Our local elections will be held on May 4th; tomorrow. So who will we vote for?
The only local window-posters I've seen so far have been for The Green Party; which seems more like 'virtue signalling' than political adherence. Our City Council is Green Party run, albeit with a minority administration. I don't know what they do for us other than allow weeds to grow everywhere. They hate cars, and do their best to deter anyone from owning one. We now hear that they wish to imitate London's Labour Mayor, Sadiq Khan, and introduce an 'Ultra Low Emission Zone' (ULEZ) here in central Brighton. This would mean having to pay about £15 a day to use my car. People imagine they are being 'do-gooders' by voting Green; they're not; they're just living in some non-existent fantasy Beatrix Potter world. The Greens have JUST ONE MP at Westminster (unfortunately ours; Ms Lucas); is anyone surprised?
The only political 'flyers' we've received have been from The Green Party.
The Liberal Democrats (Lib-Dems) are something of an enigma. No-one really knows what they stand for, or even why they exist. They are the 'I Don't Know Who To Vote For' party of the UK. They know no-one will vote for them so they can promise the earth, which we all take cum grano salis.
Labour usually spends far too much of other people's money on 'political' policies. But no-one really cares, they simply put our 'rates' up.
So, that just leaves The Conservatives. They like to balance the books whilst maintaining a reasonable standard of service, but this isn't always the case. They're bound to lose lots of seats tomorrow; they always do in mid-term local elections.
I expect there are a few 'loony' party candidates who will be standing for election, but the two serious parties above (Lab and Con) are the main contenders.
I know who I shall be voting for, as they command about 51% of my trust. I reckon that's about as good as it gets.
I don't know who does what with the taxpayers money in our country, I just know they travel overseas a lot and have nice clothes and they all look remarkably well-fed. Over-fed in some cases. I never know who to vote for, usually just blindly stab my pencil at the paper and hope for the best.
ReplyDeleteI've seen at first hand some of the tricks they get up to. I'm suspicious of the aims of all politicians. They don't put their names forward for nothing!
DeleteWe have local elections at the end of the year. A sitting mayor who has done nothing v his lacklustre ex deputy. We need someone with a bit of oomph but there's no-one else. Hard to know who to vote for.
ReplyDeleteI shall vote for the most responsible party, and keep my fingers crossed. Local elections shouldn't be about politics, but about urban management.
DeleteI struggle to see any of the mainstream parties as "responsible" - they are all signed up to the Net Zero insane religion and the consequential destruction of our current ways of life. Basic financial competence at local level has gone out of the window - I am sure that we can all list areas of massive waste starting with the obscene pay of so many useless individuals on the payroll.
DeleteGeneralisations are usually worthless, but Conservative led councils tend to be more aware of balancing the books, and providing 'value for money'. Even so, they still take huge salaries.
DeleteWe have a C led council in Havant and the quality of administration is abysmal - they have put various services out to contractors and not even signed contracts for some of them to ensure that the service is provided for the money they are handing over, everyone seems to be 'working' from home, and they can't even do a simple things like print out a council tax invoice in the main office - that has been contracted out to some organization somewhere else in the country (with whom we can have no contact and no means to conducting a 'discussion'). It really needs a good shake up.
DeleteThey're not universally good, but a well managed Tory council is generally far better than a Labour one.
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ReplyDeleteAs you say the Green Party are the only party distributing flyers and the only signs seen in houses around here but our Green councillors in Mid Suffolk are the only people interested in anything that goes on in rural villages.
Both The Green Party and The Lib Dems have always been very active in rural local politics. In towns such as Brighton they are a menace.
DeleteHere there are elections for the regional council which has fifty small settlements. The head of the council is my neighbor and the only candidate so the choice is very easy.
ReplyDeleteI hope he's good at what he does!
DeleteI am ashamed to say I shall not be voting - don't even know whether it is happening here - there have been no flyers and no doorsteppers. And as my passport, bus pass and suchlike make me look much younger - longish brown curly hair- whereas I try to think I have gone a bit 'Judy Dench-ish' and now have it very short and have let it revert to grey/white, I hesitate to take Priscilla to a polling station as she would be horrified if I were turned away!
ReplyDeleteI shall go, but have no idea who the candidates are; other than the two Greens. I think we get TWO VOTES which is a first for me.
DeleteYou are very clear on your voting. Is the Green Party an elected environmental/social justice group fighting for their list of causes?We have a similar group and their current interest is insisting everybody install home geothermal heating systems and buy electric cars. This group can be very insistent and seem to feel they must run educational programs to rein everybody in. Attendance is lacking, yet they continue on.
ReplyDeleteYes, they're a bit that type of group. During the last General Election they wanted to stop children owning pet Rabbits, and to lower the length of Artists Copyrights. Neither, as you might imagine, were very popular. They present themselves as the 'do-gooder' party, but in fact they're not at all.
DeleteVote like your healthcare depended on it.
ReplyDeleteI wish everyone would do that, with all the strikes at the moment there would only be one winner.
DeleteTHIS IS A PARTY POLITICAL BROADCAST ON BEHALF OF THE LABOUR PARTY. VOTE LABOUR TOMORROW FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS! ( Assuming of course that you are an adult British citizen of sound mind who has registered to vote in the required manner.)
ReplyDeleteAnd don't forget your PHOTO ID.
DeleteLocal elections here, too, and as a resident I can apply to vote, but I don't think I'll bother.
ReplyDeleteWhen certain political parties start bullying the public into buying geothermal heating or electric cars (or whatever), I often wonder if there is a financial interest behind it, rather than for the good of the people. With many people struggling to pay day to day bills and feed themselves, it seems the height of folly to insist on such things.