Voters' views: Jennifer Mackay

MEET THE PANEL Name: Jennifer Mackay Age: 19 Lives: St Andrews, Fife Job: Student Current voting intention: Liberal Democrat

Environmental and social policies are the most important in the forth coming general election.

My biggest priority is for the investment in renewable and sustainable energy in the UK.

The Tories' plans to use taxes in order to make the greenest fuels cheaper and to protect greenfield zones are encouraging, however, their intention to expand national road networks is not something I am a fan of.

The Lib Dems' commitment to shift spending from private transport to public transport is an important pledge to me - not only as a more eco-friendly move, but also as I use trains and buses daily.

VOTERS' PANEL INTRODUCTIONS Jim Monaghan Michael Marley David Hamilton Stephen Edenborough Jennifer Mackay Bob Crozier Michelle Hunt Duncan King Olivia Drennan Keith Brockie George Whillans

I am against the Tories' bid to repeal the hunting ban and am also deterred by Labour's stance on university top-up fees.

The political party I am in favour off in this general election is the Liberal Democrats - their policies just make sense.

However, I am concerned that the UK will not have confidence in a Lib Dem government, therefore, I may vote Labour as their policies are overall appealing to me.

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Send us your comments on Jennifer's views using the form on the right.

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I'm impressed. Although idealistically I would like to have a LD government, I do not think the population at large are ready for it. Though be careful to vote on issues that appeal to you in 2005: in five years you will be working, buying a house, even be married. So you should look at the bigger picture.
Undecided, Glasgow, UK

Interesting that the Lib Dems want to shift from private to public transport, yet have now opposed congestion charges in two different cities. Lib Dems in power are, like everyone else, different from Lib Dems in elections. Of course, they're also the only ones who then make 'honesty' their selling point.
Marco, St Andrews, Scotland

The Lib Dems want to be everything to everyone - to the left of Blair for disillusioned Labour voters, and on the soft-right for Tories who find Howard hard to stomach. It's easy to promise paradise on earth when you know there's no chance you'll have to deliver. Unfortunately, experience shows that things that seem too good to be true are usually just that.
Fifer, St Andrews

The Lib Dems can not be trusted on any part of their policy. In the Scottish Parliament we have seen a Lib Dem minister approve the M74 roadbuilding scheme rather than invest £500m into public transport. We have seen them refuse to back a motion opposing ID cards despite it being in their manifesto and they helped to open the door to GM crops in Scotland despite having a national policy of opposing GM. It's perfectly clear that the only thing you can say about the Lib Dems record in power around the country is that you can count on them to ignore their own policies when they find a convenient public hobby horse to ride around on instead. I wouldn't trust them if they were the last party on the planet.
Gordon, Glasgow, Scotland

As a student of politics it was fascinating and baffling to study the contradictory and irrational reasons why people often vote for the party of their choice. Jennifer to be frank is a prime example of this. She describes the Lib Dems as being "eco-friendly" but the reality is the complete opposite. the Lib Dems have opposed congestion charges and approved the distinctly non eco-friendly M74 extension, spending £500m on motorways expanding national road networks which would be better spent on public transport.
Kenny, Glasgow, Scotland

The Lib Dems are full of talk of making Scotland Greener but when give the opportunity to do so they've shown they don't have the ability or inclination to put their pretty words into action. Who didn't vote for stricter GM regulations? Who didn't vote for pollution-busting congestion charges? Who didn't reject ID cards? I see them saying one thing yet doing another. You can't say I'm wrong, they've been televised doing it!
menzies, Edinburgh, Scotland

As a resident of St Andrews it must be tempting to vote for Menzies Campbell but good individual MPs don't reflect the party as a whole. The Lib Dems' environmental record in Scotland is appalling, all pinciples sold down the river - they really are the yellow wing of the Labour Party.
Angus Young, Edinburgh, Scotland

I'd like to balance the soundbites you have received from other correspondents. To pin 'blame' on the LDs for acting against their manifesto whilst in power requires the understanding that they are the junior part of a coalition. It is unrealistic to expect them to deliver their preferred options on all issues. But in several issues they have got their way (e.g. proportional representation for local elections, free personal care for the elderly) - so they have made a difference. You are voting in an election and it's easy to look at the here and now, but the more people who follow their hearts and vote for what they believe in the better. A bigger Lib Dem vote this time will keep their electoral momentum going - and the outcome of a hung parliament where they could start to exert influence is quite possible.
Ken, Edinburgh

I realise my voice here is compromised by writing from London - but it is odd to insist on consistency and to talk of making decisions at the lowest. England and Scotland are different, London and Edinburgh are different and what works in one place may not work in another. You have to leave it up to local people to decide. There is a lot of talk from parties at this election about setting public services free; but inconsistency is the price you pay for that - especially across a place as large and with such different population patterns as Britain. Perhaps it's just that the Lib-Dems take devolved power seriously.
Steven, London

