Imagine if social media didn’t exist and people actually had to make a decision about who to vote for in the General Election, entirely by themselves. Imagine! I love social media, I love the discussion it can generate and the virtual communities it can create. But, I HATE social media around elections & Brexit as suddenly all these people I like, follow and are friends with turn into these pushy individuals that do nothing but force their opinions onto everyone else. No discussion, no debate, just, “vote my way because if you don’t you’re (*insert judgement*).

There is nothing wrong with sharing opinions, hell, that is what I do myself every day, but be constructive, encourage discussion, understand yourself what you are actually preaching (as in, fact check), and be willing to consider another point of view. Politics is as old as time itself, and it will always divide people because we each value and care about different things.

The thing about the General Election that worries me the most is the amount of people who will decide their vote based on what they see in their social feeds and in the media, rather than actually researching the policies proposed by each of the parties for themselves. Politics is confusing, and it can be hard to get your head around, but you need to be sure that the box you tick on the ballot paper is the right one for you.

For me this is the first time I am not voting as an individual, I am voting as a married woman and I have to consider how my vote (as well as other peoples) will affect the next four-five years or more, which may/may not have an impact on my family life.

In this General Election there are really only two parties in play, Labour and the Conservatives. One promises to keep us strong and stable, but its recent spending cuts from the public sector is making people angry, particularly in light of recent terror attacks. And then you have this loud group on the left who seem to be saying all the right things but whose spending is wild against the opposition.

I was saying on Twitter the other day at how I do not understand why there is no balance, there feels to be a real lack of middle ground representation. You’re either rich and Tory or poor and Labour. (Read image bottom to top)

You have to seriously question where all the money ‘saved’ through the cuts is being collected, but equally work out where all this money to pump £30bn into the NHS, and wiping university tuition fees (which is an estimated £11bn by the way) will come from. People need to be questioning this more rather than just voting for how good/bad it sounds.

And four new Bank Holiday days? Is no one questioning the cost to business here? Great for us working people, sure, but again, these things cost money, which has to come from somewhere and I am sorry, but you can’t just use taxing as a solution.

Rather than believing everything your friends and people you follow are sharing, take 10 minutes to look over the manifestos yourself before your vote on Thursday; this guide on the BBC News website is a great impartial look at what each party is proposing.

Anyway, I just wanted to get something posted about the General Election because I have all these thoughts and questions whirling around my head that I just needed to expel.

I would be really interested to know what you guys think about what I’ve shared above, but also on your thoughts more generally about the General Election so please do let me know either in the comments, or on Twitter. But vote, please vote if you registered!

Until next time x