UKC

As a rule we vote for parties and not people, yes?

This means that we often vote candidates that we profoundly disagree with, fools, charlatans and the simply hateful

I voted for Diane Abbot (1992 and 1997) and Jeremy Corbyn (2001, 2005 and 2010).

I'm sure that many have gone lower but I offer that as a starter.

Where has parliamentary democracy taken you?

In reply to Mike Highbury:

I voted for Diane Abbot (1992 and 1997) and Jeremy Corbyn (2001, 2005 and 2010).

Not entirely sure, but are you a Labour supporter by any chance?

In reply to Mike Highbury:

With a choice like that, if you didn't want to vote Conservative why did you not abstain?

In reply to FesteringSore:

Abstention is for the feeble-minded; voting presents its own circle of hell.

In reply to Mike Highbury:


I'm sure that I'm not the only exception to the rule. I vote for a local MP not a party. I then make sure that I lobby them whenever I believe it is necessary.

In reply to Mike Highbury:

For a number of my Labour supporting friends, at the last election the line that could not be crossed was voting for Simon Danczuk. Fortunately, I am a few hundred metres in to the neighbouring constituency.

In reply to Mike Highbury:

I have yet to vote on the winning side in any election, so my conscience is clear.

Watching the other lot betray all their so called principles the first time money/power/hookers are dangled in front of them is only to be expected. When ones own side does it then it is just depressing.

In reply to The New NickB:

I burn with jealousy.

In reply to Mike Highbury:

As a rule, but I'll confess to once voting conservative because the candidate was Douglas Hurd. He came to the local village hall and was truly impressive, and was well-known to be highly capable and a moderating influence on the government of the day.

Conversely, I once didn't vote Lib Dem after meeting the candidate in the pub and coming to the conclusion that he was an idiot.

In reply to Mike Highbury:

I voted labour when Blair first got in and again for their second term.
At the time I didn't like the way the conservatives were doing things and I thought 4 years of labour was not enough to really change things.

There followed years of increased legislation and taxation on the apparently never ending cash cow that is the small business.

2 bites of that pie was enough and it was back to voting Conservative for me and its probably where I will stay for the time being.

In reply to Dax H:

OK, that's your party but how dirty did you feel after voting for the particular candidates?

In reply to Mike Highbury:


Elements of both for me, with differing weight depending on the elections


Is Jezza so terrible as a constituency MP?


Well I vote Tory last time to avoid an appalling Labour candidate and overall Labour victory. Result a rather dim but decent enough constituency MP. Unfortunately both he and the government are hell bent on brexit now, so disappointing.

In reply to Mike Highbury:

To the possible surprise of BnB watchers I voted Liberal once and the Tories and Labour twice each over the last 5 elections. I vote Green in my local council elections as every Hebden Bridger swears to do over a pot of hummus (sp?).

Not once have I been satisfied in the person of my representative, nor, if truth be told, is that a priority for me.

In reply to Mike Highbury:

i once voted tory to try to contribute to making sure Iraq war supporting Chris Leslie didn't reelected

however, that meant i voted for Philip Davies. I've been scrubbing my soul with bleach ever since, but the stain just won't shift...

In reply to Mike Highbury:

I try to avoid voting for Ken Clarke. He's decent enough as constituency mp's go, but he's got a long shadow where health is concerned so he can cough right off. I vaguely know the usual green candidate and I'm mostly happy to vote for him on the strict understanding he doesn't stand a hope of election. Be interesting to see if KC makes it to the end of this parliament, when he's retiring, as every time I see him around and about, he looks decidedly ropey.

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

Bloody hell, that knocks Simon Danczuk, above, into a cocked hat.

In reply to Mike Highbury:
Like Dax H, I voted Labour when the Blair era began.
That was against my conservative principles and a protest against the corruption/scandals of the conservative government.
That was and will be the only time I vote Labour, who had the chance to make real improvements to the UK but didn't, although I do admire Mr Corbyn for reintroducing proper Labour values even if I disagree with how to implement them.
Voting for Labour was slightly easier for me given that my local MP is Mr Frank Field who represents a solid labour ward and who often speaks sense on many matters

In reply to Mike Highbury:

i know, i know. i tell myself, i was young(er) then, i couldn't have foreseen how it would turn out... but it doesn't work... the shame is still there

In reply to Mike Highbury:

I vote for the person and will check their voting record if they're incumbent. I voted for John Leach (Lib Dem) when I lived in Manchester but voted Labour at the last election after moving to Bristol because the incumbent Lib Dem MP had voted with the coalition whip on pretty much everything. MP is now the fantastically named Thangam Debonnaire, who I think has done as well as she could have done after going through cancer treatment and being on the wrong side of the first year of the Corbyn leadership.

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

I live in that constituency. There are absolutely no circumstances under which I would vote for that disgusting skid mark on the undercrackers of humanity.

In reply to lummox:

NMSE does look like the winner, doesn't he?

In reply to Mike Highbury:

Oh shit.

Come on there must be somebody out there who voted for Tony Blair, after he went all invade-y, or Keith vaz, or Peter mandelson, or Michael Howard, or IDS.....

Surely. ..!

In reply to Mike Highbury:

I'm pretty sure, but I don't think any candidate that I've ever voted for in a general election has actually won.

