June Blog Schedule - REVEALED!

Hi everyone!

Anyone that follows my blog will know that May's blogging didn't exactly go as planned.  So it's time to move on as June begins tomorrow.  The positive thing that came from my schedule being obliterated towards the end of the month is that I am more determined than ever to have a successful June.

To have a more successful June, I feel I need more structure.  With this in mind June will follow a family theme and my aim is to attempt to post something each day.

The first week of June that runs from the 1-7 June, I am labelling 'Sharing is Caring Week' and basically for this week I will share the knowledge that I have, and hopefully it will help some of my readers.

01/06/2015		Introduction to 'Sharing is Caring' week
02/06/2015		My top charities and how they help
03/06/2015		Looking and applying for a job
04/06/2015		CV workshop
05/06/2015		5 low budget recipes
06/06/2015		Doing your part  'Sharing is Caring'
07/06/2015		Review of Sharing is Caring week

In the second week of June, from 8-14 June, I am labelling 'Celebrating Fathers'.  With Fathers day on the horizon I thought this theme would be appropriate.

08/06/2015		Introduction to 'Celebrating Fathers'
09/06/2015		I miss my dad!
10/06/2015		Fathers' day gift ideas
11/06/2015		Five Funny things I did to my Father
12/06/2015		Fathers and Inequality
13/06/2015		Poetry for fathers
14/06/2015		Review of Celebrating Fathers

Although Father's are important, I think that family in general is important.  So the last fortnight of June on my blog will be labelled 'Family Fortnight' and there will be something for everyone here!  My planned schedule is as follows;

15/06/2015		What you can expect this fortnight?
17/06/2015		Five Fun family cheap indoor activities
19/06/2015		Why family is important to me?
21/06/2015		Five Fun family cheap outdoor activities
23/06/2015		My top five tips - managing behaviour
25/06/2015		Five reasons to take your children camping
27/06/2015		Family and Food - plus five family recipes
29/06/2015		Review of Family Fortnight

The planned blog posts in family fortnight are scheduled every other day, and this is intentional, although I still intend to post everyday.  The days in between (16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 June) will include 7 instalments of Funny Family Tales - based on my own family and experience.

Finally...

30th June

Summing up June and the big REVEAL for July

I hope you enjoy my posts throughout June.  Are there any posts/weeks you are particularly looking forward to throughout June?

Don't forget, I am looking for 'Father' themed poetry to feature on my website on the 13th June.  

The closing date for entries are 11th June 2015 at midnight.
Check out the rules at:   
http://ramblesrantswritings.blogspot.co.uk/p/father-themed-poetry-submissions.html 

Laters, Janet

Unforseen circumstances ruined my schedule!

Hello fellow readers, today is the first time I have written a blog post in over a week.  I must admit I am really gutted that it has taken so long as I had posts planned.

I had a couple of days out over our lovely weekend last week, and to be honest you have to take advantage of the good weather because in the North East, it doesn't happen very often, especially when you live in a coastal town, like myself.

Following a couple of days out to a local park for a fun family games and picnic, to visiting a farm for the day, I caught a stomach bug and became ill for a number of days.  As I work too and had Uni 'stuff' to catch upon, I have had so much to catch upon due to having a couple of days off and then being ill.

My last post looked at being organised and sometimes people I know comment on how organised I actually am.  Over the past week I have never felt so unorganised and out of control!

I think what I am getting at here is that even for the most organised person, things don't always go to plan.  I personally hate it when they don't, but really we should give ourselves break and accept that this happens, it's an unforeseen, uncontrollable circumstance that we shouldn't beat ourselves up about.
I know, when I was complaining to my friend about how badly things were going and her advice to me 'write the day off, and start again tomorrow!  Think of it as a learning curve.'  At the time she said this, I actually wanted to growl, or even scream.  I didn't want to 'write my day off' however, the more I thought about it the more I realised she was right.  I could sit and stress about what hadn't been, and what wasn't, but what was the point?  Sometimes you just have to draw a line under it as you waste more time beating yourself up and that just means even less productivity.  Moaning about what you haven't done stops your concentration, and delays you even further.

So... now I have gotten that off my chest what am I going to do?

It's simple!  I'm going to re-jiggle my to-do list, and my blogging schedule and I'm going to draw a line under the past week - I'm moving on!

