I think this might be the first general election in which I've not voted Conservative. It is, of course, only my third general election as a voter but still. I do always try to examine my voting decisions because the concept of voting for someone just because they're "your party", regardless of policies, is bizarre. I don't think my political opinions have changed that profoundly since 2010 but aligning those to a specific party this time has been harder.

This election has been strange. I've been much less engaged than I was in 2010, I think I only watched one debate - if you don't count the Scottish Leaders' Debate I saw in Glasgow last week. Generally all the choices available have felt uninspiring, there's no-one who feels like they can really offer the kind of change I'd like to see. It also seems unlikely that anyone's likely to have much of a mandate to do anything radical.

I hate the anti-immigration and anti-EU rhetoric peddled by UKIP, the Conservatives and (to some extent) Labour which has definitely been a defining point in choosing who to vote for. I'm a lot more pro-European than I've ever been before and I can't see anti-immigration rhetoric as anything other than racism in a fancy hat. In addition, I don't think the Conservatives have done enough to protect the poor and vulnerable in our society. Whilst I still think that some level of austerity/rebalancing of the economy was necessary it's clear to me that too much of that burden has fallen on the people who have the least. In terms of social issues I probably align more with the Greens than anyone else but economically I can't contemplate voting for them. So I've come full circle to the party I voted for the first time I ever cast a vote - the Liberal Democrats. Let the hung parliament chaos commence!

P.S. One last point on stereotypes. I'm not voting Conservative and unless they change their tune I'm unlikely to do so in the future but I'll never subscribe to the "all Tories are evil" doctrine perpetuated by so many people I know. Firstly, evil is such a strong word - I would really hesitate to use it of anyone. There are caring, compassionate Conservatives just as there are unpleasant members of the Labour party.  Judge people on their individual merits, not a lazy out-of-date political stereotypes.