Wot's your voting history?

[winseer]

With all the deep debate on these pages with regards to current politics - How does the world now fit in to how it was for you in the past, even if those ideas and dreams of the day never got off the ground?

I’ll start:

1970 - I was too young to vote. The Tories unexpectedly won a majority at this election, and consigned “protest” members of the party like Enoch Powell to oblivion.

1974 - Ted Heath had lost the support of my parents, what with three day weeks, power cuts, and general weak government. In the election they voted Liberal in a campaign that actually involved my family that year.

1979 - Thatcher won, when few thought she could. I was still too young to vote at this point, but it’s quite possible my parents voted Tory, since they are quite guarded about who they voted for that year.

1983 - In the aftermath of the Falklands War, Thatcher went to the country early, and won massively. I was still too young to vote.

1987 - My first vote. I didn’t bother. Thatcher was so far ahead in the polls, the idea of voting against her seemed a waste of time, so I didn’t bother.

1992 - Labour were 1/5 on odds approaching polling day. I voted for Ashdown’s Libdems. John Major unexpectedly remained in power with a small majority.

1997 - I didn’t like Blair. In the euphoria surrounding Blair, I voted in a futile manner for Ashdown’s Libdems again.

2001 - I didn’t think Kennedy was any good at all, and not worthy of my voting Libdem at all this time, so I ended up not voting at all.

2005 - I actually found myself voting Tory for the first (and only) time in my life. The other parties by this point were headed by a warmonger and an idiot respectively. At least I knew Michael Howard to be a capable guy, even if I didn’t agree with everything he said.

2010 - I voted Libdem this year, taken in by Cleggy’s rhetoric. I regretted it as soon as he went back on school fees.

2015 - At present, I intend voting UKIP - which will be stopped by any of the three main parties coming up with some decent manifesto commitments that I actually like in full. No sign of even a BEGINNING of that so far, so you could call me “hardened” at this point. Not so. Sell me! I’m no bigot, nor idiot sticking my head in the sand going LA LA LA. I believe the next government of this country will be a coalition involving UKIP, which seems a very good thing to vote for not just now - but for the foreseeable future. We’ll never get that referendum in 2017 if the Tories win an outright majority, and Labour have not made any such promise at all, which must surely lead to us turning up in the Court of Brussels, bringing our own Vaseline - should Labour win an outright majority.

As for Libdem? - They’ve got as much chance of getting a seat around here as a deaf kid playing musical chairs.

The whole of Kent is Blue right now, even though I’ve never voted for Tory whilst they were actually in power.

I might be tempted to vote for whoever is in close second to the Tories come next year - a tactical vote - just to get rid of the Alan B’Stard who’s currently holding the seat - under false premise - looking at how little he’s done for the local community since getting elected in 2010. Hopefully it will be UKIP who are that “close second” by this point, so I don’t have to wring hands over anything here.

[harry_monk]

I voted UKIP in the recent election, and that is only the second time in my life I have ever voted, the first time was in 1979, but I only voted because it was the first election I was old enough to vote in and I wanted to see what it was like. I voted Labour.

I’ve registered for postal voting now and I’ll be voting UKIP again in the General Election unless one of the other parties has a major wake-up call.

[wetback]

Spooky! I too have only voted twice. Voted for Maggies second term (still cant believe it!)
and now in exactly the same mindset as you, Harry - UKIP until/if/when the other marionettes get real.

[animal]

Winseer:
With all the deep debate on these pages with regards to current politics - How does the world now fit in to how it was for you in the past, even if those ideas and dreams of the day never got off the ground?

I’ll start:

1970 - I was too young to vote. The Tories unexpectedly won a majority at this election, and consigned “protest” members of the party like Enoch Powell to oblivion.

Like you not old enough

1974 - Ted Heath had lost the support of my parents, what with three day weeks, power cuts, and general weak government. In the election they voted Liberal in a campaign that actually involved my family that year.

Still not old enough

1979 - Thatcher won, when few thought she could. I was still too young to vote at this point, but it’s quite possible my parents voted Tory, since they are quite guarded about who they voted for that year.

Just too young

1983 - In the aftermath of the Falklands War, Thatcher went to the country early, and won massively. I was still too young to vote.

Yep old enough 1st vote but was not allowed as just moved for work asked if could transfer my vote but was blocked by Michael Fallon he was then Darlington rep

1987 - My first vote. I didn’t bother. Thatcher was so far ahead in the polls, the idea of voting against her seemed a waste of time, so I didn’t bother.

