This time next year we'll be in election campaign... what policies would you vote for?

For me it will be a decision between voting for a party and voting for the best MP to represent our area. Our present incumbent is a Tory - for which party I have never voted - but he is fully involved in the local community and has represented our interests with diligence and determination, even when it earned him loss of status and promotion within his own party..

Ditch Trident replacement.

Is there any point in voting for policies when the party concerned either reneges on them or significantly modifies them once they get into power?

Or, indeed, initiates major changes, e.g. reorganising the NHS, when before the election they swore that they had no plans to do anything such thing.

Totally agree absent & ana

Yup they slid the worst part of the NHS "reforms" (the obligation that every service is going to go out to tender and NHS managers are going to have to bid against the private sector to Gp consortia for every service they offer) into the last minute regulations before the bill went through, so even parliament did not have a proper opportunity to debate this. sly.

2015 election! Policies? Manifesto? Vote? What a dreadful prospect is in front of all of us again, but like an unpleasant medical procedure, it has to be faced.

So, first I would really appreciate the truth from all the parties. And I would like a sensible statement about the state of the country (complete with some honest figures and statistics), and then some realistic manifesto proposals for sharing the benefits and burdens of the future fairly amongst all of us. This delivered by parties and candidates who I can trust.

Pie in the sky? Almost certainly, because what I expect we'll get is the usual shambles of half-truths and downright lies, glibly overlaid with spin, sensation, smoke and mirrors. The same stuff peddled by the same clones. The only consolation is that it could probably be much worse. At least we can look forward to changing the dirty political washing every few years!

I think as an ex-pat of 12 months by the time of the election (probably), I shall have lost my right to vote in UK elections. Interestingly, I haven't lost my duty to pay tax.

But will presumably still receive the universal OAP benefits, absent?

Nope. Just the basic pension which will stay at the 2013–14 rate until I die.

Absent - an absolute, indefensible and sickening disgrace, when so many others can turn up in the UK and receive benefits to which they have contributed nothing. I sometimes think my poor old country has gone completely bonkers!

I'd be fine if I lived in the EU or quite a lot of other places, but not in New Zealand. I don't get the winter fuel allowance, although this country had roads blocked by snow falls and ice last winter several times. It seems reasonable not to get the bus pass, however. But I do feel very angry that my pension, to which I contributed all those years, will not increase in the future in spite of the fact that I was a pensioner before I left the UK. So why does the non-reciprocal arrangement (all to do with working abroad) clock in? You are right papaoscar, it's a disgrace. Also, if I returned to the UK, I could not be treated on the NHS if I were ill, even though I pay taxes in the country.

If it is any consolation we won't get WFA after next year in France. They will in Italy though because they haven't got any tropical islands to get the mean winter temperature above the UK. It is interesting that the papers and some politicians are still banging on about WFA in Spain (they don't normally mention France), when it has already been withdrawn from 2015.
FWIW I think you can still vote if you register in your old constituency. As ours is Bournemouth I haven't bothered!

I vote for the person not the party. My MP has proved to be sympathetic and helpful - even when holding a cabinet post. He doesn't hold back from criticising policies he feels strongly about, to the detriment of his career. I think this is down to the fact that he had another career before he went into politics.

Making public toilets a statutory requirement!

Ensuring delivery personnel and other mobile workers have access to toilets and handwashing as part of their employment regulations. Unlike in-house employees who do have regulatory access, there are only recommendations that such facilities are offered to mobile workers thereby leaving a great proportion of the working population with a health dilemma to put it mildly.

Interesting goldengirl
I think top of my list is voting for a party that would repeal the health service act immediately - I fear we will end up like Australia where instead of going to the hospital for tests you have to book appointments with a range of private clinics (one for each test) and then wait for these to be sent to your doctor.

I think I would want a policy to cancel child allowance payments and convert the unused revenue into additional preschool places and free school meals for all our UK children, thus ensuring the money goes where it was intended to go. Parents would be alleviated of some child care costs and children would be fed a healthy meal at least once a day, teaching better nutrition and less need for food banks.

Re-nationalisation of utilities. After listening to a programme on radio 4 which stated the obscene value of dividends paid to shareholders (most being overseas multinationals) this would be high on my list too. The billions saved in non payment of dividends would surely both reduce cost to customers and provide enough revenue for infrastructure maintenance and development.

Actually your first idea joelsnan is not half bad.
I'm afraid you will wait a long time before the second one appears on the manifesto of any major party though. That would take some un-picking, that lot.

Joelsnan - I like your ideas, especially the child benefit one. I'd also increase the income at which tax is paid, up the minimum wage, and introduce rent controls.
I don't know what it would be, but has anyone else got an idea about what could be done about the continued inflation of house prices in the South East, and the decrease in value in many other areas of the country. This must be linked to the availability of employment. that'll be an easy one to sort then.

Income tax is difficult isn't it, the more it is increased, the greater pressure for wage increases, inevitably resulting in increased manufacturing costs. The more people you remove from income tax liability at the bottom end, the greater the liability on higher earners who in turn feel the pinch, demand higher wages...vicious circle! I would like to see wages increased at the lower end and maintain some tax liability than removing them from the tax bracket.

Another policy I would like to see would that there should be no career politicians in parliament, no internships, no parliamentary secretary etc. All of our representatives should have held down 'normal' jobs for around twenty years and ideally should have come from local government councillor positions.