Brits: How Are You Voting?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Well this thread turned into a lover's quarrel of a different sort .

[Solly]

Well I never voted, Imran, in our uni elections as they were a plan joke. I mean, the NUS supported a strike by our own lecturers - how ****ing stupid is that!

But back to Iain now, the election was pretty dodgy..

[Drogue]

Lib Dem Voted yesterday (postal vote)

[*End Is Forever*]

NUS does not equal UWASU, not by any stretch.

Are you going to vote for me, or not?

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by lightblue
Hmm I am not British but I can vote in the European and local elections. I usually and will do again, vote Lib Dem.

You aren't British? What then?

[Solly]

There's a lot of people in this country who aren't British.

[the_ceebs]

the NUS supported a strike by our own lecturers, How ****ing stupid is that!

Well speaking as a member of the lecturers we were grateful of the NUS support. The idea that supporting the lecturers union is stupid is particularly half witted. it might seem that loosing two days of tuition would be particularly tragic to you but the employers attempts to reduce the wages of lecturers can only reduce the number of quality lecturers in the future. (I know that with my wages and that of my girlfriend who is a teacher it is proving impossible to afford housing, further reduction of our earning potential will cause us to need to work outside the education sector.)

Back to the original topic. In my constituency the only two candidates that stand a chance are Plaid and the Lib dems. seeing as I would rather set my house on fire than vote for nationalists I will be voting Lib dem.

[lightblue]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov

You aren't British? What then?

Dutch by parentage. Grew up in Luxembourg and have lived in the UK for going on 8 years.

Why Lib Dems? I am rabidly pro Europe, in favour of proportional representation, against the tuition fee and pretty environmentally conscious. I was in favour of the war on Iraq but not happy with how it's been handled. I am in no way a hardcore socialist so Mr Galloway won't be getting my vote, I don't agree with the Greens on too many things mainly wrt science and Labour has missed its chance it got when it got into power about 9 months after i first got here. Leaves the Lib Dems.

[OzzyKP]

Crib sheet on the parties for us non-Brits?

[*End Is Forever*]

Ceebs,

Well speaking as a member of the lecturers we were grateful of the NUS support.

I'm sure you were. However, Mandy Telford and the NUS Executive had no policy and no mandate to support you.

The idea that supporting the lecturers union is stupid is particularly half witted. it might seem that loosing two days of tuition would be particularly tragic to you but the employers attempts to reduce the wages of lecturers can only reduce the number of quality lecturers in the future.

I have every sympathy with the low wages of lecturers. However, the idea that the action of your Union was in the interests of current students (who, at the end of the day, are the ones who NUS and Student Unions are first and foremost there to support) is absolutely farcical. Let me give you some examples.

Firstly, couple of friends of mine are Language students, in their second years. They're supposed to be going away next year to study abroad. Because of the AUT strike and work-to-rule, for over a month they had no idea where they were going to end up next year. When their (delayed) applications were finally processed and checked, they were left to pick up the scraps. My friend Helen is going to Paris - because of people like you she's had to apply for accomodation late, and as a consequence has no guarantee of being accepted into halls. She might have to end up looking for temporary (and hugely expensive) accomodation in a foreign city. The action of the AUT may have left her a couple of thousand pounds worse off for next year.

Secondly, I have lost count of the number of people who have complained that they were forced to take already-stressful finals and assessed essays under the additional strain of not knowing whether their exams would be cancelled at the last minute, their deadlines changed, or whether their work would be marked and count at all.

That our supposed representative bodies can support actions which result in these sorts of situations without a mandate is utterly dispicable. That the AUT uses students as pawns and blackmail bargaining chips in their own dispute is no better. Shame on you.

[*End Is Forever*]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
Crib sheet on the parties for us non-Brits?

"At a glance: European election manifestos"

[Sandman]

None of the leftwing parties tickle my fancy, unfortunately, so it'll have to be the Lib Dems.

[lord of the mark]

This one looks cool:

ENGLISH DEMOCRATS PARTY
The EDP says it wants European cooperation and trade but not a "political entity" which undermines national independence, sovereignty and democratic institutions.

It was founded to campaign for an English Parliament in the wake of devolution to Scotland and Wales.

Among its other demands are recognition for traditional counties, including the reunification of Yorkshire, and greater autonomy for Cornwall.

The party is fielding candidates in the South East, North West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber and London.

reunify Yorkshire, that should get some folks really excited.

[The Andy-Man]

Lib Dems are left wing

You go EiF!

[MrFun]

I think Americans should have the right to vote in British elections.