Will you be voting at the upcoming elections?

[Ironside]

26 people saying yes definately? ffs havent you guys heard of exepctional circumstances
likecrossing teh road the day before  (or day before getting your postal vote)
and being in a coma after tripping over the kerb
yes if possible is a much better option knowing my luck i will get tripped
by a candidate doing a canvess

[nirvana]

you get an extra 20 billion or so to invest in public services duck ponds and porn movies or not.

[Dingdell]

I think apathy towards voting is a real shame. Our soldiers are losing their lives in Afghanistan every day fighting to give those people the right to vote, ergo freedom, yet many in this country are so complacent about their own liberty they don't even bother. I think all people should vote irrespective of the area they live in because exercising that right is +1 for democracy.

why do people always assume everyone wants to live in a democracy?

Because it's difficult to oppose the concept that having a choice is better than having no choice

Hmmmm...... Not quite a democracy though is it.

Do we really have a choice on the major things that affect our lives?

There's plenty of things that we don't have a choice in, the main one being that we are forced to pay taxes.

We don't have an opt out policy on tax and then be left to fend for ourselves.

I'm not allowed to buy 20kg of heroin and snort myself to death on it.

Tell me what choices you get to make? Are they really through choice are is it just that you've become part of the system that claims to be a democracy and people just accept?

I'm not knocking this btw. I'll happily go on paying my taxes and living my happy life as part of the rat race but I think if we look deeply there isn't a whole lot of free will going on in this or any other democratic country.

We do really have a choice. One of the major things that affect our lives in this country is immigration. People have become disillusioned with the level of immigration and have thus started lodging protest votes with the BNP. This has prompted the major parties to rethink their strategy about immigaration and pledge quotas in the future.

On the subject of tax you have a very clear choice this election regarding NI contributions.

Immigration is the main policy that if one of the majors did something radical I would look at voting. That and clamping down on spongers. Not just talking about it but actually doing it!!

What is the choice we have with regards to NI contributions?

Is one of them completely getting rid of it and making the health service completely private and abolishing state pensions?

Or will one of them be about 50p a week cheaper?

I said radical not meaningless....

We don't have a choice. We can decide how we want to pay our taxes and whether it's disguised as NI contributions or VAT or income tax but whatever happens everybody will be paying tax. Nobody has a genuine choice to not pay tax and where's the democracy in that?

Radical policies are generally unpopular so the major parties will never offer what you want. Yet you still have choice at the ballot. If immigration is your main concern you can vote BNP, if it's the environment you can vote Green, if it's Europe you can vote UKIP. But if you want radical policy you will need to look at the minor parties. Like I said the BNP vote has pressured the government to introduce a points system for immigration now and to pledge quotas for next term. So the way you use your vote contributes to forming policy even if the candidate doesn't win.
Is the tax choice meaningless? OK it'll probably only mean a couple of hundred a year to each individual but multiply that by the working population and you get an extra 20 billion or so to invest in public services or not. If the Conservatives landslide due to their tax cutting policy it will force other major parties to raise re-raise those issues just like immigration. So your vote will help form future political direction. In reality what's meaningless is having an opinion and not actually voting.

I'm not sure I agree with this. I prefer to vote for the party that will, I hope, have a chance of forming a government and represent my views on a radical issue better than the other parties. Although I understand the reasons why some people will want to vote BNP in my constituency, they have no hope in hell of getting in. It is a wasted vote imo.

Sending a message is ok if my party is going to get in anyway, but in my constituency all votes count, its going to be close, and a vote for a minority party is a vote lost which may make all the difference. I'd rather vote for an individual who might be in parliament and get my voice heard that way.

[gatso]

Or more to the point - there should be an option to vote for "No Suitable Candidate"

The only election I've known of with that option was the Student Union elections at university, they organised it really well and the option was very sensibly and pithily named; but it's too long ago for me to rememember the details

this is an option in ukraine. about 4% chose it in this years presidential election

[Acidmouse]

I wish it was like in aussie where you have to vote by law.

