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.

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

I used to go round reminding people to vote when I was a supporter of the Libs around 1970. That was before the SDP and before I realised that the Libs were the silly party.

EU membership boosts UK by up to $124 billion: CBI

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101163233

Give me strength, After reading some of the posts above it's hardly surprising that we continually end up with "Extremist Right Wing Useless Governments" time after time over the last 34 years at least.

Hays,

You must have got lost on the road to Damascus.

I will send you a map.

======

I think it understandable that the French youth have a greater interest in politics than the bulk of UK voters.

I used to vote labour in the beginning until I realised that it was the 'very silly' party.

So H/S your one of the very small minded mob who will only ever vote for one of the 3 Proven extremist/Useless Parties. By the way the word "silly" says nothing about a Political Party/Government in descriptive terms.

Are the others just a wasted vote ?

Have you been in the pub all day Stan. :-))

The only wasted votes DC are for the 3 Parties mentioned in the posts above, Time and time again... It's so "bone headed".

Tell me the other parties that are worthy of my vote and if they have such good policies ,why are they not up the leader board or indeed in government ?

How many more times? because people like you only vote for the 3 failed mob... Time and time again.

And the others you do not mention fail even more. :-))

Stan are you Fred's brother. As he never answers questions put to him as well. lol

psst! he hasn't been told the party line and can't answer for himself