#BritishValues - Which values matter to you most? How do they underpin the decisions you make in your life?

"Values are deeply held personal beliefs that form your own priority code for living" - Stan Slap.

#BritishValues has been the top trending topic on Twitter this afternoon, thanks to David Cameron's plans to include a new counter-extremism bill in the first Queen's Speech of this parliament. The Home Secretary Theresa May said this morning that the bill "will be part of a bigger picture, a strategy which will have as a key part of it actually promoting our British values, our values of democracy, rule of law, tolerance and acceptance of different faiths".

The business community is a big fan of Core Values.
Image- www.thefinancialbrand.com

'Values' are often at the heart of Political Manifestos, Business Mission Statements and Religious Teachings. I also believe that it's important for us, as individuals, to create a set of values which will shape our lives and how we live them. They could be Compassion, Positivity and Faithfulness or Humility, Loyalty and Kindness - they should be personal and tailored to who you are and what you believe you stand for. If you can have a set of values that you will recollect each time you make a decision, say something or complete an action, you can shape your life to be just how you want it to be, grounded in those 'Core Values' that you hold.

Values are at the heart of everything we do and everything
we say. Image - simplelifestrategies.com

During the recent General Election Campaign, it was disheartening to see not only a focus on Smears and Scaremongering, but also a focus on Populist Policies. How can the electorate be told to decide who they feel would be best to run the country over the next FIVE YEARS with knowledge of just five, or less, policies? The Prime Minister will make dozens of decisions about our country and its people on a daily basis, and we want to know what values will underpin each decision he makes. Will the bills the party in power signs off be based on values of inequality, creating division and ruling through fear and persecution, or will each decision be made as a result of asking questions such as 'Is this the most compassionate thing to do?' or 'Will this enhance the Quality of Life of people in the UK?'

Values are at the heart of everything we do and everything we say. They are the ideas and beliefs that underpin our lives and how we conduct ourselves in every situation and scenario. Why not take time to think about and reflect on the Core Values that you hold close to your heart and ask how they influence your actions on a day-to-day basis? Create your own Manifesto of Morals and use it as a guide to live your life by.

18 things we've learnt from this General Election: From Mystic Murdoch to Posh Dinner Dave

What a 48 hours it has been!  I know it is a cliché, but there really has been a massive Political Earthquake in the UK. Talking of the UK, there is now talk of how much longer we will be able to call it a 'United' Kingdom with the SNP landslide in Scotland and a strong Tory government being thanks to turning England into a sea of Blue.

So what have we learnt over the past 48 hours? I've compiled some of the 18 key points, including the fact that more of us are into politics than we were five years ago, that the Daily Mirror isn't best pleased with the outcome of this election, and that the Cameron's know how to celebrate in style. Enjoy!

1. Always be wary of Opinion Polls


4. We do not have a United Kingdom.
Whilst England is a sea of right-wing
blue, Scotland is a sea of left-wing
nationalist yellow. Image - BBC

Every single opinion poll in the run-up to Thursday's vote said it was guaranteed to be a hung parliament, with Labour and the Tories neck-and-neck. The Tories won a majority (thanks to SNP/Labour scaremongering, I suspect).

2. A Safe Seat isn't always...Safe.
Just ask Ed Balls. Labour's Shadow Chancellor had a very humiliating night when he lost his seat, a complete and utter catastrophe for the Labour campaign.

3. Scaremongering Works
'Vote Labour, Get SNP' said the Tory Politicians and Press. 'A Coalition of Chaos', they screamed. The result of turning to the Fear Factor? A Tory majority.

4. We do not have a United Kingdom.
Just take a look at the results map. Apparently it bears a resemblance to Maggie from The Simpsons?

5.  The electorate is cruel, brutal and ruthless.
Just ask former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, whose party faced almost total wipeout on Thursday. Why? Because he dared to put the National Interest first and guarantee the Economic Recovery that we have seen...as well as taking the lowest earners out of tax, championing Mental Health and blocking radical Tory policies. I suppose destroying his party was the best way to thank him for the past five years.

6. Ed Miliband
found out the hard way.
Image - Evening
Standard

6. Never eat a Bacon Sandwich in public.
Ed Miliband is not Prime Minister because he made the fatal mistake of tackling a Bacon Sarnie in front of the paparazzi. Take note, future leaders.

7. We're going to have an EU referendum.
2017 will see the EU referendum Cameron has promised take place...and could also be the year his leadership comes crashing down.  Not only will it divide the nation and certainly give UKIP support a boost, but it will also divide the Prime Ministers Cabinet Table, with senior members of his cabinet almost certainly to clash with the PM over views on Europe. This could be the end of Cameron.

