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Do you feel political parties truly represent you?
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And are you voting?
I was just wondering.
I personally feel under-represented by all of the political parties. I want to vote and get involved in shaping my country, but I just don't find there to be enough policies that are marketed towards me (a student) by any political party to warrant even a vote, never mind an allegiance.
I'm interested in your views.
I was just wondering.
I personally feel under-represented by all of the political parties. I want to vote and get involved in shaping my country, but I just don't find there to be enough policies that are marketed towards me (a student) by any political party to warrant even a vote, never mind an allegiance.
I'm interested in your views.
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#2
I am a UKIP member because I only support one of their policies to leave the EU. I am also now on a ballot for UKIP in my area. Your standards are to high you want a political party to support all of your view, in reality you need to pick one or two issue that are important to you and vote on that basis.
Also the government is an institution, it doesn't matter who you vote for the government will seek to increase its power. So voting is pointless in terms of the government. But not pointless when it comes to an MP. You are voting for an MP, not a government. Research the people standing in your area and if you can talk to them. See which one of them is more independent of their party and supportive of you as a student.
Also the government is an institution, it doesn't matter who you vote for the government will seek to increase its power. So voting is pointless in terms of the government. But not pointless when it comes to an MP. You are voting for an MP, not a government. Research the people standing in your area and if you can talk to them. See which one of them is more independent of their party and supportive of you as a student.
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#3
None of them represent me enough for me to want to vote for them. I know I won't ever find a party I 100% support, but the issues I have are just too important for me to be able to put up with it and vote for any of them.
I want an EU referendum, but I also care about the environment, so I can't vote Conservative after their awful record on environmental issues. Labour and Lib Dem seem to care a bit more about green issues, but the Lib Dems cannot be trusted, while Labour just seem a bit incompetent and basically Tory-lite on other issues like welfare reform. I also just don't trust any of the 3 establishment parties to keep their promises.
UKIP are Euroskeptic and speak my language on the EU and on the political system in general, but I disagree with pretty much everything else they say and do. Especially their ideologically driven climate change denial.
The Green party care about the environment, but their foreign policy is just deluded nonsense. They're also strongly against shooting, which I myself like to do on occasion. I feel their animal rights agenda undermines their environmental credentials, because a lot of conservation in the UK depends on being able to shoot pest species. I'd say the Greens are pretty anti-conservation for an environmentalist party.
Of course I care about lots of other issues, but I don't have the time to discuss all those in depth here.
I'd like to get involved in politics when I'm a bit older, and the political landscape 10 years from now will probably be quite different from today's. But right now I can't support any of the parties out there.
I want an EU referendum, but I also care about the environment, so I can't vote Conservative after their awful record on environmental issues. Labour and Lib Dem seem to care a bit more about green issues, but the Lib Dems cannot be trusted, while Labour just seem a bit incompetent and basically Tory-lite on other issues like welfare reform. I also just don't trust any of the 3 establishment parties to keep their promises.
UKIP are Euroskeptic and speak my language on the EU and on the political system in general, but I disagree with pretty much everything else they say and do. Especially their ideologically driven climate change denial.
The Green party care about the environment, but their foreign policy is just deluded nonsense. They're also strongly against shooting, which I myself like to do on occasion. I feel their animal rights agenda undermines their environmental credentials, because a lot of conservation in the UK depends on being able to shoot pest species. I'd say the Greens are pretty anti-conservation for an environmentalist party.
Of course I care about lots of other issues, but I don't have the time to discuss all those in depth here.
I'd like to get involved in politics when I'm a bit older, and the political landscape 10 years from now will probably be quite different from today's. But right now I can't support any of the parties out there.
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#4
Yep, absolutely. I'm a member of the Labour Party, I'm actively involved and I feel they represent my general worldview (a mixed market economy, sensible regulation, fairness in the workplace, universality in healthcare and education, continued support for Trident and the American alliance)
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#5
I want as much freedom as possible for individuals and think that government should stay out of the affairs of others so long as no harm is being done. Drugs should be legalized, religion should play no role in the state and we should stay in the EU and continue to improve it. We need electoral reform where the buck is not passed between two crooked red and blue parties who either spend too much or punish the weakest in our society.
