Knutsford, England - I know I just said forget the clichés but we headed straight into one on Monday as we went to the Knutsford Fun Fair! Dozens of these fairs take place all over the country and they are a bank holiday tradition. We ventured in despite the rain (another bank holiday cliché we are told).

But as we started to talk to voters, it was time to discuss this most original campaign. It is one like no other and it is confounding political parties and pollsters. Voters, on the other hand, see it as a good reflection of how they’re feeling.

We hopped on the bumper cars - yes, the bumper cars - and solicited opinion. James Cambly was game, taking the wheel and telling me he had not made up his mind on how to vote. Some polls estimate that almost a third of eligible voters could yet change their minds with only two days left of campaigning.

We whizzed around as James explained that as a young father he was fearful of where the country was headed and didn’t have confidence that any of the leaders know what to do to set it right. The bottom line: He still has no idea who he is voting for and crucially doesn’t think there’s much difference between them.

This is a well-heeled corner of England. Very close to Manchester and Liverpool, it is a leafy favorite for famous footballers and their families. Taxes are a highly charged issue here and voters say none of the parties have provided enough clarity about which taxes are going up and which are coming down.

Did I mention we started the day in Crewe? Now here is an interesting constituency. It was Labour-dominated for decades but snatched by the Conservatives in a 2008 by election. Back then, it seems like centuries ago now, it was a barometer of how the next general election would go.

Not so fast say the voters of Crewe. A win here is no sure thing for the Conservatives and yet some voters expressed surprise that their community wasn’t more hotly contested. In a few hours there, I saw very few election posters and one voter we spoke to said that although voters were engaged, he felt the national parties and their local candidates were not.

Through Crewe, a town of more than 60,000, we saw not one, two or three,  but four Polish supermarkets. The Polish immigrants showed little interest in the campaign although most are eligible to vote. What they do understand though is the highly charged atmosphere in which Gordon Brown called one voter a “bigot” last weekend.

Here voters say they often are made to feel like outsiders even though they are trying hard to fit in. As one young student put it, the tolerance level in Britain should be higher. Having said that, he also said that what Gillian Duffy dared utter to Brown was a sentiment that he hears often and that most people keep to themselves.

Off to Dewsbury tomorrow but not before sunrise on an English dairy farm in Knutsford. And good thing too, those bumper cars did a number on my neck and back.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent Paula Newton
Filed under: Election •Immigration •The Economy

Abertillery, Wales – The Welsh tones were unmistakable, but the political attitude here barely resembles the Labour heartland this place used to be. As the Abertillery Orpheus Male Choir takes a break from practice, we ask for a show of hands.

Who believes a hung parliament would be a good thing right now?

Perhaps surprisingly, the majority of hands are raised. Some members of this choir believe if the parties would work together, the outcome might produce the kind of results this country has never seen.

There is no denying this area of Wales is deprived. Their words, not mine. The coal mines and steel works here have been shut for nearly two decades and there has been nothing to replace them.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: CNN Correspondent Paula Newton
Filed under: Election •The Economy

UK Conservative Party leader David Cameron headed the opinion polls after Thursday’s debate (Getty).

London, England – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown fought to hold on to his job Thursday in a debate against the two men who hope to replace him, David Cameron of the Conservative Party and Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats.

But he lost the debate decisively, according to two snap polls.

Cameron came first in both polls, with Clegg second and Brown third.

But the debate performances do not seem to have changed voters' minds about whom to back, according to one poll.

Read the full story >>

Posted by: Richard Allen Greene, The CNN Wire
Filed under: Debates •Immigration •The Economy

London, England - For weeks its been said the economy was the key to this election. Yet, its has taken a back seat to many other topics, such as health care, immigration, personalities.

Now, tonight, the third and last debate between the leaders of the three main parties is supposed to be about the economy (though the last bit can be on any topic, so lets see if this debate strays.)

Up to now, the markets have had their eyes elsewhere - booming stock markets, worries about Greek debt, very good Q1 results out of the USA.

But on Thursday night the leaders should and will be asked about Britain's budget deficit, the biggest one within the G-7.

