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BBC Election 2005

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Last Updated: Thursday, 21 April 2005, 15:45 GMT 16:45 UK
UK voters' panel: Gerry Harris

MEET THE PANEL
Gerry Harris
Name: Gerry Harris
Age: 52
Lives: Glasgow
Works: Promotions
Current voting intention: Undecided
In 10 words or less:
"Family man, business man, independent individual expecting beneficial political intervention"

Well here we are at the halfway point in the election. What a disappointment! It's been so boring!

Looking for real issues that could convince me to vote for any party is like searching for WMD in Iraq.

As an undecided voter I was hoping the politicians would start enthusiastically and put forward strong arguments for their policies to convince me to vote for them.

I read in the media that politicians consider undecided or floating voters 'the golden vote'.

If that is so, then the policies that they are putting forward to attract my support fall way short of the mark.

Is it just me or are the politicians looking decidedly downbeat and dreary?

I can understand the lacklustre approach on the basis of their manifestos. It's probably because they believe that by now manifestos are a waste of time. We don't really expect their promises to be delivered.

VOTERS' PANEL: HALFWAY MARK
I expected the major opposition parties to really attack large areas of Labour's performance in government. But both the Tories and Liberal Democrats are acting as lacklustre as Labour.

Labour has a liability in its leader but the other party leaders are not taking advantage of that.

With MG Rover at Longbridge collapsing and ministerial intervention looking clumsy, inept and desperate to appear decisive, the opposition's lack of willingness to challenge the government when they are weak is disconcerting to say the least.

Let's hope that they all wake up and take a lively pill before next week or this could go down as the biggest damp squib in recent electoral history.


Your comments:

It will be better once we get a "none of the above" box to tick, they are all boring penpushers - they talk about how it would be great if we do this or that but none of it makes any difference. That's why people don't vote.
Paul Ashton, Northampton

Election time is not usually a time for political excitement - apart from when the election results come in. Most of the interesting decisions are made earlier on. But when you consider that politicians have the power to impose the poll tax, or send us to war in Iraq, or do something about global warming, then our votes really are important whatever you think of the campaign.
Geoff Payne, London

Gerry, "beneficial political intervention" is an oxymoron and that's why I will vote for the party that promises to interfere least in our daily lives.
James MacDonald, Glasgow, Scotland

I couldn't agree more with Gerry. With the Labour party fatigued and hiding behind Gordon Brown, the opposition parties are missing the opportunity to fire the voters' enthusiasm. I am particularly disappointed by the Lib Dems, who are failing to capitalise on their stance on Iraq, ID cards, pensions and council tax.
Andrej Popovic, Bournemouth

I tend to agree with Gerry Harris's views. It looked, at the start of the campaign, as though the result could be close. But, if anything, all that has happened is for the opinion polls to show people back in the mind-set that they have had for several years now. The last election was the most boring in many years because nothing happened and the result was a foregone conclusion from the start. Can we stand another like it?
Mark Kidger, Tenerife, Spain/Bristol, U.K





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