Who did you vote for? Tories never say..

[????]

green

[Marmora Man]

I voted.

I voted Tory.

Anyone surprised?

[charliecharlie]

I have always voted Labour, but this time I voted Green...

Not sure what I will do at the next election... feel a bit lost as there is no one I feel 'confident' about giving my vote to...

[gallinello]

Marmora Man, sei un buffone, vero e proprio!

[Brendan]

I generally tend to vote to ensure a strong opposition as I think that is what democracy is all about, having a voice to challenge those in power and keep them in check. Unless of course there is a specific issue which I feel one candidate can handle better than another. This is why I often vote differently for local elections than I do for general.

The idea that Labour is an opposition to Conservative and vice versa is a lie that, from my fresh naive perspective, has kept Britain in an ideological dictatorship for the better part of 30 years.

The only real ?oppositions? available in the European election were either far-left or far-right. Neither fit my personal ideology but for the reasons stated above I voted Green because the far-right option was too distasteful.

[Mick Mac]

Gallinello:

Marmora Man, sei un buffone, vero e proprio!

I'm no linguist - but I suspect this is not complimentary.

[????]

it literally translates as "You wait for hours and three turn up at the same time"

[mockney piers]

?Ja ja Esterl?n!

Pero en s?rio, solo hablamos en Ingl?s en este foro. Nunca en Wopo. Esp?co esta bien however.

[Marmora Man]

I have always held to the theory that once a debate moves from rational argument to insult it's time to leave the room.

Goodbye!

[gallinello]

Exit. Head bowed low in shame, how could I have written such a thing? Time to leave the room.

Adieu.

[Jeremy]

If you are voting for the green party as a form of environmental protest, then fair enough.

But I disagree with some of their policies very strongly, I would urge you to re-read them if you have not done so recently.

[Alan Dale]

removed

[????]

We'll they'll have to be spending cuts or raised taxes...and I think I know which one the electorate will actually go for. We, all of us, can't go on spending all this money on the Public Sector without having to pay for it properly and Flash Gordon didn't put any money away for a rainy day when the sun was out....cries of 'Tory Cuts' is just base, emotive nonsense of a pretty desperate goverment, we are going to have to cut or be taxed more. Effectively it's like we've had a cleaner, nanny, cook and gardener on about a ?35K income...not workable. We either need more income or one of them's going to have to go....and the completeley politically motivated envy taxing of ?150K+ earners won't pay for it all (if any, if many commentators are to be believed). So, more tax for you and I to be poured into an unqenchable public sector or cuts.......or we go bust. Labour doesn't appear willing to accept that this is the truth, certainly in public, and are doing their best to stop the tories doing anything about it too.

[????]

To add and show a bit of balance (maybe ;-), the Tory press will also be targeting the Public Sector pretty soon, (possibly with some justification)in terms of solid copperbacked pensions, salaries, job security, hours, holiday AND expenses . And Private Sector employees - who have born the brunt of the recession in terms of employment, seeing their private pension pots, if they have one, decimated (final salary pensions almost don't exist in the private sector) and with absolutely no chance of a guranteed job for life, in fact mainly massive job security - outnumber public sector wotrkers four to one. Imagine the Daily Mail - "Another 2p on my tax so tube drivers get a final salary pension, a ?35K+ index linked salary job for life, 8 weeks holiday and a final salary pension..." oh hang on a minute, they might have a point

[James]

Jeremy which policies are you referring to re. the Greens? I switched from Labour to Green this time (like many others it would seem)

[Alan Dale]

removed

[Brendan]

Funnily enough (from what I have heard at any rate) John Major had plans for something similar by enforcing a social responsibility type of taxation on corporate profits but the masses ousted him in favour of Tony Blair?s conservative regime.

[????]

Funnily enough I've just seen the Daily Express headline in Budgens - something along the lines of "Another xp on your tax to pay for this mess"

[Jeremy]

James Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Jeremy which policies are you referring to re. the

> Greens? I switched from Labour to Green this time

> (like many others it would seem)

Citizen's Income is the main policy I disagree with. It is a non-means tested substitute for the dole, and given to everyone. It's Catch-22... if it's not enough to live on, then it's an inadequate solution. But if it is enough to live on, why bother working? They claim that people would still work because they enjoy it... I find this totally laughable.

Also, abolishing tax relief on private pension plans is a bad idea.

They support abolishment of all animal testing, including pharmaceuticals. They cling on to the crude assumption that all genetic manipulation is bad.

They have incredibly ambitious targets for emission reductions, but totally rule out nuclear energy. I don't think this has been thought through properly.

They have some progressive ideas, but so much of it seems completely naive to me.

[James]

The Citizen's Income thing sounds a bit dodgy. However being ambitious about renewable energy and banning animal testing are two things I wholeheartedly agree with.

It seems that being principled in politics is seen as naive. Personally I'd rather have people with principles in charge than the cynical, career-driven hypocrites that seem to populate the two main parties.

[????]

Jeremy, I voted for them as a mixture of protest and wanting to do something and it wasn't raining. I suspect they'll never get much true power in the UK and to a degree I don't care what they do in europe and there is a symbolic message in keeping 'green' up there somehwere. I quite like the concept of Citizen's Income...but agree with you on the others

[????]

I think progressive taxation is an emotive and misleading name for envy taxation

[Jeremy]

On the whole, I'm sure it's positive that they have a presence in European parliament. As you say... keeping 'green' up there.

I like the fact that they have principles, but I disagree with a lot of their ideas. But James, if you agree with what they're trying to do, then that's great... each to their own.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Conservative.

Actually the more I converse and interact with socialists, the more I realise I might be the true socialist.....

[James]

Not trying to get into an argument with you Jeremy! I just think that we have lost all sense of idealism in British politics. If you're an idealist you're labelled naive and childish. Instead people are persuaded by arguments based on expediency and fear, and we end up with mediocrity.

I wish we had politicians with a little more charisma and vision. Next to Barack Obama, Cameron and Brown look like the two old men in the Muppet Show.