Which political party would you vote for now?

[Van der Gully]

DTES hits the nail on the head, the Labour party has moved further to the right during its present term in office, leaving the Lib Dems as the only real left of centre party. The events of the last week have shown the Labour party to be little better than the Tories were under Major, we all know what happened to them at the 97 election.

I have always believed that it is important to vote and despite having lived away from England for much of the last 15 years I have always kept a proxy vote and have voted by proxy at every election, even the European ones and those for the local council.

As to where my vote has gone, I have always voted Lib Dem and cannot see a day when I won't, I made my choice politically at the age of 13 around about the time of the 79 election. I looked at what the then Liberal Party stood for in comparison to the competition and thought that they were the values and ideals that I agreed with, nothing has changed in the intervening years to change views formed at such an early age.

I have to say that I would rather boil my head than vote Tory and see the Labour party as an acceptable alternative to the party I want in office. Recently they have started to disappoint me and although Blair is a decisive leader I feel they will get a hard time up to the next election, the alternative of an IDS led Tory party doesn't bear thinking about.

 

[Pavilionaire]

It has to be Lib Dem. I've always voted that way, and it's a bit tiring hearing people say there is no opposition and then voting Tory/Labour anyway.

I sincerely hope that the Lib Dems make a serious breakthrough in the next election. The Tories are a dying party, I share a floor with the local Tory office and no one under the age of 50 ever goes near the place.

The situation now is reminiscent of the time just before the SDP was formed to great acclaim. However, I cannot see a New Tory party until the Europe situation has been resolved, i.e. we are in and committed.

 

[Van der Gully]

The Tories are going to have to reinvent themselves quickly, much the way that Labour did in the 90's if they are to avoid becoming anything more than a pressure group on the sidelines of British politics. I am not saying that it is beyond them but they need to find a dynamic leader who can appeal to voters of all ages, at the moment they are stuck with the blue rinse set, that might last until the next election but they must face up to the facts of nature, their support is not immortal.

I can see things becoming a lot more interesting at the next election, if for example the Lib Dems could take their number of seats up to around 100, a figure definitely within their grasp we have the prospect of no single party with a clear majority, unless of course the Tories do a complete disappearing act (this happened in Canada in the mid 90's so is not totally unheard of in modern politics) thus leaving the Labour party in overall control.

 

[Soton Seagull]

Lib Dem. Just can't trust the big 2. Would also be v funny to see tories as 3rd largest party.

 

[bigc]

it depends, could vary(No Tories though)
Richie, i'm still interested in the fanzine idea.

 

[attila]

GUY FAWKES' TABLE
(it's in the Mother Shipton Inn in Knaresborough, N Yorks)

I'm sitting at Guy Fawkes' table
The day Parliament voted for war
Though the mass of the people opposed it
And it flouts international law
I'm sitting at Guy Fawkes' table
While American thugs flaunt their power
Egged on by a sad little muppet
And his craven and cowardly shower.

CHORUS

Aneurin Bevan, your party is dead
And the time for a new one is nigh
Will the last person Left please turn out the lights?
New Labour, we're saying goodbye.

They won't be caught up in the carnage
They'll be pontificating right here
Their kids won't be Iraqi conscripts
Moved down while they're shitting with fear
Saddam was the Yanks’ chosen ally
On a whim, they now say he must fall
So they’ll carpet bomb defenceless soldiers -
But that’s not ‘mass destruction’ at all....

CHORUS

I'm sitting at Guy Fawkes' table
As Bush and his muppet connive
And I'm filled with unspeakable anger
And I'm thinking of 1605
One message, Dishonourable Members
Who endorsed an illegal attack -
No, I don't want to bomb you like Guy did
But I'd love to send you to Iraq.

CHORUS

We need a new socialist party -
But not the Judean People's Front
Not another small sect, but a movement
With the power to change and confront
We need an electoral system
Which gives every voter a voice
'Cos we're fed up with voting for traitors
And we have the right to a choice!

CHORUS

Attila the Stockbroker
http://www.attilathestockbroker.com

 

[rool]

O/T but are you ever in Ireland Attila. I wouldn't mind popping along to one of your gigs if you were.

