Elections...
So. I want to decide how to vote. I know! I'll look at some party websites.
Conservative website front page. OK, what are your policies? [Hunts a bit] Aha, "Our Long-Term Economic Plan" Repeated all over the page, bolded in sentences, and its own item in the site navigation bar. Okay, what's that, then? Five bullet points, links to details, spend at least a third of the words on every page attacking the opposition. All pretty much as expected given their behaviour in government over the last few years. More detail would be nice, as would a little less emphasis on "that lot were crap last time they were in", but: core policies outlined, job done.
Labour Party website front page. Hmm. Policies? Anyone? Ah, "Freeze that bill". Clicks link. "Gas and electricity bills will be frozen until 2017" (uh? how, given that they're all privatised?) That's pretty much it. Back. Scours page. Nothing. Scours "blog" and "news". Aha, "A Labour government will protect the NHS" - which leads to a video of Ed Miliband visiting a hospital. More digging... and digging... "Helping mums and dads and helping the economy"... an actual policy statement! In a filing cabinet, in a basement, behind a locked door with a sign saying "beware of the leopard". Maybe "Meet Ed Miliband"? Oh - a well-hidden statement of general principles, though it reads like a personal campaign speech and is awfully "big picture". Seriously? Two days before an election, and that's it? Most of it buried deep in the site?
LibDems. Front-and-centre, big text, "we're pro-Europe" (I paraphrase). Wow, a solid policy statement on the front page. "Issues". Half a dozen links, mostly to "what we've done as the junior party in government over the last few years", frequent digs at both Labour and Conservatives. "More..." link - leads to a page with a general mission statement, and a whole bunch more links to details of what they've been up to in government. All very backward-looking, but I suppose one can extrapolate from that, so not bad overall.
Greens. OK, link labelled "mini manifesto" quite prominent on the front page... and it leads to an actual manifesto, with policies and everything. Good job there. Navigation menu has "our values" link - to a general outline of principles, with further links, which mostly repeat the manifesto. So, a bit bare-boned, but: policies outlined, well done Greens.
...and I think that's about all the parties I'm willing to give mental time to.
Conservative website front page. OK, what are your policies? [Hunts a bit] Aha, "Our Long-Term Economic Plan" Repeated all over the page, bolded in sentences, and its own item in the site navigation bar. Okay, what's that, then? Five bullet points, links to details, spend at least a third of the words on every page attacking the opposition. All pretty much as expected given their behaviour in government over the last few years. More detail would be nice, as would a little less emphasis on "that lot were crap last time they were in", but: core policies outlined, job done.
Labour Party website front page. Hmm. Policies? Anyone? Ah, "Freeze that bill". Clicks link. "Gas and electricity bills will be frozen until 2017" (uh? how, given that they're all privatised?) That's pretty much it. Back. Scours page. Nothing. Scours "blog" and "news". Aha, "A Labour government will protect the NHS" - which leads to a video of Ed Miliband visiting a hospital. More digging... and digging... "Helping mums and dads and helping the economy"... an actual policy statement! In a filing cabinet, in a basement, behind a locked door with a sign saying "beware of the leopard". Maybe "Meet Ed Miliband"? Oh - a well-hidden statement of general principles, though it reads like a personal campaign speech and is awfully "big picture". Seriously? Two days before an election, and that's it? Most of it buried deep in the site?
LibDems. Front-and-centre, big text, "we're pro-Europe" (I paraphrase). Wow, a solid policy statement on the front page. "Issues". Half a dozen links, mostly to "what we've done as the junior party in government over the last few years", frequent digs at both Labour and Conservatives. "More..." link - leads to a page with a general mission statement, and a whole bunch more links to details of what they've been up to in government. All very backward-looking, but I suppose one can extrapolate from that, so not bad overall.
Greens. OK, link labelled "mini manifesto" quite prominent on the front page... and it leads to an actual manifesto, with policies and everything. Good job there. Navigation menu has "our values" link - to a general outline of principles, with further links, which mostly repeat the manifesto. So, a bit bare-boned, but: policies outlined, well done Greens.
...and I think that's about all the parties I'm willing to give mental time to.