Help Regarding Voting
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Hi all, can I just ask first that my post isn't met by sarcasm or judgemental attitudes as I know the post I'm about to make may probably provoke some but...
I'm 18 years old, and I've recently received an invitation thing for me to vote for my first time in the election, I would like to vote of course but I have literally no idea on what each party stands for, as we don't get taught about politics etc in college unless you chose to take Politics as an A-Level.
I know the basics such as the main party leaders being Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg and their parties however I've not got much idea on what each party stands for. I've been told by people that voting Conservatives would be a disaster for the country however I don't know if that's just a bias view point.
Basically what I'm asking is if someone would care to explain in an unbiased manner what each party actually stands for, and what we would be expecting as a country in the future if Labour, Conservative or Liberal Democrats came into power, I don't pay much attention to news, but I would like to take an active role in voting for who I'd like to be in power, but I'd like to have my facts straight before I actually go to vote.
Thanks guys
I'm 18 years old, and I've recently received an invitation thing for me to vote for my first time in the election, I would like to vote of course but I have literally no idea on what each party stands for, as we don't get taught about politics etc in college unless you chose to take Politics as an A-Level.
I know the basics such as the main party leaders being Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg and their parties however I've not got much idea on what each party stands for. I've been told by people that voting Conservatives would be a disaster for the country however I don't know if that's just a bias view point.
Basically what I'm asking is if someone would care to explain in an unbiased manner what each party actually stands for, and what we would be expecting as a country in the future if Labour, Conservative or Liberal Democrats came into power, I don't pay much attention to news, but I would like to take an active role in voting for who I'd like to be in power, but I'd like to have my facts straight before I actually go to vote.
Thanks guys
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Comments
Good luck with that.
Best advice I can think of is to read the manifesto for each party (I recommend a liberal sprinkling of salt for this) and take a look at what your local candidates are saying.
You might also find the upcoming debates on TV useful in learning what each party is about (again keep a bucket of salt handy just in case).
Go with whichever tallies closest to your own beliefs and try to ignore the inevitable spin and smear that flies around at times like this.
Have a look through this thread, there's a link to a website that lets you choose policies and then it tells you which party is closest to you views
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8515961.stm#subject=civil&col1=conservative&col2=labour&col3=libdem
We've ended up with so little between them, that they are arguing over the smallest of things
Seriously.. just do your own research on the BBC website etc and find out and make your own choice. Don't listen to the rubbish that is posted here.
The political compass is a good start: http://www.politicalcompass.org/test
Positions of current parties: http://markhumphrys.com/Bitmaps/uk.parties.gif
A page on Political Philosophy: http://www.iep.utm.edu/polphil/
Hopefully you have sky+ and plenty of time! (Sky+ lets you fast forward the non-election bits)
My current watchlist is
6-9am GMTV has been carrying a lot of interviews with top politicians
BBC and Sky news will cover any press conferences/announcements through the day. It's amazing how much you miss if you just rely on the 'highlights' rather than getting to see the whole thing. BBC and Ch4 live text feeds are handy for letting me know if anything good is coming up.
1pm seems to be a key time for interviews, so BBC1 and Sky.
7pm Channel 4 news is awesome for in-depth interviews
10/11pm ish Newsnight on BBC is indepth, plenty of interviews.
+make sure you catch the leader debates followed by BBC Question time every Thursday for the next 3 weeks.
Have a look at Twitter too - already cost one candidate their spot, and lots of good info/propaganda/commentary/bias!
Locally I'm struggling - 3 of the candidates are on Twitter but have said very little to date - I've emailed the other 3 asking for details of any public hustings/meetings/appearances but have yet to hear anything back.
Oh and Wikipedia is quite good if you don't know which parties/candidates are standing in your constituency.
Exactly! Take part, debate, enjoy, post your own brand of rubbish, but don't use anything on here to make your decision. Including this post.
Don't listen to us - we're all too busy throwing stones at each other from our glass houses
I wouldn't use the debates as the primary source of premise...
"Don't just listen to the salesman....read the small print"
Well hopefully the debates won't be as neutered as reported and they can all point out each other's small print. Good to watch all the same!
I'm looking forward to the final one - they'll play nicely in the first two and then be all-in, no rules for the third
Very good advice
Go to the website of any party you're interested in, look at their manifesto to see if their aims are close to yours, and then base your decisions based on that. The BBC website is a good place to start.
Check out your local candidates too. A good local MP, who fully represents their constituents, even from a party that you wouldn't naturally vote for, is something to cherish!
You're 18. OK what will affect you? Think about your needs.
Are you going to university? What type of society do you want to live in? Theres loads to think about.