[Closed] Less than 80 days to UK Election....who cares?

We seem to be missing the opportunity to be able to vote for a leader who will do great things for UK.

The UK has many talented and intelligent people who are great leaders - why is UK politics a waste land of talent?

Is it a wasteland of talent? Farage seems pretty good at what he does, if you're a right wing businessman Cameron is also fairly competent. Up north the SNP seem well served. It only seems to be the UK national left that's lacking a decent leader.

We have two parties stuffed with career politicians who all followed the same private education/PPE at Oxbridge/Think-tank/Press office/Westminster route. None of them have ever had a 'proper' job. None of them has any life experience whatsoever. All of them, whatever colour tie they wear, are from the same caste

Is it any wonder they're so terminally uninspiring, and clearly lacking any kind of vision? And that the electorate are turning away from them in droves!

Mainstream politics in this country is ****ed!

The main parties are in for one hell of a rude awakening in 80 days. A proper kick up the jacksy!! The SNP will deliver a hell of shock to labour. Its just a case of how many seats they take. UKIP and the Greens are going to do the same to labour south of the border. You'll see them take a massive chunk out of labours core vote, that it has so casually neglected for decades. They've had enough! UKIP will also wreak havoc on safe Tory seats in the south too.

Will UKIP or the Greens win any seats? Probably not. But they'll both cause chaos annd deliver up some really perverse results by splitting the votes in previously safe seats

[quote=mogrim ]It only seems to be the UK national left that's lacking a decent leader.

On the contrary, Natalie Bennett seems quite decent.

who cares?

A lot of the Labour MPs in Glasgow are more than a bit worried about having a job after it.

We have two parties stuffed with career politicians who all followed the same private education/PPE at Oxbridge/Think-tank/Press office/Westminster route. None of them have ever had a 'proper' job. None of them has any life experience whatsoever. All of them, whatever colour tie they wear, are from the same caste

Got it in one.

On the contrary, Natalie Bennett seems quite decent.

I'm sure she's decent, but she's hardly setting the political world on fire is she?

Agree with Binners. They're all the same, and I doubt it will matter much, if at all, to us lot who gets voted in.

Until a leader shows up who isn't full of shite and is brave enough to make some real changes, I'm not voting for anyone.

We have two parties stuffed with career politicians who all followed the same private education/PPE at Oxbridge/Think-tank/Press office/Westminster route. None of them have ever had a 'proper' job. None of them has any life experience whatsoever. All of them, whatever colour tie they wear, are from the same caste

Is it any wonder they're so terminally uninspiring, and clearly lacking any kind of vision? And that the electorate are turning away from them in droves!

That's more of a problem on the left - private education, a spell at Oxford and a job in the city or Westminster are far more acceptable on the right.

Because we live in an era where even the slightest slip-up is career ending and the internet never forgets, the glare of scrutiny that social media brings means that only the most bland and inoffensive personas survive long enough to make it to the top and stay there.

If you look at the careers of some of our greatest leaders Churchill etc, they'd have never lasted 5 minutes in the current climate. They would have been lynched on twitter for an off the cuff comment or drunken incident long before they got anywhere near the front bench.

We get the politicians we deserve.

all you can achieve by voting is moderately alter the flavour of the meal that will be served

Out of respect for all those who died to get me the vote I will be exercising my right.

The choice we're being offered: would you like your huge shit sandwich on brown or white bread?

We seem to be missing the opportunity to be able to vote for a leader who will do great things for UK.

Unfortunately we don't have any great leaders!

My one and only post anywhere about this years election

I fear a Con/UKIP coalition. I feel the only way to stop this is to vote labour. I don't want to vote labour, I want to vote green.

If labour had a leader and some strong policies then it wouldn't be so much of an issue

Look at Ed Millibean... When asked what he has done in the real world by a schollkid, he responded with a list of jobs that included economic advisory to the treasury.

At least (and despite my disagreeing with their politics) some of the Labour old guard had actually been part of the workforce and had a proper job, even if it had migrated to shop stewarding.

We should all care.

Anything other than a Conservative led government will be the downfall of the UK for the next 4 years.