How do you cope when your plans are so rudely interrupted by illness or unforeseen circumstances?  Do you have any specific coping techniques?

Do you find it easy or difficult to move on?

Does it ruin your flow, and do you spend days dwelling trying to catch up or are you focused enough to just re-jiggle your schedule without thinking and move on?

For now, I am going to catch up with some much needed work.  Look out for a further posts over the weekend and have a good one!

Janet :)

5 Ways to Make Best Use of Your Time

I don't know about you but I find I always have something to do.  In between looking after the children, working from home, University, writing, blogging, and leading a team of copywriters, I have to plan my time carefully.

Now this post isn't about planning your time as such, although my first three points are about scheduling and planning your work/tasks, it is more about how to make your time count.  You can allocate as much time to a task as you like but without make this focused and achieving something, you will find that your time allocation didn't mean anything.  

Here are five ways of how I make best use of my time;

1#  Making To-do Lists
Firstly, I make To-do lists.  I make one for work, one for my University work, another one for my writing and blogging, and a final one for general tasks - like making appointments or ordering prescriptions.  I generously estimate how much time I think it will take me to complete each task and come up with a total time at the end of each To-do list.  
                              
2#  Allocating Time to Tasks
Once I have my To-do lists prepared, I total up the number of hours needed to work and I add them all together.  I then ensure that each task has a deadline date - the latest date/time the task needs to be completed by.  

3#  Create a Schedule
I use my To-do lists to create a schedule.  So say I have 9 hours of University work and then 15 hours of work due by Thursday, I would schedule in 5 hours of work each day and 3 hours of University work on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday - this is just an example. 

4#  Take Regular Breaks
Now I have discussed how I would create a To-do list, I would add breaks and rewards as much as possible throughout the day and allow time for lunch and dinner.  Having a break can be motivational plus it gives you time to think.  If you are stuck in a rut with your work, bring your break forward.  Even if you just have five or ten minutes, it can really help.  Don't just think that a break has to mean make a tea or coffee, have a stroll round the block, take the dog out, have a snack, pop to the shop.  Whatever you need, make the best of your break!  

5#  Focus on One Task at a Time
I think my final point here would be to work on one task at a time.  If you have several tasks, you can't do them all at the same time and drifting from one to another can be confusing.  You focus better by doing one task at a time. Prioritise them and if the task is pressing, say 'when I complete this I will have a five minute break as a reward'. Believe me, I teach LEAN Organisation Management Techniques, and focusing on one task at a time means that there are less chance of mistakes so even though it sometimes takes a little longer, you don't always have to go back and check for accuracy as it's right first time.   

**********************************************************************************

As a little extra, I wanted to give you some pointers to keep you motivated!

If you don't meet your targets for the day, don't give up!  My friend and I were talking just last night and I came up with a statement that is so true... 'There is nothing like a mid-week schedule shuffle!' as we talked about how we schedule our tasks, but often break our schedule.  I think we are both often to hard on ourselves so don't forget to be realistic with your tasks and be generous with your time.  

Don't be afraid to reshuffle your tasks! If you are in flow with your work, and can move tasks around then do it, arrange your time for what is effective for you.  If you don't achieve some things, don't worry, there's always tomorrow and be positive - think about what you have achieved..  If you do achieve everything then be proud!  We all have days when we are on fire, and then others that achieve nothing.  This is common in writing, sometimes there is so much to say and other times you are blocked.

If you find yourself with far too much to do and you aren't being realistic with your timings and tasks, then review your To-do lists and move what you can to a later date.  Just because you haven't achieved everything you want to in a week, doesn't mean you have failed.  Again, don't be hard on yourself, we are all human and sometimes life gets in the way.  

Be positive - if you achieve one good thing in a day and you know it is an important task or a high quality piece of work then you have achieved more than you had yesterday.  

How do you make best use of your time? Do you have trouble focusing on a task if you have loads to do?  What's important to you, quality or quantity?  What keeps you motivated?

We all have deadlines to meet and it can be stressful when you don't, but 

all you can do is your best, so don't ever feel bad about that! 

So What's Planned for This Week? Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Welcome!

Monday is the start of a busy week as usual.  I expected to get this post published by Monday but here it is on Tuesday instead.  I guess what I am getting at here is that things don't always go to plan.