[AndrewT]

Election nights are just awesome. Recently, BBC Parliament have taken to reshowing complete election night coverage again - I once spent a whole bank holiday Monday (14 hours) watching the 1979 election results show. Robin Day really was a boorish oaf.

However, this year (and this really hasn't been reported much) it's going to be completely ruined. Normally, everyone starts counting as soon as they get the ballot papers in from 10pm, with the exception of Northern Ireland and a few seats with hard to reach places (Highlands of Scotland, the constituency in Cornwall that contains the Scilly Isles). This means we generally know who's won by 3am-4am. It also means if there's a change of government, the removal vans pull up outside Downing Steet first thing Friday morning, the new guy goes to the Palace mid-morning and gets inside Number 10 by lunchtime - a brilliant demonstration of democracy in action.

This time, however, it has been noticed it is far cheaper to hire people to count ballot papers between 9am-3pm on Friday than from 10pm-4am on a Thursday night. Therefore over 200 constituencies are sealing their ballot boxes until 9am on Friday morning. Given it might be close this year (my bets on the number of Tory seats hopes otherwise) it means we may not know who's won until Friday afternoon so if you're at work then tough shit, you can't watch it all happen.

[Longy]

Election nights are just awesome. Recently, BBC Parliament have taken to reshowing complete election night coverage again - I once spent a whole bank holiday Monday (14 hours) watching the 1979 election results show. Robin Day really was a boorish oaf.

However, this year (and this really hasn't been reported much) it's going to be completely ruined. Normally, everyone starts counting as soon as they get the ballot papers in from 10pm, with the exception of Northern Ireland and a few seats with hard to reach places (Highlands of Scotland, the constituency in Cornwall that contains the Scilly Isles). This means we generally know who's won by 3am-4am. It also means if there's a change of government, the removal vans pull up outside Downing Steet first thing Friday morning, the new guy goes to the Palace mid-morning and gets inside Number 10 by lunchtime - a brilliant demonstration of democracy in action.

This time, however, it has been noticed it is far cheaper to hire people to count ballot papers between 9am-3pm on Friday than from 10pm-4am on a Thursday night. Therefore over 200 constituencies are sealing their ballot boxes until 9am on Friday morning. Given it might be close this year (my bets on the number of Tory seats hopes otherwise) it means we may not know who's won until Friday afternoon so if you're at work then tough shit, you can't watch it all happen.

Sigh that is crap, staying up and watching it all unfold over a 5-6 hour period is incred TV.

[Ironside]

Election nights are just awesome. Recently, BBC Parliament have taken to reshowing complete election night coverage again - I once spent a whole bank holiday Monday (14 hours) watching the 1979 election results show. Robin Day really was a boorish oaf.

However, this year (and this really hasn't been reported much) it's going to be completely ruined. Normally, everyone starts counting as soon as they get the ballot papers in from 10pm, with the exception of Northern Ireland and a few seats with hard to reach places (Highlands of Scotland, the constituency in Cornwall that contains the Scilly Isles). This means we generally know who's won by 3am-4am. It also means if there's a change of government, the removal vans pull up outside Downing Steet first thing Friday morning, the new guy goes to the Palace mid-morning and gets inside Number 10 by lunchtime - a brilliant demonstration of democracy in action.

This time, however, it has been noticed it is far cheaper to hire people to count ballot papers between 9am-3pm on Friday than from 10pm-4am on a Thursday night. Therefore over 200 constituencies are sealing their ballot boxes until 9am on Friday morning. Given it might be close this year (my bets on the number of Tory seats hopes otherwise) it means we may not know who's won until Friday afternoon so if you're at work then tough shit, you can't watch it all happen.

Sigh that is crap, staying up and watching it all unfold over a 5-6 hour period is incred TV.

wow this is brill news for those that aint at work we will get the results coming in all night then all day too makes for an intresting 15 hours +

you guys not heard of throwing sickies or trying to get a days leave?

