Not voting- 1 of many reasons

JenniferEccles Yes I remember the 70s and the havoc caused by the strikes, Particularly as the rota power cuts were in force in January 1973 when my 2ndDD was born.

However, I also remember the aftermath when Margaret Thatcher declared all out war on the miners and all the local pits were closed, leaving around half the families in the village without a breadwinner - not just the miners but all the well paid Pit engineers, Managers, Safety Officers, etc. No foodbanks in those days, so there were soup kitchens and collections of Christmas Presents for the children. Local shops & the barbers closed for lack of paying customers. With a huge drop in incoming business rates, Council finances took a hit and services had to be cut back. It took years for the local area to recover, with the biggest local employer gone a high level of unemployment persisted until recently. There were evictions, boarded up houses and suicides, drunkenness, crime escalated. A whole generation of children were brought up in households entirely reliant on benefits.

So NO, JE from where I was standing things did NOT improve when Maggie came to power.

Everyone intending to vote for BJ should be aware that the poor will pay the price.

JenniferEccles - to which extreme Left policies do you refer? Looking after the vulnerable? Surely that's a good Christian policy (and every other world religion)

Two points have been raised
1/ Yes, Labour did have strikes the 1970s fighting for worker's right and yes JC was a member. However, it was MT that broke the unions and destroyed the miners. Forty years on we are still there, but now we have no contracts, long hours, people relying on food banks, NHS in crisis and list goes on. See a pattern here? All of which can be laid at the Tory door.
2/ Brexit was brought about the Tories who ever since we entry to the EU wanted to get us out. They never ever promote the EU but spent all their energy bad mouthing it.

Do we want this mess to continue? Is it really better the devil you know? Or should we be taking inspiration from the young voters who are seeking a better life for everyone. We can learn from our past and with hindsight understand what really matters to all of us. In these uncertain times there is only one thing we can be sure of, because of past experiences, is that the only thing the Tory party is interested in is how the few can get richer at the expense of the many.

Just don’t complain about who gets in

Look at your local candidates. look at what they have done in the past in the constituency, see if that helps decide. Forget the party leaders they can change, look at the important issues and the morality.
You must use your vote, many women fought for this right.

If you have to wait 5 years for another election can somebody remind me just how many elections we've had in the past 5 years? [I've lost count....]

No, in my opinion you must vote. My great aunt was a suffragette and even when she was in her 90s and too frail to leave the house, she always got a postal vote. If you don't vote then you are not being a part of the democratic process of the country. Also, is it okay to post political opinions on this platform? Just asking as I am new to Gransnet.

I would never not vote and waiting for the sparks to fly, I think registration and voting should be compulsory BUT there should be an abstention box or none of the above for those who do not wish to vote for a candidate.

We also need PR

I think voting should be made compulsory, it's your duty as a citizen to vote. No I'm not a communist before you shout, but women all over the world are still being denied the right to vote and it annoys me when I hear women saying they aren't going to vote, then all they do after the election is moan about who is in government. Dont waste your chance to try and help which ever party you agree with more, it's not the leader your voting for it's their policies. Sorry for the rant but I've had enough of ladies forgetting how hard won this right was by the suffragettes.

My parents always told me it is our civic duty to vote. I have voted in every general election and almost every local election except once being on holiday since I became eligible. I tell my children the same but the two sons will not vote. They say they hate politicians and they are all as bad as each other. I try to get them to pick their favorite issue and vote for that if not the leader, but still they won't. My daughter does vote and hands out leaflets for her local party.

I believe that voting should be compulsory. They should fine you if you do not vote- you can always get a postal vote if you cannot get to Polling Station or are abroad. We are so lucky to live in a country where everyone can vote & it is secret.If you feel very strongly then you can spoil your ballot paper although that is a pity.
Brave women died to allow me to vote & I will never take it for granted.

