Like an alcoholic at an AA meeting, I avert my eyes and ask you not to judge.

I have a nasty little secret; I've never voted in a General Election. It isn't that I never cared who was in power, or that I truly wasn't bothered, but for me, it seemed to be like choosing between death by flogging or by whipping; both have very similar outcomes, neither of them preferable.

UK General Election

But today, at the age of 46, I feel that I have just about found my limit as to how much I do care about my country and its future.

Truthfully, I would guess that although I haven't voted for a particular party over the years, my political leanings would be toward the right; I even spoke at the Conservative Party Conference a few years ago, but on the whole, I am very Apolitical.

The reason why I find myself looking to influence the outcome now is quite simple; the UK is under attack from the current government. The NHS is on its knees, public spending has seen swingeing cuts, libraries are being closed, social care funding can't cope, elderly people are having to give up their homes to pay for care while at the same time, millionaires are getting tax-breaks, corporations are avoiding taxes and the moniker of the 'nasty party' has never seemed more apt.

Corbyn VS May

For the first time in my living memory, we have a candidate that seems to be principled, someone who stands up for what he believes in, isn't in the running to feather his own nest and on face value, wants to be elected to make a difference.

I have rarely agreed with published policies, after all, they seem to be guidelines and adherence isn't compulsory, so to me, they're just a manifesto of what they think people want to hear - what's going to give them the best chance for election.

However, looking at Jeremy Corbyn, you'd have to say that his record speaks for itself; he believes in making the country a fairer place, he wants to invest in the future and change how society works as a whole.

Sure, some of the numbers are a little flakey, he may not be able to deliver on some of the costings or nationalise public services again, but surely you'd have to say that whether he does or doesn't deliver on his ethics, he's going to try and do just that. What does Theresa May stand for?

Tactical Voting

As someone rather new to all this, I find it incredible that people are talking of Tactical Voting, or that for the millions of Labour supporters, it's the minor percentage that stand behind Corbyn.

We know that in reality, we are voting for one of two parties, why would you waste a vote on someone that isn't May or Corbyn? People moan about the Conservatives but refuse to vote Labour because of Corbyn.

Just why is Corbyn so toxic?

He may not be a leader in the conventional sense of the word, but is that really so bad? Look at how America is currently fairing up under a 'traditional' leader.

Policies and People

Part of the reason why I have never voted is that I felt that no matter who was in power, they would violate us for taxes and use that revenue to make things better for their own gain.

Yes, it would seem that Labour & Corbyn would need to raise taxes (the political death knell), but that's because they want to re-invest it back in to the country - making everyone pay for a better NHS, elderly care and infrastructure. I for one don't mind paying a little extra for the benefit of the country, as the current Labour saying goes - for the many, not the few.