[Longy]

Election nights are just awesome. Recently, BBC Parliament have taken to reshowing complete election night coverage again - I once spent a whole bank holiday Monday (14 hours) watching the 1979 election results show. Robin Day really was a boorish oaf.

However, this year (and this really hasn't been reported much) it's going to be completely ruined. Normally, everyone starts counting as soon as they get the ballot papers in from 10pm, with the exception of Northern Ireland and a few seats with hard to reach places (Highlands of Scotland, the constituency in Cornwall that contains the Scilly Isles). This means we generally know who's won by 3am-4am. It also means if there's a change of government, the removal vans pull up outside Downing Steet first thing Friday morning, the new guy goes to the Palace mid-morning and gets inside Number 10 by lunchtime - a brilliant demonstration of democracy in action.

This time, however, it has been noticed it is far cheaper to hire people to count ballot papers between 9am-3pm on Friday than from 10pm-4am on a Thursday night. Therefore over 200 constituencies are sealing their ballot boxes until 9am on Friday morning. Given it might be close this year (my bets on the number of Tory seats hopes otherwise) it means we may not know who's won until Friday afternoon so if you're at work then tough shit, you can't watch it all happen.

Sigh that is crap, staying up and watching it all unfold over a 5-6 hour period is incred TV.

wow this is brill news for those that aint at work we will get the results coming in all night then all day too makes for an intresting 15 hours +

you guys not heard of throwing sickies or trying to get a days leave?

Sure do need to take a sickie to watch anything. It is just going to be too drawn out to be as interesting this time, we are pretty going to know the state of play by 3am but there probably is going to be no confirmation until the next day. I think the way has worked in the past that you could stay up to 4am-5am and pretty much see the lot.

[Ironside]

Election nights are just awesome. Recently, BBC Parliament have taken to reshowing complete election night coverage again - I once spent a whole bank holiday Monday (14 hours) watching the 1979 election results show. Robin Day really was a boorish oaf.

However, this year (and this really hasn't been reported much) it's going to be completely ruined. Normally, everyone starts counting as soon as they get the ballot papers in from 10pm, with the exception of Northern Ireland and a few seats with hard to reach places (Highlands of Scotland, the constituency in Cornwall that contains the Scilly Isles). This means we generally know who's won by 3am-4am. It also means if there's a change of government, the removal vans pull up outside Downing Steet first thing Friday morning, the new guy goes to the Palace mid-morning and gets inside Number 10 by lunchtime - a brilliant demonstration of democracy in action.

This time, however, it has been noticed it is far cheaper to hire people to count ballot papers between 9am-3pm on Friday than from 10pm-4am on a Thursday night. Therefore over 200 constituencies are sealing their ballot boxes until 9am on Friday morning. Given it might be close this year (my bets on the number of Tory seats hopes otherwise) it means we may not know who's won until Friday afternoon so if you're at work then tough shit, you can't watch it all happen.

Sigh that is crap, staying up and watching it all unfold over a 5-6 hour period is incred TV.

wow this is brill news for those that aint at work we will get the results coming in all night then all day too makes for an intresting 15 hours +

you guys not heard of throwing sickies or trying to get a days leave?

Sure do need to take a sickie to watch anything. It is just going to be too drawn out to be as interesting this time, we are pretty going to know the state of play by 3am but there probably is going to be no confirmation until the next day. I think the way has worked in the past that you could stay up to 4am-5am and pretty much see the lot.

what i am hoping for is that the places where the counting goes ahead will be the safer seats where there isnt much to worry about and they all race to be the first to declare
and all the marginals that decide the election and there is possibilties of recounts (hence the lets do this on the cheaper hourly rate) will be in the morning

so during the night we will see the results come in but the important ones will happen later

was in 1993 that the exit pollsters got it wrong and predicted after teh polls had closed a labour victory only as the resuts came in later and later went from a hung parliment to a tory win

one of the best election nights i can remember

with the 200 odd seats being counted late and presumable alot of these will be close it could be intresting the whole way

[Longy]

92' you are thinking of, first election I remember watching. I remember having a tick off sheet of labours target seats that night from the radio times, you knew the pollsters had got it wrong when the Conservatives held Basildon.

