Despite a flurry of threads and debates early on, everyone's gone very quiet now. Are folk completely bored of the whole thing or has everyone already decided who they're going to vote for?
Still an undecided floating voter in a marginal constituency myself and enjoying the debates. A bit irked by the SNP moaning on about not being included in them... seems a bit wanting your cake etc..
The way I see it is it isn't going to matter who you vote for,(as long as you do vote), It will be a hung parliment and so we won't get to decide which party will govern us next.
Either way there will be another election next year as no party will have a strong enough mandate to hold on to power....
I'm not sure if it will be a hung Parliament. Momentum is an important factor in elections.
One thing that is for certain is that Labour do not have it. They had managed to climb in opnion polls and make a Tory outright Govt less likely until the budget and then they have slowly dropped down and are consistently under 30% now.
The Lib Dems did have it after the first TV debate, and the big question was, could they maintain it?
The Tories clearly had it until the first TV debate, and then lost it. Have they regained it?
My gut feeling is (and you might say he would say that wouldn't he!) that the Lib Dems gained purely on the show of the first TV debate. The policies now have been looked at, and the instant reaction perhaps become more measured.
I see a change over the last few days in the polls where The Tories seem a couple of % higher whilst the Lib Dem seem a couple of % lower.
A lot will rest on the last debate on Thursday.
My gut feeling is that the Tories will get to around 37% at the election with Lib Dem on around 29% and Labour imploding to around 24% and I think that will give us a small Tory majority.
I question the TV debates though. The "other" seem to have been totally frozen out. There's no doubt that the Lib Dems have picked up a bit from Tory and Labour as a result, but with the recent distrust of mainstream politicians I think many were expecting "others" to poll quite high this year, as a result of a protest vote.
UKIP, Green and BNP will be largely insignificant as the debates seem to have focussed that protest vote on Nick Clegg.
The Lib Dems are the only party to have grabbed my attention - with their policy ideas though not with the TV debates, which I haven't watched and don't really agree with.
Only thing I don't really like about them is their fervent pro-European-ness.
And they are merely the best of a bad bunch. None of the parties really offers any prospect of change - or of stopping this country turning into a giant bloody Tesco with a carpark the size of Wales.
My view exactly.Originally Posted by ZootHornRollo
Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.
Ooh, a juicy argument and I'm not involved. I'm slipping - must do better
I disagree, Alexandra, I feel this is an important election. There's a great deal of well-deserved dissatisfaction and alienation, but the leaders' debates have drawn in a new generation of young voters. I wouldn't be surprised by a larger than usual turn-out. What the new government does with the mandate is a different matter, of course, but I do see an opportunity to begin afresh, afresh, afresh.
OK, as I said, I'm a floating voter in a Labour / Conservative marginal. Policy and belief wise I'm probably nearest to the Lib Dems and, although a vote won't count for much in my constituency, I think that it's time for people to stop thinking like that, give them a significant % of the vote and give more credence to the obvious need for electoral reform.
So, I'm definitely leaning yellow... convince my otherwise.
I,ve already voted....will be away on the day. So they can bluster all they want. I just zone out now.
It's an odd time. Traditional western religions are on the decline, who gives a fig about the Monarchy and our embrace of politics seems lukewarm. Perhaps its a good thing because it means that most people are reasonably settled? But it makes you worry about what is going to be the first thing to upset the apple cart. A rise of fundamentalism leading to civil unrest? An acute shortage of oil/energy? A dramatic shift in global climate?? Or something totally unexpected. Whatever, to me it feels like a calm before a storm.
Simon Blease
Monmouth
THis is what I don't understand.
OK, the current system has it's flaws, but at least everyone knows who their MP is. Do you know who your MEP is?
Look at the Euro elections and some of the EU States with PR. Our Euro elections are an open door for fringe parties, with very little support, to gain influence. Back in the 1970s, 3 Plaid Cymru MPs had the balaance of power to keepo Labour in.
I would argue that this isn't right.
I would maintain our current system for MPs. Balance the size of consituencies at 100,000 population +/- 5K which would mean more balanced representation and fewer MPs.
I would have the House of Lords formed partly on the basis of PR from the General Election.
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