General Election

[Tasha]

Since it's getting closer I thought a thread to discuss thoughts on parties, policies etc. was a good idea.

Like what are your thoughts on the conservatives announcement today about right to buy?

Also does anyone else find it annoying that we don't get two votes? One for our MP and one for who we wish to run the country? Just the local one.

Sometimes what's best locally isn't best for the nation IMO.

 

[emyandpotato]

Yeah I agree about the two vote thing. A lot of people don't vote for who they want to because they won't have a chance in their constituency. Like my dad has always been a member of the Labour party but has to vote Lib Dem in his area as it's them or Conservative, no one else stands a chance. A lot of people would vote Green but know they don't really have a chance in their own area so don't see the point.

As for the Right to Buy scheme, I don't know loads about it, but it seems like a lot of houses have been bought up and then there aren't enough council houses, and the housing market in general is really hard to break in to, so why make it worse by selling up all the houses that are needed. I also don't really get how someone can be eligible for a council house and be paying less than market value rent and afford to buy their house at the same time. I thought that you lost the right to the house after a certain amount of time/certain wage? I don't know much about it though TBH! I think the Labour idea of simply building more houses and controlling rent is better.

 

[tallybee]

Right to buy has always been a disastrous policy for housing generally, for so many reasons (though it might win votes from tenants who think they'd otherwise never get the chance to buy property). They're doing away with it up here. I don't think council tenants lose eligibility based on time/wage, the old tenancies at least were for life as long as they didn't breach the terms. There have been a lot of policy changes though and housing associations have different rules again.

More affordable housing is desperately needed.

 

[Alyssa Drough]

Totally agree with the 2 vote thing. My constituency is a 'safe seat' so I feel that my vote won't make a difference (although I still will).

Right to buy is rubbish. It doesn't address the struggle of thousands of younger people/couples who are stuck private renting cos there's no way in hell we could get 20,000k + together upfront which is roughly what we need in the south east. The lib dems rent to own scheme seems like the perfect solution.

Also I like how the lib dems are pledging help with childcare from 9 months to 2 years for working families, and free hours for ALL 2 year olds. The tories and labour just want to increase hours for 3 & 4 year olds.

 

[Alyssa Drough]

Also don't agree with renewing trident.

Protect the nhs.

Immigration is not a major issue for me.

And we should have a sliding scale of income tax.

 

[hayz_baby]

Not interested in voting for anyone who wants to privatise nhs and I can never bring myself to vote Tory. Nor UKIP.
They seem to talk about how they helped working families by raising the tax threshold but would never have done this without lib dem's.
I also remember how they snuck in the VAT rise in the last election but when gordon brown said he would raise NI contributions it was all about how he is taxing jobs. Last time I checked a rise in VAT is a rise in everything!
I still have some respect for lib dem especially as they apologised for the raise in tuition fees.
I will end up voting labour.
There also seems to be this huge generational gap which I think Tories make worse, eg how young people on the dole should have to do community service.. it's just assuming that anyone over 30 isn't sponging off the system.
Plus they make it worse then it actually is which turns into ukip scare tactics..
Plus I am also fed up of Tories riding on how labour screwed the economy. These practices were round long before labour and quite frankly I agree and I'm sure if you think about it many people are that these banks got bailed out.. it was the right thing.
The Tories sold NR for a bargain and well undervalued royal mail so we never did get this value for money they so often talk about.
I cant imagine any party doing a coalition deal with ukip thank god.
A party fuelled by scare mongers..

 

[lola_90]

The two vote thing seems a better idea to me.

How do you find out how local MP's are doing in your area? I'm in Brighton so I assume the Green Party.

 

[Bex84]

Right to buy is a disaster waiting to happen. There is a lot of people needing council housing so it needs to go to those who need it (which is what its there for). I think they need to be more efficient with making sure housing is being used for correct purpose as it is there to help people. My grandmother was in a 4 bedroom family home along time after her children left home until they found her the smaller home she wanted as she didn't want to take a family home from those who needed it . That was a 4 bedroom home for 1 person as they didn't have smaller places available. 2 votes thing sound good. Where I grew up is conservative safe seat.

