Dubai: With the United Kingdom’s general election set for Thursday, British expatriates living in the UAE have a lot to look forward to and expect from the new parliament.

The results of the elections will be a turning point for British politics, which is what makes it an important day for Britons all over the world.

Gulf News spoke to a few Britons living in the UAE on the elections to understand the changes they would like to see in the UK. Here are their views.

Charles Nahhas, Chief Executive officer of Arabian Marketing Corporation:

“I vote Tory. At least I would if I voted, but I don’t bother for several reasons. One of them is linked to Tony Blair’s Labour years of 1997 to 2007, which made it clear that voting Conservative or Labour won’t have any material effect on policy. Also, the mechanics of British politics and media ensure that British politicians pursue policies that will get them elected at the expense of their or their parties actual beliefs. The British voter is disenchanted with the main parties, and general elections, including this one, are a mess that will end up with long post-election negotiations to try to cobble together a government.”

“For this election, I predict that the Tories will win the popular vote, but Ed Miliband will be in a better position to negotiate a coalition and will become prime minister. The government will be a disaster and the coalition will fall apart with 18 months during which time David Cameron will have resigned as Tory leader to be replaced by Boris Johnson, who will then lead the English electorate (who are sick of being manipulated by the Scottish and other minority interests) to force the government to call another general election which he will win in a landslide Tory victory.”

Challenges to be solved

“I have a strong belief that what is wrong in the UK is an increasing alienation of the wealthy. It is almost bad form these days to be rich in Britain. All anyone seems to care about is ensuring that the rich don’t get richer, and that everything is ‘fair’ for everyone. I’m for letting the rich get richer, if that’s what will reignite the economy. Benefits are important, but have gone too far. Everyone in Britain seems to be on benefits these days.”

David May, Managing Director of MKM Commercial Holdings LLC:

“It is my opinion that there will be no clear winner in these elections and that the leaders of the participating parties are lacking in both their strength and a positive direction. Due to the high probability of a government made up as a coalition then there will be very little hope of any achievement for a new and weak Parliament. What is needed in Britain is a clear, precise policy on Europe which should not change the current participation level together with a clear enforceable resolute policy on immigration, together with clear financial support for new business and vocational training incentives. What Britain really requires is a change of leader with strengths and open enthusiasm the like of which has been missing for decades.”

Paul Clifford, a Journalist:

“I’m supporting Labour. Ed Miliband has taken a long time to seem like he’s up to the job but in the last few weeks he has had more fight about him and is saying the right things to people interested in Labour again. They may not be the perfect party but they speak for most of the UK public. People are tempted to vote for the Green Party and even Ukip, but those votes will only help the Conservatives be reelected. If people wake up to that and vote Labour, they’ll win. I still don’t think there will be a very big turn out and I think you’ll see some people who would have ordinarily voted for Labour choosing some of the smaller parties. I can’t see the Lib Dems getting anywhere near as many votes as last time. They’ve wasted their chance to make a difference.”

Challenges to be solved

“It might seem a bit rich coming from me in Dubai, but legal loopholes allowing high earners who live in the UK should avoid paying all their taxes should be closed. The Natural Health Service (NHS) needs to be reinvested in and rebuilt properly, wealth and power needs to be spread throughout the UK, not just in Whitehall. NHS is an institution that as a concept is the cornerstone of British values. Fix it, and you have helped heal a nation.”

Elizabeth Pringle, Account Executive at Expose Communications:

“I find the elections one of the most important times in British history. I want the Conservatives to win, and I think they will. The reason I want them to win is because I believe, as a young graduate, higher education should be made accessible to all not depending on your social demographic. I also believe that the implementation of 3 million apprenticeships would be hugely beneficial to heighten youth employability, a strong issue currently I feel within the UK.”

Challenges to be solved

“Most definitely better investment into the youth and educational programs, especially within inner city communities and socially deprived areas. I also believe implementing a national postgraduate loan system would encourage higher education to all. Investment in youth employability, I believe, is one of the biggest issues that the UK faces, as well as exploitation of the benefits system, which the Tories have highlighted to rectify if successful. I also believe that the implementation of the NHS on a 7 day service to be mandatory. My future aspirations for the UK post the election are to increase employability and better training within the workplace and education system, I believe with the right monetary and educational investments this is possible, as well as further development into the NHS.”

David Burns, Chief Operating Officer & Deputy Chairman of the British Business Group Dubai and Northern Emirates

“I can only really speak for myself as there are many and varied opinions and no two people will have the same answers. We are now in information overload with every news channel providing huge coverage of every aspect of the election with predictions and analysis of every issue. I support the conservatives and hope they win a majority, but I think what will happen will be a scramble for alliances.”

Challenges to be solved

“The future changes I would like to see happen is to have a single government with a majority and a reform across the board of our National Health Service and tax situation. The main challenge I see is the readjustment of the population to come to terms with different cultures and nationalities all being in the same place at the same time.”

Claire Lawson, Associate Director at APCO Worldwide:

“It’s very tricky to say who will win. All UK polls are suggesting that no party will win an overall majority; therefore we are likely to end up with a hung parliament like last time so it will be up to one party to form a coalition. Latest figures show that Conservatives are slightly ahead, so therefore would not be surprised if we are in the same position as last time and we have Conservative/Lib Dem coalition. I want the party to win who will continue the recovery of the UK economy — this is of upmost priority.

Challenges to be solved

“I hope to see a continued reduction of unemployment following the elections. Also, less people on benefits and more jobs for youths. The UK Government also needs to ensure that it convinces the people of Scotland that the UK is still their future by ensuring that it delivers on all promises made during the Referendum. It also needs to understand why this disengagement occurred in the first place to avoid a recurrence. Politicians need to be clearer on policies in order to engage more voters. And need to be less about saying what they think people want to hear and more about actual policies.”

Lewis Paterson, Senior Resident Engineer

“I am trying to keep current with the elections. I think there has been a real step change regarding the perception of Labour and the overarching Parliamentary system since the recent Scottish Referendum. I think Labour have votes to recover in the North, whereas the Conservative party have always had a weak following in Scotland. That being said; this may not have a large effect on the actual outcome. I am a Conservative voter. I think we will see another hung Parliament but I am not sure if Conservative and Lib-Dems will share the honours this time. I expect vast amounts of propaganda from SNP and more invective towards Conservative from Labour and, to a lesser degree, visa-versa.

Challenges to be solved

“I want better plans and quicker actions for the Country, its Businesses (large and small) and more support to the people who need it (mentally, physically and financially). I think the NHS is an absolute must-have Government run entity that needs to remain as such but needs managed with a far simpler and effective KPI based system with hands-on input from the customers with a massive emphasis on operational lessons-learnt and best-practice. There is a strong divide between people and politics with regards to how we solve issues like the economy or racial negativity/bias/violence, which I believe is created by people not understanding the need and importance of politics. This needs to be resolved quickly and treated as one of Britain’s biggest threats. Tourism needs a larger focus and areas of beauty need to be captured and utilised further with a view to keeping our nation an outdoor/hands-on based society. This includes the use of our natural areas for sports and recreation.”

— With inputs from Maria Botros, a trainee with Gulf News