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:


I should hope not. He's my MP. I'd met him once in connection with my job, and had futile email correspondence with him a few times on various topics, but I never realised just how odious he was until I went to the hustings before the last election. I'd always wondered how he got his foot in the electoral door, now I know its your fault

In reply to hokkyokusei:


Same here. I have always lived in Labour or tory safe seats.
Currently have several MPs for the price of one since its Grant Shapps aka various other names during his web marketing days.

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

Kevin D has had a little run along the rails but it's still you, I'm afraid. And at a canter as well, by the looks of things.

In reply to Mike Highbury:

Rather than abstain from voting I either draw a cock or write cnuts on the ballot. Depends on the quality of the pencil on the day.

In reply to Mike Highbury:

Despite my principles, I voted Lib Dem consistently (92, 97, 01, 05 , 10 elections,) as Andrew George was the best candidate to represent the area.

In reply to JEF:


I tried that but I think Shapps claimed them as alternate names.

In reply to hokkyokusei:


I think (hope) his full odiousness became apparent after his election.

Anyway, I blame Tony Blair. Philip Davies being an MP is just another unpleasant consequence of his military incontinence, along with a collapse in trust in intelligence reports, and ISIS....

In reply to Dax H:


Did you not try and do what might be called 'the Conservative thing' and use the harshness of higher taxes as a driver for aspiration in growing your business and possibly making life easier again?

It's the same principle being applied by them to getting people off benefits at the moment. :-|

Food bank use is at it's highest, having gone up exponentially since the start of austerity...

In reply to Mike Highbury:

Plenty of people in my constituency vote for Boris Johnson. Can one get lower? I suppose there's always that UKIP/Tory feller.

jcm

In reply to Mike Highbury:




You obviously don't learn from your mistakes. You'll be voting for Sarah Olney next....

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

But I want to know about you. When have you had to submerge yourself in the River Jordan (tevilah) after voting?

In reply to Dax H:

I think I missed out a about doing 'the Conservative thing'.

In reply to Mike Highbury:

Your either left or right if your confused theres something wrong. Ones socialist or nearest too.
The rest are a bunch of self interested tossers. Or ones who are in a wibbly wobbly world of there own who really dont know whats best for others of a lesser privalged society!

In reply to sammy5000:


Nope not at all. Some people can be both very easily. I have "strong left wing" views on most aspects of social justice, and strong "right wing" views on most aspects of legal justice, personal responsibility, and other matters.



If more people were able and willing to take each political circumstance on it's own merits, and debate from a point of individual belief, not party subscription, and reject the bland, unintellectual, and irrational type of stereotyping in your sentence above, then we wouldn't be stuck with this two party, left/right stalemate, (in the UK and most western democracies.)

In reply to Big Ger:

Fair play, Big Ger, I didn't know you were so liberal.

(I'm sure you realise that's a joke).

Actually I couldn't agree more, perhaps "we can walk our road together"?

In reply to Hugh J:
Indeed.

I would consider myself "liberal" in the political sense, but not in terms of "liberal Democrats" supporting/leaning, as I haven't a clue what they stand for this week.



But even there I find myself somewhat diverting, as, though favouring representational government, I also see a role for the core British monarchy, and have yet to be convinced of the benefits of the Presidential system.

In reply to Mike Highbury:

I've voted for person and party and tactically and often two out of three. Being a social liberal in a FPTP system in a safe parliamentary and council seat my vote rarely leads to any success. In other votes in my life using variations of PR and in referenda I make a difference.

In reply to Mike Highbury:

I held my nose and voted for George Galloway (Labour, 1992).

In reply to elsewhere:

I think you may have got NMSE off the hook there.

In reply to elsewhere:

Wow, I am awestruck in admiration and, yes, NMSE owes you a pint.

In fact, may be we all do.

In reply to Mike Highbury:

Thinking about it I have never voted for people I have profoundly disagreed with.
I voted for Callagan against Maggie
Kinock for the same reason.
I voted Liberal against Blair & Major - as to be honest I couldn't see the difference bertween the two
Ironically the one time I voted for Labour (Gordon Brown) they lost. and I voted for Brown because I knew damn well that the Tories would make swinging cuts. So I guess that might count as I was not overly enamoured of Brown.
Actually come to think of it I voted for Milliband and I never rated him (though I rated the rest even lower).
Corbyn I like

In reply to Mike Highbury:

It is interesting to note that voting nearly always has an effect on policy. A swing right or left will affect the main ruling parties who adapt their policies to try and gain the middle ground. So if there is a largely right wing vote then the winning party will feel vindicated while the losing party will adapt to try and win over voters (as New Labour did by adopting a more right wing stance than previously). In a narrow majority the winning party may try and tone down some of its more extreme elements. Of course if everyone abandons both major parties then bets are off

In reply to Mike Highbury:
I had my reservations about him 25 years ago.

In reply to elsewhere:


Nothing wrong with that, in 1992. Now it would be a matter for the wire brush and swarfega.

In reply to elsewhere:


thank God! salvation....



he used to be my MP when i lived in Glasgow. I didn't vote for him; indeed, he nearly ran me over as he slewed at speed out of a side street in Partick onto Dumbarton Road....