Because I must at all times be as unpopular as possible, I voted Labour in 2010 and will most likely vote Lib Dem this time around. For both elections I've lived in a Lib-Lab marginal (that went Lab in 2010).
In 2010 (being an impressionable 18 year old) I was caught up in Cleggmania like most other people my age, but in the week leading to the election two things changed my mind. First, my local Lib Dem candidate was so patronising. Secondly, they were delusional. Their principles sounded wonderful but if you looked closer at their policies there was no sense of how to fund anything or how to practically achieve what they wanted to achieve. Incidentally this is why I won't vote Green; lovely principles but it's obvious they haven't the first clue how to practically achieve or fund anything, wouldn't trust them to run a bake sale.
Imo the Lib Dems seem to have learnt their lesson from five years in government. Their policies this time around seem to be much more coherently thought through/funded, and they've been a lot clearer about which ones they are and aren't willingly to compromise on (whereas in 2010 they didn't give any indication) and I like the ones they've spelled out as red lines - and they're modest enough that I don't see either the Tories or Labour outright refusing. Plus I really don't want to see any of the nationalist parties - UKIP, Plaid, SNP - with power over government. I'd prefer a Lib-Lab deal to a Lib-Con one but either way I want to see a Lib Dem influence on government. Lib-Con and Labour majority roughly equal in terms of appeal to me.
On the subject of UKIP; their overriding focus is on the EU and immigration, where I strongly disagree with them, but the party leadership isn't pantomime villains; stances like opposition to military intervention in foreign countries and the softening of benefit sanctions are, imo, laudable. However to quote the Independent, I consider nationalism guilty until proven innocent (that goes for Plaid and the SNP too). Plaid and the SNP want to blame everything on Westminster and the English; UKIP want to blame everything on Brussels and Eastern Europeans. Both are childish mud-slinging and both have chosen other policies purely and simply to best appeal to the target audience of their main message (leaving the UK/EU, respectvely). UKIP do worse in Scotland because Scottish voters who just want someone else to blame for their woes already vote SNP (not to say that all SNP voters do so for that reason, I'm sure many have honest support for their anti-austerity message first and foremost).
Alternatively there's a Monster Raving Loony candidate standing in my constituency, I might walk into the polling station tomorrow and decide on the protest vote.
In 2010 (being an impressionable 18 year old) I was caught up in Cleggmania like most other people my age, but in the week leading to the election two things changed my mind. First, my local Lib Dem candidate was so patronising. Secondly, they were delusional. Their principles sounded wonderful but if you looked closer at their policies there was no sense of how to fund anything or how to practically achieve what they wanted to achieve. Incidentally this is why I won't vote Green; lovely principles but it's obvious they haven't the first clue how to practically achieve or fund anything, wouldn't trust them to run a bake sale.
Imo the Lib Dems seem to have learnt their lesson from five years in government. Their policies this time around seem to be much more coherently thought through/funded, and they've been a lot clearer about which ones they are and aren't willingly to compromise on (whereas in 2010 they didn't give any indication) and I like the ones they've spelled out as red lines - and they're modest enough that I don't see either the Tories or Labour outright refusing. Plus I really don't want to see any of the nationalist parties - UKIP, Plaid, SNP - with power over government. I'd prefer a Lib-Lab deal to a Lib-Con one but either way I want to see a Lib Dem influence on government. Lib-Con and Labour majority roughly equal in terms of appeal to me.
On the subject of UKIP; their overriding focus is on the EU and immigration, where I strongly disagree with them, but the party leadership isn't pantomime villains; stances like opposition to military intervention in foreign countries and the softening of benefit sanctions are, imo, laudable. However to quote the Independent, I consider nationalism guilty until proven innocent (that goes for Plaid and the SNP too). Plaid and the SNP want to blame everything on Westminster and the English; UKIP want to blame everything on Brussels and Eastern Europeans. Both are childish mud-slinging and both have chosen other policies purely and simply to best appeal to the target audience of their main message (leaving the UK/EU, respectvely). UKIP do worse in Scotland because Scottish voters who just want someone else to blame for their woes already vote SNP (not to say that all SNP voters do so for that reason, I'm sure many have honest support for their anti-austerity message first and foremost).
Alternatively there's a Monster Raving Loony candidate standing in my constituency, I might walk into the polling station tomorrow and decide on the protest vote.