Again lost vote due to house move ( yep again ) but when Labour came round they did change this but not quick enough

1992 - Labour were 1/5 on odds approaching polling day. I voted for Ashdown’s Libdems. John Major unexpectedly remained in power with a small majority.

Ah yep was in process of moving

1997 - I didn’t like Blair. In the euphoria surrounding Blair, I voted in a futile manner for Ashdown’s Libdems again.

On holiday

2001 - I didn’t think Kennedy was any good at all, and not worthy of my voting Libdem at all this time, so I ended up not voting at all.

Yep I did eventually vote

2005 - I actually found myself voting Tory for the first (and only) time in my life. The other parties by this point were headed by a warmonger and an idiot respectively. At least I knew Michael Howard to be a capable guy, even if I didn’t agree with everything he said.

Sorry but will never vote Tory as up here in the North it is nearly all Red & no working person votes Tory so we may agree to disagree on this

2010 - I voted Libdem this year, taken in by Cleggy’s rhetoric. I regretted it as soon as he went back on school fees.

2015 - At present, I intend voting UKIP - which will be stopped by any of the three main parties coming up with some decent manifesto commitments that I actually like in full. No sign of even a BEGINNING of that so far, so you could call me “hardened” at this point. Not so. Sell me! I’m no bigot, nor idiot sticking my head in the sand going LA LA LA. I believe the next government of this country will be a coalition involving UKIP, which seems a very good thing to vote for not just now - but for the foreseeable future. We’ll never get that referendum in 2017 if the Tories win an outright majority, and Labour have not made any such promise at all, which must surely lead to us turning up in the Court of Brussels, bringing our own Vaseline - should Labour win an outright majority.

Un sure who I will vote for as none of them seem to have any policies as yet

As for Libdem? - They’ve got as much chance of getting a seat around here as a deaf kid playing musical chairs.

Agreed think it is the same up here

The whole of Kent is Blue right now, even though I’ve never voted for Tory whilst they were actually in power.

I might be tempted to vote for whoever is in close second to the Tories come next year - a tactical vote - just to get rid of the Alan B’Stard who’s currently holding the seat - under false premise - looking at how little he’s done for the local community since getting elected in 2010. Hopefully it will be UKIP who are that “close second” by this point, so I don’t have to wring hands over anything here.

But before that there is something of more important to me personally which is the Scottish independence vote as my son live there as well as a few good mates

[carryfast]

I supported Powell and Shore during the 1970’s but we ended up with Heath,Wilson,Callaghan,and Thatcher.The only surprising thing is how well the country actually managed to do under that bunch of losers/tossers ( no thanks to them but full marks to the British workforce for at least trying ) until Thatcher finally virtually finished the place off in the 1980’s.I was too young to vote during most of the 1970’s and didn’t care or bother through most of the years I could since the late 1970’s.Being that I ( rightly ) didn’t think it was even worth bothering with the place after Powell and Shore had been sidelined by their respective parties.

In later years I then voted tactically being in a marginal area hopefully just to try to keep the LibDems out.With the result that the Cons then eventually went into a co alition with the zb’s.

Now with the prospect of an anti EU and anti immigration agenda again being back on the table in the form of a UKIP Conservative co alition I think it’s at least now worth trying to get the place back on track as Powell did.

[winseer]

Yes. I don’t think Farage is anywhere near as good as Powell, but he too was considered a racist in his day for merely telling the truth.

The big danger next year is that too much UKIP support comes from disenchanted Tory voters, and not enough from Labour. It’s already read that a lot of former libdem voters (myself included) will be going over to UKIP for the general election - not just for these Euro ones of a week back.

What about the “never voted” or “hardly ever voted” crowd, of which you might be one? - A difference won’t be made by UKIP merely winning all their target seats, since there’s not enough of them. They’d have to scupper a few “safe seats” on top I reckon. That remains an enormous task to turn a vote of a couple of thousand into a twenty thousand poll - enough to bring some safe Tory down from 30-something thousand down to 18-19 thousand - and pip them at the post!

Welcome back btw.

[carryfast]

Winseer:
Yes. I don’t think Farage is anywhere near as good as Powell, but he too was considered a racist in his day for merely telling the truth.

The big danger next year is that too much UKIP support comes from disenchanted Tory voters, and not enough from Labour. It’s already read that a lot of former libdem voters (myself included) will be going over to UKIP for the general election - not just for these Euro ones of a week back.

