As Ben Elton might say...

Monday, 3rd May 2010 19:56 - by Resident IFA

“...and now for a little bit of Politics”, or words to that effect. An Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) talking about Politics...hmmm. I’m probably wholly under-qualified to have an opinion on this, but I did take AS Level Political Studies. I rest my case! Anyhow, it occurred to me the other day how much Politics resembles football, but perhaps without the loyalty football teams inspire in their fans. For those that like to pin their colours to the mast, there are the Blues, Reds, Yellows, Greens, and so on to choose from. Colours aside...I doubt Plymouth Argyle fans all support the Green Party...it strikes me that voters are less loyal nowadays. Long gone are the days when died-in-the-wool voters stayed true to a political party forever; perhaps due to their family or ‘class’ background. Of course, it is well documented that the major parties policies are more similar than ever, converging on the fabled ‘middle ground’. No longer do Labour and the Conservatives solely inhabit the ‘left’ and ‘right’ in terms of political beliefs and ideologies. ‘Floating voter’ capture, seemingly the preserve and goal of the Lib-Dems up until now, is a free-for-all, especially when the poll percentages are so close and everything is up-for-grabs. I think that more and more members of the electorate who choose to visit the Polling Station are simply voting for the ‘team’ they think will manage the country best when each election rolls around. Who’s to say that this is not a good thing, being a modern (discerning?) alternative to continually voting for the same political party? After all, a Premiership football club would soon change their Manager if the Board believe that the team lacks purpose and direction on the pitch. Admin recently started a thread in the General Chat area of lse.co.uk, entitled ‘UK General Election 2010’. This is the perfect place to air your views - or vent your spleen. What effect do you think the General Election outcome will have on the stockmarket? What will be the ramifications and potential problems posed by a ‘Hung’ Parliament? The list of questions goes on and on... Until next time...