May the seventh will soon be with you.

[cee-dee]

We've had May the fourth.....

Not long to go now and it'll all be over............ but will it?

The horse trading is likely to begin BUT, you can stop it. How?:-

First, go out and VOTE. Secondly vote for one of the two "main parties".

All these minor parties are going to do is to disrupt things and cause trouble.

OK, you're going to say "We live in a democracy". Sure, we do....

Now if there's no strong Government (with one or other of the two main parties) running the show, these minor troublemakers will attempt to blackmail the main party of their choice in order to gain ministerial jobs and influence any proposed changes in legislation for their own ends.

That's hardly democratic? A minority comprised of disaffected turncoats having far more influence than they deserve is not the way things ought to be.

Soooooo, do the right thing, get out there and vote, vote, vote for one of the main parties.

[jd.linklater]

I agree with ceedee on the whole, everyone who is able should get out and vote on Thursday.

Voting is not only a democratic right, it is a moral duty (or should be).

[fallen-archie]

Surely the time has come to move on, if we continue to support the main parties out of fear that has to be wrong. Trust in politicians has never been so low and its high time they realised and put themselves up to serve the public not to fiddle their expences or embark on overseas wars. The conservatives haved moved too far left which has resulted in the arrival of UKIP, the Laboour party has moved too far right letting the likes of the SNP with it's myriad of socialist partners hidden up it's kilt move in and make governing almost impossible. The Lib Dems are being punished by the electorate for propping up the tories for the last five years, everyone forgetting the miserable economic state we were in. So politics here is in a real mess. 

No party has put forward a manifesto which is clearly costed, All claim to want to help hard working British families yet much of our budget is spent in a way that encourages the opposite. 

The fundamental problem remains one of living beyond our means, We have massive debt promise the world, expect to be looked after regardless and rely almost entirely on population growth to obtain economic growth and personal debt to keep the tills ringing.

The pressure on our towns and cities is huge, our coutryside is being destroyed by more and more housing.

What we need is strong government, Honest politicians, realistic and costed plans, a reduction in our population size, more help for new and existing business including a drastic cut in red tape. So who do I put my cross against ?

[malacandran]

As long as people keep voting for these politicians, nothing will change. 

We should stop voting for them.  Just stay at home, and refuse to vote.  

Suppose we all did this, and none of us voted in the General Election.  What would this cause?  Two things:

1. It would deprive politicians of any claim that they have a "mandate from the people".

2. It might lead to changes in the politcal system.

But there won't be any changes if people keep "voting" . Isn't that obvious?

[cee-dee]

No it's not. That's a stupid, idiotic thought.

There is no way the whole population will decide en masse to refrain from voting and if that became even a general thought, the extremists would all turn up to vote and in the unlikely event that actually happened and they achieved their aim, they'd then claim "It was a democratic vote, everyone had their chance...."

[malacandran]

---

@cee-dee wrote:

No it's not. That's a stupid, idiotic thought.

There is no way the whole population will decide en masse to refrain from voting and if that became even a general thought, the extremists would all turn up to vote and in the unlikely event that actually happened and they achieved their aim, they'd then claim "It was a democratic vote, everyone had their chance...."

---

But the "extremists" would only constitute 10% of the population. So the Major Parties couldn't claim they had a mandate from the people.

The 90% of sensible people who didn't vote, could then distance themselves entirely from the whole stupid farrago.

[cee-dee]

If a Goverment were "elected" by the extremists who were the only ones who could be bothered to vote, such a Government could quite legitimately claim they were elected in a democratic vote by the voters.

The last few Goverments were elected by only that proportion of the electorate who bothered to vote.

If you don't vote, don't complain about "The Government" because by default, you "elected" them.

[artwisemills]

---

@cee-dee wrote:

Now if there's no strong Government (with one or other of the two main parties) running the show, these minor troublemakers will attempt to blackmail the main party of their choice in order to gain ministerial jobs and influence any proposed changes in legislation for their own ends.