What about the “never voted” or “hardly ever voted” crowd, of which you might be one? - A difference won’t be made by UKIP merely winning all their target seats, since there’s not enough of them. They’d have to scupper a few “safe seats” on top I reckon. That remains an enormous task to turn a vote of a couple of thousand into a twenty thousand poll - enough to bring some safe Tory down from 30-something thousand down to 18-19 thousand - and pip them at the post!

Welcome back btw.

Ironically in terms of economic policies I think Shore was way ahead of Powell in believing in a protectionist trade policy as opposed to free markets.But the key is that both put the interests of the country above that of their own party dogma and obviously their own careers as a result.

As things stand,just like then there’s nothing much to differentiate the Cons from Labour.IE pro EU and pro immigration it’s just that Labour likes the EU and immigration because of it’s anti nation socialist ideology while the Cons are all about the CBI agenda of using it to oversupply the labour market for cheap labour which explains the eastern expansion of the EU.While the Labour Party has obviously also been infiltrated by the same CBI agenda since the Blairite tendency took it over in addition to what remains of it’s socialist ideology.

In view of that there’s no reason for anyone in the working classes or with any sense to vote for the present Conservative or Labour con.Which then leaves the vote being all about the question of UKIP and wether it can create an alliance by splitting the Conservative Party along the lines of the old Heath/Thatcher v Powell argument but this time winning it.All that needs to take place ‘before’ the election.IE the relevant fault lines need to be established ready for the voters to vote on the result not by the vote.

[terry_t]

Labour get in, it takes a few years for everyone to hate them then they vote the Tories in hoping for change and blindly falling for all their election rhetoric. The inevitable happens some years down the line and Labour are voted back in.

Repeat to fade. Nothing will EVER change by voting the same con artists in time and time again. I’m not saying I have the answer to this problem but all you can do really is just coast along and try to make the best of your life.

Communism doesn’t work which has been proven numerous times in numerous countries. Our lot have cottoned on to the idea of giving us just enough freedom to make them a ■■■■■■■■ of money and ourselves just enough to make us happy enough so we don’t start a revolution.

[winseer]

I don’t think the Tories are worried that Scotland might leave the UK this year, as they don’t have much presence in Scotland do they?
Labour, on the other hand, stand to lose a lot, because the Scottish Labour Party cannot be anything else other than toast, once the SNP take over a newly independant Scotland.

Having the Scots vote on it before going to the country is perhaps a rather shrewd move for this government. If Labour had been in coalition with the Libdems right now instead of the Tories - THe whole issue would have been kicked past the general election as the Euro 2017 referendum has been. Cameron “might” honour it IF he’s still leader & prime minister, and IF the Torys get an outright majority. Two too many “ifs” for my liking.

[carryfast]

Winseer:
If Labour had been in coalition with the Libdems right now instead of the Tories - THe whole issue would have been kicked past the general election as the Euro 2017 referendum has been. Cameron “might” honour it IF he’s still leader & prime minister, and IF the Torys get an outright majority. Two too many “ifs” for my liking.

There’s no way that any UKIP voter would trust Cameron and the Cons to call any referendum on withdrawal from the EU because as it stands it’s a party which has too much pro EU history and being more than happy to go along with the continuous federalism that we’ve had put on to us to date since the Cons took us into it.So why the sudden change now when it’s been happy to go along with it so far and who would ever believe such a change.

The fact is Cameron is desperately clutching at straws to keep himself and the pro EU side of the Conervative Party going by trying to buy off the prospective UKIP vote with bs promises of previously pro EU Cons suddenly becoming antis.When anyone with any sense can see that the idea of ‘re negotiations’ of our EU membership would turn into a few alterations at the edges and then carry on with the federalist project as before.IE they’ll offer a referendum as a carrot now before the election in the hope of getting the UKIP vote and then find ‘reasons’ to reverse those promises after the election on the basis of so called ‘re negotiation’ of our EU membership.

The only way the issue can be settled is with that two way electoral fight between a co alition of UKIP and the anti EU side of the Conservative Party v the pro EU co alition of Labour and the usual suspects in the LabLibDemCon alliance who want to support the continuation of the federalist project.

In addition to which are the other two issues of UKIP’s anti immigration and global warming sceptic policies v the pro immigration and bs global warmist policies of that LabLibDemCon alliance.In that environment Cameron and his supporters in the Conservative Party are just the same electoral liability to the country as their LibDem allies,at least from the point of view of any UKIP voter.