Who would you vote for in the UK?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

But things being as they are, I can't make up my mind on who to vote for unless you tell me
a) what constituency I'm in (ie, which parties stand a chance of winning)
b) which other parties are standing
b) what wing of their respective parties the Labour and LD candidates are from.

Do these: Bethnal Green & Bow, Brent East, Brighton Pavilion, Shrewsbury & Atcham, Leicester South, Southwark North & Bermondsey, Keighley, Dewsbury, Blaydon, Manchester Gorton

Not all will be anywhere near close (some will though) but they've all got some interesting candidates in 'em.

[minionofmidas]

But things being as they are, I can't make up my mind on who to vote for unless you tell me
a) what constituency I'm in (ie, which parties stand a chance of winning)
b) which other parties are standing
b) what wing of their respective parties the Labour and LD candidates are from.

Do these: Bethnal Green & Bow, Brent East, Brighton Pavilion, Shrewsbury & Atcham, Leicester South, Southwark North & Bermondsey, Keighley, Dewsbury, Blaydon, Manchester Gorton

Not all will be anywhere near close (some will though) but they've all got some interesting candidates in 'em.

Darn it, to do that properly'd require some research...these are highly preliminary...

Bethnal Green & Bow though is a toughie...reasons enough to vote for either of the two major candidates...reasons enough, and more of them, to vote against them both which *might* be what I'll do. Are the LD's even standing? Greens? Anybody but King and Galloway?

Brent East? Don't know owt about the Labour candidate actually...probably LD.

Brighton? That's got weak LDs and strong Greens right? Depends on the Labour MP's stances and the Tories' chances of getting back in. I wouldn't want to help give the seat to the Tories by splitting the vote.

Shrewsbury - that scandalplagued Labour MP that first defected to the Libs and now isn't standing anymore, I remember that. Whoever has a better chance of keeping the Tories out, IIRC that's Labour. Unless there's something I ought to know about the current Labour candidate.

Leicester South - I hear you n'Ben saying that LD MP isn't doing too well. I was never sure if I should take that that very serious...sounded spinsterish. Did you say Labour were running the same candidate again? Probably LD, though.

Southwark - Simon Hughes' seat. You hate Simon Hughes IIRC. I don't know why, really.

The other four - what about them? There are all Labour seats (or are they? Not sure about Keighley actually - what is Keighley?) Blaydon is utterly safe, isn't it? Deusbury - Tory until 97 (or 92?) IIRC, but I don't remember it as a viable target for them. What's with the Manchester seat?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Bethnal Green & Bow though is a toughie...reasons enough to vote for either of the two major candidates...reasons enough, and more of them, to vote against them both which *might* be what I'll do. Are the LD's even standing? Greens? Anybody but King and Galloway?

Both the Tories and the LibDems are running Bangladeshi candidates and very ethnically orientated campaigns (as is Galloway).

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Labour are running a Muslim candidate (a lawyer I think). If she wins she'll be the first ever female Muslim M.P

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The stuff about Singh Gill isn't spinning (honest). Labour candidate is the same as the by-election: Sir Peter Soulsby, former leader of the city council (and somewhat pacifist/unitarian IIRC).

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No Comment
Labour candidate is quite interesting as well (although not in the same way 2001's was...)

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Keighley: Pennine marginal (textiles + some posh areas like Ilkley), has some serious race problems, two BNP councillers (one in a rural ward...), Labour M.P (Anne Cryer) made some outspoken remarks about local muslim leaders, Nick Griffin standing for the BNP.

Blaydon: Mix of middle class Newcastle/Gateshead suburbs, old mining areas (including some Little Moscows) and a bit of inner city Gateshead itself. Technically the best LibDem hope in the North East (but the seat's polarised nature makes that unlikely) although they seem to have given up on it (N.U.T "Central" seems to be a better bet). McWilliam is retiring, and the Labour candidate is a left wing Union official. With a beard.

