Vote2010: I'm sure you've been reading the parties' manifestos carefully. I mean, it's only right to discover precisely what you're voting for, rather than simply trusting the media to dripfeed you selected policy snippets. Imagine your embarrassment if you voted in a government and only afterwards discovered that they were planning something stupid. Or if you overlooked a candidate, then found out later that they had the best policies all along.
So, to check you've been paying attention properly, here are some policies lifted from thethreemain manifestos. Each set of three contains one Conservative policy, one Labour policy and one Liberal Democrat policy. I'm sure you'll be able to guess correctly which is which. Then check your hunch by clicking on the drop-down list.
1a) Double the rate of modernisation of forces’ family homes to ensure they are fit for heroes. 1b) Ensure every vote will have equal value by introducing ‘fair vote’ reforms to equalise the size of constituency electorates, and conduct a boundary review to implement these changes within five years. 1c) Move towards a ‘zero waste’ Britain, banning recyclable and biodegradable materials from landfill.
2a) Introduce a faster approvals process for planning applications where neighbours raise no objections. 2b) Expand tough ‘Community Payback’ for criminals who don’t go to prison, giving everyone the right to vote on the work they do. 2c) Introduce a Universal Service Code to secure high-quality customer service in the private and public sectors, for example by requiring that the customer service phone number is free from mobiles and landlines.
3a) Legislation to ensure Parliaments sit for a fixed term and an All Party Commission to chart a course to a written constitution. 3b) Make Network Rail refund a third of your ticket price if you have to take a rail replacement bus service. 3c) Transform the civil service into a ‘civic service’ by making sure that participation in social action is recognised in civil servants’ appraisals.
4a) Make prisoners work and contribute from their prison wages to a compensation fund for victims. 4b) Give residents the power to instigate local referendums on any local issue if 5 per cent of the local population sign up. 4c) Access to psychological therapy for those who need it.
5a) Conduct a Strategic Defence Review to equip our Armed Forces for 21st century challenges, and support our troops and veterans. 5b) Work to reduce litter, which spoils too much of our countryside and urban environment. 5c) Bring in stop-on-request for night buses. You should be able to ask the driver to let you off between stops, so you’re as close to home as possible.