That's hardly democratic? A minority comprised of disaffected turncoats having far more influence than they deserve is not the way things ought to be.

Soooooo, do the right thing, get out there and vote, vote, vote for one of the main parties.

---

Quite frankly - I have never read such utter rubbish! Based on this sort of logic there would never be any change - and everything would remain static ever spiralling downward towards decay for most working people.

I for one do not believe that any of the main parties represent me fully - I realise that may result in Nicola Sturgeon taking the reigns - that's if Labour choose to let her! However if the Scots want to paint their bums blue and live in cookoo land - then I'll vote with my feet and never buy another bottle of Scotch whisky - only Irish, which is actually better anyway! For everyone thinking of voting SNP - Alex and Nicola were going to rely on North Sea Oil to finance Independence - that was before the price of oil plummeted - where would they be now had the vote gone in their favour?

As for the liberals - what a joke, Clegg would sell his soul to the devil and say black was white to be in power - and so would that idot Danny Alexander! Hopefully they will both lose their seats!

When I was young my older brother said I should vote Conservative - "because if I didn't Labour would take everything I had off me." I quickly pointed out I hadn't got anything - so they'd be lucky to take it off me!

We have had labour government after labour and we always end up near to bankrupt!

Remember Tony Blair - man of the people and now a multi millionaire with in excess of 100 staff working for him! He's now trying to sort out the Middle East and it's in more turmoil than it's ever been in! His government left us with massive debts, aircraft carriers with no planes to use on them, state of the art fire stations that remain empty because the technology to go in them was not available and he opened the door to more immigrants than we know we have - because we're still not sure and still counting!

Judging by the thousands making their way from the Med (this weekend) - and they themselves say  they are coming to London and Birmingham to name just two of the popular destinations on the list. I see all these potential brain surgeons selling the Big Issue and begging on our streets - wonderful just what was needed to help our economy!

My message would be the only way to get any change is to create a bit of turmoil in the system - remember how the IRA blew up the city in the 90's - and suddenly they end up in government - not suggesting we follow their example but maybe more like the voting for an alternate party, in other words tactical voting!

Finally and most importantly - the NHS is falling apart!  I know from my recent experience as a self employed working man who has been ill with an unknown virus that has caused me to pass out 19 times. However I could not even get doctors appointments - it's time we seriously considered if the NHS can continue in its current form! BUT that's an election loser for any party to even suggest any change to its current endlessly growing budget 1 billion, 10 billion - where will it all end? 

Never mind if you want everything to continue on as it is, do as CD says and just vote Labour or Conservative and eventually it will fall apart anyway!!

[malacandran]

---

@cee-dee wrote:

If you don't vote, don't complain about "The Government" because by default, you "elected" them.

---

It's people who actually "vote" for politicians, then complain afterwards,  that are silly.  I mean, couldn't you see it coming?

You voted for them - you got them.

No-one who votes in an election has any right to complain about the inevitable outcome.

[cee-dee]

I see some weird opinions on here. Just as well they're only a microscopic point of view.

They sound like proposals for some sort of rabble-rousing revolution and in the end, those sort of things always end up with violence.

As for everyone else on Thursday, go out and vote for a strong Government because weak Governments comprised of "coalitions" never get anywhere and eventually lead to yet more break-away factions to further disrupt everything.

[malacandran]

---

@cee-dee wrote:

I see some weird opinions on here. Just as well they're only a microscopic point of view.

They sound like proposals for some sort of rabble-rousing revolution and in the end, those sort of things always end up with violence.

As for everyone else on Thursday, go out and vote for a strong Government because weak Governments comprised of "coalitions" never get anywhere and eventually lead to yet more break-away factions to further disrupt everything.

---

I think our country has been sufficiently disrupted, over the last 50 years, by politicians of all parties.

Why some people want to keep voting for these beggars, is a mystery.

Hopefully, most of us will do the sensible thing - ignore the so-called "Election", and not enter a "Polling Booth" to vote for any of them.

Then we won't feel like turkeys voting for Christmas, or lambs led to the slaughter.