Dewsbury: Another Pennine seat with racial troubles. Taylor is standing down and being replaced by a high profile Muslim candidate. BNP are pretty strong in parts of the seat and in '97 it was the only seat outside the East End where they saved their deposit.

Manchester Gorton is Sir Gerald Kaufman's seat (he's standing again). LibDem candidate is an... er... "ethically challanged" ex-Labour counciller who has tried (and failed) on several occasions to win his old ward back as a LibDem.

[WMS]

I voted Tory. Still you should have included the BNP if you were including Respect. They are both a right shower...

Forgot about them. Err...Respect vs. the BNP is like choosing between the NSDAP and the KPD in the Weimar Republic.

I'll go create a poll

[snipped commie votes ]

Have you created that poll yet?

[Notre Dame rules!]

I voted Tory. Still you should have included the BNP if you were including Respect. They are both a right shower...

Forgot about them. Err...Respect vs. the BNP is like choosing between the NSDAP and the KPD in the Weimar Republic.

I'll go create a poll

As for me, ... all else equal and tactical considerations thrown overboard, I'd *probably* vote Green or LD, might return to Labour if they sack their leader.
But things being as they are, I can't make up my mind on who to vote for unless you tell me
a) what constituency I'm in (ie, which parties stand a chance of winning)
b) which other parties are standing
b) what wing of their respective parties the Labour and LD candidates are from.

Sack Blair?  You're kidding, right?

I have to believe that were it not for Blair, the Tories would be very, very competitive.  Am I wrong here?

[Peter]

I have to believe that were it not for Blair, the Tories would be very, very competitive.  Am I wrong here?

You are wrong.

According to most polls, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and prohibitive candidate to succeed Blair, Gordon Brown is more popular than PM Blair.

[Silent Hunter]

On current poll totals (31 votes):
Con 25.8% 158 seats
Lab 29.0% 362 seats
LD   25.8% 93 seats

[minionofmidas]

Bethnal Green & Bow though is a toughie...reasons enough to vote for either of the two major candidates...reasons enough, and more of them, to vote against them both which *might* be what I'll do. Are the LD's even standing? Greens? Anybody but King and Galloway?

Both the Tories and the LibDems are running Bangladeshi candidates and very ethnically orientated campaigns (as is Galloway).

Why are you even mentioning the Tories?

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Labour are running a Muslim candidate (a lawyer I think). If she wins she'll be the first ever female Muslim M.P[/quote]I'd vote for her, in that case. Although I'd probably be reluctant to vote against a sitting LD MP.

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The stuff about Singh Gill isn't spinning (honest). Labour candidate is the same as the by-election: Sir Peter Soulsby, former leader of the city council (and somewhat pacifist/unitarian IIRC).[/quote]However, see above.

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No Comment
Labour candidate is quite interesting as well (although not in the same way 2001's was...)[/quote] 2001's? I don't remember Labour's 2001 candidate. I remember Labour's by-election candidate ca.1982, though.

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Keighley: Pennine marginal (textiles + some posh areas like Ilkley), has some serious race problems, two BNP councillers (one in a rural ward...), Labour M.P (Anne Cryer) made some outspoken remarks about local muslim leaders, Nick Griffin standing for the BNP.[/quote]Likely LD.

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Labour.

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Labour.

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Sir Gerald Kaufman...I remember that name. But I don't remember why I do.

I notice you snipped Brighton and Shrewsbury.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Kaufman was Labour's shadow foreign secretary 'til 92, was a member of Harold Wilson's "kitchen cabinet" before becoming an M.P, was subjected to anti-semitic abuse by ex-P.M Alec Douglas Home in 1973 and called the 1983 Labour manifesto "the longest suicide note in history".

More on the other seats soon (got to go now...)

[Silent Hunter]

Kaufman was Labour's shadow foreign secretary 'til 92, was a member of Harold Wilson's "kitchen cabinet" before becoming an M.P, was subjected to anti-semitic abuse by ex-P.M Alec Douglas Home in 1973 and called the 1983 Labour manifesto "the longest suicide note in history".

As well as author of "How to be a Minister".