Hi Jennifer. The Lib Dems proposals on university funding will reduce student debt, a little, but put the cost entirely on the taxpayer - which you soon will be I hope. Universities will be entirely beholden to government for funding to meet the highest standards in the world. Then we will be back to underinvestment in higher education. This makes no sense.
David, Nottingham

The leader of the Scottish Lib Dems is currently proposing to change the law so that top-up fees can be charged on medical students coming up from England. The self-proclaimed party of honesty and integrity is happy to say one thing in opposition and another - at the same time - in government.
Tony, cupar, fife, uk

"Environmental and social policies are the most important" this is exactly why I would NEVER vote Lib Dem. A few years ago, I did work experience in their office, but since then I have seen their true colour. Lib Dems in Perthshire and Aberdeenshire have campaigned against renewables. Lib Dems in Edinburgh campaigned against congestion charging, and a Lib Dem Minister recently justified his decision to spend a billion pounds on 5 miles of road through Glasgow, by saying that you sometimes have to ignore science. As the Director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, Duncan Maclaren, said recently, the Lib Dems can no longer be trusted with the Environment. On the day it was announced that a founder of the Liberal Democrats has defected to the Greens, I suggest you do the same.
Adam Ramsay, Edinburgh, Scotland

Ken from Edinburgh tried to justify the Lib-dems hypocrisy by saying that it's OK for the Lib-dems to promise to do one thing, yet then proceed to do another, because they joined a coalition government. Pardon me, was a gun held to their head? Were they forced into a coalition? No. They chose to. I'm sorry, but however you dress it up, hypocrisy is still hypocrisy. A party that chooses to be coalition partners when they don't need to is a party that puts power over principle. You don't need soundbites to damn the Lib-Dems, you merely need to listen to what they say, then watch what they actually do.
Menzies, Edinburgh

I was a past Lib Dem voter due to their environmental policy, but as an Edinburgh resident I think their hypocrisy over congestion charging was a disgrace. They consistently say one thing and do another.
Paul, Edinburgh

Dear, oh dear! It's amazing we complain about politicians being negative and making sweeping statements when most of the correspondents on this page do exactly the same! Firstly - no party in a coalition will be able to enact all of it's policies. What is clear is that the biggest party in a coalition will push through the majority of policies but will have to compromise or concede on others to gain support of their coalition partners. The way we can continue to make a difference is to vote in increasing numbers for the party whose policies lie closest to what we believe in - ie, if the balance between the coalition partners is reversed, so is the balance of policy making. In any walk of life it is easy to make predictions about what you intend to do but as in real life it's not straightforward for political parties to achieve this. I think it is incredibly naive to believe that politicians simply tell us lies in the hope that we might vote for them. Generally, they map out what they would like to achieve but are sometimes hopelessly unrealistic in the way they communicate this, thus raising expectations far too high. I go back to my previous message. Contrary to what other correspondents say, the Lib Dems have seen some of their policies introduced - which simply would not of happened if they had snubbed a coalition. I am sure many LD members and politicians are aggrieved that they have had to stomach being party to enacted policies - esp 'green' issues - that they would rather not support, but that does not mean that they would renege on their manifesto should they be in power on their own. Finally, as an Edinburgh resident I am glad the LDs were against the congestion charging proposal. What the other correspondents have left out is that they tried, unsuccessfully to put through key amendments that would have changed the proposal. In the end they took the line that the proposal on offer was not in the city's interests - a view borne out to be in clear agreement with the Edinburgh voters.
Ken, Edinburgh

Ken - I understand that sometimes we have to do whatever will lead to the greatest good, and that sometimes means making compromises now to remain in the executive, if that will lead to greater good later. This means that you should sometimes sacrifice the things you see as unimportant if it allows you to change things that you think matter. The point about the Lib Dems is not that they have voted with Labour in order to remain in power to make change for the better later. The point is that they have actively campaigned against environmental measures. They did not campaign against the congestion charge in exchange for a better policy elsewhere. They campaigned against it because they thought that was the popular thing to do. Likewise with renewable energy across Scotland. With the M74, they backed it because the CBI told them too. The Lib Dems know that saying the environment matters will attract votes. However, when an environmental measure might not win them votes, they find an excuse to be against it. You just need to look at their "10 reasons to vote Lib Dem" on their website. they say "tough action on climate change", then two points later, they promise not to raise fuel tax (no more stealth taxes), which the only effective way of dealing with CO2 emissions from the transport sector. If they were compromising on policy, that would be one thing. The point is that they don't have consistent policy - they do whatever is popular.
Adam Ramsay, Edinburgh