I have serious plans this week;

• First of all I have work to do.  I am self employed and have about 20 hours due between now and Friday.  Not too bad I hear you say, and it isn'tas previous weeks have been worse.  I do find that between work, Uni and the children, I don't get much chance to write and I have some exciting blog posts planned for this week.
• Seen as I have mentioned them - my planned blog posts for this week are as follows:  5 ways to make the best use of your time, which will be posted Wednesday, 20th May; As this week is Dementia Awareness week, a post on Dementia will be posted Friday, 22nd May.  On Saturday 23rd May I am going to post seven easy meals that will save your life when you're on a tight budget.  
• I also need to finish a story that is going to be included on another blog (not my own). 
• I need to complete a course on terrorism for work.
• I have an 'Introduction to Marketing' online course to complete for an online provider who offers free online learning (and I will post on these courses next Monday)
• I need to read Carmilla, by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu in time for Thursday's Uni class.
• I have general tasks like applying for jobs, writing a let
• ter to school, ordering medication, holidays to book in with work when my assignments are due for University.  
I suppose this is a usual week for me as I always have plenty to do, but when you have so many different roles it's important to make the best possible use of your time, so I thought I would share in my next post, scheduled for Wednesday, how I fit this all in.  


Sometimes even when you plan everything, problems still crop up, that's life!  It's how we deal with the unexpected that helps us move on and be productive.  


You'll hear from me later in the week but in the meantime, please leave a comment or question below.


Have a great week!

Life After the General Election

I promised to post a political blog post this week.  Although I do have my own views, I want my blog to be positive so this post isn't going to attack the beliefs of others.  I am far from being an expert on politics and I would never claim to be anything else.  I can however tell you what the general election results mean for me, and I can give reasons why I agree or disagree with what I have heard so far.  

I'm not the type of person who shouts about her voting preferences as I usually keep these private.  I will say that although I would most likely be better off under a Conservative rule, however I didn't vote for them.  The reason being is because I feel that a lot of their policies disadvantage others and I can't be the person that voted in favour.  The disabled, job seekers, the elderly are all discriminated against due to the cutting of benefits and I also worry about the Human Rights act being scrapped and the NHS being privatised.  They are however proposing up to 30 hours free childcare for working families of 3 and 4 year olds, which would be a huge benefit to me and would mean I could work full time and earn more money.  Disabled benefits are being cut including a benefit that helps people travel into work in London, which means we are going to see more disabled out of work.  Excluding people from society can lead to further problems later in my experience.  I feel that the 'real' people seeking jobs are discriminated against.  How can a person on such a small amount of money even afford to attend an interview? How are they supposed to apply for a job if they can't afford an income, postage stamps, paper?  What about interview clothes?  It's mad that we expect them to apply for jobs with so little resources.  If the winter fuel payments are cut, we could see an increase in fuel poverty for the elderly too.  So many worries about so many policies!  I didn't vote Conservative because I care!

I didn't vote UKIP.  I feel like a lot of people voted UKIP because they didn't understand their policies.  I think people heard 'immigration' and 'referredum on Europe' and stopped paying attention to what Europe is about.  I'm not going to deny that immigration is an issue that needs to be sorted out, but a lot of people come to this country to work or because they need help. It does need sorting out and more robust policies should be in place, however being racist and just looking after yourself isn't the answer.  It's the same with the referendum on Europe, does anyone have any idea of the implications in relation to trade for example, if we aren't Europe?  I suggest before the referendum you have a look at the pro's and con's.  I didn't vote UKIP because I want fairness and equality!

I suppose what I am trying to say here, is that in order for your vote to count, don't just make a decision to rebel against the norm', read the policies and make sure you are voting for what appeals to your best interests.  

 A party that I was impressed with this year was the Green Party.  I liked how they pushed education and I thought that leader, Natalie, raised excellent points regarding austerity in the debate.  Education is important for both myself personally, and my children.  

I felt some of Labours policies were more 'friendly' for someone who is working class, not on a lot of money and has a family, like me, however, I am not sure that they did a good job of getting the message across as I am still not a hundred percent sure of what they were offering which was worrying.  I know there was going to be a mansion tax, they were scrapping bedroom tax, and they promised to save the NHS from privatisation.  I wasn't wholly sure on how this would be subsidised and there seemed to be more emphasis on what other parties were doing that was 'bad'.  More positive campaigning needed here! 

