In less than 24 hours time polling stations will have their doors wide open, votes will be made and decisions will be taking place, but with so many people across the UK still undecided on who they will vote for, it’s still all to play for.
Out of complete personal interest, i asked around my place of work if my co-workers knew who they would be voting for in this coming election. Not only did most of them say they weren’t going to bother voting but the majority said they didn’t really know what each party even stood for.
So how about a quick guide and round up summary of what each party really stands for…
Conservatives:
- Currently in a coalition with the Lib Dems (we’ll come on to them in a minute) and led by the prime minster, David Cameron.
- Their main priority is to end the deficit (a type of debt) by the end of the next parliament
- They also want to pump an extra 8bn into the NHS by 2020
- 30 hours of free childcare per week for working parents of 3&4 year olds
- Raise the minimum wage gradually to £8ph by 2019
- Increase the amount we can earn before getting taxed to £12.5k
- And a controversial one which is to offer a referendum on Britain’s EU membership
Labour:
- Part leader Ed Milliband, recently supported by “Mr Don’t Vote” Russell Brand
- Similarly to the Tories, Labour want to cut the deficit every year and balance the books
- Labour are pledging 2.5bn for NHS, largley from mansion tax on properties valued over £2m
- They will raise minimum wage to more than £8ph by 2019
- Access to childcare from 8am-6pm for parents of primary school children
- Freeze energy bills until 2017
Liberal Democrats:
- In a current coalition government, led by deputy prime minster Nick Clegg
- Lib Dems want to balance the budget as fairly as possible through a mixture of cuts and taxes on higher earners
- Increase the amount we can earn before getting taxed to £12.5k
- Invest a total of 8bn in the NHS, making sure there is equal care for mental and physical health
- 15hrs a week free childcare from the end of paid parental leave
- Lib Dems will also increase housebuilding to 300,000 a year
UKIP: (UK independence party)
- Led by Nigel Fargae, UKIP wants a rapid referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union
- They want to control immigration with points system and have a limit of 50,000 skilled workers a year and a five-year ban on unskilled immigration
- An extra £3bn a year for the NHS in England
- No tax on the minimum wage
- UKIP will also offer to build a million homes on previously developed land by 2025
SNP: (Scottish National Party)
- Although Nicola Sturgeon is the parties leader, Alex Salmond would in fact be the parties representative in Westminster
- SNP want to increase a spending of 0.5% a year, enabling £140bn extra investment
- They want an annual UK target of 100,000 affordable homes
- Increase minimum wage to £8.70 by 2020
Green:
- Australian born Natalie Bennett leads the Green party, but the only MP the party has is Caroline Lucas
- Greens want to end austerity (difficult economic conditions) and want to create more jobs that pay at least the living wage
- End privatisation of the NHS
- They want to work along side other countries to ensure global tempretures do not rise by more than 2 degrees
- Invest £85bn in a programme which improves home insulation, renewable electricity and flood defences
- Provide 500,000 social homes for rent by 2020 and control rent levels
I know that each party leader will be spending the next few hours manically covering as much of the UK as possible, trying to spread some last minute confidence for people to vote for their party, but all I care about is that you just vote. Don’t worry about what party your friend’s voting for or that you haven’t voted before. Just make your voice heard and vote.