There is no doubt that this is a crucial time for our Country - so I would urge everyone who can vote, to read the manifesto's, look at voting records and to consider what has actually been done that is 'for the people' within the last 9 years under the current government (I think anyone would struggle there) then get out there and actually vote. I can only convey my concerns regarding OUR NHS (and what is likely to happen to it if we leave under Johnsons' 'Deal' - it is very scary). For the sake of ordinary people - yes - I would personally not be voting for the Tories or the Lib Dems (as they seem to forget that a party that it supposed to be standing for democracy should be giving people a choice). There is only one party that is doing that - and that would be Labour. Please don't try to tell me 'but we already voted' because we all know that the referendum in 2016 was based on lies, and we are aware of the Yellowhammer documents now. We need a better deal on the table that protects workers rights, the Environment, and OUR NHS - along with the option to remain. Currently we don't have that with the Tories.

I will be voting as I consider it of the utmost importance to do so. I will be voting Labour. I believe it is the only Party who cares enough about our NHS to protect it. Several members of my family, including myself, have had to use its services. Not having to worry about finding the money for operations etc makes a big difference to your stress levels. There have been several newspaper reports about Private Insurers trying to insist that a cheaper surgeon is used. Thankfully, so far, the courts have found for the patient.
Google 'how much does it cost to have a baby privately' and the Which site NHS v private maternity care' will come up. Start adding up how much you have to find to fund it and that is only if everything goes well.
If you vote for no other reason this election vote to save your NHS.

I’m surprised in not being alone in thinking that voting should be compulsorily. ?

Oh please use your vote, it is so important.

@nanamac77 I totally agree. However most of the rabble we have in parliament could not meet these basic requirements, so we would be left with a handful maybe who could meet all requirements.

There really should be a recruitment process where they have to prove their worth before they can stand. Maybe then we would see politicians with some integrity.

Not sure if this link is allowed - but it gives some historical perspective on British politics and it is worth a read.

evolvepolitics.com/if-you-knew-the-true-history-of-the-conservative-party-youd-never-even-consider-voting-for-them/?fbclid=IwAR3WvDf8zq3AU6Lhfx89nopykbi8cTg8H9vfgSboRtnBzdvvgtPPF8fNxSs

Please reconsider, its not about the Leader? Have you read their manifesto, freely available online. Tories have devastated disabled, sick, poor for a decade & for what, so wealthy & corporations can become even more wealthy.

Please reconsider.
It’s high time that politicians were made accountable for their lies and perhaps all the upset at the moment might be the catalyst for change.
I’m voting tactically. The party I want to vote for doesn’t stand a chance of gaining the seat.

It is for me a matter of deciding what is my highest priority and then voting for the party which can carry that out. I would have preferred a second referendum to a GE, but it is what it is and so I shall vote. My main priority is getting the chance of a second referendum to vote for leaving the EU based on what we all now know, not the rubbish that both sides churned out pre-June 2016, so, on that basis I shall vote for the Labour candidate, my decision is also based on my desire to kick the Tories out, and to rid this country of the disastrous, poisonous, pointless austerity. Comments about the 1970 Labour administration are not really relevant, different times, different people, different expectations, but if people really want to dig up the past, try reading some of the hysterical editorials from the right wing press in 1946 who were prophesying the collapse of the country into a Marxist/Communist state due to the introduction of the NHS by a Labour administration. We all know how that ended up. I am not keen on Corbyn, but I am prepared to vote for his party, if you care anything for the NHS, if you use schools, roads, anything funded by the public purse, you seriously need to look at your motives for voting for even more austerity.

I will be voting, and would never not vote, however if people do not go and vote it is up to them. It is a democracy.

We have those "people who came before us" (some of whom laid down their lives) to thank for giving us the right to vote. Isn't it totally disrespectful to those very people if we don't vote?

My hubby and I are on the cusp of moving house and, as we don't have a removal date fixed as yet, we have applied for a postal vote so we don't risk missing out on the opportunity to cast our vote.

I urge everyone to use their vote.

At least Boris is trying to carry out what the majority - albeit small - voted for. I am a remainer but also a Democrat. What would another referendum achieve? The result may be the same or slightly in favour of Remain - then what happens? There would have to be the best of three!

The majority - according to all the opinion polls - now want to remain. The referendum result was always advisory, so a second referendum would a) honour the promise made at the 1st and b)give the country a chance to vote on the deal ( for a low definition of deal) BJ has got. Seems like a democratic approach to me.