The three parties have been accused of leaving any bad news about severe budget cuts, public sector job cuts, tax rises etc. etc. until after May 6.

Tonight they may be forced to go along the lines of Ireland and Greece which have been forced to not only outline severe austerity measures but also implement them.

No doubt Greece will come up tonight, if for no other reason than the British pound has been losing ground of late to the safe-haven dollar and because there is talk, just talk mind you, that British bonds could face a downgrade if there is no clear winner in this election, leading to no decisions on the budget deficit.

The previous two debates have focused on the style of each candidate as they repeated well-used policies and promises. This time around, will the Friday papers be full of analysis on a serious debate about the future of Britain's economy?

Posted by: CNN Correspondent Jim Boulden
Filed under: The Economy

Market watchers are keen to see how the UK currency performs both before and after the election (Getty).

London, England – Long before Britain's third party, the Liberal Democrats, made a splash and become a serious contender for the top spot in the May 6 national election, the financial markets were talking about hung parliaments.

All the talk was about the ruling Labour Party of Gordon Brown not being able to form a new government if the Conservatives win the election. Now the talk is about a three-way race and who would get into bed with who to form a coalition

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: CNN Correspondent Jim Boulden
Filed under: Election •The Economy

London, England - I'm back from my ash extended holiday in Africa and back on the social media beat for the UK elections. Don Riddell was telling me about how British voters that may have been stranded came back shocked to find a totally different and more energised election landscape after Nick Clegg got a whopping boost from the first debate.

I watched the second debate in Kenya and followed the mostly negative comments on Twitter. The third debate's on the economy.  The number of people who don't have jobs in the UK is 2.5 million. That's the highest since 1994. The numbers also show that youth unemployment is also rising.

Whether you're in the UK or elsewhere around the world I want to know which candidate you think will create more jobs. Send me a tweet @zainverjee or comment on this blog and I may use it on the air ahead of Thursday's debate. You can also upload video comments to CNN's iReport. I'd love to hear from you.

Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent Zain Verjee
Filed under: Social Media •The Economy

Filed under: Debates •The Economy

Vince Cable is the man people say they trust on the economy -- but will they vote for the Liberal Democrats?(Getty Images).

One reason I love covering elections is the opportunity for self-proclaimed experts (like me) to spin out endless scenarios about what might happen, and why, when voters mark their ballots.

For example, the smallest major party, the Liberal Democrats, launched its manifesto Wednesday.

Now, the economy is far and away the most important issue to most British voters.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: Richard Allen Greene, The CNN Wire
Filed under: Election •The Economy

Protesters attend a demonstration against public service cuts – an issue in the UK vote – on April 10 in London (AFP/Getty).

London, England - Until I moved to London 20 years ago, a manifesto to me was something issued behind the Iron Curtain by an authoritarian government which laid out a five-year plan to show free marketeers how wrong they were.

But in Britain, all the political parties used the term "manifesto" to lay out their "stalls" (another British term lost on me at first) in order for the electorate to decide where to put an X.

Some of the manifestos have nothing to do with the economy, so I will bypass those sections. But much of it is economic and business-focused this time around, given this is being touted as the "Economic Election."

Do the three main parties differ? Skeptics would say that mainstream parties these days only tinker around the edges. So, here's a quick look at the differences in what Labour, The Conservative and the Liberal Democrats have published as their official promises.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: CNN Correspondent Jim Boulden
Filed under: The Economy

Many political analysts believe that the UK could see its first hung parliament since 1974 (Getty Images)

London, England – Queen Elizabeth has dissolved the UK parliament at the request of Prime Minister Gordon Brown - and the closest UK election contest in nearly two decades has begun.

Many commentators believe that the national vote, due to take place on May 6, may well end without a definite result. If so, would the inability of any party to win a governing majority precipitate a panic in financial markets and a run on the pound?

CNN's Political Contributor Robin Oakley, a veteran of 12 UK elections, explains what could happen and why.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Posted by: CNN Political Contributor, Robin Oakley
Filed under: Election •General •The Economy