Who will win the UK election ?

chewmylegoff

Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »

I'm always surprised by how many people vote for the same party year in, year out, because that's what they've always done (and usually what their parents did). It simply wouldn't occur to them to read another party's manifesto, or look up their MP's Commons voting record. I wonder how far this mentality will be tested at the election. The rise of the SNP shows change can happen, but I think their supporters are more predictable than UKIPpers. How many of the latter are going to get cold feet in the polling booth?

I agree - it also surprises me that many people just hate a particular party or parties just because they think they are supposed to without having any logical reason to do so. Today's labour and conservative parties bear little resemblance to their previous incarnations from a only relatively short time ago.

michaels

chewmylegoff wrote: »

I agree - it also surprises me that many people just hate a particular party or parties just because they think they are supposed to without having any logical reason to do so. Today's labour and conservative parties bear little resemblance to their previous incarnations from a only relatively short time ago.

I find it very sad, labour have no incentive to do anything for the BME community as they all vote labour whatever the labour policies are, similarly the Afro-carribeans with the democrats in America. The floating electorate get the policy bribes, the core get nothing.

TickersPlaysPop

I really enjoy this board.

Just for the record I currently support "None of the Above" on the ballot paper together with compulsory voting.

Compulsory as far as socially and legally acceptable. If you want to live in this society and benefit from it You need to register your position.

That is why "None of the Above" is needed as an Option On ballot paper.

We need to stop claiming we know why people don't vote. It is very disrespectful claiming people are lazy. There is more to it.

antrobus

Marine_life wrote: »

I think you should read my first point again.....

Why, have you edited the post so it says something else?

Marine_life wrote: »

..The majority of MPs do not get 50% of the vote - therefore how can they be said to "represent" the constituents?

Because the fundamental principle is that an MP represents their constituents. They represent their constituents in Parliament irrespective of whether or not said constituents voted for them or indeed voted at all. Or indeed had a vote at all, come to that.

antrobus

TickersPlaysPop wrote: »

...We need to stop claiming we know why people don't vote. It is very disrespectful claiming people are lazy. There is more to it.

Then stop doing it.

The only person on this thread claiming to "know why people don't vote" has been you. No one has suggested the reason was laziness apart from you.

TickersPlaysPop

Please feel free to quote me, I don't recall even once stating people are lazy so they don't vote.

I actually think it is a few reasons, one is a general feeling that the vote doesn't make a difference.

People feel that all politicians are untrustworthy and do as they wish when in power.

Part of UKIP's support is a feeling that these guys deserve a chance... they might be different.

Generali

Labour may face an unappealing choice after the election: govern with the Tories and lose Scotland for a generation or govern with the SNP and lose England for a generation.

We may be seeing the death of the Labour party. The unions want to push Labour to the left and are very uncomfortable supporting the Blairite side of the party. The English just won't vote in enough numbers for the Labour left to get in.

antrobus

TickersPlaysPop wrote: »

Please feel free to quote me, I don't recall even once stating people are lazy so they don't vote.....

I just did. As in " It is very disrespectful claiming people are lazy."

That is the first example of the use of the word 'lazy' on this thread.

TickersPlaysPop wrote: »

..

I actually think it is a few reasons, one is a general feeling that the vote doesn't make a difference.

People feel that all politicians are untrustworthy and do as they wish when in power.

Part of UKIP's support is a feeling that these guys deserve a chance... they might be different.

But you've only just said that "We need to stop claiming we know why people don't vote".

Why are you still doing it?

Jason74

Generali wrote: »

Labour may face an unappealing choice after the election: govern with the Tories and lose Scotland for a generation or govern with the SNP and lose England for a generation.

We may be seeing the death of the Labour party. The unions want to push Labour to the left and are very uncomfortable supporting the Blairite side of the party. The English just won't vote in enough numbers for the Labour left to get in.

I actually think we may be seeing something more fundamental than that, and that is a shift in how politics as a whole works in the UK. As you say, Labour may be facing a set of wholly unpalatable options after the election, and arguably having to choose from a similarly unpalatable set of options after the last election is what has done for the Lib Dems for many years. As for the Tories, well lets not forget that they haven't secured a majority in nearly 20 years. And, despite a record in government that should be fairly easy to defend to many, they currently seem unlikely to even get close to doing so this time around either.


It actually appears that the broad political structure that has been in place for the last 90 years or so could be starting to crumble. I suspect that in practice, our archaic electoral system will prop it up (and to an extent restore it), but what happens in the event of an inconclusive election result really is anyone's guess.

Generali

Jason74 wrote: »

I actually think we may be seeing something more fundamental than that, and that is a shift in how politics as a whole works in the UK. As you say, Labour may be facing a set of wholly unpalatable options after the election, and arguably having to choose from a similarly unpalatable set of options after the last election is what has done for the Lib Dems for many years. As for the Tories, well lets not forget that they haven't secured a majority in nearly 20 years. And, despite a record in government that should be fairly easy to defend to many, they currently seem unlikely to even get close to doing so this time around either.


It actually appears that the broad political structure that has been in place for the last 90 years or so could be starting to crumble. I suspect that in practice, our archaic electoral system will prop it up (and to an extent restore it), but what happens in the event of an inconclusive election result really is anyone's guess.

Good points all.

If Britain keeps voting as they are then in the end one of the lunatic fringe parties (UKIP, SNP, Green) will get in to Government. That might serve to push people back to the main parties.