How do you intend to vote in the General Election?

[joseph]

i voted befor. gordon brown.

[fredv3b]

Indeed, the SNP are trying to stop the population decline up here. Too many bright young people get educated in Scotland then head south where they perceive that there are more opportunities.

I am reminded of that Dr Johnson quote, "the finest prospect a Scotsman ever sees is the road to England." He apparently repeated it often to annoy his friend and poet, Boswell. I would certainly say that education is not the problem, the schools are at least as good as in England, Highers are superior to A-Levels, and for at least two centuries discerning Englishmen have sent their sons to Scots Universities. In theory Scotland ought be the beneficiary of a 'reverse brain drain', the problem is (as far as I can see) is companies and entrepreneurs seem consistently less willing to start-up new operations (and hence create 'good' new jobs) in Scotland as in the southern half of England. I am unsure why though, if I new why I suppose wonder what it would be worth to Mr Salmond?

I am surprised that Mr Saeed's website doesn't include some positive sounding, but politically meaningless, reference to the 'gay-bourhood'. Good idea about writing the email, I'd be interested to know the gist of the reply. I'm planning of writting one to the Lib Dem candidate, but first I want to cook-up a list of difficult questions .

Your mention of the Glasgow 'gay-bourhood' reminded me that since I live within a stone's throw of the Canal Street area, my constituency would be particularly watched as to how gay-friendly policies pan out in elections? Would a poor showing for the Tories show they need to do more next time, or discourage them from trying? Interestingly, the Chair (or something) of LBGTory is not the Tory candidate for my seat but is fighting Hazel Blears in Salford. Many gays are, quite understandably, unsure about the new gay-friendly Tories, he would be someone we could trust to fight our corner within the party and within Parliament.

Update...

That was a fast reply. Good on him for being up for a discussion.

[colinmackay]

I am surprised that Mr Saeed's website doesn't include some positive sounding, but politically meaningless, reference to the 'gay-bourhood'. Good idea about writing the email, I'd be interested to know the gist of the reply. I'm planning of writting one to the Lib Dem candidate, but first I want to cook-up a list of difficult questions .

Well, given my email it might get something soon as it will now be on the radar that he has a specific community in his consituency.

Not sure what sort of reception he'd get if I invited him to my local (The Waterloo, if you are curious. It caters to a more mature age range so they may be a little more suspicious of him.) Or if he actually went into the Merchant City.

Your mention of the Glasgow 'gay-bourhood' reminded me that since I live within a stone's throw of the Canal Street area, my constituency would be particularly watched as to how gay-friendly policies pan out in elections? Would a poor showing for the Tories show they need to do more next time, or discourage them from trying? Interestingly, the Chair (or something) of LBGTory is not the Tory candidate for my seat but is fighting Hazel Blears in Salford. Many gays are, quite understandably, unsure about the new gay-friendly Tories, he would be someone we could trust to fight our corner within the party and within Parliament.

(Heading off topic once again) Only been to Canal Street once. Not a night I'll forget easily. It was the night I came out! Also, the person it was to is a member of LGBTory.

At least the Tories have an internal group fighting for gay rights. It pushes them in the right direction, which is why I'm not too worried about the Tories gaining power in that respect. Although I do think things will slow down.

Imagine the awfulness if the entire Tory party was made up of people like Ann Widdecombe.

[fredv3b]

Imagine the awfulness if the entire Tory party was made up of people like Ann Widdecombe.

I love Ann Widdecombe, she really speaks her mind. If she were standing in my constituency I would vote for her, despite her views, the same way as I would for Tony Benn. Parliament will be the poorer without her, however one Ann Widdecombe is enough.

[AlexJames]

My political hero died yesterday- a real Labour politician!

[fredv3b]

The man who led Labour into a great defeat with 'the longest suicide note in history'?

[Genersis]

Why can't politics be simple!:mad:
Stupid question huh.:tongue:
This is my first time voting So I read a bit into each party a while back(Not that it counts for much).
I was going to vote Lib Dem, but after reading this thread I'm not so sure....

The Lib Dems always present themselves as the cleanest of the clean. And while Vince Cable seems to have his head screwed on, I was living in Dunfermline and witnessed one of the dirtiest by-election campaigns waged by the Lib Dems and as a result I saw their true colours. I used to be sympathetic to them, no longer.
"

Could you perhaps expand on this Colin? Just curious.....

[AlexJames]

'The man who led Labour into a great defeat with 'the longest suicide note in history'?

True, but he was also the same man who led the fight against domestic fascism in the 1930s, led the campaign against nuclear proliferation, fought tooth and nail against appeasement, a great historian of brititsh political culture and moreover, the best parliamentary speaker of the last century!

He's got a hell of a legacy.

[colinmackay]

I was going to vote Lib Dem, but after reading this thread I'm not so sure....

Could you perhaps expand on this Colin? Just curious.....

Basically, In the general election Labout won with LibDems second and SNP third. The difference between LD and SNP was really a handful of votes.

I got leaflets with out of scale charts showing LD only just behind Labour and the SNP and Tories way behind.

They campaigned on devolved issues for a Westminster seat. Issues Westminster has no authority over. They were hot issues for the local populace but not one the candidate could realistically do anything about. (e.g. The Forth Road Bridge has 10 years of life left to it and will be shut to HGVs in 5 years unless it can be repaired. It can't they're now planning a replacement. The closure of A&E services at Dunfermline's Queen Margaret Hospital meaning a near 20 mile trip to Kirkcaldy is another example. - The point is Transport and Health are a devolved issues. The FRB is under the control of the Holyrood parliament, not the Westminster one, as is the NHS in Scotland)

And it went on like this. Not personal mud slinging (as is the traditional dirty battle), but certainly muddying the waters on what policies they stood for. I got very little detail about policies that Westminster would deal with and lots of detail on policies that the LD candidate wouldn't be able to vote on.

The other parties & candidates at least stayed on topic... or tried to.

[fredv3b]

Perhaps, they were campaigning about how they would or would not run somebody else's NHS (the former Honourable Member for West Lothian's question remains unanswered).

More seriously, I cannot remember a General Election when local issues, which were in fact the Council's responsibility, did not form, at least, a significant part of the leaflets I received.