UK election pith

[mr2mk1g 10]

Is anyone else getting really pissed off with the pithy nature of this election campaign?

We have Labour going – "Face it, you're going to vote for us just like last time". Beyond that they're not exactly saying anything at all... just that the Conservatives are crap. Then you have their oddly open duplicity on taxes in that any time anyone says "give us your assurances you're not going to raise taxes" they say "we won't give you any promises we won't raise taxes, but we won't raise taxes" then squirm when the fact that last time they promised that they raised taxes claiming that that tax isn’t really a tax anyway.

Then you have the Conservatives who have exactly the same policy as Labour (after all New Labour is more right wing than the right wing) but bang on about the most incredibly boring accounting theories which show that while they're going to do exactly the same thing as Labour, they're going to do it at 4% less cost over a 10% longer period and that this is actually better.

Bizarrely they also claim that while Labour can't do what they claim the will without raising taxes – the Conservatives will be able to do exactly the same thing but save the public purse money in the process. Everyone but Labour appears to agree that it's not possible to do what both parties claim they're going to do without either raising taxes (which Labour claim they won't do) or cutting thousands of jobs in the civil service (which Labour claims won't work).

Both main parties appear to agree on absolutely everything but for that 4% change in how they would do it all the same. It's quite annoying.

No one wants to tackle the big issues like the war in Iraq, Europe, council tax, or the looming pension crisis. They all seem to agree with each other on everything or just don't seem to think we actually care enough about these issues to want to vote on them.

Then you have Charles Kennedy who called the war on Iraq exactly right, and yet is not seeking to make political capitol out of it, has a brilliant idea on council tax (which apparently Labour are going to steel after the election but can't admit it yet) but doesn't attack anyone else's crap ideas, wants to tackle Europe but doesn't criticize everyone else's reticence on the issue, actually has a plan that would solve the pensions problem (much better than Gordon's barmy means testing crap which is an incentive to nothing but apathy) but doesn't push the issue. It's like his party is just resigned to the fact that no one's actually going to vote for them so can't be arsed to push his issues.

In short you have:
Tony – c'mon, it's us... you know we're going to win anyway.
Michael – we'll do exactly the same as them, just in a slightly different way.
Charles – y'know all those things you asked for, we want to give you them... just we can't be arsed so don't bother voting for us.

On the up side I hear the Monster Raving Looni party are going to be fielding I think 56 candidates. Wicked... at last someone with some sense in this election!

At the end of the day we're going to end up with a quintessentially English, odd situation in that we're going to elect as PM someone who isn't actually standing – Gordon Brown.

[Skyliving_Dave 0]

Hmm, reminds me of back in school when my politics tutor was teaching about the US political system. He said that over there no one makes specific election promises, partly because people might expect them to do it and complain if they don't. The main reason not to say anything specific was because if you say something that pleases some people it will displease more people so you're best off not saying anything at all. Looks like the UK is heading the same way. *sigh*

I'll be voting Lib Dem again this year. They won't get into power but they're the only ones with any good ideas, or in fact any ideas at all. We had a green party candidate call round yesterday but his beard was quite small so I doubt his true commitment to his party.

In answer to your question, yes it is an election full of evasions, spin and trite, woolly promises to 'make things better.' The most imagainative thing they say is 'We want to improve the NHS, education and policing.' Well duh.

OK, I'm done.

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'Everybody needs a mate called Dave'

[BBKid 0]

I'll be voting Conservative (with the emphasis on "Con"), just because it's the only chance to get rid of Lying Backstabbing Tosspiece. Sorry, I mean Tony Blair.

I would go for Lib Dem but I'll never vote for anyone who wants to get rid of the pound. Call me old fashioned but although I'm pro-European I have to draw the line somewhere, it might as well be at one of the earlier hurdles.

Nick
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"I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"