I don't see how you can make out the Tory campaign as 'nasty', I'm fed up with both Labour and Tory's campaigns this year.

What election campaign have you been watching?

In my constituency the Tories exaggerated the crime rate in Mitlon Keynes by 800% in an advert in a local paper! They took the crime rate for the entire Themes valley and applied it only to Milton Keynes, deliberately and disgustingly playing on peoples fears disrespecting the local police force. Likewise they took the MRSA statistics for the entire region (a figure around 700) and applied it just to MK hospital, which has only had something like 8 casualties from MRSA.

By putting immigration at the centre of their campaign. You talk about how immigration has been blown wildly out of proportion by the press, well this also applies to the Tories, who have grossly exaggerated statistics, repeatedly claimed that immigration is "out of control" when simply it isnt, and done all of this to pander to community tensions, and xenonophobic and racist undertones that still exist in the UK.

Thier current campaign plan in the final week is based on "sending a message". Howard has deliberately stated to the press that he doenst think he can win (he said at a press conference that the tories were "2-0 down") and is trying to get the public to beleive that they can safely "send a message" to Blair by voting for the Tories, while remianing confident that the Tories wont win. This is their rather underhand "backdoor" stratergy of getting into power.

Don't even get me started on the blatent hypocracy and oppertunism in Howards criticsm of Blair over Iraq. On Question Time, Howard said that with all the knowledge we have now, he still would have gone to war! So how anyone can beleive that the Tories are an anti-war alternative the Labour (despite that Howard would have you beleive) is bonkers.

I could go on and on and on. The Tories have led a led a very "nasty" campaign indeed. And deserve to be punished for it with a another massive defeat.

sorry, my post was so awful, it wasn't even that late either (11:45pm by the look of it). I meant to say something like:

I don't think you can make a huge distinction between the nature of campaigns; in my opinion calling one 'nasty' but not another is a too wide a gap between them: both have been rather underhand and snidey.

I don't know which Tory voters you've been speaking to mate, but I know full well the Conservatives were in favour of the war, both at the time and in hindsight.

Maybe you can find solace in that I voted Lib Dem in my Council Election.

The thing is the tory's have learned nothing from their last two landslide defeats.Firstly they needed to change their image (away from the majority of male:white : middle /upper class members) they didnt do it.Secondly change their policies they didnt do it: they still talk about tax cuts when its clear that most people want continued investment in public services, rather than tax cuts, they want a stable economy: over summs that dont add up and a misnomer that somehow by cutting "waste" you can solve the problems of the country.Lastly stop focussing so much on issues that really dont bring out the good and positive sides in tory politicians well any mp for that matter: immigration, saving the pound, europe ect

Also if they could have done they should have totally replaced the old guard instead of going to Howard(who people simply dont trust: he worked for the Thatcher he helped draw up the poll tax) they should have looked to someone like David Davies or even Clark/Portillo when they had the chance.Someone who would drive them into the middle ground and make them electable.

So I'm hoping and expecting that the Torys will lose again: due to their refusal to change.

Um, Davies is pretty much the most right-wing Tory frontbencher...its not just about being unassociated with the past - Duncan-Smith wasn't associated with the past and he was a dead loss...

Yes He maybe right wing but I believe out of their front benchers(and its a rum lot) he is the only one with any charm and the leadership qualities to push them into the middle ground.Politicians really dont seem to work in terms of right an left wing now anyway look at Blair he shifted now only his own views but the whole labour party completely just to be elected. Thats what he Torys need to do.

Anyway I'm happy if Labour win and Brown takes over in two to three years.

True all campaigns are going to "exaggerrate" the truth to some extent. But none have so shamelessly put immigration at the centre of the campaign as much as Howard has, and, where I live anyway, none of the other parties have actually lied about crime statistics, or the mechanics of council the tax.

Please, please tell me you didnt vote for one most shameless, and reactionary parties in Europe today?

I am fucking knackered, I just spent 5 hours outside polling stations with a red rossette and trying to bring out the vote in one of the worst estates in Milton Keynes.

No, I voted by post on monday.

On a tangent the best thing about the election coverage as ever is :Peter Snow his graphics and Swing o-meter.

Me and Bill must be the only ones up, I'm fixed on this. The BBC coverage is amillion percent better than ITVs, who just keep making up results.

i got itv on...portillo is ugly

on the tories moaning about war...they are pro war just nitpicking on the reasons so they dont think they've contradicted themselves....

...however, i'll never forgive them for thatcher, ireland, poll tax, recession, the inept handling of the manufacturing industry, welfare state, falklands, 3 day week, minors, andmore i can't be arsed to think about at th moment cos its 1.30am

labours pissed it round here anyways. good