[quote=mogrim ]On the contrary, Natalie Bennett seems quite decent.
I'm sure she's decent, but she's hardly setting the political world on fire is she?

Maybe not, but you were asking about the leader of the left, and there aren't any other leaders of left leaning parties.

[quote=Junkyard ]all you can achieve by voting is moderately alter the flavour of the meal that will be served
Out of respect for all those who died to get me the vote I will be exercising my right.

I feel the same. On balance I shall probably vote based on my own petty local issues, as I can't think of any better reason.

I fear a Con/UKIP coalition.

I also fear that, but I also fear a Labour/SNP Coalition!

I hope the LibDems don't get slaughtered as a bit of right/left balance is needed I think. Not Left/Far Left or Right/Far Right.

What real changes do people actually want made? As it is the UK is one of the richest countries in the world, with global influence.

Saying that the one thing I think most people agree on is the tax system is too complex and a mess, so someone needs sort that out (but I bet they don't as in the world of Twitter they all become micromanaging ****s).

Then personally I'd like all politicians to have a 6 month break, don't touch, fiddle or speak about anything and let the country just get on with it.

Hatter's point is very valid, in the modern world we get beige politicians because that's what we want.

It will be a conservative / green coalition - mildly more baffleing that the current one.

Houns - Member
My one and only post anywhere about this years election

I fear a Con/UKIP coalition. I feel the only way to stop this is to vote labour. I don't want to vote labour, I want to vote green.

Couldn't agree more. If we get Con/UKIP coalition then its time to leave the country. But is anyone going to be voting labour with even a shred of enthusiasm? I wouldn't trust Millibean to run a bath! And Ed Balls as chancellor? Christ! Spare us that!!!

Has our democracy ever looked so threadbare?

I've just started reading this....

[img] [/img]

Could there be a starker contrast with the political pygmies we have today? A man of belief and principle. The irony is that I bet his own party can't wait to see the back of him. A reminder of what they actually should be if they weren't so utterly spineless

i'm so full of stoke at the opportunity to reduce my incumbent MP's majority that i doubt i'll be able to sleep until months after the election.

oh no, wait, that's wrong.

I do care, but god, it's all so depressing.

The UK has many talented and intelligent people who are great leaders - why is UK politics a waste land of talent

Politics has become a career choice. Something to do to avoid getting a proper job.

Anyway, am I excited at the prospect of being able to vote in less than 80 days? Yeah. I'm almost wetting myself with anticipation.

The choice we're being offered: would you like your huge shit sandwich on brown or white bread?

And would you like this shit sandwich served by this bunch of self serving ****s or that bunch of self serving ****s

The polictical landscape has become filled with the politics of jealously. "If I don't get something why should they get it"
- We'll force fatties and druggies to have treatment to take away their benefits
- We'll force young people who can't find a job to do 30 hours of "voluntary" work for their £52 a week benefits
- We'll cut tuition fees but only to £6k because people who go to uni should still pay for it themselves despite it benefiting the whole country (and the cut only helps the richest who actually pay back their loans)

If the phrase "hard working taxpayer/family" was banned until June the whole campaign would be a lot more bearable.

If you look at the careers of some of our greatest leaders Churchill etc, they'd have never lasted 5 minutes in the current climate. They would have been lynched on twitter for an off the cuff comment or drunken incident long before they got anywhere near the front bench.

We get the politicians we deserve.

I think you have hit the nail on the head here. 'The problem' is as much to do with the UK's media and their portrayal of the cultural values they perceive the UK masses want.

Whilst most people in UK want an intelligent and open discussion about the core issues the country faces, however the UK media, government and establishment have made so many areas taboo subjects that the issues never get properly addressed.

Politicians and public figures are frightened to speak out openly for fear of offending someone....Make a comment about as asian taxi driver in Rochdale and there is outcry and hand wringing from the politically correct. Try to discuss benefit claimants and the fairness of the system and suddenly this is seen as an attack on the poor. Speak openly about poor practices in NHS and you hate nurses and doctors...

It's madness and I'd suggest doesn't actually represent what most people in Uk want to see.

a Conservative led government will be the downfall

There is little difference between the financial policies of tories/labour the only main difference will be the social consequences for the [s]great unwashed[/s] (sorry went into Tory speak) 😈 normal people of Britain

I care as I need to no what kind of political interference we are likely to face when running business so that we can mitigate against these risks.