Whoever you voted for, the Conservatives got into power, and I know that there are going to be tough times over the next five years.  There would be tough times no matter who got into power, it's just the different parties decide when and where to take money from, and how to spend it.  I was disappointed by result as I actually thought we would have another hung parliament.  I do think that the Liberal Democrats having powers protected us from certain policies that the Conservatives' will now be able to enforce as they have free reign.  

I was also disappointed that only 56% of people in my constituent actually turned up to vote.  The town's results could have been so different if they had, and I don't understand why they would rebuke their right to vote when their voice is important for their own home town.

There has been a lot of protesting in relation to politics, and I don't know if anyone seen the so-called riot on youtube, but the recordings showed it quite differently to how it was portrayed in the newspapers which I found worrying, due to the underhand tactics used to paint a bad picture of these protesters.  I an trying to approach this objectively so I have to take a step back from these things as there are two sides to every story, so it is possible that both sides are true to a certain extent.  Clearly there is a lot of passion about these results!  

I am trying to take a positive outlook on politics because I don't want to be defined by who I believe in and who is in power.  I am going to make my own judgement and if I see something immoral or wrong, I am going to stand up and voice my opinion.  I am far from privileged but I take the outlook that it could be worse and I want to do my part for society.  If anything the election has made me realise that action is needed.  The hardship of others seems to be something that is on my mind, and I am going to think carefully about what I can do to contribute to a better society.  

I already donate something to the food bank trolleys in the supermarket, but I do get my shopping delivered sometimes, and some weeks I go to cheaper supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl, who don't have a food bank trolley.  As one of my contributions to society, I am now pledging to buy something for the food bank every time I shopping.  Even if the donation trolley isn't available, I will save some items and drop these into the food bank myself.  Even if I am low on cash, I will buy something sensible to donate because there is always someone less fortunate.

What do you think of food banks?  What other things could I do to contribute more to society?  Maybe you are suffering some sort of hardship as a result of policies previous or current, and you would like to note this?  

I don't really want to get into a political argument as I believe everyone has their own views and beliefs.  I don't know enough about all politics and I have only started paying more interest in it over the last couple of months or so.  I ask you to please be respectful of my thoughts and if you disagree, or I have missed something or got something wrong (which is perfectly possible), feel free to comment.  Although, I do feel at this present time that I am more interested in finding out about how we can improve and develop our own society in light of this.

Thank you for reading my long post this evening, and with that, I draw to a close.  

Janet 

Five Reasons Why Sleep is Important

I've managed to scrape an hour this morning to write and I wanted to write this post for all you parents out there.  A 'scraped' hour means I'm writing this with a three year old on my lap, who is poking his beany toy duck in my face - apparently it's giving me a kiss because it loves me.  How sweet!

I am actually exhausted at the moment.  I don't think I've ever been this drained in all my life.  My children seem to be draining every last drop of energy from me and I don't know how much more I can take.  I can't think straight!  

I know I'm not the only person in the world that feels like this, in fact I'd be surprised if most parents don't feel the same, and I suppose it's in the job description.  I know people with one child who feel drained and I have three, so I don't even think it matters how many children you have.

So, my situation is that my children barely sleep.  I make jokes about them being stalkers because always one of them is awake, checking on me or lurking around the corner.  

My eldest child is ten years old. I get her to go to bed around 8:30-9pm along with my eight year old son.  My daughter doesn't sleep well so she is up and out of bed several times to go to the toilet or have a drink (our bathroom is down stairs too).  She is never asleep before midnight!  

My three year old son is an early riser.  I have just had to change his bed time from 7pm, to 7:30-8pm and he still gets up between 6-7am.  If my eight year old son goes to bed and decides to be silly getting up and down from his bunk-bed then he can wake the youngest up and they carry on until 10:30pm-ish.  Then they still get up the same time.  When my youngest wakes up, he used to wake me up, but he has started waking his brother.  This is fine... Until they start arguing loudly at 7am in the morning!  My poor neighbours must think we are mental in this house!  

Sleep is so important to me.  Don't get me wrong, if I get too much I feel terrible, 7-8 solid hours really makes me feel refreshed and ready to face the world.  Here are my five top reasons why sleep is important.

1)  Sleep makes you feel good.

Everyone wants to feel good about themselves once in a while, and having a good sleep makes you feel good.  There's nothing worse than feeling tired, not being able to control the yawns.  It doesn't make you feel good and ready for the world!

2)  Sleep helps you concentrate.

