2005 General Election: Who Would You Vote For?

[Decodiver]

I wouldn't waste my time voting for any of those wankers.................

[Mr T.]

You can't write comedy like this


Lib Dem MP 'excluded by sexist leader'
By Daniel Foggo
(Filed: 23/01/2005)

Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, is embroiled in a row over alleged sexism after one of the party's six female MPs declared it constantly overlooked her and other women.

Annette Brooke, the MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole and the party's spokesman for children, vented her anger at Lord Rennard, the Liberal Democrat chief executive, after not being selected to help Mr Kennedy announce his new policy on maternity pay tomorrow.

In a leaked e-mail, seen by The Telegraph, Mrs Brooke, a 57-year-old mother of two, said that she was indignant to learn that she had been excluded from the event, and that two younger women – who were not MPs – had been chosen instead.

Lynne Featherstone and Hannah Hedges, both prospective parliamentary candidates for the general election, will announce the policy with Mr Kennedy and Phil Willis, the party's education spokesman.

Mrs Brooke said that the slight against her could undermine her credibility in her local constituency.

"I do not consider myself a 'whinger' but I actually find the situation extremely insulting, given the work I have done behind the scenes," she said.

Mrs Brooke attempted to play down her e-mail when contacted by The Telegraph, claiming that she had since calmed down after being angered initially. But her comments were echoed to an extent by other female Liberal Democrat MPs.

Jenny Tonge, 63, the Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, said: "I always feel that chaps like to work with chaps so there is a built-in reluctance to put a woman in the Cabinet in case they upset their camaraderie, and that applies to all the parties, including mine."

Sue Doughty, Liberal Democrat MP for Guildford, said that she had had good dealings with her party's senior figures but that "every now and then we have to remind the powers that they are seeking the opinion of all of the party".

She added: "That's more down to people having their own people around them. I personally don't believe I am overlooked."

A spokesman for the Liberal Democrats denied that women MPs were being snubbed. "This is a misunderstanding because Annette was invited to the launch, although maybe not directly. Maybe her diary secretary was asked and she said she was too busy," he said.

"We will certainly be using Annette and our other prominent female MPs throughout the election campaign."

Miss Hedges, who at 20 is the Liberal Democrats' youngest candidate, will be contesting the Hitchin and Harpenden seat.

Miss Featherstone, 53, will be standing in the Hornsey and Wood Green constituency in north London.

[Ian@1904]

Just been reading about welfare in the USA. It is not so kind as the UK, and the number of single mothers is in decline. From my perspective any party that actually incentivises a married couple to raise children is a good thing.

I know some top dogs in the NHS and some at the bottom, millions have been thrown in but so badly applied it makes me want to throw up. My wife currently works for the NHS, and the organisational aspects leave so much to be desired.

Many of the senior ministers are lawyers with little experience of running large enterprises, Blunkett (soon to return no doubt)at least ran a large council-Sheffield. I lived there in the early eighties, great for students bad for taxpayers. The waste is amazing, just think of the millenium fiasco.

For my business introducing a tax rate of 50/60/70% would be fantastic. My business is tax driven, the higher the tax rate the greater the incentive for people to invest in my business. We use existing tax legislation to invest in areas requiring regeneration. I kid you not, we would have so much (taxpayers) money to invest we would not know what to do with it. So if the Lib Dems want higher tax rates, yes please.

I think Terry Pratchett has the right answer-read "The Last Continent" where politicians are elected and immediately sent to jail.

And finally for those that don't vote, that is the way that BNP get in.

Ian
(slightly pissed on beer and gin so far, incoming wine)

[dry suit diver]

Originally Posted by Ian@1904

Just been reading about welfare in the USA. It is not so kind as the UK, and the number of single mothers is in decline. From my perspective any party that actually incentivises a married couple to raise children is a good thing.

I know some top dogs in the NHS and some at the bottom, millions have been thrown in but so badly applied it makes me want to throw up. My wife currently works for the NHS, and the organisational aspects leave so much to be desired.

Many of the senior ministers are lawyers with little experience of running large enterprises, Blunkett (soon to return no doubt)at least ran a large council-Sheffield. I lived there in the early eighties, great for students bad for taxpayers. The waste is amazing, just think of the millenium fiasco.

For my business introducing a tax rate of 50/60/70% would be fantastic. My business is tax driven, the higher the tax rate the greater the incentive for people to invest in my business. We use existing tax legislation to invest in areas requiring regeneration. I kid you not, we would have so much (taxpayers) money to invest we would not know what to do with it. So if the Lib Dems want higher tax rates, yes please.

