The Student Room Group

TSR General Election 2005/6

Greetings TSRians,
I feel honoured to be calling this election, which promises to be an interesting one, and will hopefully lead to a Parliament that effectively operates in a totally different way to previously, and encourages inspiring and thought provoking debate.
Since the last election, TSR has gained a whole new host of users, and the forum is without doubt both politically and socially a much more diverse place than it was 7 months ago.
Dexnell should be thanked for the work he did as the last Speaker of the House, he got the Parliament on its feet and introduced the forum to a completely new method of debate.
This Parliament will be based around national and local issue politics. Every member of the TSR Parliament will represent a real UK constituency and debate on behalf of their constituency and raise the issues that concern the people there, as well as debate on serious national issues such as terror bills and education. I may also inform the Parliament of any major issues that I feel should be a feature of debate in the TSR Parliament.

Every member on TSR has a vote in this election provided they have a post count of >100, and they should use it wisely and attempt to make as much of an informed decision as possible.
TSR Political Parties (and independent candidates) have prepared a comprehensive statement as to why you should vote for their Party, and these can be found below.
They all pose some interesting and thought provoking issues and it is advised that you read through them first.
Below you will also find the ‘Tasks’ from the last election, which entail the Parties main commitments and go into more depth.

Members are encouraged to challenge Party statements and debate their policies, which can be done in this thread.

The topic-specific statements (tasks) from the last Parliament:
Task 1: Environment
Task 2: Europe
Task 3: Health
Task 4: Immigration
Task 5: Iraq
Task 6: Education
Task 7: Tax and the Economy - Unfinished
Task 8 - Unfinished

........................................................................................................

Here are the Party statements as submitted by the Party leaders on behalf of their Parties:


British National Party (BNP)


“Education
Britain is one of the most poorly educated nations in Europe. We will:
Replace nonsensical ‘trendy’ teaching methods with the tried-and-tested.
Abolish the practice of politically correct indoctrination and teach in the history, pride and heritage of the native British peoples.
Give power back to teachers and reinstill a sense of discipline.

Health
We will:
Be committed to a fully-funded state NHS.
Boost staff and bed numbers, slash bureaucracy and address the root cause of troublesome recruitment: low pay.
Place more emphasis on prevention and healthy living.

Immigration
Given current trends, the native British will be an ethnic minority in Britain within sixty years. We will:
Halt all further immigration.
Quickly deport criminal and illegal immigrants.
Introduce a system of voluntary resettlement, assisted by generous financial incentives both for the individuals and receiving countries.
Abolish the ‘positive action’ schemes which make us second-class citizens in our own countries.

Economy
We will:
Where possible, ensure goods are produced in British factories by British workers.
Restore our economy and land to British ownership.
Call for the native British to be given preference in the job market.
Take steps to break-up damaging monopolies.
Withdraw from the EU.

With addition to these four most looked-upon issues, the BNP will:
Reject the idea that Britain must forever be obliged to subsidise the incompetence and corruption of Third World states halt foreign 'aid'.
Put our pensioners before immigrants and asylum seekers.
Put more money into defence.
Reintroduce capital and corporal punishment.
Replace the liberal fixation with the 'rights' of criminals with the rights of victims.
Ensure the restoration of Britain's once great fishing and farming industries.
End the fiasco of rail privatisation.”



Conservatives


“With the Conservatives in power, we promise a Stable, Lower Tax Economy with Lower Interest Rates, where we will support saving and handing dignity back to the Pensioners of this nation.

We believe that this country has been let down with the promises made for Education. To rejuvinate the education system, we will:
Abolish Tuition Fees for University Education
Culture an environment of respect within classrooms.
Higher investment in local schools
Increasing the number of Grammar Schools.
By reducing the amount of Beaurocracy in the public services, we want to use the money you pay in taxes to:
Put more Police on the streets, Cutting Crime and making Communities Safer. We will put 5000 more police on the streets a year - including the reintroduction of Parish Constables, Reduce the amount of paperwork, Increase the number of drug rehabilitation centers, Provide tougher sentences for career criminals and make prisoners serve their full sentence.
Provide Better Healthcare and Cleaner Hospitals - with more of the money the Government allocates to the NHS going into Treatment. We will invest more in local hospitals, Provide shorter waiting times and cleaner wards, Reduce beaurocratic interference, and Give more choice to patients.
We will Keep the Pound as our national currency.
We will have a referendum on the EU constitution and take back our constitutional powers that have been handed to Brussels.

