‘None of the leaders would be good’

On Thursday, the three main party leaders had one final attempt to woo the nation through their TV sets with a special Question Time event on the BBC.

So what did our Hove voters make of the leadership qualities of Dave, Ed or Nick?

Anthony Thompson, 65, was unconvinced.

He said: “Quite honestly, I don’t think any of them would make a good Prime Minister.

“I watched the leaders on Question Time but I found the whole thing very boring, I can see why people haven’t made up their minds.

“David Cameron was the best of the three but it was plain boring, I couldn’t wait to turn over and watch my recording of Vera.”

Jenny Bouston, 34, said: “I do like David Cameron, I think he’s quite statesman like.

“I have had no problem with David Cameron being Prime Minister for the past five years.

“That said I think Ed Miliband has got stronger as the election campaign has gone on and he talks more about the things that matter to me.

“He’s very un-photogenic and papers like the Daily Mail have a field day using photographs that make him look like a berk but that’s a very simplistic reason.

“He has been criticised about that interview with Russell Brand, that it wasn’t very statesman-like, but I think it showed him trying to engage with the youth vote.” Residents vote a certain way for many different reasons; family loyalty, deep political conviction, gut feeling.

But on some levels, self-interest must also come into it.

So what kind of coalition would suit our voters best?

Mr Anthony Thompson said: “Even though I voted for Peter Kyle because I think he would be the best MP for the area, I think the best coalition would be to stick with the one we have got now.

“Nick Clegg and David Cameron have kept each other in check although it might be best to have a grand coalition with all the parties, that keeps the SNP out.”

Mrs Bouston said: “I think a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition would be best because they talk about things I’m concerned about.

“Labour would raise the minimum wage, the Liberal Democrats want to increase the tax allowance and I feel their plans about house building are more likely to come to something.”

It’s been five weeks of almost relentless political campaigning since the metaphorical election gun was fired by David Cameron at the end of March.

With almost complete saturation on TV news and newspapers as well as leaflets clogging up the welcome mat and campaigners ringing your doorbell like trick or treaters every five minutes, it’s hard to escape the election.

But has all this exposure allowed voters to find out new qualities in our politicians or are they just sick to the back teeth of the sight of them.

Mr Thompson said: “I have had Labour coming to my door three or four times and in meeting them I have gained a lot of respect for them.

“They were very patient and didn’t rush me.

“But I have not seen people from the other parties even though the UKIP headquarters in Hove is just a few doors down.

“But as for the leaders, to me they all look so wonderfully groomed but they just read from their scripts, they don’t impress me much.”

Mrs Bouston said: “I think it’s a bit of both really. With Ed Miliband, I think he has been improving in my eyes and he’s had the opportunity to do so because he’s had so much exposure. But on the other hand it can backfire.

“In the last week the Conservatives said they would make it into law that they would not increase income tax in the next five years and I feel this is just something they have come up with.

“If they felt so strongly about it, it should have been in their manifesto.

“With their extending right-to-buy to housing associations, it just feels like a cynical ploy to attract Labour voters.” Polls will open for 15 hours on Thursday but that won’t be long enough for up to one in three voters, who history tells us won’t vote.

While this is the closest election in a generation and voters have more mainstream parties to vote for than ever before, many voters remain apathetic and disinterested.

So what do our residents think of the possibility of making voting a compulsory act, punishable by a fine? Mr Thompson said: “Yes I think it should be compulsory, in Australia you can get fined for not voting.

“If people want to have their say then they have to go out and vote.

“I see people on the TV who say I’m not interested and I think this is about who is running the country for the next five years.

“As for the city council, you get the council you vote for.

“I love this city but I think it has been wrecked over the last four years and that’s why I’m voting to change that.”

Mrs Bouston said: “I don’t think it should be compulsory but I do feel strongly people should vote.

“It feels a bit hackneyed to say it but if you don’t vote, you shouldn’t really be slagging off parties or the government.

“I completely understand why people might feel that all the parties are the same but that’s not the reality and if you do feel that then spoil your ballot paper and express your dissatisfaction but to not vote is just lazy.”

Vote Green, get Conservative. Beware of the SNP coalition. Swap your vote with a voter in another constituency. There’s a lot of strange voting scenarios out there.

It is predicted that there will either be a Labour-led or a Conservative-led coalition.

So which scenario would suit our Dyke Road residents in Brighton Pavilion best.

Michael Thorold, 62, said: “I think Labour, not just for my personal preference in terms of liking their policy but personally I am on a very low income with my pension and I think Labour will take better care of the lower-paid.

“I don’t get any extra benefits but I imagine people on those would feel the same way.”

Some local politicians have been campaigning since last summer in a bid to fulfil their dream of becoming MP.

While their energy seems inexhaustible, for the rest of the public the constant campaigning can get a little bit overwhelming as we try and get on with our ordinary lives.

Politicians are never more in demand and never more in the public eye than on the campaign trail, but are our Brighton Pavilion voters warming to the frequent presence or is it driving them to distraction?

Mr Thorold said: “I get so many leaflets and manifestoes so I am starting to feel a bit of election fatigue with all this reading.

“I have been reading how the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives have been getting into a bit of a fracas over child benefit, which I think is funny as they were supposed to be all lovey-dovey when in coalition.

“It’s also interesting how the Conservatives are making all these wonderful promises and you think why didn’t you try to do any of this in the past five years?

“You can see why people might become apathetic or disillusioned.”

A total of 13 countries across the globe enforce compulsory voting for its citizens including Australia, Brazil and North Korea.

So might that be the answer for the millions of voters disillusioned, disinterested and plain disgusted by our politics.

Mr Thorold said: “I think it should be a choice to vote or not.

“What do you do if they don’t vote, do you fine them, do you imprison them?

“It might work in a country which is used to it but I don’t think it is an acceptable proposition in this country.”

• THE ARGUS will have the most exhaustive, informative and exciting reporting on the battle for the South Coast.

We intend to give our newspaper and online readers up-to-the-minute news and views as the General Election hots up.

The coverage will include detailed analysis of all 16 constituencies in our area, the runners and riders and the big issues on the doorsteps.

Political expert Professor Ivor Gaber, from the University of Sussex, will be on hand for in-depth analysis.

We will also have reporters at every count on the big night, filing real-time news and, of course, the all-important results.

The Argus will be the only place for the definitive story of what happened and why.