8. Cameron has anointed George Osborne as his successor.
With George back as Chancellor and now as unofficial Deputy, it looks like Cameron has anointed Osborne as The Chosen One. Could he be the one to take over from Cameron if the EU referendum doesn't go his way?

9. Never mess with Murdoch.
Once again, it was the Sun wot one it. They tore Ed Miliband to shreds whilst heralding David Cameron as a gift from God. Look whose behind Number 10 tonight...
The moral of the story? Get Murdoch on side, never threaten to stop his near monopoly of the market, and get inside Number 10. Otherwise, best to quit gracefully - before becoming the laughing stock of the nation.

10. Friday's very positive Mirror
front page. Image - Daily
Mirror via itv.com

10. The Daily Mirror aren't too pleased about the outcome of the election.
They always do seem to have the most optimistic and innovative front pages.

11. The markets (and non-doms) are relieved the Tories are back in Town
According to today's Times, the FTSE 100 soared by 160 points on the back of a Conservative win, whilst 'Estate agents began to exchange on property worth millions of pounds', and one high-end London Estate agents boss said: "The black clouds have lifted. I have £50 million worth of business poised to go through in the next couple of days". That's thanks to the threat of a mansion tax disappearing overnight, no doubt.


12. Four Million Votes will only get you One Seat.
UKIP found this out the hard way. There are now demands for a fairer voting system, with the Green Party spearheading a new campaign to make the system fairer. Natalie Bennett's party won 1.5 million votes but only gained one seat.

13. Not everyone in the Conservative Party is jumping for joy
It was not Esther McVey's night. The former TV presenter was destined for greatness, with the Tory tipped to receive a senior cabinet position in a majority government. That majority government materialised - but poor Esther lost her seat.

14. More people are engaged in politics than they were in 2010
The turnout in 2010 was 65.1%. This year it was 66.1%. Every little helps.

15. David Cameron doesn't like change
The PM has reappointed the same four people to the same four top roles in his government.

16. The Lib Dems are already fighting back
After a "cruel" election night that saw the parties biggest names (including Danny Alexander and Vince Cable) loose their seats and the leader Nick Clegg forced to resign, the party is already bouncing back. Since polls closed, 3,000 people have joined the Lib Dems. The only way is up!

17. Political Geeks are in for an exciting summer.
Not only will David Cameron be rushing through some of his biggest and most hard-hitting polices within the next 100 days, but we will also see the 'excitement' of Labour and Liberal Democrat leadership contests.

18. When you've just been renamed as the Prime Minister,
why not splash the cash on a night out?
Image - Telegraph

18. David likes to celebrate with a Posh Dinner
Where do you go for dinner when you've just been reappointed the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, defying every single opinion poll and securing a majority government - whilst at the same time bringing the axe down on all three of your political opponents careers? To a Very Expensive Private Members Club in Mayfair, of course! The Mail Online reported that George Osborne went along too. Isn't that nice, to know that They're (sorry, WE'RE) all in it together.


And that brings to and end my 18 things we've learnt from this Election. I do hope you've enjoyed all the excitement, shock and brutality that we've seen over the past 48 hours? Now I reckon it's time for a long lie down in a darkened room...

My one wish for Election Night? That the Party Leaders get some much needed sleep...

How do you feel after a night with little or no sleep? Grumpy, disorientated, dazed, not 'with it'? Now think how you might feel if you're not been sleeping well for the past six weeks thanks to travelling the length and breadth of the country meeting thousands of people and giving hundreds of interviews? Yes, even worse.



Our leaders will need to wake up and
smell the coffee on Friday morning.
Image - soniceclectic.com

This is why I am desperately worried that Cameron, Miliband and Clegg will not get their 40 winks on the might of May 7th. With no overall majority expected, it looks like Friday morning will mark the start of days, weeks or even months of intense negotiations to form the next government. If our party leaders are absolutely shattered (and you would be, wouldn't you!) on Friday morning to the extent that they can't even decide whether to have one or two sugars in their Breakfast coffee (I would recommend three, at least), what hope can we have that they will be able to decide on how they will run the country over the next five years?

If we are to stand any chance of the intense coalition talks not collapsing, or if we are to avoid the prospect of a second election or the uncertainty that would come with a minority government, we need capable and clear-headed party leaders. They need to be able to sit down, calmly and collectively, and reach a deal that will ensure our country can have five years of excellent, strong leadership. They will not be able to sort out any such deal if they cannot remember where they are or keep falling asleep on toilet breaks. So whilst the leaders may be filled with fear about loosing seats (and their jobs), and whilst a night with David Dimbleby - or Jeremy Paxman and the folks from Gogglebox, if they prefer - may sound very appealing to any politics addict, our party chiefs need to get a good night's sleep. The future of our nation may depend on it...you don't know what you might say or agree to if you've been awake, fuelled by extraordinary amounts of caffeine and adrenaline, for the past month and a half.