Liberal democrats 2015
Liberal democrats 2015
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#6
The four "big" parties, and I say "big" because UKIP isn't big in any real sense other than the attention it's given, are all pretty terrible and don't really seem to represent anyone. That said I'm not sure most people really know what they want; most people are pretty ignorant about what is actually happening, what would help the UK and what wouldn't. I doubt there's any party you'll completely support. That said, the closest I've come is the Green Party. Very progressive. I'm not sure most British people have spent time getting to know Europe really. Not many seem to have travelled and got to know locals. If it wasn't clear, I'm pro-EU. The whole idea of the European Union is a sense of togetherness, being there for each other. Part of the problem is probably that we're an island nation tbh.
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#7
Not exactly but then I'm not a party parrot and have never being nor desired to be normal so have a mix of views. Domestically I'm of the pragmatic liberal right while having a conservative view of the world.
As such Cameron and Clegg are not too far from where I want to be but not perfect and each soiled by their wider parties. I would have supported Blair back in 01.
As such Cameron and Clegg are not too far from where I want to be but not perfect and each soiled by their wider parties. I would have supported Blair back in 01.
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#8
Not completely, I've probably got a pretty varied view on policies. The party I'm most in tune with is definitely UKIP, with the Greens being the complete opposite.
I'm not too fussed on the conservatives, they seem the next best choice, but I'm against practically all of the other parties
I'm not too fussed on the conservatives, they seem the next best choice, but I'm against practically all of the other parties
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#9
Not particularly. The Tories pander to the rich and big business by manipulating the working class vote(and remain dangerously strong), UKIP do the same but with even more manipulation and even more love of neoliberalism, the Lib Dems have been completely discredited as a political party by their blunders and backtracking since 2010, and Labour... Well, Labour is a complete mess. Being hijacked by Blair destroyed it as a socialist or even social democrat party, and now the party is some kind of Frankenstein's monster of Blairites and extremely soft left figures such as Milliband and Harman. When I see members of the Labour front bench speaking in interviews and Question Time I very much get the impression that they are reading from a sheet and know nothing of the working people they purport to represent. Locally my Labour Party are strong, but nationally they sicken me, and sometimes I think they hate the people, much, much more than the Tories, if at all possible.
Which brings me to the Greens. The only solid left-wing voice in Britain that quite frankly does not appeal to me either. Under the Greens we would neglect or even destroy what remains of our manufacturing capacity and our nuclear energy policy. We would be lax on terrorism and allow every third world immigrant to flood the country. We'd also be completely dickless in global affairs which would make us an easy target on the international stage. Just give me a sensible, left or centre-left party please.
I still agree with much of what the trade union movement stay and stand for with figures such as Len McCluskey appealing to me, but with Labour's insistence to shy away from supporting the unions, developing a solid industrial strategy and increase state intervention in areas of the economy where private companies are quite frankly taking the biscuit, leaves a sour taste.
Which brings me to the Greens. The only solid left-wing voice in Britain that quite frankly does not appeal to me either. Under the Greens we would neglect or even destroy what remains of our manufacturing capacity and our nuclear energy policy. We would be lax on terrorism and allow every third world immigrant to flood the country. We'd also be completely dickless in global affairs which would make us an easy target on the international stage. Just give me a sensible, left or centre-left party please.
I still agree with much of what the trade union movement stay and stand for with figures such as Len McCluskey appealing to me, but with Labour's insistence to shy away from supporting the unions, developing a solid industrial strategy and increase state intervention in areas of the economy where private companies are quite frankly taking the biscuit, leaves a sour taste.
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#10
(Original post by alexs2602)
The four "big" parties, and I say "big" because UKIP isn't big in any real sense other than the attention it's given, are all pretty terrible and don't really seem to represent anyone. That said I'm not sure most people really know what they want; most people are pretty ignorant about what is actually happening, what would help the UK and what wouldn't. I doubt there's any party you'll completely support. That said, the closest I've come is the Green Party. Very progressive. I'm not sure most British people have spent time getting to know Europe really. Not many seem to have travelled and got to know locals. If it wasn't clear, I'm pro-EU. The whole idea of the European Union is a sense of togetherness, being there for each other. Part of the problem is probably that we're an island nation tbh.
The four "big" parties, and I say "big" because UKIP isn't big in any real sense other than the attention it's given, are all pretty terrible and don't really seem to represent anyone. That said I'm not sure most people really know what they want; most people are pretty ignorant about what is actually happening, what would help the UK and what wouldn't. I doubt there's any party you'll completely support. That said, the closest I've come is the Green Party. Very progressive. I'm not sure most British people have spent time getting to know Europe really. Not many seem to have travelled and got to know locals. If it wasn't clear, I'm pro-EU. The whole idea of the European Union is a sense of togetherness, being there for each other. Part of the problem is probably that we're an island nation tbh.