 

[Tasha]

Emy, that is exactly why it frustrates me. Where I am was a labour safe seat for years but then the expenses thing happened and our MP and her husband (who was an MP in a neighbouring constituency) were claiming for a house in central London when we live about seven miles from the Houses of Parliament they weren't even using the house in our constituency in the end. Obviously people were more than a little annoyed and conservatives got in. I'm pretty sure it will be labour again this time and tbf our local labour MP candidate is the one I see doing things for the community more and not just in the lead up to election but the whole period. So ideally I would like her to be our MP but not labour to run the country I see it as pointless to vote who I want to run the country as like I said it's between labour and conservative, I really don't want Tories to be my MP, she did nothing for the community in the last five years really.

All people on old contracts don't loose there right to a home because of wages. It is ridiculous. Some housing associations have wised up but not all by a long shot.

Tallybee down where I am there isn't much council housing (in fact we've just had the first new council homes built in over a decade ), so it's pretty much all housing association and as you say different rules.

Alyssa, the childcare one is good but have they said how they will find it? Childcare costs are ridiculous. Totally agree on trident.

Hayz, I say the exact same thing about the divide between over 30's and under on JSA. It's very odd.

I'm not sure Lola. I've just been keeping an eye on stuff they've been doing for the last few years.

Bex, it's crazy isn't it? I mean the fact there is no smaller properties for people like your nan to move in to! I privately rent in a house that was bought on right to buy, it was then repossed as the people couldn't afford to pay the mortgage, my landlord bought it at a relatively low cost and charges £1.5k rent a month. It's crazy. Any way that's the problem with R2B that realistically many cant afford the mortgages and then the system ends up even more messed up. My next door neighbours are council, an old couple on a top floor, they wish to move as their health is poor especially the man's who didn't leave the flat for about four months over winter as his chest gets bad so he can't manage the stairs. There are no smaller properties for them to move into. We desperately need more social housing but it's a massive amount of expensive housing being built with the tiny % of affordable housing that must be built by those building normal housing. Affordable housing here though seems to consist of houses to buy and you own a percent and rent the rest, many cant get mortgages for this though so...

Did you all watch the debate? What did you think? I'm half way through watching.

 

[Tasha]

I forgot to add the old couple would be downsizing, they are currently in a three bed for the two of them but no where to move in too.

 

[Pearls18]

I have to say I'm finding the election very exciting this year as sad as that may sound lol, as much as I dislike some of the fringe parties they are really shaking up politics this time and making it more important than ever to vote! I wasn't sure on the idea of the debates, but I've never felt so engaged in it all, I would never usually read all the manifestos so to have a debate with such high representation of all the parties I feel much more involved in knowing what they all stand for, as much as they let you anyway lol.

I am a floating voter, I won't commit to one party, I am yet to decide who I will defintiely vote for but I have a good idea. My main concerns this time are the economy and childcare, I am apparently in the minority here in that I do want trident to stay but as labour and conservatives both seem to agree with that it's not affecting my vote. Boris Johnson is running as our local MP so I'm assuming he will get in.

voteforpolicies.org is a fantastic website for looking beyond the parties and just looking at policy.

 

[hayz_baby]

Does anyone Lol at the sky news video of them singing..?

 

[Pearls18]

Does anyone Lol at the sky news video of them singing..?

Omg did you see the Budget one? It's soooooo funny.

 

[hayz_baby]

Does anyone Lol at the sky news video of them singing..?

Omg did you see the Budget one? It's soooooo funny.

No..! *off to youtube*

I have such an appreciation for these things!

 

[maryp0ppins]

I love the sky advert!

I will probably vote labour, pretty safe labour seat in my area aswell and the local candidate has lived here all her life (I think that's quite important so they understand their local population and arent running in an area they never have and never will live in!)

My DP is probably the only person I know who benefitted from right to buy as his grandparents bought their council house in the late 80's and he Inherited it 1.5 years ago, sold it and we used the money to buy our own place....otherwise we would still be privately renting.

 

[babyjan]

Loool just saw that advert of them singing

 

[Bevziibubble]

I love that advert too!

 

[sue_88]

I will be voting conservatives. The MP for my area has been conservative since 1832, and I agree most with their policies and feel like I have been looked after over this past 5 years especially with such a drastic change from living alone, to engaged to single mum. I think the progress will be good over the next 5 years.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I voted Green on all 3. Our area has always been a Tory ultra safe seat.

 

[Tasha]

I'm voting this evening as at the hospital today.

Have you all voted? Who do you think will get in?

I'm so unsure of who it will be between Labour and conservatives, but certain it will need a coalition.