The coverage may be captivating,
but we need our leaders to get some
rest! Image - BBC

A cup of coco, a nice bubble bath, some soothing classical music and an early night are needed for Dave, Ed and Nick. And I strongly suggest that they get the coffee cups ready for first thing on Friday morning, too...


I'll share my reaction to the election results in Friday's blog post, published at 1630BST. I would urge everyone who can to vote - embrace democracy and vote for the party you truly believe in (ignore all the scaremongering and smears!).

Scaremongering, Smears and Secrecy: A General Election Campaign Like No Other

The Tories have resorted to nasty,
desperate and personal smears and
scaremongering. Image - Conservative
Party. 

"Vote Labour, get SNP" has been Cameron's favourite catchphrase over the past four weeks. What does it tell you about the Tory election campaign that, instead of being able to trumpet what you would get if you voted Conservative, Mr Cameron feels he has no option but to scaremonger about the consequences of another party getting into power? David is desperate and determined not to be evicted from Number 10, whatever the cost, including resorting to scaremongering and nasty smears on his opponents.

Neither Labour or the Conservatives have actually given us anything to vote for. 

It should never have ended up like this for Cameron and his lavish-dinners-funded campaign. His 'long term economic plan' is supposed to be working, and he says he is giving Hardworking Brits 'the good life'. So why do the opinion polls say 6 in 10 of the electorate will not vote for him? Similarity, if the majority of voters are fed up of Tory-led government (which is what the 6 in 10 figure would suggest) why do only 30% of people say they will vote for Labour? It's because neither party has given the electorate anything to vote for.

The Conservative Election
Manifesto. Image - guardian.com

Think about all the manifesto pledges the parties have made over the past six weeks.. How many can you actually remember off the top of your head? I could count how many I can recall on one hand. The truth is there have been no pledges that stand out, there's nothing that really excites and engages people and makes us feel positive and optimistic about the future.

The mainstream parties are acting like eight year old's being bitchy at break time. 

The papers have loved the
election getting personal.
Image - The Sun. 

Now think about what will be fresh on your mind on Thursday morning. It is most likely to be the desperate Tory smears on 'weak' Wallace lookalike Ed, and Conservative Party HQ scaremongering on possible coalition deals that may emerge after the nation has voted. Is it any wonder that so many people have been turned their backs on the mainstream parties? They act like eight year olds being bitchy at break time and the more they make personal attacks on other politicians - taking the spotlight off their own policies - the more of a farce this election campaign becomes.

The parties know they can't afford for their pledges and policies to be scrutinised. 

Why are the parties turning this election campaign into a personality contest where they rely on smears and scaremongering in a desperate bid to secure the keys to Number 10? It's because they know they can't afford for their pledges to be scrutinised. The parties have been purposefully vague when it comes to detail on policy. This is in part in ensure that they get those all important soundbites on the flagship news bulletins, an in part to cover up their lies and deceit about policies and how they will end up funding them.

 

Mr Miliband says he has 'a better plan'. The problem is no one knows what that plan  actually is. 

Ed unveiling his 'Better Plan'.
 Image - independent.co.uk

The Tories are simply saying they have a 'clear economic plan' - they are keeping quiet on what that plan actually is and quieter still on where they will find the billions of pounds worth of cuts to services and the welfare bill that they say will fund other flagship policies and their deficit reduction plans. In the mean time, Ed Miliband is proclaiming (on a giant limestone slab, no less) that his party has a "better plan" for the economy and the country...but he is refusing to say what that plan actually is. What tax rises would there be? How would he find the money to fund his populist pledges - how much would he be forced to borrow? The answer is we aren't being told, and as a result uncertainty and fear has been allowed to grow. This fear has then been exploited by other parties so that they can make gains at the Ballot Box.

Best of Friends? Cameron and
Miliband - who will have the keys
to Number 10?
Image - telegraph.co.uk

Whatever the outcome of Thursday's vote, and it really could go either way, things are going to be messy, and there is no chance the parties will be able to return to 'Business as Usual' first thing on Friday morning. If Cameron does remain Prime Minister, he must remember he has only clung onto his job through Scaremongering, Smears and Secrecy. If his record in office was as fabulous as he makes out, he should be winning a clear majority. If Ed Miliband manages to put together a government, he will have a tough time implementing his populist policies and finding the money to do so.

  Let's just say it's going to be a very interesting five years.