We believe Immigration is an important issue in our nation - We wish to welcome those who want to work hard and make a positive contribution. We want:
An Australian style system for work permits.
Parliament to set the annual immigration limit.
24-Hour port security
British border control police

We wish to keep NATO at the heart of our foreign policy."




Green Party


No statement



Labour Party


“The Labour party is committed to a successful Parliament on TSR by encouraging non-party member participation and more visibility on the forums.

We are committed to helping families and communities by ensuring low inflation, keeping mortgages costs low, getting more people off benefit and into work, an increased minimum wage, more help for first time home buyers and increased accountability of local councils to keep costs down through better efficiency; without cuts in services.

We are committed to helping children and young people achieve more through increased provision in early years education, modern and successful schools, strong discipline and a guaranteed place in training, sixth-form or an apprenticeship.

We are committed to giving children the best start in life with more choice over parental leave for mums and dads, more childcare for under-5s, after school care for over-5s and lifting more children out of poverty.

We are committed to providing a modern and efficient health service with people treated better and faster: no-one waiting more than 18 weeks for hospital treatment - with choice over where and when - in an NHS free at the point of need., improved provision for dental training will ensure all people will have access to NHS dentists.

We are committed to ensuring your community is safer: local policing teams, cracking down on graffiti, gangs and drug-dealers. Police work focused towards frontline duties and sentencing brought inline to better reflect on the severity of the crime and the effect on people and communities.

We are committed to improving the environment, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, a move in energy production away from non-renewable sources, increase provision for recycling in local communities and promotion of development on Brownfield sites, cheaper, cleaner, more efficient and more regular trains and buses, congestion will be cut by better road management.”


Liberal Democrats


"We want more police on the streets. By getting rid of Labour's expensive and ineffective ID card scheme, we could pay for 10,000 more police. We would also give the police the technology to spend more time on the street, and less time tied to the desk.
We believe in an effective public transport network, with taxes that encourage the use of less-polluting cars and free off-peak bus travel for all pensioners and disabled people.
We would axe the Council Tax and replace it with a local income tax so everyone pays according to their ability to pay. We will stop the scandal of elderly people having to pay for their own personal care if they go into residential care.
We would also give all pensioners over 75 a decent pension, taking a million off means-testing.
All our policies have a green backbone running through them because damage to our environment damages personal health, impoverishes economies and weakens communities. But achieving sustainability cannot be done by one government department alone.
Our priorities are scrapping tuition fees - as we already have in Scotland, smaller class sizes and more specialist teachers in key subjects.
Labour has hit students with tuition fees - making students £3,075 worse off, except in Scotland where we have got them abolished
Labour wants to let universities increase tuition fees even further
Labour has abolished grants - costing poorer students up to £5,000 on top of tuition fees "


Monster Raving Loony Party


The Monster Raving Loony Party The Party that knows how to Party

The MRLP is of the belief that TSR’s first exercise in parliamentary democracy has been, not to put too fine a point on it, boring. We put this down to the fact that a serious political party are in government, instead of one dedicated to putting a manic grin on the face of each and every voter, non-voter and hamster.


There’s only one way to make TSR’s Parliament more exciting. Seriously!
Put the MRLP in power, and this is what we will do to make you smile:

- Spray invisible people with paint to stop their anarchic ways. As that would require us to know where they were in the first place, we will go around spraying paint randomly over everything until we uncover the invisible people.
- Put more money into finding a cure for the common cold, since we are absolutely menthol.
- Reduce tax on green cars as they are good for the environment, despite MRLP vehicles all being pink.
- Issue a 99p coin to save on change.
- Instead of joining the Euro, invite other countries to join the pound.
- Curb obesity by making all TVs powered by generators attached to exercise bikes
- Pay tax credits to nice people. There will be a “total bastard” tax for everyone else.
- Introduce a None of the Above option on ballots to stop voters having to settle for a party they aren’t satisfied with. Until this is introduced, we suggest any voter wishing to vote for “None of the Above” vote MRLP.

Use your vote wisely.
Vote Loony You’d be crazy not to.




Scottish National Party (SNP)


No statement




Independent - Carl


“I have taken this decision as I cannot sufficiently identify with the policies of any one party currently represented in the house.

