Election decisions

I'm an instinctive Conservative voter but come the next general election I'm not sure yet who I'll vote for.

I've never voted Labour and I am unlikely ever to do so. Similarly, I've never voted Lib Dem either and don't propose to start doing so. But neither am I yet certain I'll vote Conservative.

While I support many of their current policies I am more than a little disappointed that we won't get any sort of referendum on Europe. I understand Cameron's promise stood fast so long as the Lisbon Treaty was not ratified, and while I support his intention to claw back sovereign powers from the EU, I'm not sure this goes far enough or will ever be agreed by the other member states whose unanimous support we would need - at least not without the threat of a referendum.

I believe that the Cameron's position should now be a promise of an 'In or Out' referendum on Europe. Failing that, it ought to be policy that we go to Europe and demand sovereign powers back within a set time scale - and if we don't get them, we will then hold an 'In or Out' referendum. But he's unlikely to do that either.

While the precise terms of Cameron's promise of a referendum (which made it unlikely he would ever have to deliver on it) could be seen as a cynical smoke screen to appease us Eurosceptics, Daniel Hannan's statement in the 'Daily Telegraph' on the 6th November that Cameron "did his best to retard Lisbon's ratification until after our general election" has gone some way to assuring me Cameron is not a closet Europhile. Nonetheless I'm not sure his "settled" policy on Europe goes far enough.

I am sorely tempted to vote UKIP, but have reservations about that too - but not ideological reservations as I have with Conservative Party. I don't want Labour to win another term in office, but the Conservative party needs a swing of such fantastic proportions that any votes they lose to minority parties could leave us in hung parliament territory or burdened with another Labour government.

While I have few hopes of UKIP gaining serious in-roads into parliament, I suspect they could well take a larger share of the vote than ever before. Nevertheless, I would only vote for them if I felt certain that in doing so I would not be unintentionally aiding a Labour government - despite feeling so strongly about the need for a referendum.

Between now and the election, I have some serious thinking to do.