Found this via Life In A Northern Town – a quiz suggesting who to vote for based on your opinions on several key issues. Here’s my results:
Who should I vote for?
Your expected outcome:Liberal Democrat
Your actual outcome:
Labour -8 Conservative -19 Liberal Democrat 29 UK Independence Party -7 Green 11 You should vote: Liberal Democrat
The LibDems take a strong stand against tax cuts and a strong one in favour of public services: they would make long-term residential care for the elderly free across the UK, and scrap university tuition fees. They are in favour of a ban on smoking in public places, but would relax laws on cannabis. They propose to change vehicle taxation to be based on usage rather than ownership.
Take the test at Who Should You Vote For.
Not hugely unexpected, although I didn’t think I’d disagree more with the Conservatives than UKIP. I think it’s pretty obvious who I’ll be voting for 3 weeks tomorrow. My only criticism of this is that it didn’t have Respect in there, as it would be interesting to see how my opinions line up with theirs.
Steve Bell has another very good cartoon in today’s Guardian. The background is here and there’s a gallery on the same theme here.
No new candidates in Bradford West today. The list will be finalised sometime next week.
April 13, 2005 at 16:39
Better not paste all that nonesense…
Expected Outcome: Labour
Actual Outcome…
Labour: -2
Tory: -65
LibDems: 64
Green: 3
Haha, actually despite the giggles i’m not hugely surprised. I do have a quandry however, as much as i admire the Lib Dems policies i cannot escape the even stronger admiration i hold for Gordon Brown. Now if only he could somehow be transfered to the lib-dems rather like a football player.
April 13, 2005 at 16:42
I forgot You Kip. I got -38. So in a strange twisted kind of way i beat you there.
April 13, 2005 at 16:57
My results broadly matched yours, Neil; slightly less Tory (or more anti-Tory), but otherwise about the same.
The problem is this doesn’t consider tactical voting. Lancaster is one of those places where voting for anyone but Labour would very probably let the Tories in, so the dilemma is whether to vote for the party best representing one’s views, or for a party one doesn’t really support in order to block a party one really doesn’t support.
April 13, 2005 at 17:55
Tactical voting is something I’ve considered as well. As much as I like the LibDems I’m unsure of they’d be able to win here, whereas the Tories are not too far behind Labour. I’d far rather Labour got in than the Tories so it may mean having to vote Labour just to keep the Tories out.
April 13, 2005 at 19:27
Expected outcome: Liberal Democrat. Outcome: Labour -7, Conservative -28, Liberal Democrat 34, UKIP -4, Green 29. Pretty much what I expected.
April 13, 2005 at 20:55
Clearly, I’m in the minority here
April 14, 2005 at 08:20
Labour 14 Conservative 23 Liberal Democrat -40 UK Independence Party 10 Green -11
.
What I expected really. Lib Dems seem to want to cost me more and more money
April 14, 2005 at 08:55
Simple economics: you get what you pay for. Pay more taxes, get better services in return. Or at least that’s the theory – of course some problems can’t simply be fixed by throwing money at them, and then you have to actually trust the government to use the money you are paying in taxes properly. And I suppose politicians aren’t exactly the most trustworthy people.
Great – I’ve just made an argument and now proceeded to destroy it myself. Oh well.
April 19, 2005 at 22:12
The who should you vote for site is heavily biased towards the Lib Dems because the number of issues are so restricted and of course in actual constituencies there are tactical considerations to take into account as well.
April 20, 2005 at 14:59
Or maybe it’s because the Liberal Democrats have the best policies…
April 20, 2005 at 18:09
Or maybe they don’t! I got lib dem and there is no way I’d ever vote for them! I suppose they they are all things to all people so really everyone is a lib dem.
Did you know they voted against the minimum wage? Then voted against the rises?
I’m from Scotland where a liberal democrat minister is bringing in top-up fees and I feel betrayed! Then I found out that the if lib dems got in they would make students pay their “income tax” (so money from part time jobs would go on tax andthe minimum wage would soon be insignificant because they are against rising it.)AND they would make students go to the uni nearest their home! So really if you wanted to live away from home you would be worse off as you would have to get a bank loan to survive.
Don’t listen to them they make promices they can’t keep (Just look at Scotland where they are trying to bring in top up fees and are not opposed to the council tax).