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#11
(Original post by Davij038)
I want as much freedom as possible for individuals and think that government should stay out of the affairs of others so long as no harm is being done. Drugs should be legalized, religion should play no role in the state and we should stay in the EU and continue to improve it. We need electoral reform where the buck is not passed between two crooked red and blue parties who either spend too much or punish the weakest in our society.
Liberal democrats 2015
I want as much freedom as possible for individuals and think that government should stay out of the affairs of others so long as no harm is being done. Drugs should be legalized, religion should play no role in the state and we should stay in the EU and continue to improve it. We need electoral reform where the buck is not passed between two crooked red and blue parties who either spend too much or punish the weakest in our society.
Liberal democrats 2015
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#13
(Original post by young_guns)
Yep, absolutely. I'm a member of the Labour Party, I'm actively involved and I feel they represent my general worldview (a mixed market economy, sensible regulation, fairness in the workplace, universality in healthcare and education, continued support for Trident and the American alliance)
Yep, absolutely. I'm a member of the Labour Party, I'm actively involved and I feel they represent my general worldview (a mixed market economy, sensible regulation, fairness in the workplace, universality in healthcare and education, continued support for Trident and the American alliance)
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#14
The only parties that have been in power during my lifetime are Labour and the Conservative. I don't think they represent me. I don't know about the other parties.
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#15
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#16
(Original post by Raymat)
The only parties that have been in power during my lifetime are Labour and the Conservative. I don't think they represent me. I don't know about the other parties.
The only parties that have been in power during my lifetime are Labour and the Conservative. I don't think they represent me. I don't know about the other parties.
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#17
(Original post by ChaoticButterfly)
Green are generally critical of the EU as it currently exists.
Green are generally critical of the EU as it currently exists.
They still believe in staying in the union as far as I can tell.
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#18
(Original post by alexs2602)
What are you specifically referring to? http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/eu.html
They still believe in staying in the union as far as I can tell.
What are you specifically referring to? http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/eu.html
They still believe in staying in the union as far as I can tell.
It's in one of the first paragraphs of that link... Did you not read it?
Yes they do. But they think it should be radically reformed and criticize it for its lack of democracy and the way it pushes things like TTIP. They also want an in/out referendum in which they would take the "stay in" side of the debate.
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#19
(Original post by young_guns)
Yep, absolutely. I'm a member of the Labour Party, I'm actively involved and I feel they represent my general worldview (a mixed market economy, sensible regulation, fairness in the workplace, universality in healthcare and education, continued support for Trident and the American alliance)
Yep, absolutely. I'm a member of the Labour Party, I'm actively involved and I feel they represent my general worldview (a mixed market economy, sensible regulation, fairness in the workplace, universality in healthcare and education, continued support for Trident and the American alliance)
You are aware Thatcher happened right? She pretty much killed off the mixed economy. What dream world are you living in?
As long as Labour can take tribal left wing voters like yourself for granted nothing will ever change.
I would vote for the party you describe, but that party isn't the current labour party.
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#20
(Original post by ChaoticButterfly)
"We recognise the value of the original goal of the founders of the European Communities, who sought to remove the threat of another war between European states. This has been distorted by vested political and economic interests into a union dominated by economic interests, which lacks democratic control, and promotes the goals of multinational corporations which are interested in profit not people, and which runs counter to the professed core values of the Union. We believe that the ecological challenges and stark inequalities the world faces present a potential new role for the EU as part of wider global co-operation."
It's in one of the first paragraphs of that link... Did you not read it?
Yes they do. But they think it should be radically reformed and criticize it for its lack of democracy and the way it pushes things like TTIP. They also want an in/out referendum in which they would take the "stay in" side of the debate.
"We recognise the value of the original goal of the founders of the European Communities, who sought to remove the threat of another war between European states. This has been distorted by vested political and economic interests into a union dominated by economic interests, which lacks democratic control, and promotes the goals of multinational corporations which are interested in profit not people, and which runs counter to the professed core values of the Union. We believe that the ecological challenges and stark inequalities the world faces present a potential new role for the EU as part of wider global co-operation."
It's in one of the first paragraphs of that link... Did you not read it?
Yes they do. But they think it should be radically reformed and criticize it for its lack of democracy and the way it pushes things like TTIP. They also want an in/out referendum in which they would take the "stay in" side of the debate.
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