May Elections 2014

I am actually STANDING as a paper candidate for the Lib Dems in our ward. I don't have a chance of winning but in the interests of democracy I feel people deserve as wide a choice as possible.

Tactical voting is sometimes sadly the best option. Look at the election results in your ward last time. Voting patterns and intentions don;t change much so if you are unhappy with what the incumbent councillor is doing and its case of you want them out at any cost then vote for the party that was closest to them last time. If you want to make a protest vote then greens or ukip are probably your options. Don;t discount the value of protest votes. Thats how the Lib dems started way back when they were the liberal party.....it just takes time. Sadly as long as we have FPTP voting system the big 2 parties will continue to dominate.......but gains can be made.

My voting intentions are VERY obvious, but I am not urging to vote Lib Dem I am urging you to VOTE. Apathy is what allows the big two dominate simply because they have more resources to campaign - but paradoxically allows the real extremists like the BNP to gain seats. The hard liners will always get their vote turned out when they focus on one area. Lets face it thats how the lib dems have managed to go from 6 MP's to 6 members of cabinet....even tho it took 50 years.

Change cannot come over night.

If you feel the Green party stand for things you support maybe you should campaign for them to help them have a better chance of winning.

The more we say that the Greens will never get elected, the more we make it so.

I've never felt comfortable with tactical voting - go for it! Vote Green if that's where your heart lies.

I don't like tactical voting - but sometimes its the best way to get closer to what you really want. But if people really feel the Green party is the best one then the best way to ensure it gets more support is to get out there and work for it, to build support for it in your area.

There's always the thought that the more votes the other parties "lose" to the Greens, the more likely they are to develop green policies.

There's always the thought that the more votes the other parties "lose" to the Greens, the more likely they are to develop green policies.

Yes I agree with that. I do feel that UKIP will do well this time round and much of it will be protest voters which I am sure will have an impact on how the parties approach the general election.

I like the idea of voting for the Green Party but it always seems to come down to the two major parties so I almost feel my vote becomes a lost vote in some ways.

Hi,
I'm all for green policies but I live in Brighton and we have had to endure the green council experiment for the past few years. It has been a joke...pollution has increased, natural habitats destroyed and fish and newts killed, recycling levels dropped...not very green!
Hearts may be in the right place but they have neither the experience nor the wisdom to actually run a council.

Vote with your heart by all means but do not expect that any party is really going to be any different from the others.
Christina

The different parties DO have different agendas.......What stops them putting them into action when they get into power is public opinion......and the fact that making major changes takes time. But public opinion can and does change. Look at how green issues ARE now mainstream, look at how we now have gay marriage when 50 years ago homosexuality was a crime. Generally evolution is more effective than revolution. So vote with your heart,and if an issue really matters to you become an activist.

Do I expect to win in my ward? Not a chance! But what would happen to democracy if only the two parties who stood a chance of winning contested a seat?

Do I expect to win in my ward? Not a chance! But what would happen to democracy if only the two parties who stood a chance of winning contested a seat?

Good luck! 🙂 Tashanie, all the best for the 22nd.

Voting humm now how can this be addressed, vote with your heart? read everything going on each candidate? How do we really know what is going on in their heads, how do we know anything?

The way things are we may as well fold bits of paper up and pull a name out of a hat. Then I say to myself what if I pulled out Conservative, would I scream `no no' does that make me lean towards Labour 'no no' Green, UKIP. I just don't know!

You could always look up the voting patterns of any incumbent MP. As for UKIP, do you have to do more than look at what they stand for to make up your mind? You must be able to see quickly if you agree or not - they are not subtle.

We tell ourselves, "there's no real difference between the parties" and that lets us off taking responsibility for having an opinion. It's an easy thing to say that requires no thought. But if you can't decide which way you lean between the Greens and UKIP, then you really are in trouble!

But if you can't decide which way you lean between the Greens and UKIP, then you really are in trouble!

Ah as is this Country Crowan, Not wanting to enter into a political debate but I would honestly be interested to know from others in one sentence why they would vote for a particular party and one sentence why they would not.

The floor is open...

Okay - here's a start.
I would not vote for any party that is racist and homophobic, so that's UKIP and the BNP out for a start.
I won't support a party that wants the rich to be richer and the poor poorer, so that's the Conservatives out.
Neither Labour nor the Lib-dems have done enough to fight the right-wing excesses of the Conservatives.
As well as anti-racist and anti-homophobic, I need a party to be committed to civil liberties and to the protection of the environment. That really leaves me with Green or Plaid Cymru.
If you really can't decide, visit Vote Match to see which party reflects your points of view the most - here.

I would argue the Lib Dems have done as much as they could within the confines of the coalition. But then I would wouldn't I lol

I will vote Lib dem because I am more inclined to left wing views but having grown up in an era when the unions were far to strong I don't trust labour. I aloo dislike the two party domination.

I don't agree with all Lib dem policies - but all political parties in fact contain members with a spectrum of views....look at the Tories and Europe.

In what ways were the unions "far too strong"? And please, I'm not asking for Daily Mail headlines - facts if you can.
Can you call the Lib-dems "left wing"? Nick Clegg doesn't. Although, to be fair,I would have thought their policies are more to the left than not.
However, anyone who thinks New Labour is the same party as the old Labour party was simply hasn't been paying attention. Whether or not the unions were "too strong", New Labour was not their friend. I don't think Milliband is veering in that direction either.
Having said all that, I really hope that you do well. You come across as a decent person and that is important, in politics as in anything else.:)