Unbiased info on who to vote for?

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Forums › Politics › Unbiased info on who to vote for?

tardtasticx

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#148787 1-Jul-2014 02:22

Hi everyone,

As the title suggests, I'm trying to find out how to get some info on who to vote for this election. I'm 20 now and it's going to be the first time I can vote since I narrowly missed out the last time (worked there on the day and handed everyone their papers tho lol).

My dad has been constantly ranting on "Vote National, Vote National, you'll get screwed over otherwise blah blah blah". So I can't really listen to him because he's not helpful. Mum doesn't like talking about it too much either, bores her to bits.

I try googling things, but all I seem to find is scandals and things like that, might as well be spending my time watching Scandal the show.

So where do you all get your info about who to vote for? I don't want my vote to be a waste because I didn't bother researching.

Cheers in advance. :D

-Sam

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#1077512 1-Jul-2014 04:29

All I can suggest is to have a look at what all the parties are offering - you'll never find a party that you agree with everything so it is a matter of finding the one you have the most in common with. Once done you'll realise that contrary to the hype, check out parliament television and you'll find the differences between National and Labour aren't as great as some try to make out - especially when it comes to both parties willing to work together on legislation that they only have slight disagreement over.

"When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called 'the People's Stick'"

Sidestep

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#1077513 1-Jul-2014 04:54

Someone famous (Thoreau?) said - voting's just gaming, but with a moral aspect to it..
I always try to vote first on principle ( who I believe will do best for the country) combined with strategy (in the real world, how can I most make my vote count?)
Good that you're actually thinking about your decision rather than just following your Dads (friends,families, workmates) advice!

sdav

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#1077517 1-Jul-2014 06:22

It's hard but I just read from all different sources. I find I can normally pick the bias but that doesn't matter to me unless it is ridiculous. Most of the time (and contrary to my father...) there are arguments worth listening to on all sides. I try to keep up with what's happening between elections too. No good just reading policy the day before you vote (although that's better than some people) and not taking into consideration everything that's been achieved or not in the years before.

Jase2985

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#1077519 1-Jul-2014 07:07

you always end up voting for who you think is the lesser of 2 evils

no one can help you make up your mind, you just need to do a lot of reading on the partys websites and like others have said elsewhere in the internet

Good luck

floydbloke

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#1077528 1-Jul-2014 07:17

First of all, good on you for taking a responsible and mature approach to deciding who you will give your vote to.
All good advice above and I would add to be selfish in deciding who to vote for, decide whose policies and attitude most closely align to your morals and beliefs.
My kids miss out on this election but will be old enough to vote in 2017. Their views of the various political parties and their representatives very much reflect what they hear mum and did grizzle and cringe about when certain politicians appear on TV, but even this early on in their lives I'm telling them that they should spend heir vote wisely. not just vote one way or another because their parents do so.

Sometimes I use big words I don't always fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis.

scuwp

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#1077537 1-Jul-2014 07:38

Kudos for taking this so seriously, but as already mentioned politics is really all about perspective and subjective opinion. Look at the policies of each party on a national basis, and consider what the local MP's have done for your region, and decide what you can and can't live with.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

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sen8or

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#1077554 1-Jul-2014 07:53

I guess you have to wait for policy announcements from all the parties, then do your best to compare them against each other and see what ones best align with your morals.

Neither labour nor nationals policies are vastly different, they are both aiming squarely at the centre voter with core policies like education, health and social welfare. Labour obviously skews slightly to the lower incomes side, national not so much.

It's the fringe policies where some of the differences lie and these can sometimes be introduced via coalition partners as bargaining chips to get themselves into power, these are the ones you need to be more aware of when voting as they may be miles away from your own beliefs. Ofcourse, how many of the fringe policies get introduced is dependant on how much the main political partner is reliant on their support.

