(June 27, 2016 at 3:40 pm)Crossless1 Wrote: S&P has downgraded the UK's credit rating from AAA to AA.

Damn it! We need to use a bigger battery now.

(June 27, 2016 at 3:39 pm)Rhythm Wrote: 17, lol..so...nothing concrete to lose and no experience of loss.  Don't get me wrong, I wasn't any different when I was 17.  I was equally oblivious.

I actually voted for the Tories at 17 1/2. For some reason I was sent a voting card. No idea why. I should have used it to buy alcohol.

It's one of the things I'm most ashamed of in life, but I had been raised in a Daily Mail reading Tory voting household. It was only when I left and went to university two years later that I started to find out what kind of evil bigots the Tories were. I never even knew what Section 28 was until then.

(June 27, 2016 at 3:52 pm)Mathilda Wrote: It's one of the things I'm most ashamed of in life, but I had been raised in a Daily Mail reading Tory voting household. It was only when I left and went to university two years later that I started to find out what kind of evil bigots the Tories were. I never even knew what Section 28 was until then.

I was voting conservative for a pretty long time. Until they turned from supporting a free market to supporting corporations and taking a shit on small businesses and people working hard for their living.

Nothing to be ashamed over. It all depends on the candidates and their programs. If the conservatives actually came up with someone and something that isn't millionaire only, I would vote for them again under certain circumstances.

(June 27, 2016 at 3:55 pm)abaris Wrote:

(June 27, 2016 at 3:52 pm)Mathilda Wrote: It's one of the things I'm most ashamed of in life, but I had been raised in a Daily Mail reading Tory voting household. It was only when I left and went to university two years later that I started to find out what kind of evil bigots the Tories were. I never even knew what Section 28 was until then.

I was voting conservative for a pretty long time. Until they turned from supporting a free market to supporting corporations and taking a shit on small businesses and people working hard for their living.

Nothing to be ashamed over. It all depends on the candidates and their programs. If the conservatives actually came up with someone and something that isn't millionaire only, I would vote for them again under certain circumstances.

To be honest I really did take it very seriously and I really did want to consider voting Labour. But all I knew was what my parents told me about old Labour in the 70's. Not that it would have made any difference either way because it was a safe seat. But I could have voted the Monster Raving Loony Party. They even came round to the 6th form college and campaigned once even though no one there was eligible to vote.

(June 27, 2016 at 4:00 pm)Mathilda Wrote: To be honest I really did take it very seriously and I really did want to consider voting Labour. But all I knew was what my parents told me about old Labour in the 70's. Not that it would have made any difference either way because it was a safe seat. But I could have voted the Monster Raving Loony Party. They even came round to the 6th form college and campaigned once even though no one there was eligible to vote.

To be honest, I fully appreciate that decisions are harder in a majority system like the UK. I tend to vote green, with some deviations to social democrats for tactical reasons. I can at least be sure that my vote is represented in parliament, even though I don't expect a win.

Green is where my heart is, since they aren't in any way exclusive and always strive to better the conditions for the common folks. I always considered myself to belong to this group, although, before 2008, I was doing pretty well. But I never forgot where I came from. Son of a small business owner and always aware that things could go downhill at some point in time.

(June 27, 2016 at 3:55 pm)abaris Wrote:

(June 27, 2016 at 3:52 pm)Mathilda Wrote: It's one of the things I'm most ashamed of in life, but I had been raised in a Daily Mail reading Tory voting household. It was only when I left and went to university two years later that I started to find out what kind of evil bigots the Tories were. I never even knew what Section 28 was until then.

I was voting conservative for a pretty long time. Until they turned from supporting a free market to supporting corporations and taking a shit on small businesses and people working hard for their living.

Nothing to be ashamed over. It all depends on the candidates and their programs. If the conservatives actually came up with someone and something that isn't millionaire only, I would vote for them again under certain circumstances.

Depending on how the SPD presents itself over the next months I might be tempted to give my vote to the CDU in the federal election for the first time in my life 1. to reward AM for her unpopular stance on refugee politics and 2. to weaken the AfD. But I might not get myself to do it after all. I'd feel so dirty.

(June 27, 2016 at 4:15 pm)Alex K Wrote: Depending on how the SPD presents itself over the next months I might be tempted to give my vote to the CDU in the federal election for the first time in my life 1. to reward AM for her unpopular stance on refugee politics and 2. to weaken the AfD. But I might not get myself to do it after all. I'd feel so dirty.

You know, if I was a German citizen, I would be torn between CDU, Green and the Left, peculiar as that may sound. Green and left represent what I value in life, but Merkel is a politician I actually respect from the outside. She actually seems to care, which is hard to find with conservatives.

The meme Mama Merkel doesn't seem too far fetched.

(June 27, 2016 at 4:17 pm)abaris Wrote:

(June 27, 2016 at 4:15 pm)Alex K Wrote: Depending on how the SPD presents itself over the next months I might be tempted to give my vote to the CDU in the federal election for the first time in my life 1. to reward AM for her unpopular stance on refugee politics and 2. to weaken the AfD. But I might not get myself to do it after all. I'd feel so dirty.

You know, if I was a German citizen, I would be torn between CDU, Green and the Left, peculiar as that may sound. Green and left represent what I value in life, but Merkel is a politician I actually respect from the outside. She actually seems to care, which is hard to find with conservatives.

The SPD really lost a lot of credibility during the Schröder years that I don't see them regain any time soon, same as Labour under Blair I guess, so that I mostly vote for them for the sad remainder of their left wing and some ideals. I don't really trust the Linke to govern because I've seen too many weird confused people in it, and the Green party regularly pisses me off with their - to me - all too often anti-scientific stance on health, environment and energy. Still, they usually get at lest some of our votes, which in our case last meant supporting Kretschmann, a rather centrist guy for a Green.

(June 27, 2016 at 3:46 pm)abaris Wrote: Yes, it riles them up, in a way, that is a cheap shot at someone losing everything they ever worked for.

Just to make the above more accessible to a person who -hasn't- spent a few decades building a life for themselves.  

Imagine turning 47, and waking up to find that all of the labor put in and sound financial decisions you have made since you were 17 have suddenly been erased, because someone else thought they were voting for "freedom". You probably wouldn't feel very free. If that doesn't pique your self interest, perhaps the realization that some or all of that was going to be bequethed to you, left in your care, or made available to you through commerce....would.

Some of us just went through this a few years ago, when the equity we'd built (and rely upon to run our businesses and/or source consumers) was eradicated, and we didn't even get to vote on it. Do you think we would have done it to ourselves if we -did- get the choice? I guess we like to think that we wouldn't...but then again....

(June 27, 2016 at 4:29 pm)Alex K Wrote: The SPD really lost a lot of credibility during the Schröder years that I don't see them regain any time soon, same as Labour under Blair I guess

New labour. Do I need to say more?