Shropshire voters: From the keen to the can't care less

We asked our online readers what they thought – and hundreds responded. Just over 47 per cent said they were looking forward to voting on May 7, although there were plenty of people who were less than enthusiastic.

More than 30 per cent said they were dreading it already and more than 22 per cent were not interested at all.

Meanwhile, members of the public out and about in Telford Town Centre yesterday were asked their thoughts.

And while some said they relished the chance to have their say, others felt their voices would not be heard.

"MPs act like they have shares in the country, but they don't. They've been chosen to represent us," said Pearl Aldred, 70, who was in the town shopping.

"There's not enough transparency and not enough accountability among politicians."

She added: "If you look at where the money is going it is wrong. We are not big enough to accommodate everyone and there's enough poor people around here without giving money out in foreign aid."

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She was not alone in feeling alienated from politics.

"I don't think their decisions are going to affect me," said Jason Roberts, 22, from Battlefield in Shrewsbury. "As long as I keep getting paid the same, I don't mind."

Richard Jones-Young, 67, from Homer Lake in Telford, had stronger words for politicians.

"They've all got their snouts in the trough, and every month another one of them gets caught," he said. "If they worked in the general public sector, like we do, they'd go to prison for that."

Remote

Mark Winton, 64, from Pattingham, drew a distinction between the leaders of the major political parties and Ukip's leader Nigel Farage.

"Politicians say a lot, but they don't carry it through, they change their minds straight after the election," he said. "They're all so high and mighty, but Nigel Farage is more down to earth."

Barry Aldred, 73, from Walsall, out shopping in Telford, said Westminster felt remote from real life.

"There's all this bickering on the television, but not enough local contact," he said. "Everything revolves around London, and it's a different world once you get north of Watford Gap."

Emily Godding, 21, from Leominster, said ordinary people don't have time to process the mass of information, counter-information and spin.

"There needs to be a guide to the election for normal people – a less biased way of finding out what's going on," she said. "At the moment it's difficult to know who to vote for."

But Colin Trousdale, 57, from Telford, had not doubts about who he was voting for, pledging his backing to the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition, and hoping to see the back of the Tories.

"I'm looking forward to getting rid of this lot," he said. "I think the Labour party has captured people's imaginations, unfortunately, because of what they've said about tuition fees.

"But I do suppose you should vote tactically for Labour, to keep the Tories out."

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