If you work, or even if you don't, a good sleep helps with your concentration.  Mistakes are likely to be made if you haven't had a good sleep as you can't think what you are doing.

3)  Sleep can control your mood.

I don't know about you, but I'm in such a stinking mood if I don't get enough sleep.  As the day goes on, I can hear myself becoming more and more irrational.  This is no good!  I can't stop it, I'm just a bystander of the unreasonable behaviour as the true me has no energy to fight over this ridiculousness the tiredness lets out.  

4)  Sleep can make you a better parent.

Sorry if you're not a parent, I suppose in general it can make you a better person.  My example is that if I get enough sleep, I have so much more energy and I become a better parent.  Instead of sitting around, not being bothered to do anything, a good sleep can make all the difference.  I can be bothered to listen properly to their reading, play games, go for a walk, and even tidying up or decluttering - I suppose this sets a good example to the children, or others too? 

5)  Sleep to survive.

Apart from all of these points, sleep is important to our survival.  A person cannot survive for long without sleep, and lack of sleep can result in all sorts of illnesses or health issues.  I wanted to link here to an article I read recently '11 Surprising Health Benefits of Sleep' (accessed 13.05.15).  You should give this a read!

Do you have a good or bad sleep pattern?

Are there any health issues you are aware of due to lack of sleep?

Do you think you are a different person if you don't have enough sleep?

Do your children disturb your sleep?  

Do you think you have enough sleep?

It is important to care about yourself and your own health, and sleep is such an important factor.  Lack of sleep is actually a trigger of my OH's epileptic seizures as he has a really bad sleep pattern most nights.  

I was a little on the fence of whether to post regarding the general election.  I have decided that I will be writing a political blog post later in the week, and it will be live by Saturday.  

Take care and sleep yourself well! 

#bigfatlinky

My Five Positives

Today is about being positive!

Since the General Election three days ago, I have felt a negative vibe and to be honest, I have concerns about what lies ahead too but I feel drained.  I do care about the country and comrades and need time to reflect properly, after all of the hype. 

I find the negativity to be tiring, and boring, so this post isn't going to be negative.  I am worried about the future and I may do a post during the week as I have seen some really positive and revolutionary posts too, but today is Sunday, and Sunday is a day to rest and be thankful.  

I started thinking, what is positive in my life?  Positives that no one else can change for me and I thought I would share these with you. 

Number 1# - My Family

My family are the most important thing/people in my life, and there is nothing anyone can do to change that.  My husband, daughter, and two sons are the reason I wake up every morning, put on my make-up and get on with the day.  Whether I feel like it or not!  They are the reason I am conscientious about my future career, and they support and motivate me.  We are united!  <3 

Number 2# - University

I put University next because it is a hugely important aspect in my life and I never want to leave.  The first to go to University in my family and possibly against the odds due to my working class family background and the fact I left school early, with no qualifications due to anxieties - here I am, already with a Bachelor of Arts, studying for a Master of Arts and I love it.  Other than my family, this is possibly my greatest achievement and always a positive!

Number 3# - The Sunshine

Who could possibly deny that sunshine is not a positive of today.  It's amazing how a dull cloud can set the mood for the day but the sunshine can brighten everyone by simply being on show. Sunshine doesn't happen everyday but today it's my positive!

Number 4# - Literature

When life is too much - it's all about the literature for me.  It stimulates the mind and sucks you into its world.  I probably use it mostly for escapism, and sometimes for analytic purposes.  Since my degree I do tend to analyse more - but it hasn't scuppered my enjoyment, in fact, I find I understand it better.  My favourite genres are crime, and I favour writing crime too.  Lately I do link in a lot more to fantasy and sci-fi too when bot both reading or writing.  I also watch this genre on TV too!  A world without literature is scary for me, so it's always a positive that it exists in my eyes.  

Number 5# - Writing

Sounds a bit corny, when I write this down but I love to write.  It's a way of using creativeness, it's a way of expression, and it's also a way with dealing and coping with difficult situations.  I love writing this blog, and having it is certainly a positive in my life.  I am learning so much and it's great I can feel listened to and share my work.  

Has the election affected your mood? If so, how?  Are you happy, sad, unaffected, or just tired of hearing about the election?  

So I ask you, what are your five positives? It can be something you have, something you have experienced, and something you will continue to do - or even all of these.  