I think Terry Pratchett has the right answer-read "The Last Continent" where politicians are elected and immediately sent to jail.

And finally for those that don't vote, that is the way that BNP get in.

Ian
(slightly pissed on beer and gin so far, incoming wine)

yes that would be the labour party that removed the tax breaks for married couples and as for most being lawyers and not being able to run country, the health and safety thread in non diving posts is a good one to read.

the words piss up ,organise,couldnt and brewery spring to mind.

[Fiji Dave]

Blimey, just had a look at the poll results and it's quite a surprise. Cons in the lead by quite a margin, Lib dems second and labour trailing. I'm also quite surprised that there's so many absentions. I still have no idea who I'd vote for though.

This has made me think though, whenever you see polls on the news or in the papers, they always seem to have Lab in front with cons close behind an LIb Dems trailing in third. Does this mean that as a group divers are more likely to come from a particular population group that means we're more likely to vote Con that anything else? Is diving a sport more likely to be taken up by Con voters than Lab voters? or have we all just had enough of the current lot? I've never really though that diving would be a sport to have a particular political lean.

[berticus]

Originally Posted by hopper

Why is this good?

It was only done so that as a political party they were distanced from decisions that could be seen as unpopular. Do you honestly think that the BOE is independent? Surely the chancellor has the facility to force an interest rate increase/decrease within his budget. I.e. He can bring certain economic conditions to bear that force the BOE committee to react in a given way.

One of the (many) problems the Tories had in their last term of government was the interest rate fiasco.

The Labour party saw this as a weakness and exploited this during the following election campaign. On entering government they made sure that this type of spin could not be used against them by apparently distancing themselves from any interest rate decision. However, I cannot believe that the Chancellor of the Exchequer does not bring any bearing onto the BOE committee. Are we to believe that any Chancellor is happy to leave one of the most crucial economic decisions (one that can have massive political ramifications) to an “independent” committee?

I can't defend Labour's motives for handing over control of interest rates, but the results have been good for me personally, and most other people I know. Yes, the economists are accountable to the government for their decisions on rates, but they have a very clear brief - keep inflation at 2.5%. Compare this with the reason a politician would change rates (i.e. keep myself in power).

[Allan Carr]

Originally Posted by Ian@1904

I think Terry Pratchett has the right answer-read "The Last Continent" where politicians are elected and immediately sent to jail.

I thought that happened in Italy. A friend there told me that a third of the MP's were being investigated for corruption - it wasn't that the rest were innocent, it was simply that they hadn'y got around to them yet!

I was at university with two guys who went on to be MP's - one Labour and one Conservative and I wouldn't trust either of them as far as I could throw them. Guy Fawkes, the only man to enter parliament with honest intentions.

Joking aside though, I think this current government is the most dishonest, deceitful and lacking in any clear morale principles that I can remember in my 57 years. They are masters of Morale Manoeuvrability. The only thing they are interested in is keeping themselves in power. As to who should replace them - what a choice.

[aclivity]

I heard something over the weekend - may have been on the radio, although the weekend is all a mess in my memory now so it could well have been overheard in the barber shop - about politicians.

The suggestion was that wanting to be an MP should preclude you from standing. Hence the only MP's will be the ones chosen by their peers. Completely unmanageable of course, but an interesting theory.

If I could change the electoral process, I would:
1. Make voting compulsory.
2. Add an option of 'none of the above'
2b. If 'none of the above' was the overall winner in an electoral ward, that ward would have to be run again but NONE of the candidates could run again in that seat for 5 years or in any seat for say 2 years.

[Clare Gledhill]

Originally Posted by Fiji Dave

Is diving a sport more likely to be taken up by Con voters than Lab voters? or have we all just had enough of the current lot? I've never really though that diving would be a sport to have a particular political lean.

Well this Tory goes diving to get away from the politics!

[ahar]

Originally Posted by Fiji Dave

Does this mean that as a group divers are more likely to come from a particular population group that means we're more likely to vote Con that anything else? .

Remember that the people who voted in the poll are self selecting, that is they care enough about the subject to go to the effort of reading the thread and voting. There is more of an incentive for people who want a change to vote and make a comment than those who favour the status quo.

PS My girlfriend is a market researcher, so if you're really bored I can jabber about this for hours - after all, if I have to listen to it from her then why should I keep all the pain and boredom to myself ?