Should you vote tactically?

As I've said to you before, durhamjen, there's no need for sarcasm.

I'm sure we're all well aware of your opinion of the Conservatives, but I still don't see why their candidate shouldn't sign up to support cutting poverty whether he or she has a cat in hell's chance of being elected or not.

So what the Green party say is pie in the sky, but not a Tory signing up to cutting poverty?
If she's signing up to that, she's in the wrong party. I wonder if her bosses know.

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Shouting you electioneering canvassing again, Pension60 ?

I can imagine a conservative fully believing that Conservative Party policies would cut poverty. I don't think we need to doubt her sincerity. Whether she's right and they would is another matter. I'm not convinced that Green Party policies would cut poverty either but I don't doubt their sincerity.

Took some stuff to the dump/recycling centre this afternoon. I didn't see a single Labour Party flyer attached to a lamp-post but there were plenty from three other major parties.

There is no party that is likely to unseat the Tory here, so I will just vote with my beliefs and at least have registered the fact that there are those who share that party's views.

Roll on PR!- then our votes will count.

For the first time ever - mine will be a protest vote.

Politics has got so spiritless and dull that I wish we could shake the whole lot up. Serious reform is needed.

In my newspaper this morning somebody suggested that Labour and Tory should go into coalition. I'm thinking that this could work. The big advantage would be that these 2 main parties could then agree jointly to set out a future plan for things the electorate deem to be important - NHS and Education. Instead of planning for 5 years, as at present, this could be extended into the future and would save so much change going on all the time. All these changes are demoralising for staff in these professions

It's not good for the country for there to be a big upset, which is most likely to happen, but sometime soon, those who govern us have got to wake up and come to their senses!!

This is a farming community, therefore the Conservatives always win the seat. Our local candidate wants to dual the whole of the A69. I am in favour of this, so I will probably give him my vote. He has done well for this constituency during his term in government. That being said, I have been known to vote tactically, particularly where I used to live. I don't think it had any bearing on the result however.

I had postal voting stuff through the post the other day. In our town there are only candidates for the Conservative Party and the Lib Dems. No Labour!

Anyway, I feel I cannot possibly vote for either of the available options. What a dilemma.

I shall probably send in a spoiled paper.

Haven't even got the A1 dualled yet, hilda. Who is your MP?

Any Guardian readers? The NHA on the front page today, because Cameron fixed it so that Clive Peedell wasn't invited to the hustings in his constituency. Headline "Why is Cameron afraid of this man?"
Got the NHA more publicity than they could afford to pay for. Thanks, Cameron.

I live in a safe Labour seat, unfortunately Conservatives have no chance here so I will be voting UKIP who just might have a chance of winning.

Sillyoldfool I agree with you!

You could always move, magpie, in time for the next election.

Some elections it does not make a huge difference which way you vote as the parties are not that far apart. This time however is very different. The UK is in a financial hole that has got deeper in the last 5 years due to the very slow recovery. If a Tory led government is returned there will be extreme cuts to public services including NHS, benefits relating to disabilities and social care for elderly. The vulnerable will pay the price and pay very heavily.
The recent Institute of Fiscal Studies analysis of the manifestos clearly indicates that if we want less austerity and therefore to preserve the NHS in something like its present form, then Labour is the best option.
So if you are at all worried about the prospect of public services being reduced to a level that has not been seen since the 1940s, then vote tactically to keep out the Tories if you possibly can.
(If on the other hand you are a millionaire or you have enough money to emigrate and pay for health care in the country you settle in, then take your choice.)

This constituency is about as safe Tory as it gets, so I was in a quandary about how to use my postal vote. It's all done, dusted and posted and I feel that my conscience is clear.

Labour will only increase spending on the NHS by £4.2bn - which the IFS describe as “a very tight settlement”

Labour is “not spelling out” how much they would cut unprotected departments by

Labour have provided “disappointingly little” information on what they would borrow

It doesn't seem that cut and dried to me, JessM.

Agree with you, JessM.

Labour might only be promising £2.4 billion on the NHS, but they are also promising to stop the privatisation, and stop the costs of privatisation of the NHS.

Of course you do, durhamjen!

Decision made, letter posted, can forget about canvassers now.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/dr-louise-irvine/nhs-funding_b_7104674.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

Tories are only promising £8 billion by 2020. Labour are promising £2.4 billion per year.

None of them keep their promises anyway.

The scary assumption is that they are going to make all those NHS "efficiency savings" - When I worked in NHS 30 yrs ago we were making efficiency savings then. And they have been trying to do so every year since. Most of the costs are wages. "Go figure" as the Americans say.

durhamjen that was a useful comment I must say.

All parties can 'spin' something out of the Institute for Fiscal Studies Report to be honest.

If you want to know the truth about the IFS report watch it for yourself BBC Parliament 23rd April Institute For Fiscal Studies. It's very interesting andand more to the point 'non partisan'.

Not one of the parties is credited with giving specifics of their finances. UKIP came out the best of a bad lot but that's based on their getting an overall majority and being able to put their manifesto through. Lib Dems were 2nd for clarity but all 3 of main parties were critized for providing lack of detail.

Their report on the SNP was interesting, they say after 2018 there will be more spending cuts than Labour , more austerity under SNP . I know I will be argued with but watch it for yourself, not my words the IFS's.

They all tell you where they will give money away. None of them tell you where they will make cuts or raise taxes or borrow more money . There will be cuts and tax rises or we go back to more debt andand borrowing and revert to square one.

No votes in honesty I'm afraid.