If moral is low, reflect on these and be thankful for those five things that nobody can take away from you!  

The General Election and 5 Reasons Why You Should Vote!

Democracy seems to be a subject on most people's lips at the moment with the upcoming General Election.  For the past five years I have been eager to cast my vote, secretly hoping to get out a government that punishes the working class.  I am not really a person to discuss their political views as I think this is personal choice and a private matter, so doing this post is out of my comfort zone as neither my family or friends tend to know my political preferences.  

The truth is I live in a town in which less than 60% turn out to vote, and for the past 10 years I haven't really found my MP effective, but I am sure he does work in ways that maybe I just don't understand.  He promised to save our hospital, and it closed and this affected his popularity - however I don't think that just one man can be blamed for this.  I do find it ironic that we start hearing more about MP's like mine in January of this year when compaigning for the general election.  I didn't know whether to vote for him or not this year.  I do think Labour policies are the ones that I relate to the most but I am concerned that people get too comfortable in their seat and should give someone else a go. However, anyone that gets an MP's wage isn't going to do that are they?

On reading policies, I must admit I favour the Green Party.  Their policies on ending austerity and improving education are subjects that appeal to me greatly.  It's something that will be good for my children's future.  I haven't actually heard anything about the person who is running as a Green Candidate for the town which is a shame.  

Part of me feels really inspired by Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP - oh how I long to move to Scotland and vote SNP! :( 

The thought of voting UKIP makes me feel physically sick, but I am worried that the ignorant people who do not understand what they stand for, may vote for them as they are feel let down by both main parties.  I've stopped reading their leaflets - they go straight in the bin.  I have heard enough about their policies that create inequality amongst the people - the disabled, different cultures, and even women will suffer at the hands of their policies so surely this is the majority of the population they discriminate against. Surely, the people wont go here?

There are a few independent people standing for MP in the town, that state they will fight for our hospital services to be reinstated.  I really love their enthusiasm and their passion - these people really care about the town, but I wonder what chance they would have in the big, wild world of politics.  Anyone can see that ONE person cannot possibly save a hospital that has already closed and although an MP has status and can argue their case, there has to be:

A: Funding available to the NHS.

And...

B: The NHS has to decide to spend the money in that area.

I ask myself, can one person, with no experience of politics do this? Do they really know what they are letting themselves in for?  

I haven't made a decision who I am voting for as yet.  I do know that for me, it can't be Conservative.  That's why I didn't even discuss the Conservative candidate (or the Lib Dems), and neither of them actually live in the town! 

The main reasons I can't vote Conservative is because I care about the NHS, tuition fees, the disabled, the mentally ill, and people on the brink who can't afford to survive.  I've been there!  The Lib Dems have no chance of getting anywhere but I do feel they have sheltered us from the true wrath of a true Tory rule, in which I am thankful.

So now I have talked through my own political issues, I want to stress the importance of a vote.  Here are my five top reasons why you should use it! 

1.  Because you have a right to vote and in a democracy you should make your voice heard.  There is no excuse - if you don't like your MP, then vote against him and give him less chance of getting in. No vote is a wasted vote.

2.  It shows you care about your town and country.  You're an adult, take an interest and vote for what is best for you!

3.  The country needs your vote to get a representative idea of what all the people want.  It doesn't matter if you are a Conservative constituent, a Labour consistent, or Lib Dem, vote for what you think.

4.  Voting gives you a voice, even if it's a secret one.  You feel good inside once you've voted!  If you're a woman - don't forget that suffragettes fought hard for you to be equal, and have the right to vote.

5.  It educates you and puts you in 'the know'! Your town/city/country are important, take the time to find out about some policies and see what you think is best, what do you want to see?  You will find out what is in store for the future, so for instance, if you pay bedroom tax and Labour gets in, this will be abolished, so you can expect not to pay this soon!  

I haven't fully decided what I will do.  My family have always voted labour and I agree with the majority of their policies, but voting for no action for another five years pains me.  Our local council is ran mainly by labour councillors, with a couple of exceptions, and all seem to bicker quite happily amongst themselves regularly.  I fully appreciate why the people of my town are fed up of being led by these people and sometimes it isn't them, it's the councillors from other parties trying to damage their reputation, but do people see voting for them as 'the greater good'?  

Do you know who you are voting for in the General Election?  Are you voting for 'the greater good' or for what you believe in?  What do you think is the best thing to do?