BS: UK Local Elections ... info?

Subject: BS: UK Local Elections ... info?
From: DMcG
Date: 04 May 06 - 05:28 PM

Today there were local elections in the major cities in the UK.
What has been striking where we are is the sheer absence of any indication whatsoever that anything was happening, despite the fact that we live in what is supposed to be one of the key target wards.

In total we recieved one leaflet yesterday, and something no bigger than a soap coupon today, each of fewer than 100 words. The key point of yesterday's from party A was that party A wanted to increase but party B wanted to cut them. The key point of party B's coupon was that they wanted to increase the number of police. We have seen no posters, no bill-boards, nothing.

Is this disinterest by the politicians as widespread as I suspect?

Subject: RE: BS: UK Local Elections ... info?
From: DMcG
Date: 04 May 06 - 05:30 PM

That what comes of rephrasing it just before posting.

... party A wanted to increase the number of police but party B ...

Subject: RE: BS: UK Local Elections ... info?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 04 May 06 - 05:35 PM

People vote by party labels, policies or the behaviour of a party members has no effect on most voters. So why kill a few hundred trees to make campaign leaflets that few will read, and nobody will take notice of if they do read it!
Until people can feel that their vote counts, democracy is a thing of the past in the UK.
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: UK Local Elections ... info?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 04 May 06 - 05:49 PM

Assumptions right now are that the political map of local authorities is likely to be radically re-drawn. That looks like votes counting to me.

Subject: RE: BS: UK Local Elections ... info?
From: Dead Horse
Date: 04 May 06 - 07:41 PM

The way I see it, if you are p***ed off with the so called Socialists, you either vote for the bleedin Tories (in which case you have deplorably bad memories) or you waste your vote on the bleedin Liberals (a bunch of useless twits with no policies) or you vote for the Greens (same as the bleedin Liberals-but with less gay interest)
I am going to use my vote in a positive manner.
I shall screw it up and stick it in the bin!
Recycling rules, Yeah!

Subject: RE: BS: UK Local Elections ... info?
From: The Badger
Date: 04 May 06 - 08:29 PM

Dead Horse - if you cannot be bothered to go to a polling station to register a vote or to write none of the above on a ballot paper you do not deserve to live in a "democrativ" country. Why no move to Zimbabway or Cuba or North Korea, then you wont be given the option and so distress yourself so much you have to crumple up a bit of paper.
Generations of people fought to give you this right - you are undeserving - but I bet you want all the benefits.
I suggest you screw yourself up and jump in the nearest bin - you have not earned the right to voice any political opinion if you can't be bothered to vote!

The Badger

Subject: RE: BS: UK Local Elections ... info?
From: The Badger
Date: 04 May 06 - 08:32 PM

Your vote cannot count if you DO NOT VOTE!

Subject: RE: BS: UK Local Elections ... info?
From: GUEST, Topsie
Date: 05 May 06 - 05:10 AM

I think it was Tessa Jowell I heard on the radio last night saying that the Labour Party should "knock on a few more doorsteps" and listen to what the people are saying.

Does this mean they should keep their ear to the ground?

Subject: RE: BS: UK Local Elections ... info?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 05 May 06 - 01:54 PM

Hmm - was that 9 years, or 9 weeks we heard talking?

And what caused the long delays in announcing the votes in Tower Hamlets? THere appear to have been allegations of voting fraud.

Subject: RE: BS: UK Local Elections ... info?
From: melodeonboy
Date: 05 May 06 - 06:46 PM

Dead Horse and Badger are both, in fact, right, to some extent.

Yes, it's disturbing that after all the sacrifices that people have made over the centuries to get universal suffrage (not to mention the millions of people the world over who are still crying out for it), many people proudly declare that they're just going to throw away their vote.

On the other hand, what do we do if we feel effectively disenfranchised, in the sense that none of the available candidates are offering anything that we feel we could vote for? In the latest elections no seats were up for grabs in my ward so I couldn't vote anyway. But had I been able to vote, I wouldn't have been happy voting for any of the three major "institutions" (I used to vote Labour, but I fear those days are long gone!), and Green Party candidates are a bit thin on the ground round here!

The scramble by the "Big Three" for the rich electoral pickings of the centre in British politics has left the millions who are not of the centre, like me, out on a limb.

And given the fact that the Green Party is the fourth largest party in England, why was the BNP given significantly more publicity than them on Dimbleby's BBC election night programme, even to the extent that the BNP had their own "scoreboard" whereas the Greens were just lumped under "other"? Is this supposed to be political balance or is it just that the BNP's more "newsworthy" or "sensationalist". Perhaps if the Greens dropped their worthy causes for a while and did a bit of Paki-bashing they might get some interest shown in them by the media.