If you are still unable to decide, then ask yourself, has the encumbant done a good job? If you think they have, then as the old saying goes, if it ain't broke...... But if you disagree with the direction they have taken (or will be taking in the future), then bows your chance to change it.

jnimmo

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#1077558 1-Jul-2014 07:59

Hi Sam,

Good question and thoughts. This will be my third election.
Couple of resources I find useful:

http://cutyourhair.wordpress.com/ - Follow/subscribe to this blog, few recent posts about the election and that will pick up. He had some great stuff around the local body elections last year.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/ - Obviously this site is left biased, but I've read a few interesting posts that have popped up in my newsfeed. Their recent post on 'Why fighting for a Labour-Green-Internet MANA majority is worth it' is interesting, whether you agree with it or not :)
Radio New Zealand - I listen to the Mediawatch podcast & morning report, and I've just seen that they have a 'Focus on politics' podcast which I must have a listen to.
- Speaking of morning report, just heard a very sarcastic/bitter sounding David Cunliffe being interviewed.. not a good interview technique David!

NZtechfreak

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#1077562 1-Jul-2014 08:10

My suggestion is to actually read the parties policies. Do not get bogged down in the cult of personality BS that informs so much voting in this country.

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6FIEND

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#1077568 1-Jul-2014 08:27

jnimmo: Hi Sam,

Good question and thoughts. This will be my third election.
Couple of resources I find useful:

http://cutyourhair.wordpress.com/ - Follow/subscribe to this blog, few recent posts about the election and that will pick up. He had some great stuff around the local body elections last year.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/ - I generally discover posts on here through other bloggers/people I follow who help put it in perspective. Not the easiest site to navigate. Their post on 'Why fighting for a Labour-Green-Internet MANA majority is worth it' is interesting, whether you agree with it or not :)
Radio New Zealand - I listen to the Mediawatch podcast & morning report, and I've just seen that they have a 'Focus on politics' podcast which I must have a listen to.

Speaking of morning report, just heard a very sarcastic/bitter sounding David Cunliffe being interviewed.. not a good interview technique David!

Goodness me! The OP asked for non-biased info and you're recommending thedailyblog?!

If you're going to include highly opinionated and significantly agenda-driven sites, then you should really include http://www.whaleoil.co.nz as well - for balance :-)

jnimmo

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#1077570 1-Jul-2014 08:36

6FIEND:
Goodness me! The OP asked for non-biased info and you're recommending thedailyblog?!

If you're going to include highly opinionated and significantly agenda-driven sites, then you should really include http://www.whaleoil.co.nz as well - for balance :-)

Thanks 6FIEND I was actually just about to edit post to say that unbiased coverage is pretty rare, so it comes down to wide reading, and being aware of the authors likely biases.

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jonathan18

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#1077584 1-Jul-2014 08:55

I recall in previous elections there have been websites set up to aggregate information from across the various parties, though sometimes these have been on particular subjects (eg the environment).

I've come across this site - http://www.onthefence.co.nz/ - which could well be useful for the OP and others in a similar situation; I haven't taken a good look to see how developed it is yet, but would be worth a look. It's stated brief is to "Develop an interactive web based tool to encourage, inform and educate voters in the upcoming general election" (from http://www.onthefence.co.nz/theproject.htm).

MikeB4

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#1077588 1-Jul-2014 08:59

NZtechfreak: My suggestion is to actually read the parties policies. Do not get bogged down in the cult of personality BS that informs so much voting in this country.

This

Only you can form an unbiased decision and only if you have acquired the appropriate information.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

YadaMe

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#1077593 1-Jul-2014 09:15

NZtechfreak: My suggestion is to actually read the parties policies. Do not get bogged down in the cult of personality BS that informs so much voting in this country.

Seems this year more so than any another, is starting to look like American elections. More about the people than the policy. Don't like it at all.

Batman

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#1077600 1-Jul-2014 09:24

the title of the thread is a paradox.

the country is a company. we all own it.

you have one pot of gold. you cannot please everybody. each party uses the pot of gold (or borrows more) to achieve certain things. most of the time it means achieving the exact opposite of what your neighbour has in mind.

who to vote for depends on what you want to see happen with the pot of gold. of course what the people say they will do with the pot is usually different from the actual outcome. usually due to misleading tactics to win election, unforseen circumstances, and mismanagement.

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