Greens are the only party who cover some key issues for people. There's only one party I can vote for that wants higher education to be free and it's them. To some, being able to vote for that policy or to make a dissent against neo-liberalism is more important than the side effect of putting their name to some craziness.

monkey wrote:

Greens are the only party who cover some key issues for people. There's only one party I can vote for that wants higher education to be free and it's them. To some, being able to vote for that policy or to make a dissent against neo-liberalism is more important than the side effect of putting their name to some craziness.

I didn't see anything in their manifesto or their website section on policy that said how they would intend to actually make higher education free, though.  I'd feel happier voting for a party like that if they had some substance and detail there.

Under a Green government there would be no student loans as there would be no tuition fees and living costs would be met by Citizen’s Income. In the short term we will reintroduce student grants to meet living costs.

That quote is from Dante's favourite website. (way down the page under the Higher education bit). There's some detail there, but not the most important thing, which is how it would be funded, as far as I can make out. Like I said, I'm not voting Green but I would be if the election wasn't so tight. 

I don't particularly care about plans being costed. I'm more about statements of intent and principle.  Yes, of course you don't want politicians promising the earth, so getting things costed and realistic is decent practice. But it's still just guess work. The Tories had very clear plans for what they were going to do, the cuts they would and wouldn't have to make, then got into power and said "oh it's all different now we've had a look at the books". Fuck that noise, it's just a moveable feast where they can still come across as responsible and competent, but still just make it up as they go along when they get in. When so many other parties are failing to state some pretty basic stuff, then one party coming along and doing it, even if it's unrealistic or just an ambition or whatever, is still worth something. 

With higher education, it's not that we can't afford it, it's that middle aged people don't want to spend the money on it, or have been duped into thinking the money isn't there to be spent.

Statement of intent is very powerful even if specifics can't be guaranteed after moving into No. 10. Aside from whoever's in power it's all guesswork anyway. I want to know the ideologies and beliefs of my party because it will inform everything they do, even if direct results for specific policies can't be guaranteed.

In 2010 I flirted with the idea of voting Tory despite almost all policies not specifically benefiting me because what matters for the nation is more important to me. In the end I'm glad I didn't because they turned out to be worse than my worst nightmares could have ever imagined. I voted Lib Dems because I believed in the idea of a liberal society, and although they failed to deliver on every key policy I voted them in for I do believe they've been a positive force in the current government in other ways - increasing the tax threshold for example. They couldn't deliver their big ideas but the ideologies shaped everything else they did. If the Tories had been able to run rampant and unchecked god knows what state we'd be in.

Double post

Outlaw wrote:

Statement of intent is very powerful even if specifics can't be guaranteed after moving into No. 10. Aside from whoever's in power it's all guesswork anyway.

Although the Tories are currently saying that they're going to cut another 12bn off the welfare bill but are refusing to say where it will come from.

In 2010 I flirted with the idea of voting Tory despite almost all policies not specifically benefiting me because what matters for the nation is more important to me.

Tories good for the nation? That's crazy talk.

I'm sure they do know.

Not sure if any of these have been posted yet but some useful websites:-

- Vote for Policies not personalities link - fairly decent comparison of the parties' policy ideas
- Nate Silver's UK GE predictions link - uses data from here
- Gamble frivolously on this wonderful election here. You can even gamble on your own constituency result. The Cons are 1/100 to win my constituency. Thank the baby Jesus for the gift of FPTP. 
- Your preferred party have no chance of winning in your constituency? Vote swap. Totally flawed premise run through Facebook.

Really lost by the Conservatives' whole 'vote Labour, get a coalition' thing. It reeks of hypocrisy after literally just having come out of a coalition government, especially when Labour would actually have some kind of political affinity with any coalition partners, unlike the weird, opportunistic ConDem team-up.

Retractions already being Tweeted.  It's incredible to see front page stories being debunked before even going to print.

But farage was "real" and wasn't afraid to be "un-pc". He tells it like it is and fucking blah blah blah...

Fucking pricks.

Diluted Dante wrote:

Farage was mental.

You coulda finished your sentence there tbh.

Why does the immigration issue make so many people froth at the mouth. If only the sensible ones could take a step back and get a good view of how they're being led around by the nose.

Are the older generations that threatened by change? They've had to deal with lots of it. Probably more than most generations throughout history.

@goober are those total numbers?? That's crazy low if so. An even smaller drop in the ocean than I'd previously dismissed it as.

Of course it's the ones stealing our jobs that are the real problem.