I stand therefore on the following platforms:
The economy
I propose that we allow business to operate relatively freely and that government does not over-regulate. Business rate will be kept low and tax incentives offered to start-ups. VAT will be reduced in several sectors, and duty will not be raised on most products, although this will not exclude tabacco. There will be a top rate (over £100,000) of income tax at 50%, this will fund the gaps in our pension funds.
Health
I propose that the NHS remain free at the point of entry, and that investment for better services continues. Broadly I believe the NHS should be so good that we don't need private hospitals. As I admit this is not the case at the moment, private care should remain an option.
I also favour the declassification, taxation and sale by the state of cannabis.
Europe
I am broadly pro-Europe, and favour a pragmatic approach to further integration. Primarily, I would like to see reforms to the CAP, in exchange for a review of the rebate (not sure what stage this is at at this time). I favour the entry of Turkey into the European Union, and also entry into the Euro. I'd like to see Britain join the European Road network and certain motorways given E designation (one example being between Dover and Milford Haven and Holyhead and Newcastle).”


Independent William1986


“I pledge the following:
A 10% flat tax.
No tarrifs.
Slash red tape.
School vouchers - allow the money to follow the pupil.
Privatise the NHS
Withdraw from the EU
Legalise all drugs
More police on the beat. Life means life. Tougher prison regime i.e forced labour.
No more aid
Anti trade union legislation.
Take a more isolationist stance when it comes to international relations.
Have the gotv launch a investigation into how much of a threat mainstream Islam is. Abolish the min wage
Privatise universities
Abolish the House of Lords
Abolish devolution
Privatise the BBC
Stop all subsidies
Support gay marriage
Support gun ownership.

VOTE WILLIAM1986”.



Respect


"Domestic Issues

1. RESPECT is dedicated to a fully free and publicly owned NHS. We will affiliate and support the 'Keep our NHS' campaign

2. RESPECT opposes tuition fees and top up fees and supports re introducing grants

3. RESPECT supports the reintroduction of the link to average earnings so that pensioners no longer grow poorer each year. We also support free health care for the elderly

4. RESPECT will defend civil liberties by opposing all ID card and freedom curbing terrorism legislation.

5. RESPECT opposes all discrimination based on class, race, religion, sexuality etc. We will continue to oppose fascist groups like the BNP who seek to oppress these communities.

International Issues

1. RESPECT calls for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces from Iraq as it is our belief that these forces are the cause of the current chaos in the country and therefore they are not part of the solution.

2. RESPECT shows solidarity with the rights of the Palestinian people to have a viable, independent state and a decent standard of living. The wall must fall.

3. RESPECT opposes the introduction of the Euro and the continuing auction of our national powers to an unelected group of bankers and businessmen. RESPECT fights for a peoples Europe with a democratic and powerful parliament of the People.

4. RESPECT believes that the fact that half the population of the world live on less than a dollar a day is a scandal. Big corporations and international organisations like the IMF as well as state governments should not be allowed to exploit the third world"

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
If you wish to PM me with any questions or queries before you vote please go ahead. I will make every effort to reply within 24 hours.

Happy voting!
Wooooo.

*votes*
Reply 3
Shouldn't the results be secretified, for now...?
Reply 4
Edit: The poll results will be hidden once a mod gets the chance to make the changes.
Reply 5
Is the poll really open for two weeks? Or does it close earlier?
Reply 6
Carl
Is the poll really open for two weeks? Or does it close earlier?


2 weeks is about right, it is long enough for everyone to register their vote.

Lets face it, the Parliament isn't going to kick off prperly until after Christmas anyway, so all we need to do before about 22nd is sort out constituencies/polisitions etc. so that we are ready for an official launch in the new year.
Reply 7
Beekeeper
2 weeks is about right, it is long enough for everyone to register their vote.

Lets face it, the Parliament isn't going to kick off prperly until after Christmas anyway, so all we need to do before about 22nd is sort out constituencies/polisitions etc. so that we are ready for an official launch in the new year.
But that means I need two weeks of campaigning!!!
Reply 8
If any member wishes to ask any questions, feel free to PM myself. A member of the party will PM within 24 hours.
go lib dems!! :biggrin: w00t!
smallguy54321
go lib dems!! :biggrin: w00t!


w000000000t.
Who did I vote for ooooooh :ninja:
HearTheThunder
Who did I vote for ooooooh :ninja:


Greens?
Reply 13
whats woot?
tis_me_lord
Greens?


Non.
If anyone has a comment or question for TSR Labour Party, please feel free to contact me or one of the other Labour MPs from the last Parliament or make a post somewhere where we will easily be able to see it.

Someone will try and get back to you as soon as possible.


I'd just like to take this time to wish all the other parties and independent candidates the best of luck in the election. Happy campaigning :biggrin:
ledzep15
whats woot?


I'm not sure. I think it means go us, go!
Reply 17
HearTheThunder
Non.

Lib Dems?
The president is a demmycrat.
Reply 19
Hi, just wondering why RESPECT aren't on the list?

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