I tend to look at some of them and reflect that it’s probably cheaper to keep them where they are than the cost of having to imprison them.
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I live in a safe Labor seat so I always put the sitting member last because only marginal seats get any attention from either of the main party’s. My first preference changes from election to election but the sitting member always goes last.
Interesting results in the recent council elections (not yet confirmed) it looks like an independent will become Mayor of Shellharbour having defeated the sitting Labor Mayor. It seems to be a thing at the Federal election too with Independents taking what were previously safe seats. At the last election Zali Steggall defeated the sitting member, ex PM Tony Abbott in the previously safe Liberal seat of Warringah.
No “How to Vote” cards were handed out in the recent council elections and there was a high informal vote, over 20% in some council areas, this is a quota for a Councillor. How this is possible in a optional preferential system is beyond me though some will be a protest vote.
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I don’t have an allegiance to any particular party and often vote for an Independent candidate in general and local elections.
When making my choice, I take into account everything I know about the individual candidates and look at their own track record in politics and in community work, as well as looking at party policies.
If they are already sitting MPs, I look up their voting record in the House and their expenses claims too.
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I am not a member of any political party, but I have always voted Conservative throughout my adult life.
To me, the height of the Conservatives’ strength was when Margaret Thatcher was in office. At that time, we were highly respected throughout the world and our strength and willingness to defend ourselves and what was ours reached its height during the Falklands conflict.
Then, her ministers and back benchers decided to stab her in the back and the standard of our government has dropped steadily since.
Our most recent PMs: Major, BLiar, Brown, Cameron and Treason May have been ineffective at best and even dangerous in some instances at worst.
Now we have bumbling Bunter Boris. No more needs to be said about him, but I’m sure he’ll be getting his cards before too long.
As I have said here before, my vote will no longer go to the Conservatives as they have morphed into a Liberal-Green conglomerate, and it appears that I am by no means alone in that respect. It will be Respect UK in future, even if they never receive the public support I think they deserve.
"_(ツ)_/"
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I did that once … I, like millions of others, thought Tony Blair could make a difference. And he did, but it wasn’t for the best. That’s the first & last time I vote Labour.
I’ve also missed 1 or 2 of the dozen general elections held during my adult lifetime. Politics is a dirty business, I don’t like it/them, I can’t understand what makes people do it. I, like my forefathers, am a capitalist and therefore a reluctant Tory.
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I’ve been a paid up member of the conservatives for donkey’s years but recently I resigned my membership in disgust at the performance of the government, which is as bad as I have ever known it. My great conundrum now is who I could possibly vote for instead, the quality of politicians as a whole is dire, must be the worst parliament in history…
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Barry i feel the same recently…its a shame I have to say it but I think Boris needs to step down. I don’t think he is up to the job they need a new leader…not sure who that would be though …Rishi perhaps
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Yes @summer , Boris is everything that I feared he would be, the man is a complete personal shambles which would always end up being reflected in his leadership performance. OK, so he got Brexit done in a fashion, but that really was the end of his usefulness and I completely agree it is beyond time for him to go.
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I have voted Conservative ever since I was old enough to vote and we have a very good Conservative MP here. However, I am absolutely dismayed by the shambolic way that the party is being led at the moment. I am in a quandary now because I can’t support the Tories at the moment but there is no other party who will get my vote - on the other hand I can’t not-vote either! Hopefully things will become clearer by the next election.
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Interesting. Seems like there’s a bit of a question as to whether Boris will be like the Captain of the Titanic and go down with his ship, or like the Captain of the Costa Concordia??
Trouble is that despite debacle after debacle, still the main opposition party looks like a ramshackle bunch of headless desperados.
Which leaves BJ in the position that his govt might still have time to recover and so he can leave with his head held, if not high, then not entirely in shame.
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I think Cameron turned out like that because of what Blair got away with . Prior to those two I believe (rightly or wrongly ) prime ministers had the country’s interest’s, now its what I (PM) can get out of it, maybe its always been like it but now its so open. So no I’m not embedded.
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That’s my stance on the man, he’s a one trick pony, Brexit,end of.
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Trouble is Dex there doesn’t seem to credible opposition these days, the Tories back in 2010 couldn’t command a majority with out climbing into bed with the Libs, since then Labour have stalled, it shouldn’t be hard with Boris in charge but Starmer isn’t up to it,
The press play easy too, the recent press conference announcing plan b, they had him on the ropes but backed off , maybe it wasn’t the right platform but the opportunity was lost imo.
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I have heard and read that comment so many times. Of course you are absolutely correct that Labour would be dangerous if they ever got into government and the Liberals are the same - ‘Labour Light’.
But it’s as if nobody else has ever heard of Reform UK, or that they think they are so small and new that they are not worth voting for.
Perhaps they’re right, but in my opinion they are the only political party who could replace the Conservatives and have similar views to what the Conservatives used to have in the pre-May days.
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I have certainly heard of them JBR but I would have to be convinced that they could form a viable government before I gave them my vote because voting for them could let in the Labour party by the back door.
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Yes, I take your point. In that respect, there are only two parties: Conservative and Labour, so it looks like the Conservatives will remain in government in 2024. The lesser of the two weevils.
It has often been said that we have a ‘two-party system’ and it looks like we’re stuck with that.
Strangely, 100 years ago that was also the case with the Tories and the Whigs, until Labour came along and formed the government in 1923 or 4, I think.
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I have become a floating voter !
I think the only one l could vote for at present is Lord Frost ?
But he would have to leave the Tories and become an independent or summat ! The Tories are so riddled with
remainders that Frosty would be quickly neutered or ejected by
them if he tried to complete Brexit properly ?
So he needs to start another form of conservatism ! In which
he dumps much of the existing civil service and establishment
structures , maybe joining with reform UK or some other like
minded body !!
He seems to be the only one present that has the interests of
the UK at heart? Every one else seems to think that Brexit has
been" Done" and are now busy with petty squabbles etc ?
Unless something happens to change things l have given up
on UK ever becoming a place with a future again !
Donkeyman! 
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Thinking back, Nigel only came into power (IMO) on the back of the Public feelings about the need to leave the EU.
I’m still not clear why Nigel did not strike a better deal, with Boris, when Boris was getting “back In”.
That must have been a time when Nigel could have stood his ground a bit more.
That leads me to thinking what would happen if, at another election, the same questions get asked.
Maybe, this time, more influence would be with Nigel, if he choses to have another go!
Trouble is, the Party has no seats & is not influencing the public much?
It seems to me that Nigel doesn’t have staying power and that is a reason I would find it difficult to vote for any party with which he was involved.
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I am my own person, no political party can lay claim to my allegiance and my vote is based partly on the worth of the local candidates and partly on party performance/ their manifesto.
At heart I am a liberal although the once honourable Liberal party has disintegrated into a shambles that is not worthy of being considered a serious party.
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