I am by no means a Gordon Brown fan, and I won't be handing him my vote, however the argument that he has bankrupted us is a bit cheap when it comes from the Tories.

When Brown was Chancellor he did borrow money for PFI projects etc, however at the start of the recession in 2008, Britains debt was a lot lower than most other developed nations, we were at a rate of 40% odd of our GDP, where America was 60% odd, the Western European countries like France, Germany, especially Italy were a fair bit higher than that, and Japan for instance was nearly 200%.

The cost of bailing out the banks is what has really put the debt up, you can add about 7% of GDP to the debt in one swoop after bailing out the banks, although other countries are in similar situations.

There were arguments for and against bailing out the banks, however David Cameron supported the bail outs and the Tories would have done the same. If you argue that the reason we got into this mess is because of reckless gambling and a bonus culture from bankers, not once during the good days did the Tories stand up and say bonuses should be reined in, even now Boris Johnson is the bankers biggest friend in London, saying you shouldn't meddle with them because they bring in money etc.

The problem the Tories are going to find is they will win the election because there is widespread disaffection with Labour over various issues - the war in Afghanistan, the national debt, lack of investment in the transport network and other public services, rising cost of higher education, tax rises 'by stealth' or however Brown likes to do it.

The Conservatives however support the war in Afghanistan just like they supported the bank bail outs, they will cut investment in public services, make it much more expensive to be a student and taxation whether direct or indirect will creep steadily upwards. I think many people voting for the Tories are going to be disappointed that they aren't getting solutions to problems.

absolutely 100% spot on.

And that is because the distinctions between the parties have been eroded so they all essentially occupy the 'middle ground'.

Political standpoints are pretty much irrelevent at the moment. However the parties want to sugar coat it, the long term realignment of the nation's finances will be the same bitter pill, be it blue or red coloured.

On a side note; I think Brown/Labour should be commended by the way they have handled this current recession. My personal opinion is that the effects could have been far graver than they have.

Whoever crosses the line first next year will be getting it in the neck within six months as the tax rises inevitably arrive. No doubt by the end of 2010 everyone will be saying how wonderful things were under the previous elected government.

Lots of students have part time jobs, they tend to work in bars, pubs and restaurants etc in the evenings and at weekends.

Its only the lazy layabout ones who cant be bothered that dont work, and quite frankly I couldn't care if they couldn't afford to watch the wire.

I'll happily pay you not to come on here again, in nay guise.

I don't think there is any doubt about the Conservatives winning in 2010, really whats up to play for is the size of their majority. If the Labour party rallies, Cameron could come in with a smallish majority. Labour will elect a big-hitting leader like Alan Johnson, one of the Milibands, Ed Balls or even Peter Mandleson, and they will put a lot of pressure on the Tories from the start as the next administration will be a very unpopular one. If he only has a small majority, Cameron will be at the mercy of the Tory Eurosceptics who will know that a 30 or 40 strong rebel movement could scupper any of his bills, so he will be hamstrung just like Major was. I think if Cameron has a small majority he will be a one term PM and Labour will come back in a slightly easier situation in 2015 and the Conservatives reputation will be mortally damaged because they will have been very unpopular just as a reality of what they inherited.

On the other hand, if the Tories win by a landslide and have a majority of 100 odd, Labour will know that they will struggle to overhaul that in one term, not least because the Tories are going to change the way the constituencies are drawn up, in their favour. The big fish in the Labour party won't go for the leadership because they'll be on a hiding to nothing, so Cameron will be up against Harriet Harman or Jon Cruddas and will have some more breathing space to ride out being unpopular and still win elections, like Mrs Thatcher did.

you dont have the means to buy my silence so forget it.

It's all about student discounts... Windows 7 for £30

I can't and wont vote Tory, however no matter which I vote for my job will be put at risk so I may as well not bother.

What part of my 50+ hour week and unpredictable shift patterns makes me lazy?

Thats a very unfair statement to tar all students with the same brush...

Spot on Debs.

Its a bit difficult for a disabled student to work in a bar or restaurant.