The General Election Thread

[Paul Lake's Left Knee]

What the fuck does Nik Kershaw know about Hitler anyway?

Both would like to get to know you well.

IMO this response did not get the laughs it deserved :-)

My genius is sadly wasted on this place BG.

 

[cibaman]

Major UKIP donor urges people to vote Conservative.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general-election-2015/11587745/Major-Ukip-donor-urges-partys-supporters-to-vote-Conservative-in-unwinnable-seats.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general ... seats.html</a>

I think we've now reached the stage where if Milliband or Cameron were caught saying that they would shoot their opponenent between the eyes, it wouldnt make any difference

 

[bluegirl74]

It's very dangerous to use labels like left or right indiscriminately. I know two Labour local politicians who I'd describe as right-leaning in their views.

If I were to try to sum my views up, I'd say I was a liberal, both economically and socially. I believe in the free market and the provision of many services by the private sector but I also think that some public services and infrastructure is better left to the public sector.

I believe that the government should build a platform for wealth creation by private enterprise but should ensure that's not at the expense of the people helping to build that prosperity.

I don't have a problem with private medicine (I have a policy myself) or the use of the private sector to provide services to the NHS but I also think that the NHS, free at the point of delivery, should be sacrosanct as a concept.

I rejoice in the multi-cultural, cosmopolitan society we are in the UK but think that immigration needs to be more carefully controlled.

I believe in Europe as a free market for goods and services but not the concept of economic and political union.

So am I left or right?

With the exception of your first paragraph I could have written your words (only possibly not so eloquently, I get bored with typing).
I consider myself slightly right of liberal if that helps? I could never vote labour and I waver between liberal and conservative depending on topical policies at the time of voting.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

My history degree has taught me that PR is very dangerous as combined with a bad recession it led to the rise of National Socialism and ultimately was a main cause of WWII.

Having said that, the current system is totally Labour-biased due to the boundaries issue. And speaking of national socialists it will be a travesty of democracy if the SNP have anything of a say on English issues.

Slightly gratuitous, insecure crow-barring of a reference to the existence of your history degree there JOTL.

What you've said is also utter bollocks.

I did the Tudors vs the Stewart's - GCSE history 1992. Ask me anything?

You obviously didn't do it hard enough. It's 'Stuarts'.

 

[worsleyweb]

Slightly gratuitous, insecure crow-barring of a reference to the existence of your history degree there JOTL.

What you've said is also utter bollocks.

I did the Tudors vs the Stewart's - GCSE history 1992. Ask me anything?

You obviously didn't do it hard enough. It's 'Stuarts'.

Am I in a time warp?

 

[Paul Lake's Left Knee]

I did the Tudors vs the Stewart's - GCSE history 1992. Ask me anything?

You obviously didn't do it hard enough. It's 'Stuarts'.

Am I in a time warp?

If you were, you might know it was Stuarts

 

[bluegirl74]

Major UKIP donor urges people to vote Conservative.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general-election-2015/11587745/Major-Ukip-donor-urges-partys-supporters-to-vote-Conservative-in-unwinnable-seats.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general ... seats.html</a>

I think we've now reached the stage where if Milliband or Cameron were caught saying that they would shoot their opponenent between the eyes, it wouldnt make any difference

I disagree. If anyone were to offer to shoot the lesser talented Milliband between the eyes I would immediately switch alliegences to them (except if it were Farage, I just couldn't do that)

 

[Ducado]

24 hours to go, get out and vote politicians love apathy

 

[worsleyweb]

24 hours to go, get out and vote politicians love apathy

I am voting in 8 hours 57 minutes.

 

[Bill]

Slightly gratuitous, insecure crow-barring of a reference to the existence of your history degree there JOTL.

What you've said is also utter bollocks.

I did the Tudors vs the Stewart's - GCSE history 1992. Ask me anything?

You obviously didn't do it hard enough. It's 'Stuarts'.

our club man was from stewarts.

 

[bluegirl74]

Both would like to get to know you well.

IMO this response did not get the laughs it deserved :-)

My genius is sadly wasted on this place BG.

I appreciated it PLLK. Just remember, if you can bring a smile to someone's face over the course of your day then the day hasn't been in vain. :-)

 

[hilts]

24 hours to go, get out and vote politicians love apathy

I actually think the best thing any undecided voter could do is just write fuck off on their ballot papers, I understand anyone not turning up, this election has been the final straw

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Slightly gratuitous, insecure crow-barring of a reference to the existence of your history degree there JOTL.

What you've said is also utter bollocks.

I did the Tudors vs the Stewart's - GCSE history 1992. Ask me anything?

You obviously didn't do it hard enough. It's 'Stuarts'.

Both more slowly and less pithily put than me.

Plus ca change....

 

[Damocles]

It's very dangerous to use labels like left or right indiscriminately. I know two Labour local politicians who I'd describe as right-leaning in their views.

If I were to try to sum my views up, I'd say I was a liberal, both economically and socially. I believe in the free market and the provision of many services by the private sector but I also think that some public services and infrastructure is better left to the public sector.

I believe that the government should build a platform for wealth creation by private enterprise but should ensure that's not at the expense of the people helping to build that prosperity.

