Election then - Kinda inevitable. FF secret ballot!

[Dr_Pepper]

Well you can't get away from the election right now so let's see if Fiat owners reflect the national trends. It's a secret ballot of course so nobody knows who you voted for.

Justify your choice here if you want, or just have a rant about politics, bought time we had a good debate in any case.

 

[The Negotiator]

I honestly don't know yet. However, whichever way I vote, 90% of the vote will be tatical rather than manifesto based sadly. Guess that's what labour want.

 

[The Negotiator]

Oh and not very confidential if you are the only one to have voted hey Richard

Although your choice stuns me in all honestly. I do find it quite amusing they have any followers left!

 

[Helz]

I have to say that this time round, none of the party's manifestos sit in line with my own opinions which is a bit of a bummer.I was hoping there would be some juicy independent candidates round here but it appears not so I'll go with the only party who have bothered to make an effort and come round and see me and stuff leaflets through my door!

 

[Helz]

I was the first one to vote

 

[Dr_Pepper]

Well goes to show - actually it wasn't me to cast that first vote! I have now, and I voted UKIP. Who I will almost certainly vote for come polling day, unless I discover there's a good independant chap in my consituency.

As a side note, I've got a polling card at home and I've also got one here at uni. I voted twice last year in the Euro elections (one was by postal vote). I thought it was a fluke but it seems nothing stops me doing it again. Anyone else have this?

 

[dave]

dont know enough about UKIP yet so wont vote them just incase they turn out to be another bnp

 

[Helz]

Yeah, the same happened to me when I was a student, I didn't realise we got registered en masse at the halls. However I could only use one as I was a very very long way from home.

 

[Dr_Pepper]

well yes this time I could only do it if I drove all the way home, which obvioulsy I'm not sad enough to do! Last time though I voted by postal vote a week before the election, then came home (end of term I think) and found a polling card on the doorstep!

Surely this isn't right?!

 

[The Negotiator]

In that case my comments go to you and I have to say I am not thinking what you're thinking

I think the tories this time are a complete farce, I actually find it physically funny. The idea that "they will cut wastage" so cut taxes but improve services is absurd. Why? Well if it was possible, every government would have already done it. The country is so large economies of scale are the opposite way around. So that's out the window. The idea of "how hard is it to keep a hospital clean" is also quite funny. Why? EVERY european country right now, even the French with possibly the best health system in the world has problem with superbugs. Hmm. Obviously by cutting bck on staff in the NHS (as above) hospitals will get cleaner? Oh that doesn't make sense? DIdn't think so, maybe like cutting wastage, under a tory government, everybody's efficiency will improve 10%. I think not.

Quota on immigration? Well, why not? It can be considered but NOT in a numerical way "oh no, we've already had 12 from fiji this month, **** off" "But i am a top doctor!" "**** OFF!". It's a case of looking at individual cases.

Hence why I laugh sometimes at them.....

THough the other lot have a liar as a leader but he will be gone soon enough after the election.

And the real alternative, well, i agree with a fair bit of there policy but I dislike Kennedy with a passion, see him being the PM as much as I see Mr Bean being James Bond, it doesn't work for me.

Yet if I don't vote the BN-****s will probably take over the world because of my lack of one vote. Hence tatical voting.

 

[The Negotiator]

Oh and Richard I too have the same - surely this shouldn't have happened? One member two votes, i like that

The main problem I have after voting for Blair is that my MP is a whip and I really disagree with the whip system.

 

[Helz]

Personally I think if a party can't be bothered coming to see me, they aren't going to be that bothered about trying to do stuff or listening to their constituents post-election. I don't actually like any of the parties' policies right now but my vote is valuable so I'll use it one way or another!

 

[Dr_Pepper]

I'm with you on the tories (Paul) for me they are laughable - I'd happily vote labour any day of the week over them, but they all annoy me with their "cutting government wastage" bull****. All the parties are at it ("we can save x million from local government") where the reality is that while they still expect the councils to do all the unnecessary red tape they can't save anything without hurting public services.

They're all at it including UKIP. It pisses me off. Which is why we need someone who isn't a politician. Eg Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson for pres!

Meanwhile for me UKIP are the lesser of all the evils. We all know they won't get in power obvioulsy but hopefully they can get some MPs to get a voice in the commons.

 

[The Negotiator]

They will probably make it to you Helzy.

Since our counciller lives accross the road and is a nice bloke, 10 mins after the election was called he was around lol. He spoke with my dad for about 45 minutes about different issues, he knows that my house is labour and there's 4 votes to be had. He spoke off the record apparently (I was in Paris) and his views were slightly different to the party views which was a fresh insight my Dad said. My little sister talked with him about third world debt and infact labour has done well in this field which shut her up My main problem is the lie about Iraq....

