Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Calm down Stan, calm down. I suppose its an habit.

Saw this earlier today and a good point made by an up and coming cabinet minister elect imo post 2015.

John Mann MP‏@JohnMannMP9h
How can some MPs have higher energy bills just for staying overnight in London than my constituents living in their home?

Fred doesn't - he considers himself too superior to vote

For myself, i shall continue to vote for whom i consider to be the least worst, but i guess that is also tempered by a view as to whether the person (not necessarily the party) for whom i cast my vote is likely to be able to influence anything at all, rather than (perhaps) just lose his deposit

If you (Stan) want to support the Socialist Workers Party or EDL or some other fringe candidate/party, then that is your choice

Well GF, it's the sort of habit you need get treated... preferably before the next election -):

Vote Labour if you want the country to go down the toilet.

Vote the Cons if you want to see a steady recovery.


Simple

"Socialist Workers Party or EDL" Trust you to quote some of the "extreme smaller fry"... typical Tory.

DC, Have you been drinking in the same boozer as Dil today? -):

Stan, its true.

A lot of people vote what their family have traditionaly voted. Surely you cannot deny that.

As a floating voter I dont but have already said I wil consider UKIP along with labour but certainly not the lieing Tories or the wet Libs.

Lol, or perhaps because Shef Wed won a match. :-))

Todays Mail does not read well if Labour wins the next election.

LOL.......

John Mann MP‏@JohnMannMP19h
@Cleggstapo ah the last Liberal in Britain. We now fundraise by betting on whether spoilt papers will beat the Liberals . Usually they do.

DC........the Mail, my god you dont believe the trash printed in that rag do you??.

Stan.

There aren't enough communist candidates to cover the country.

=========

Dreams.

The Con party has stolen all the toilet paper and printed their manifestos on it.

=====
Cynic,

I would have thought you would vote for somebody with the same prejudices as yourself.


======

It will be interesting to see if the greens and UKIP barmy army get more seats than the royal con party in the EU and UK elections.

Perhaps, Manuel and Hays and the helpless one could form a new party for themselves.

It could be fun to read their manifestos.

Cynic.

Unlike you and Hays, I am a political atheist as well a non-theist.

But some chose their own religions, while others have them pass down to them.

fred - even in your dotage, you will thus be continually amazed

sticky - yes you're right; children will tend to vote the way of their parents, just as parents instil their prejudices into their children, or violent parents cultivate violent children and so on and so forth

what i find so disturbing is the growing apathetic (that includes fred) who can't be bothered to go to the polls at all.
not that long ago, the turn-out at a general election would have been 70/75% (i think), whereas now i believe it has fallen to about 57%
i suspect that much of this shortfall can be laid at the door of those of say below 30

General election turnout since 1945, by region
Year UK England Wales Scotland N.Ireland
2010 65.1 65.5 64.7 63.8 57.6
2005 61.4 61.3 62.6 60.8 62.9
2001 59.4 59.2 61.6 58.2 68
1997 71.4 71.4 73.5 71.3 67.1
1992 77.7 78 79.7 75.5 69.8
1987 75.3 75.4 78.9 75.1 67
1983 72.7 72.5 76.1 72.7 72.9
1979 76 75.9 79.4 76.8 67.7
1974 Oct 72.8 72.6 76.6 74.8 67.7
1974 Feb 78.8 79 80 79 69.9
1970 72 71.4 77.4 74.1 76.6
1966 75.8 75.9 79 76 66.1
1964 77.1 77 80.1 77.6 71.7
1959 78.7 78.9 82.6 78.1 65.9
1955 76.8 76.9 79.6 75.1 74.1
1951 82.6 82.7 84.4 81.2 79.9
1950 83.9 84.4 84.8 80.9 77.4
1945 72.8 73.4 75.7 69 67.4

Source: House of Commons Research Papers 01/37, 01/54, 05/33 & 10/36.

When I was a young kid they used to come round knocking on doors and either remind you to vote on the day or even take you to the polling station in a car. I remember my father being taken by the liberals and he voted for an independant.

In fact they were all over the area a few weeks before the elections canvassing for your support, but we dont get that now in this area.

Have others found the same and is this one of the reasons why the turn out is down??.

As for under 30s not voting is that because they have no job and feel they have no future? or should it be the other way around and they should be making a protest vote??.

I blame a lot of this apathy of younger people on the likes of Simon Cowel and his X factor and similar crud. Instant fame etc etc promised but very rarely secured.

Its getting like a religion which is taking over the media TV and day to day life for younger people.

Personaly I ban it and put on a couple of soccer games or the odd porno like the Italians and the Spanish do at the weekend.

GF.

At my age watching soccer on TV would be torture and attempting to watch "porno" on TV would for health reasons be dangerous.

LOL Fred.

sticky - i don't think that is why ..... for some reason, it was certainly the case that discussing politics (and sex and religion) was pretty much banned at dinner tables and even now the young rarely seem to discuss political issues in a social environment or even to have much interest ..... french youth for example, again for unfathomable reasons, seem much more politically minded and animated