 40 of the 50 relate to meaningless statistics, new quangos and good old pork, and about half the rest are plain stupid. Free entry to museums? Great, the oldest of the middle-class rip-offs is back. 'Historic' Northern Island agreement? The IRA still exists, in case you hadn't noticed. Though to be honest, I am somewhat impressed that as many as 10% are actually quite good.

lol i'd hardly call it either mine or beloved, I just get annoyed when Labour are presented as having done nothing at all good whilst being in government, which I think is just nonsense.

The list was (of course) from Labour itself, I only added the bit about civil unions and Section 28 at the end...I didn't mention the gay people in the military thing because although they are seemingly embracing it now, the European Court of Human Rights were the ones that forced them to legalise it in the first place.

I think alot more of the list is accurate than you give it credit for, but i suppose alot could be deemed subjective, and from where we came on those political graph thingies I'm not surprised we might not agree.

But remember, I'm not even a natural Labour supporter even though current circumstances mean I hope that they win. Well...they pretty much will win.

Anyone see Question Time?

GOD DAMMIT!!!! erm no i didn't. really pissed off about it.

What was it like? Who came off worst/best iyo? did Blair get roasted for Iraq/not having all parties on together???

Did howard make anymore references to gays being arty types only/did he suck out any audience members blood?

Was that water in Kennedy's glass?

Oh, and every time I see Howard I think "Wow, he really does look like a vampire".

Everytime I see him I think of the Bremner Bird and Fortune take on him and the hugely disturbing 'Hello, don't be frightened...'

 

[Sam_The_Man]

What was it like? Who came off worst/best iyo? did Blair get roasted for Iraq/not having all parties on together???

Blair was the best debater by a mile, Kennedy second, Howard third.

Blair got a lot of flak over Iraq, but he defended himself as well as he possibly could. It helped that Howard had said that he would have also supported the war even though he knew no WMDs would be found. He got a question about why he wouldn't appear with the other leaders, but laughed it off.

Did howard make anymore references to gays being arty types only/did he suck out any audience members blood?

He didn't make any references to gays. With the exception of immigration, the Republican wing of the Conservatives are all safely on the backbenches, anyway.

I wouldn't be surprised if that young man who called him Hitler (Howard is a Jew with Romanian parents, remember) mysteriously disappears in the night, though. In fact, if he did, I'd probably ask Labour to send me a couple of forged ballots so I can cancel out my vote in favour of the Conservatives

Was that water in Kennedy's glass?

Probably. He didn't stutter, either, so obviously he took the precaution of taping his spawn's mouth shut last night.

 

[edhe]

What's winning alot of people over i think is that brown's with blair most of the time now... Tories have lost it... they're acting racist, admitting to wanting to war too and not putting forward anything that sounds good.

LibDems have their issues, but honestly i can't see why the polls are so in favour of red.

 

[DedMeat]

From a YouGov poll in this mornings Telegraph:

Q. Who do you think is telling lies to win theis election?

Tony Blair (Labour)..................Yes 58% No 26%
Charles Kennedy (Lib Dem) .......Yes 22% No 46%
Michael Howard (Conservative)..Yes 51% No 24%

Q. Which Party would you vote for?

Labour...........36%
Lib Dem..........24%
Conservative...32%

The UK electorate? Confused sheep? Surely not.

<EDIT> Seems my political stance is pretty close to the Dalai Lama

 

[edhe]

Idiots. Bloody idiots.