I was also taught chemistry by a local conservative councillor and it was always funny taking the **** out of tory policies, she always knew we were right too

 

[The Negotiator]

Richard, glad you agree with me on at least that point. It really pisses me off that they think they have an election winning policy with such BS! They intend to do nothing different to anybody else and just assume that being in power everybody will work harder and others will quit their jobs and work elsewhere. If we want to get picky, any of the wastage (assuming all is transferred into man hours which is most likley), any money saved within such cut backs (which we don't need, the country is in a good position, good backs we DON'T need IMO) will go to support them until they find new jobs, which of course will push somebody else out of a job at the bottom (no new job creation) => Increase unemployment.

This of course suggests that wastage is good for the country. Then again, we all know a way to stimulate the economy is wastage.

I can't bring myself to vote for any of the 3 main parties, i see no point except the "protest element" since they are likely to do nothing once they have a few MPs and to be honest, UKIP to me feels far too nationalistic for what I like.

Something that does annoy me is increases in stealth taxes and a fix of income tax, I feel that this is most unfair. I also feel council tax needs dealing with. Lib Dems state they will deal with both of these I believe. Along with tutition fees.

 

[Dr_Pepper]

My view is that any government cannot ever lower tax. If they get rid of one tax they have to introduce another. So it annoys me when they say they can. Therefore I don't want taxes lowered - for me that's unrealistic.

Tuition fees - I think we've discussed this before(?). I'm afraid my opinion is that the universities should charge what they like in fees, and I don't think the govenment should be putting money into it. UKIP have an interesting, if confusing, policy on this here. Have a read.

 

[Rickster]

I was determined i will not vote labour but then the tories come out and say they will charge somekind of ownership tax on cars...are they ****ing stupid? What a stupid idea and do they really think this will make there party a more attractive option?

 

[GeX]

Some Lib Dem people called at my uni house today. I said i was registered at home and they asked if i would be voting Lib Dem there.
I reminded them of the part of their manifesto that states that to cut government spending all existing Eurofighter Typhoon contracts would be cancelled. I live on the Fylde Coast where one the major employers is BAE Sytems and where the developement and building of the Typhoon is based. Kinda hinted that with the number of jobs that could be lost as a result of what they want to do they ain't gonna get my vote.
To which they went errrrm... ok and walked off.

 

[The Negotiator]

I will leave all the schooling stuff to somebody else but:

Undertake a review of all undergraduate university courses and withdraw funding from those that are of insufficient standard. Fully fund those courses that remain.

Erm yeah that would work, close down 30% of universities and courses. Unfeasible unless done over 20+ years IMO. GOod idea in theory but doesn't sound like a very "case on case" basis would be used.

Review the standards for grading all courses and ensure that students who do not pass the university’s annual examinations are not permitted to continue.

So I am guessing the same with A levels? Well, I would like to see how many of the UKIP leaders passed every exam in their life, if they hadn't, would they be ok with me taking their degrees from them? Fair's fair.

Cancel top-up fees, give maintenance grants as necessary, and scrap the student loan scheme.

Oh dear, I see "grants as necessary" i.e. for people in families less than £xk income per year where x is low and scrapping of loan scheme with no replacement? This alone if I am reading correctly means I wouldn't vote for UKIP. Simple as.

Charge the same full fees to students from EU countries as are now paid by non-EU students.

Yep, great idea, let's destory the links we have with top European univerisities, stop inter-uni year outs, stop our population from going elsewhere (remember plenty of people study in Europe aswell as some coming here, though there are 2 people out of 110 odd on my course from the EU, both German).

I am not impressed. I personally would like to see:

Undertake a review of all undergraduate university courses individually over the long term and evaulate the benefit to society the course adds. In the long term, start to remove funding (though still allowing course to exist) where necessary. Fully fund those courses that remain.

That would make me happy.

Review the standards for grading all courses and ensure that students who do not pass the university’s annual examinations are not permitted to continue.

Pass more responsibility onto universities about controlling grading systems and permissions to go to next year. Since universities understand the systems better than a politician in London. Urge people to go into courses that will suit them where they will strive to do their best rather than making people feel like that are bad for wanting to stupid pyschology*. *aslong as it adds benefit to society.

Cancel top-up fees, give maintenance grants as necessary, and scrap the student loan scheme.

Keep tutitions fees and offer loans. Loans are cancelled once a course is completed to a high enough level. This is to prevent people from just going to university for no reason other than "everybody else is" and an incentive for people to achieve well in university yet with the possibility that at the end of the course, if achievements are met, loans will be written off for the benefit of the country and individual.

Charge the same full fees to students from EU countries as are now paid by non-EU students.

Keep charges for non-EU students the same but increase the number of EU links to help people study abroad where possible (when it offers a benefit) since this is proven to give the individual more value added.

I could probably do a lot better! Then again, I had 15 mins to come up with them

 

[gaz.d]

im gonna vote with whoever has the funniest name on the voting paper, simple reason is cause they all **** and my vote aint gonna change a thing