My perspective on all this bollocks, it might turn into an essay but whatever...
I basically have no idea who to vote for, because it seems like trying to choose the least bad out of a bad bunch. I have no ties to any of the parties and frankly I think the best thing would be for a coalition that does nothing for a few years until one of the parties decides it actually wants to lead the country. Also I don't know a great deal about each parties manifesto, this is just what has reached me from reading the news and watching the debate without going any further into it, so a lot of focus will be on the leaders themselves. But I think they are what people see most often and it's their faces that we think of when we think of each individual party, so I think it's important they come across well. Just my two cents
I take issue with the conservatives for a few reasons. Since I'm a student I'm obviously not happy about the tuition fees thing, but the road the conservatives seem to want to go down with regards to censorship bothers me a little. It feels like a very slippery slope when they start censoring religious extremist websites etc to censoring political websites who oppose them, and the whole thing about wanting to ban whatsapp because they couldn't police it properly is a further sign that they want to move towards a more heavily censored environment, which in my opinion is very bad indeed. Also Cameron comes across as a bit of a douche, but whatever. In their defence though, the help to buy scheme for housing seems pretty good and the economy does seem to be getting itself sorted.
Labour... I mean, I just can't get past Milliband. I know it's not just about the leader, it's about the entire party, but the man is a joke. Someone who is as posh and awkward as he is talking about representing the working class is absurd, his monologues to the camera were on the patronising side, and of the main party leaders he seems to come pretty firmly in to last place. I mean, whichever leader it is who gets into power will be the face of this country and should be a person we are proud to look at and say "this man represents what is good about our country, and he inspires confidence in me that he will do what's best for us". The guy stabbed his own brother in the back to get to his position, and he looks and sounds like a gimp. More than that, his own party thought he best embodied their ethos, and that's seems a little daming of their IQ or of their lack of real candidates. I will never be able to look at Milliband and/or Balls and be proud to say they are the figurehead of my nation.
As for the lib dems, Clegg spent most of him time over the last few years apologising for being forced to go back on his plans. I thought he came across very well in the debate, and he does seem to talk a lot of sense with regards to the party policies, and I guess if I had to choose one then I'd choose them. But they still seem to be too obscure to be real contenders compared to labour and the tories. The last few years seemed like their opportunity to step up and present themselves as a real force in government, and to me they seem to have stayed small. Also he needs to grow a backbone off camera to force his party into the forefront.
UKIP obviously talk a load of bollocks, it's a shame Farage is so mental since he was a very noticeable and enthusiastic presence on the tv debate. I really have so little time for what is basically impractical racism used to form policies, and it seems too many facts conveniently wash over him when they threaten his point of view. I feel like the fact that UKIP are appealing to more people now is not because they are that much stronger than before, but because the others are that much weaker.
Green I just have to lol at, she got ripped apart in that radio interview a few weeks back and her performance at the debate was dire. She spent more time talking about the rest of the world and to be honest, when considering who is going to run the country, I want someone who is going to focus first on us. It's all well and good policing the world, but right now we've got our own problems, and she didn't seem to have anything worth hearing to say about them.
The SNP came across very well, although admittedly I know little about them and can't remember their leader's name. Still, she made a good impression, was suitably hostile towards the others and as this is the first time I was properly introduced to the SNP as a party I'd say it looks pretty good. Of all of the leaders, I felt like she took advantage of the situation to further her party more than any of the others. Got negative connotations around them because of the BNP though, idk if they're justified. What happened to the BNP anyway? They were always so moderate.
Plaid Cymru... Yh, she needs to stop saying that so much. But at least I know how to pronounce it now.
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