General Election 2015

I have to admit, I'm not proud of it, but I know nothing about politics.

With 10 months until I can legally vote, I wouldn't have a clue how to.

My politics knowledge is made up of little snippets of the news I catch, the odd article and overhearing my parents at dinner parties. 

I know I'm not the only person my age in this position so therefore- what's gone wrong?

I don't want our girl power ancestors' efforts to have gone to waste! After all the brave women across the globe went through to grant us this liberty, I'm not even making the effort to understand it.

Should we be making more effort independently to educate ourselves? 

Should we be learning this at school?

I've made it through school with one year to go and still my knowledge of politics is limited to GCSE History: The Liberal Reforms. 

SO! After a chat with my wise father and a bit of research, I strive to now help you (as well as myself) in understanding the basics..

My Top 10 Tips to understanding the General Election

1. The UK is split into 650 different constituencies (areas/regions). The people within the constituency vote, the candidate with the most votes within the constituency wins a place or 'seat' in the House of Commons. They also become the representative for everyone within that constituency.

2. The leader of the party that wins over half of the constituency votes, becomes the Prime Minister. There are certain exceptions to this such as coalitions in which two parties combine and work together, and 'hung parliaments' in which none of the candidate parties win more than half of the constituency votes. (All gets a bit complicated here).

3. A few months before the General Election, the parties begin campaigning. This can involve travelling around the country and speaking to the general public. A few weeks before the election, they launch their manifestos. (These lay out all of their aims for what they want to achieve if they were to come into power). 

4. There are many parties that can run in the election. There are a few that you are probably familiar with, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Labour, UKIP (UK Independence Party),the Scottish National Party and the Green Party to name a few. There are also 'independent' candidates. These people run their own campaigns about things they're passionate about and local issues to gain support. 

5. Each party has different policies and different reasons for why you should vote them in to run the country (doesn't necessarily mean they'll stick to these policies!). 

6. Policy summaries:

The Conservative Party

'As Britain's main centre-right party, it has traditionally stood for free trade, private enterprise, individual liberty, low taxation and strong defence.' BBC Policy Guide 2015

The Liberal Democrats

'One of Britain's oldest political institutions, the Liberal Party, which stood for free trade and individual liberty, and the Social Democratic Party, a centrist offshoot of the Labour Party.'BBC Policy Guide 2015

The Labour Party

'To give workers a voice in Parliament, the Labour Party is Britain's main left wing party. It has moved towards the centre ground in recent decades but wealth redistribution and social justice remain key aims.' BBC Policy Guide 2015

UKIP

'For Britain's withdrawal from the European Union. That remains its core aim but it has a full range of other policies, with particular emphasis on cutting immigration.'BBC Policy Guide 2015

Scottish National Party

'Its central belief is Scottish independence.' BBC Policy Guide 2015

The Green Party

'The party in England and Wales has expanded from its core environmentalist message under leader Natalie Bennett, to present itself as a more left-wing alternative to Labour.'BBC Policy Guide 2015

(there are lots more parties with many different intentions and policies, these are just a few that I hear about frequently)

7. The election happens every 5 years, one candidate can stay 'in office' (in power) for as many consecutive terms as voted in (as opposed to the USA system of two terms)

8. Many of these policies surround financial aspects of the economy, such as taxes. The different parties have different intentions surrounding how the money will be distributed across the economy and your job is to decide what allocation would be the most beneficial to you- if any of them are. 

9. However, if none of the policies do appeal to you and none of the candidates' campaigns get you interested then what you can do is 'Spoil your paper'. This way, you're still putting your opinion across and not wasting your opportunity, but without settling for something you're not entirely happy with. Therefore if you're indecisive- go and vote, but spoil your paper. (Draw a line through it or fill it in wrong in some way- protest votes count!) 

10. And finally my main advice is, VOTE. Take the opportunity to potentially make a difference. Whether that's through voting or spoiling your paper, don't miss your chance to have a say.  

I hope this helps you to understand the basics- I'm no expert and a lot of research went into this before I wrote it just to make sure I'm not getting it wrong! 

If you get the chance, have a read up on some manifestos- they're blummin' long and formal but at least get an idea! 

I won't be voting until the next election now, gives me time to build up my knowledge a bit more. 

'til next time...

Hannah xo