Some quite scary ideas being offered to the altar of populism in the last week, which would have a negative impact in our activities. So need to know and need to care.

Then there are local issues, where candidates have different priorities and perspectives. Frankly this is likely to have a greater impact on my vote.

binners - Member
We have two parties stuffed with career politicians who all followed the same private education/PPE at Oxbridge/Think-tank/Press office/Westminster route. None of them have ever had a 'proper' job. None of them has any life experience whatsoever. All of them, whatever colour tie they wear, are from the same caste

Is it any wonder they're so terminally uninspiring, and clearly lacking any kind of vision? And that the electorate are turning away from them in droves!

Mainstream politics in this country is ****ed!

The main parties are in for one hell of a rude awakening in 80 days. A proper kick up the jacksy!! The SNP will deliver a hell of shock to labour. Its just a case of how many seats they take. UKIP and the Greens are going to do the same to labour south of the border. You'll see them take a massive chunk out of labours core vote, that it has so casually neglected for decades. They've had enough! UKIP will also wreak havoc on safe Tory seats in the south too.

Will UKIP or the Greens win any seats? Probably not. But they'll both cause chaos annd deliver up some really perverse results by splitting the votes in previously safe seats

It's going to be a bloody mess, all we can hope, labour might try to go for a minority backed by the SNP, they fail, lose a vote of confidence and we have to get a re run with Miliband & Balls removed.

There is no leader I'd like to see as PM, not Backstabbing nerd Miliband, nor Wet Cameron, nor Clegg the Betrayer and as for those happy Tree hugging Green Women, what is wrong with them, everyone knows elections are won and lost on the female vote and they certainly won't vote for them, don't even mention Farage, jolly enough beer swiller and canny ducker and diver but at the helm, certainly not.

Then there's an even bigger Elephant likely to be in the Room..
[img] [/img]

There is little difference between the financial policies of tories/labour

Pretty much the biggest difference between the parties.

I need to lie down.... 😉

If the phrase "hard working taxpayer/family" was banned until June the whole campaign would be a lot more bearable

Why?

- I'm sick of low-life benefit claimants leaching from society

- I don't want to fund the future healthcare of lazy fatties

- I want to see petty crime being punished harshly, irresepective of circumstance

- I want to live in a society where people work together and work hard for a better future.

- I don't want immigrants to come to UK who add no value and have no desire to learn English and integrate into UK society.

etc

Awkward and non-politically correct in UK today....but what many people actually think....not addressed head-on by UK politics....If the politicians actually debated and addressed these issues openly, it would be a good start.

I've said it before but my bet is on the Tories for an small outright majority win.

[quote=DaRC_L ]There is little difference between [s]the financial[/s] any policies of tories/labour

On a recent thread there was a diagram showing how current and recent Labour policies are actually to the right of where the Tories were in the early 70s. I think the big issue with the current Labour party is how competent they are at implementing traditional Tory policy - the hope is that they aren't quite as self-serving as the Tories, but the available evidence is that they have exactly the same problem of being controlled by big business.

skydragon I though UKIP and the BNP had cornered the market with a similar platform .

My guess hung parliament with lab and tories not in a majority and unable to make a deal with UKIP or SNP and another election after 3 months of a minority govt mess with whomever was in the minority govt losing.

skydragon I though UKIP and the BNP had cornered the market with a similar platform .

I was suggesting that mainstream politics would do well to debate and address these core issues head-on, so that we have a moderate, sustainable and well-considered approach.

The fact that politically taboo issues like this are largely ignored or paid lip-service then only forces that agenda and discussion to the extremes which I personally don't think is a healthy thing for UK.

skydragon - meet Nige....

[img] [/img]

He shares your view. As do most Tory backbenchers.

I agree with you that it's pathetic that the labour party literally wets itself when anyone mentions immigration. Because its a genuine issue in a lot of working class areas that they depend on. And their total failure to even engage with the subject is going to lose them a lot of votes in their core constituencies. As it did in the middleton by election last year where UKIP nearly overturned a 6000 seat labour majority. They've not even addressed the issue since then. Just buried their heads in the sand and hoped it'd go away. It won't!