[tommy.irene]

"Granny, do all fairy tales begin with 'Once Upon A time'? " "No, darling. there's a whole series of fairy tales that begin with 'If Elected I Promise!!..

[artwisemills]

---

@cee-dee wrote:

I see some weird opinions on here. Just as well they're only a microscopic point of view.

They sound like proposals for some sort of rabble-rousing revolution and in the end, those sort of things always end up with violence.

As for everyone else on Thursday, go out and vote for a strong Government because weak Governments comprised of "coalitions" never get anywhere and eventually lead to yet more break-away factions to further disrupt everything.

---

CD - You clearly have not spotted that there has been a coalition for the last 5 years - one that they said would not last and it did!

Microscopic points of view - hmmm, not quite sure how you can justify that when its quite likely more people will vote for UKIP than the liberal democrats? These small parties are growing and yes the two governments do indeed have something to fear - true democracy! The right to vote for who you want and not be told who to vote for!

As for violence - remember the petrol blockade, there was very little violence but it resulted in holding back John Prescotts fuel duty for a while and momentarily gave the public the upper hand stopping the never ending fuel rises.

[cee-dee]

Oh dear............. it only "lasted" because the coalition had determined that the Parliament would be for a full 5 years rather than being at the whim of a snap election.

[astrologica]

So Cee-Dee.....we can safely be assured that you won't be voting UKIP then?😄😄😄

[0125arwen]

---

@fallen-archie wrote:

Surely the time has come to move on, if we continue to support the main parties out of fear that has to be wrong. Trust in politicians has never been so low and its high time they realised and put themselves up to serve the public not to fiddle their expences or embark on overseas wars. The conservatives haved moved too far left which has resulted in the arrival of UKIP, the Laboour party has moved too far right letting the likes of the SNP with it's myriad of socialist partners hidden up it's kilt move in and make governing almost impossible. The Lib Dems are being punished by the electorate for propping up the tories for the last five years, everyone forgetting the miserable economic state we were in. So politics here is in a real mess. 

No party has put forward a manifesto which is clearly costed, All claim to want to help hard working British families yet much of our budget is spent in a way that encourages the opposite. 

The fundamental problem remains one of living beyond our means, We have massive debt promise the world, expect to be looked after regardless and rely almost entirely on population growth to obtain economic growth and personal debt to keep the tills ringing.

The pressure on our towns and cities is huge, our coutryside is being destroyed by more and more housing.

What we need is strong government, Honest politicians, realistic and costed plans, a reduction in our population size, more help for new and existing business including a drastic cut in red tape. So who do I put my cross against ?

---

Ukip

[joe_bloggs*]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4iIsRC5Ywc

[merehazle]

---

@malacandran wrote:

As long as people keep voting for these politicians, nothing will change. 

We should stop voting for them.  Just stay at home, and refuse to vote.  

Suppose we all did this, and none of us voted in the General Election.  What would this cause?  Two things:

1. It would deprive politicians of any claim that they have a "mandate from the people".

2. It might lead to changes in the politcal system.

But there won't be any changes if people keep "voting" . Isn't that obvious?

---

Political ''pledges'' go out of the window the day after the election.

On current trends, it will take up to 30 years to deliver key election pledges from Labour and the Conservatives to recruit thousands more GPs, the body which represents family doctors has warned.  

The British Medical Association (BMA), the doctors' union, warned last month that stress, long hours and bureaucracy could result in up to one in three GPs leaving their posts in the next few years.

There's the problem, and it wont be solved by cash incentives or throttling hospital doctor places. Reduce the stress, hours & bureaucracy and many GPs currently thinking of leaving will change their minds.

There should be MORE Doctors and Nurses in the NHS ... NOT less of them working ''more efficiently''.

I loathe the politicians who state that there are ''efficiency savings'' to be made in the NHS and that this will fix all the problems.  Agency Nurses are likely to show less care and warmth IMO.  And cost an absolute fortune.   

[cee-dee]

No, I won't be voting for UKIP:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-england-32595003