Disgusted with OH.......

Quite, granjura. No point complaining afterwards if you haven't actually exercised your right to vote for or against a proposed measure which is going to affect everyone.

Several parties I hadn't heard of. No2Eu - workers' rights? Britain First? UKIP, BNP, Green,SNP, Labour, LibDem and Conservative and Unionist - no to independence!
I was the only one voting at midday. Really hard to predict outcome but I think SNP will win given that existing MEPs are hard-working and well-respected. I await the result with interest!

If the NHS Action Party had been standing here I would have been tempted, but as it was, I hope that my vote will help a very good and effective MEP to retain his seat.

Well - I think if we had joined Norway &Co rather than the EU, at the time we would have held on to oil and fishing rights. The Scandinavian countries have ended up being very wealthy as a result, but I think it's too late for us to backtrack now. Our farmers would be better off, they wouldn't have to see imports coming is from other countries simply because we have to accept a proportion of their produce, and as one of the wealthiest countries, we pay a vast amount to subsidise other countries' farms while then having to sell their produce rather than our own. Lose-lose.

Good post

One of our independent EP candidates has changed his name to None Of The Above. Sigh.

The Lib. Dems. couldn't even raise enough candidates to match the number of votes to be cast by an individual voter in the local council elections. Double sigh.

The votes have been counted in my area and UKIP had the second highest votes

Hopefully lots of Londoners will have voted for the NHA party, anno.
I was looking at the BBC website which listed all the parties to vote for. It missed the NHA. It even mentioned the Roman party, but not the NHA. I hope they complain. I cannot believe the BBC has not heard of them.

harrigran

The votes have been counted in my area and UKIP had the second highest votes

Ah, a rebel on the thread it would seem, from early reporting, that you are not alone.

I could not share a home with a person who didn't share my political values. Too important for me and too much of who I am to keep it out of conversations. Would be too tense!

My DH and myself have totally opposing political views and we have rubbed along OK for 47 years! Fortunately we are not that interested in politics and don't discuss it very often. Just to add I have no particular leanings towards any party but the Lib Dems are fantastic locally. They issue a monthly newsletter (the other parties issue one when there is an election coming up).
Our local Lib Dem Councillor sorted out a problem we had here with anti social behaviour quickly and effectively when no one else was interested.

Penstemmon

My husband and I didn't share poltical views at all - he would have voted Labour regardless of what he thought their achievements were or would be and spend the next few years moaning about what there were/weren't doing. I have no political allegiance to any party and judge them all on performance.

'You are talking absolute rot' was often bandied between us but it never became malicious. We got on like a house on fire

I meant 'they' not 'there'

katyk we are all political! We all have ideas and opinions! Party political may be a different case. What if one of you was totally opposed to private education or health care and the other thougb it was the way to go?? Lots of opportunity for disagreement!

JaneRowena, interesting point about Norway, especially protecting our fishing. I don't know whether this is true, but I was reading about Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's campaign to stop fish "discards" and it was stated that the UKIP leader sat on the EU Fisheries Committee and only bothered to turn up to one of the forty plus meetings, so not exactly putting words into action!

For me, a significant reason for joining the EU in the first place was to help to prevent another European war

Mine's the same Holly - Labour through and through whatever chaos they caused. I made a big mistake once (apparently) and voted for Maggie Thatcher. I have no clue about politics but was impressed by the fact that we had a woman Prime Minister. My family have never let me live it down (not my DH I hasten to add). Apparently the everything from the Miner's Strike to the Gulf War is down to me.

Amazing, isn't it, how people with entrenched views can be so blinkered! No Prime Minister in modern times has led us into so many wars as Tony Blair (supposedly Labour). Presumably funded by Gordon's sale of our gold reserves and money stolen from us, the pensioners of today from our pension funds.

I said once that I thought I tried to be fair-minded but apparently if one expresses a viewpoint other than extreme leftism, one is not!

I don't agree with the policies if any of the parties totally which is what can make it confusing at election time, particularly when so many other parties appear on the ballot paper.

Rose I agree with you. I think a lot of it goes through the generations. Some people vote for whichever party their parents voted for. I used to work with a lady who voted Labour because her husband would be cross if she didn't If I was in that situation (which I never would be) I would tell a little white lie if I wanted to vote otherwise. Maybe she did. My DH used to hero worship Tony Blair but to be fair to him (DH not Blair) he has changed his opinion somewhat.

So many small parties are appearing which dilutes the vote to the extent that a very small proportion gets the government they want.

Of course, that is democracy.

Apparently the everything from the Miner's Strike to the Gulf War is down to me.

So you are to blame for all of that then KatyK

I am in agreement with you and rosequartz - it's the policies that people should be voting for, not particularly who is presenting them. I would even do away with party politics as I think it gets in the way of pretty much everything. Individuals should stand and present their own views and it's those views that should be voted for (which is how it runs here). I have never understood this whole Labour or Tory or LibDem allegiance anyway - can anyone really support every ideal that the respective parties have?

I also agree with what you have said about Blair and Brown rosequartz - dreadful governments, both of them and they did so much harm.

Katyk you are political if you vote! You have made your political choice.

It is sad though that so many people vote because they think the person is nice/friendly/ female or because one policy fits their view or that's what they /their family has always done. The world changes, choices can change but underlying values can still be constant. Loyalty too I suppose is important.

Look at the Hamilton's and others who hop parties..if you dig deep you see that their outlook on life has not radically changed.

Pens - Oh am I? Holly - yes apparently it's all my fault My one and only vote for Maggie caused everything (according to some members of my family) Bless em.

If it's any consolation KatyK, both of my parents were staunch Labour supporters and both were union reps but both blamed Scargill for the miners downfall rather than blame the Thatcher government which surprised me (until they explained their viewpoint to me) so not all Labour supporters would point accusatory fingers at you

Phew... thanks Holly. I feel better now.

We have to give a lot of thought before we vote, but as others have already said, we may not be behind one party all the way. All should be judged by what they achieve or at least try hard to achieve.Nobody should say to themselves ' I come from a poor working class background therfore I have to vote Labour' just as anyone from a well to do family background should always vote Conservative.We have brains [some of us] and should use them.

But how do we know who the ones with the brains are? Based on your criteria I am beginning to wonder if I am one of those without

And what's with the 'should'?