Who do we vote for in the May general election and who do we not vote for?

[eek]

From the monster raving looney party manifesto

We will reduce the voting age to 5 years old to reflect the behaviour of our current MPs #Manicfesto Monster Raving Loony (@Official_MRLP)

[DimPrawn]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>We will reduce the voting age to 5 years old to reflect the behaviour of our current MPs <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Manicfesto?src=hash">#Manicfesto</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/votesat16">@votesat16</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GE2015?src=hash">#GE2015</a></p>&mdash; Monster Raving Loony (@Official_MRLP) <a href="https://twitter.com/Official_MRLP/status/565462032565407745">February 11, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Is that C++?

[TheFaQQer]

Accrington is not seeing any signs of any improvement at all. Recently the M&S decided to close up shop even though that shop makes a profit. The Arndale is half empty and half of what's in are charity or council shops. I'd say that small places like that will be left behind. Commerical properties are nearly worthless as there are no businesses to put in them.

The Tories are not in the habit of spreading the wealth so that's Accy, Nelson, Colne, Darwen down the tubes.

Homebase has closed down in Accy as well, and there's another one that I can't remember.

Nelson was one of the much heralded Mary Portas projects, which did naff all but got the Tories some headlines at the time about how they understood about the poor northerners.

[d000hg]

True but after the tories promised to repeal IR35 I can't stomach voting for them

Cutting off your nose to spite your face?

If UKIP get their way they'll take away the opportunity for contractors to work across Europe, not to mention all the CUKers will have to come home and compete for contacts here. And that's not in anyone's interest.

Though the Tories might do the same if they follow through on the referendum.

I don't see this as a realistic scenario TBH, it does nobody any good.

[Batcher]

I disagree.

As you can see by the way the tory party started taking on more of a 'UKIP' slant long before UKIP had a shot of having a single MP, voting for a loosing party has a point.

When parties look at ways of expanding their support or preventing a haemorrhage of existing supporters they often pick up some of the policies of secondary parties.

If a party is offering specific support for contractors then voting for them, even if they can't win, increases the likelihood of the party who wins the election after next having absorbed that policy as their own.

If you agree with UKIP then vote UKIP. If you agree with the Greens then vote greens. If you agree with some independent that doesn't have a snowballs chance in hell of winning then vote for them. If you think all the politicians are useless then spoil your voter card with the picture of a penis and a little message about why you are not voting. Whatever you do make sure your vote actually represents your view, even if it's not the majority view of your constituency. It's critical that you do this for a democracy to function correctly.

Voting for a party you don't agree with just so you can say you supported the side that won, is not winning.

Good post. Along the same lines as this article by George Monbiot:

Here is the first rule of politics: if you never vote for what you want, you never get it.

Follow your convictions

[eek]

Homebase has closed down in Accy as well, and there's another one that I can't remember.

The Range bought a number of their leases so expect a Range store to pop up there in the near future...

[BlasterBates]

Unless a government comes in halves the amount of tax but doubles the budget, makes everyones wages go up by 50% stops immigration but allows everyone to retire at 55 so most of the population doesn't work at all, and magically fully staffs the hospitals, schools and the bin collectors, everyone is going to say the government sucks.

[tractor]

...

From a contractor perspective, it matters not who you vote for. Why?

Because HMRC determine government policy in all financial respects and have done so for years. They declared war on contractors and the S/E decades ago and will not rest until they force us back into 'employment' by red tape, coercion, bullying, lying and whatever nefarious means are at their disposal. They have no master and answer to no one.

Any politician that says different is deluded.

[lilelvis2000]

Homebase has closed down in Accy as well, and there's another one that I can't remember.

Nelson was one of the much heralded Mary Portas projects, which did naff all but got the Tories some headlines at the time about how they understood about the poor northerners.

Phones4U ? Accrington now is a a charity shop/coffee shop town now. Though recently SportsDirect is taking over the old JJB location and a new Much larger Lidl will be opening up. Any ideas what's going on with the old Arnold Clark site?

[TheFaQQer]

Phones4U ? Accrington now is a a charity shop/coffee shop town now. Though recently SportsDirect is taking over the old JJB location and a new Much larger Lidl will be opening up. Any ideas what's going on with the old Arnold Clark site?

No idea - I only knew three shops had announced they were closing since Christmas because the head at my daughter's school lives that way and mentioned it in passing (we were moaning about the council not having gritted the road to school, and he'd got some cheap because Homebase was closing down).

Pound shops, charity shops, coffee shops, and pawnbrokers - that's the high street here these days.

Could be worse - could be Rochdale.