A Guide to Voting in the UK's May 2015 General Election (published on Linked-in on the 25th April 2015)

The premise for this guide is the Voter wishes to reside in the United Kingdom for the foreseeable future.

Voting Liberal:

• Means you have understood that the Liberal's 2010 manifesto became redundant as soon as they joined the coalition with the Conservatives; so you’re probably pragmatic & smart.
• Means you understand that the Liberals have been a positive influence on the coalition and that the UK should benefit from this continuing

Voting Conservative:

• Means you’d like a continuation of the coalition era policies, perhaps even with the Liberals again?
• Means you understand the need for a formal dialogue with Europe about the key areas that are failing badly. And that in a democracy there are times when the people should be asked their opinion in a referendum
• Means you would like the UK to continue, preferably without any form of nationalism. We are a team which is greater than the sum of its parts.  Nationalism needs to be defeated and not allowed to re-appear, by smart collaborative & effective policies.  A big ask.

Voting Labour:

• Means you are happy to elect an inexperienced party leader with (champagne?) socialist influences together with a potential Chancellor who was present in the last Labour government and witnessed the financial carnage in 2008 when working with Gordon Brown.
• You believe they will actually deliver on the numerous “promises” which tend to end up needing large budgets, don’t actually fix issues, resulting in higher debt and increased dysfunctionalism

Voting Scottish National Party:

• Means you believe the SNP, all of a sudden, are smarter and better than the Scots in the Labour, Liberal and Conservative parties, ever have been.
• You believe that the SNP’s MPs can deliver better services, education, roads, hospitals; lower taxes plus more and better jobs, where other party’s (Scottish) MPs have singularly failed to do this.
• Means you believe Scotland will be a better (small) country through letting SNP MPs push for full independence, again. Leading to another hiatus in business & significant uncertainty.
• Ultimately it means you do not understand how the UK works. All votes for the SNP have a negative impact on securing a competent government for the UK
• Means, being a nationalist, you are not interested in continuing with the United Kingdom.

Voting UKIP:

• Means you are basically anti-immigration and anti-EU plus, you blame the Labour Party & Coalition for allowing this situation to arise.
• Means you don’t mind that your vote won’t produce a positive result in terms of securing a competent government that could actually start to address these issues
• Means you don’t mind that UKIP don’t have any real experience at Westminster and their policies are minimal and poorly constructed. Not a good recipe for success.
• Ultimately it means you do not understand how the UK works. All votes for UKIP have a negative impact on securing a competent government for the UK

Voting Green:

• Means you are giving precedence to Green issues over all others and potentially preventing the establishment of a competent government
• You understand that the Green's policies are not particularly practical and they have little experience of policy implementation, or government as a whole.

So, being a democracy means each Voter can cast a vote that will likely lead to the UK going backwards and even hasten the destruction of the Union; or park current "grievances" and vote positively for a competent party with a track record in restoring the UK to prosperity.

Don't waste your vote but just as importantly don't vote to (potentially) go backwards and/or risk the Union.