[ripple11]

Election nights are just awesome. Recently, BBC Parliament have taken to reshowing complete election night coverage again - I once spent a whole bank holiday Monday (14 hours) watching the 1979 election results show. Robin Day really was a boorish oaf.

However, this year (and this really hasn't been reported much) it's going to be completely ruined. Normally, everyone starts counting as soon as they get the ballot papers in from 10pm, with the exception of Northern Ireland and a few seats with hard to reach places (Highlands of Scotland, the constituency in Cornwall that contains the Scilly Isles). This means we generally know who's won by 3am-4am. It also means if there's a change of government, the removal vans pull up outside Downing Steet first thing Friday morning, the new guy goes to the Palace mid-morning and gets inside Number 10 by lunchtime - a brilliant demonstration of democracy in action.

This time, however, it has been noticed it is far cheaper to hire people to count ballot papers between 9am-3pm on Friday than from 10pm-4am on a Thursday night. Therefore over 200 constituencies are sealing their ballot boxes until 9am on Friday morning. Given it might be close this year (my bets on the number of Tory seats hopes otherwise) it means we may not know who's won until Friday afternoon so if you're at work then tough shit, you can't watch it all happen.

There is usually a comedy race for the first deceleration....under an hour?...wonder if that's still on?

[The Camel]

Recently, BBC Parliament have taken to reshowing complete election night coverage again - I once spent a whole bank holiday Monday (14 hours) watching the 1979 election results show.

If you look up the word "sad" in the dictionary, there's a little picture of AndrewT.

[bobby1]

Election nights are just awesome. Recently, BBC Parliament have taken to reshowing complete election night coverage again - I once spent a whole bank holiday Monday (14 hours) watching the 1979 election results show. Robin Day really was a boorish oaf.

However, this year (and this really hasn't been reported much) it's going to be completely ruined. Normally, everyone starts counting as soon as they get the ballot papers in from 10pm, with the exception of Northern Ireland and a few seats with hard to reach places (Highlands of Scotland, the constituency in Cornwall that contains the Scilly Isles). This means we generally know who's won by 3am-4am. It also means if there's a change of government, the removal vans pull up outside Downing Steet first thing Friday morning, the new guy goes to the Palace mid-morning and gets inside Number 10 by lunchtime - a brilliant demonstration of democracy in action.

This time, however, it has been noticed it is far cheaper to hire people to count ballot papers between 9am-3pm on Friday than from 10pm-4am on a Thursday night. Therefore over 200 constituencies are sealing their ballot boxes until 9am on Friday morning. Given it might be close this year (my bets on the number of Tory seats hopes otherwise) it means we may not know who's won until Friday afternoon so if you're at work then tough shit, you can't watch it all happen.

Needs to get out more. ;o)

I have voted Tory all my life even tho they had no chance of getting in where I was brought up and no chance of getting in where I live now.

This year I could not possible vote for a party that has David Cameron as its figurehead, a party that has no worthwhile policies other than disagree with the other lot and use as many catchphrases as possible. Who could vote for a party thats only good point is the other party are doing a bad job?

The other reason for not voting is that none of the twats are worth voting for and if my daughter ever comes home and tells me she wants to be involved in politics I will try to talk her into being a prostitute instead to lessen the amount of shame she brings on the family.

[redsimon]

remember someone telling me years ago you get good tax free money working for the day in a polling station, can't see anything about it on my council's website, anyone done it or know where to get info?

 

Jobs are divvied out to local council staff, so I suppose that makes it tax free as they're funded from taxes?