Jim Murphy definitely cares- he's building a moat round his house to keep away the lynchmob of scottish labour ex-mps.

I still find it hard to believe that we, as a democracy, don't have the power to say "none of the above" on our ballots. Our that we have a first past the post system.

Neither of these, in my opinion, are democratic and until we have the ability to reject politicians outright, rather than vote for our perceived least worst option, and have some form of PR we will continue to be represented by the same self-serving shower that we have now.

Thoroughly depressed by it all. I'm still personally in favour of compulsory voting so long as there is a NOTA option.

Petition for NOTA if you are interested

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/inclusion-of-an-official-none-of-the-above-option-for-all-uk-elections-2

Binners - The problem I have with Nige is that he's not a credible leader for UK, especially on the business side of things and his views are too polarised.

I'd suggest that the real solution lies somewhere between his approach and the mainstream.

Edited to add - it's not just about Immigration, it's about the culture, education, healthcare and policing/legal system and this crazy PC society we are moving increasingly towards.

We seem to be missing the opportunity to be able to vote for a leader who will do great things for UK.

If only we got that choice. Alas under our poor excuse for democracy we get no say in who is Prime Minister. We get to vote for a local MP and thats it. Which party the MP sits with post election is entirely upto them. It is the parties who decide who will be their PM how ever they see fit. There are several examples where by the PM of the country was not the party leader at the time of the election.

skydragon - Agreed. And the two parties won't engage with these subjects because there is a tacit unspoken agreement. They both have exactly the same corporatist, neoliberal agenda. In government they'd all do exactly the same, serving the same vested interests, without giving a flying **** about the vast majority of the electorate.

[quote=Shackleton ]I still find it hard to believe that we, as a democracy, don't have the power to say "none of the above" on our ballots. Our that we have a first past the post system.
Neither of these, in my opinion, are democratic and until we have the ability to reject politicians outright, rather than vote for our perceived least worst option, and have some form of PR we will continue to be represented by the same self-serving shower that we have now.
Thoroughly depressed by it all. I'm still personally in favour of compulsory voting so long as there is a NOTA option.

You make a good point. The trouble however, and the reason it's not a democracy isn't what happens in the ballot box, it's the way in which entities which have no vote get to have far more influence on policy than people who do. I have a horrible feeling that NOTA wouldn't actually make any difference (and if it did, you'd have the huge mess of having no government to sort out).

The trouble is that the whole system is just a massive extension of "power corrupts". I wish I had an answer. Ideally I'd like non-politician "independents" to be able to win seats on a large scale, but in order to do so they have to become politicians, and once elected they have to align themselves with others in order to get anything done, which simply results in a repeat of the existing situation with a slightly different flavour.

What needs to happen is a plea to the voters of Doncaster North not to vote, if Miliband were to lose his seat, then the problem sort of goes away, there are a few half decent labour types and generally for the most of us we're better off under Labour however much they might screw up the economy. The economy 'they' talk about is nothing to do with us at grass roots level, they've got their knickers in a twist right now about deflation and how to stop it, frankly we could do with a bit of it, it's the only way any real sense of wage rise might occur or fixed pensions may go a tad further.

I think NOTA could have a positive effect. If all disaffected voters who don't vote and all those who vote for fringe parties as protests voted NOTA then you could end up with 40 or more % of the electorate open to persuasion. I think to have maximum effect voting should also be mandatory, although this does make me a bit uncomfortable.

If NOTA actually won then you could have a relection between 6-12 months later with a caretaker government of the 2nd place party. There needs to be some way of demonstrating that you are formally witholding consent to govern. Any other form of peaceful protest, such as a spoiled ballot or not voting, can easily be swept under the carpet.

Either of these outcomes would publically demonstrate that the current political process is flawed without wiggle room for incumbent politicians. There is also no way that a political party could legitimately claim to have "won" if they garner fewer votes than NOTA.

The issue of non-elected groups dictating policies is a separate issue but one that I also think needs addressing.

80 days, is that all? Oh god how much longer is this going to take. Pick a prick contest so far isn't doing anything for me.