 

[chemical brother]

xx

 

[fatbadger]

Never that New Conservative scum, er ,sorry, I mean New Labour scum.

Living in Scotland, I get a wider choice, including thre parties well-represented at Holyrood - SNP, SSP, and the Greens.

However, I don't vote for any of them. Don't be mistaken into believing that voting = doing something. Do it if you want to, but remember that you need to do more than that to be politically-active. I stopped voting over a decade ago - now I act, instead.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

If B.Liar is hauled by his ears in front of a War Crimes Trial before the next election & kicked out of office, I'll vote (Old) Labour

Else I'll stay home watching Kilroy

 

[MRRF 10]

Vote for me when i'm old enough, i will run for pm, in my own party.
Who'll vote for me?

 

[¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤]

I always vote for the Greens.

 

[beorhthelm]

Frankly, they're all equally shite these days.

Why dont people start to vote for the *person* rather than the rossette? Round these parts we have Simon Hughs who's able to hold what seems on paper a solid Labour seat. He does it becasue he's local and genuinly seems to give a shit about what happens in the manor. Like being activly pro Millwall, something that would be nice from the Brighton and Hove MPs.
I digress, point is that if we took less interest in the party politics and instead paid attention to the actual candidates we might get a better bunch in power.

(man, everthing looks nice with these red sunglasses on... )

 

[nail-Z]

Politics Shmolitics.

 

[simon swagbag]

Was a Lib-Dem voter until I heard Baker was anti-Falmer.
Labour don't bother putting up a candidate in our ward.
Could never vote Tory.
Judging by the way the Daily Mail flies out of my local newsagent if the BNP put up a candidate they'd do alright here. Old giffers, they fought a war against Fascism but they'd vote some new ones in if their pamphlet's got a Union Jack on it, fools.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I am glad you said that Yorkie because it drives me mad when people dont bother to vote because not only are people in other countries fighting for that very basic human right, but also because parties can manipulate figures of non voters. if you dont like them, then register this by spoiling your vote otherwise you are merely playing into the hands of the spin men

Rubbish. True democracy and freedom is the choice of not only who to vote for but whether to turn out at all. That's what people fought for.

Example - In the Northern Terrortiry in Australia they are governed by a national law making voting compulsory. However because they are not a state and therefore not part of the Commonwealth the votes don't get counted! Where's the demorcracy in that?

Turnout % can influence a marginal British seat as much as the candiates put forward for it.

The only thing about not voting is that it should be a considered decision and not done simply because "politics is boring".

As Billy Connelly once said - "Don't vote, it only encourages them"

 

[DJ Leon]

Personally I would vote for the main party most likely to beat the Tories.

If people are so disappointed by the main two parties and maybe think we need a new socialist party (Attilla) they should go and set one up, remembering that we had one in this country throughout the eighties; it was unelectable.

Thatcher moved the goalposts. The main parties are in the centre/right because that is the only place they will get elected.

As for not voting or taking part in politics at all that's fine but don't enter into a discussion about it - you don't really have an opinion do you?

 

[brighton rock]

Tory

 

[Guinness Boy]

Personally I would vote for the main party most likely to beat the Tories.

If people are so disappointed by the main two parties and maybe think we need a new socialist party (Attilla) they should go and set one up, remembering that we had one in this country throughout the eighties; it was unelectable.

Thatcher moved the goalposts. The main parties are in the centre/right because that is the only place they will get elected.

As for not voting or taking part in politics at all that's fine but don't enter into a discussion about it - you don't really have an opinion do you?

I do have an opinion. That opinion is, if we all follow your advice we'll always have a centre right authoritarian poodle govenment.

 

[DJ Leon]

I do have an opinion. That opinion is, if we all follow your advice we'll always have a centre right authoritarian poodle govenment.

My advice? I don't elect a government on my own!

Can you explain why New Labour got in? By moving to the right, that's how. That is Thatcher's doing. A left wing party would not get elected in this country.

By the way I am left wing. And a realist.