I don't have a problem with private medicine (I have a policy myself) or the use of the private sector to provide services to the NHS but I also think that the NHS, free at the point of delivery, should be sacrosanct as a concept.

I rejoice in the multi-cultural, cosmopolitan society we are in the UK but think that immigration needs to be more carefully controlled.

I believe in Europe as a free market for goods and services but not the concept of economic and political union.

So am I left or right?

As you point out, the terms of left and right mean absolutely nothing when taken on their own as they require a reference point to contrast against.

Compared to somebody like myself who doesn't believe in the notion of private ownership of any public infrastructure and wants a unified world Government, you'll be considered right wing. Compared to some posters on here you're far left.

The important thing though is not about left and right, it's about the ability to recognise the difference between personal beliefs and beliefs that serve the country best. I'd definitely vote for the Tories in some election years and would vote Labour in others because my views are not represented by the extremely narrow band of political parties we have. People who say "I'd never vote Labour as I'm a Tory" or vice versa to me are as incomprehensible as people who suggest that there's a massive gap in beliefs between the Protestants and the Catholics. They probably argue over 5 concepts yet agree on the other thousand pages of the Bible. It would be nice to see somebody working off of a different book which is what UKIP brought to the table.

As moderators on here we deal with the difference between personal belief and belief in the higher principles every day. We all have our views on what would be the best thing to do for the forum but often ignore them to implement the agreed upon actions that is better for the bigger picture. My irritation and annoyance isn't with right wingers per se as pretty much every member of the forum is right of my personal beliefs but those people who are entrenched and specifically in this thread do absolutely pathetic and petty point scoring like that "Labour is a vote for segregation" picture that was on here the other day or the constant Bullingdon Club picture. They mean absolutely fuck all in the scheme of things and are posted by people who treat politics as a football match where they want "their team" to win. That shit irritates me beyond belief as I believe it's one of the causes of many of the societal ills we have.

 

[bgblue]

I found this particularly funny:

 

[Damocles]

Who is Esmeralda Miller?

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Who is Esmeralda Miller?

I'd rather know who Sexpot Sharon is.

 

[True_Blue69]

Why don't labour and the torys form a coalition?

 

[TangerineSteve17]

It's very dangerous to use labels like left or right indiscriminately. I know two Labour local politicians who I'd describe as right-leaning in their views.

If I were to try to sum my views up, I'd say I was a liberal, both economically and socially. I believe in the free market and the provision of many services by the private sector but I also think that some public services and infrastructure is better left to the public sector.

I believe that the government should build a platform for wealth creation by private enterprise but should ensure that's not at the expense of the people helping to build that prosperity.

I don't have a problem with private medicine (I have a policy myself) or the use of the private sector to provide services to the NHS but I also think that the NHS, free at the point of delivery, should be sacrosanct as a concept.

I rejoice in the multi-cultural, cosmopolitan society we are in the UK but think that immigration needs to be more carefully controlled.

I believe in Europe as a free market for goods and services but not the concept of economic and political union.

So am I left or right?

As you point out, the terms of left and right mean absolutely nothing when taken on their own as they require a reference point to contrast against.

Compared to somebody like myself who doesn't believe in the notion of private ownership of any public infrastructure and wants a unified world Government, you'll be considered right wing. Compared to some posters on here you're far left.

The important thing though is not about left and right, it's about the ability to recognise the difference between personal beliefs and beliefs that serve the country best. I'd definitely vote for the Tories in some election years and would vote Labour in others because my views are not represented by the extremely narrow band of political parties we have. People who say "I'd never vote Labour as I'm a Tory" or vice versa to me are as incomprehensible as people who suggest that there's a massive gap in beliefs between the Protestants and the Catholics. They probably argue over 5 concepts yet agree on the other thousand pages of the Bible. It would be nice to see somebody working off of a different book which is what UKIP brought to the table.

As moderators on here we deal with the difference between personal belief and belief in the higher principles every day. We all have our views on what would be the best thing to do for the forum but often ignore them to implement the agreed upon actions that is better for the bigger picture. My irritation and annoyance isn't with right wingers per se as pretty much every member of the forum is right of my personal beliefs but those people who are entrenched and specifically in this thread do absolutely pathetic and petty point scoring like that "Labour is a vote for segregation" picture that was on here the other day or the constant Bullingdon Club picture. They mean absolutely fuck all in the scheme of things and are posted by people who treat politics as a football match where they want "their team" to win. That shit irritates me beyond belief as I believe it's one of the causes of many of the societal ills we have.

I struggle with this a bit. I assume you mean the UK, but still.. you try to consider everything in it's entirety or you're a bigot. It's one of things I cant understand. What is best for where I happen to live or best for the world? no matter how minuscule the scale. Basically why I can't stand right wing politics, because it's selfish really, exploitative. there are about 7 billion of us, all conscious.

I'm not happy taking it to this level, it seems devoid of reason but it really isn't.

I guess what I'm saying is it isn't right to think about one's country (especially a rich country like we live in) but the world as a whole and how it you want it to function. Gonna take a long time for people to abandon their selfish psychology I guess.

Hate politics.

 

[DelToro]

I see the mods are already out in force.

It will be like the Battle of Orgreave revisited tomorrow.