Election Day

[Hotman]

The Mayoral thing seems like a more costly version of the same thing - whoever would be leader of the Council now will stand as Mayor and it being higher profile they surround themselves with costly advisors. It then becomes a personality contest. In London I expect Labour majority on the GLA and Johnson as Mayor because he says funny things on the telly and has amusing hair. Means we'll have a coalition government and a political system in our capital that struggles to work together too.

However disillusioned you feel just look at the amount of people throughout the world risking their lives to gain the right to vote. Like the man says, hold your nose and put your X, its an embarasement to our nation if you don't. If you can't vote for something vote against something but at least vote. Please.

Bollocks

I'm using my right not to vote this year. The question is - is apathy the fault of the voters, or the candidates? If a truly compelling reason for me to vote was given, rather than the ******** most people and politicians come out with, I'd vote.

I'm glad that the majority who don't vote have their own voice in that way - unlike places like Zimbabwe.

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

No one in their right mind would risk their lives to gain our political system. People risk their lives for democracy. What we have is a sham of demcracy and all voting does is legitimise that sham.

I'd say that the quality of democracy that the Arab Spring will result in will be poorer than the quality of our democracy and yet they will appreciate it a lot more.

Mr C - of course you have every right not to vote but I'll be voting against the Tories and if don't vote against Labour then you lose the chance to cancel me out and I would have thought that would appeal to you.

 

[Hotman]

I'd say that the quality of democracy that the Arab Spring will result in will be poorer than the quality of our democracy and yet they will appreciate it a lot more.

Mr C - of course you have every right not to vote but I'll be voting against the Tories and if don't vote against Labour then you lose the chance to cancel me out and I would have thought that would appeal to you.

I vote for who is the right person for the job, not the notional cause that they are fighting (Realistically, what is the difference between Blair's Labour and Cameron's Conservatives?)

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

I vote for who is the right person for the job, not the notional cause that they are fighting (Realistically, what is the difference between Blair's Labour and Cameron's Conservatives?)[/QUOTE]
Blair's Labour for me was progressive in its fight against dictatorships, in the introduction of a minimum wage, in stopping smoking in workplaces, in banning hunting with dogs, the introduction of civil partnerships - only Iraq / Afganistan Cameron would have the same policy (gay marriage he is advocating but I doubt he would have got the ball rolling to start with). The changes to the NHS I feel is a step back, the introduction of 'free schools' I think is just turning schools into profit makers for private companies, the policies on the economy are in basic terms investment verses cuts, the acceptance of mass unemployment as a by product of free markets is something that sits a lot more easily with Cameron. Its easy to criticise both parties but I think there are big differences between them.

 

[applelover]

The turnout in the appleton ward in benfleet at 7pm was 13%. I'd be amazed if many wards can match the 48% turnout so far on this thread poll.

I had the choice of two candidates, one from a party I detest, and one for a party I detest a bit less. I voted for the later and had an immediate shower when I got home to wash the grime off of myself.

Makes you proud to be British :)

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Vote early and vote often.:winking:

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

The turnout in the appleton ward in benfleet at 7pm was 13%. I'd be amazed if many wards can match the 48% turnout so far on this thread poll.

I had the choice of two candidates, one from a party I detest, and one for a party I detest a bit less. I voted for the later and had an immediate shower when I got home to wash the grime off of myself.

Makes you proud to be British :)

I used to go to Labour party meetings at a lovely little old Scottish lady's house in Avondale Road Benfleet, I was the youngest person there by about 40 years. We canvassed hard and won a majority in the Council which felt like a major coup. That was when John Smith was leader and at that point it felt like no compromises were needed. Not so much now but I still know what I don't like and am willing to vote against that.

 

[Gt Yarmouth Shrimper]

But I do to find my polling station! Looked it up on Google and found it.

In Sheffield we have a referendum about having the council run by a Leader or a Mayor, can someone explain the difference (and who I should vote for?).

[video=youtube;8zfDhRmmR4g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zfDhRmmR4g&feature=relmfu[/video]

 

[Jam_Man]

I'd say that people blur he lines a little with regard to local elections. They'll vote on National issues rather than what affects them locally. Therefore you may get a good Tory/Labour/Liberal Council (delete as applicable) voted out of office because people ae disillusioned with a particular party at National level.

The Tories will get a kicking, but I think the Lib Dems will fare worse. And IMO Boris will buck the trend in London and hopefully we have seen the last of Red Ken.

Lottery numbers please.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Lottery numbers please.

:smile: Join the queue.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

25% turnout in my ward yesterday. Rochford remains all Tory (no suprise there) bar one seat, Hullbridge ward who elected Green candidate again (with a bigger majority this time I think).

Southend BC Tories lost overall control but remain biggest single party.

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

Southend BC Tories lost overall control but remain biggest single party.

and before Barna gets too over himself, one of the independents is a deselected Tory councillor. He has in effect the casting vote. Does he go with the party that ditched him or not? How much does he hate his own party? Interesting times.

 

[Napster]

and before Barna gets too over himself, one of the independents is a deselected Tory councillor. He has in effect the casting vote. Does he go with the party that ditched him or not? How much does he hate his own party? Interesting times.

Considering how he was ditched, I would guess they would pick someone else.

 

[londonblue]

(Realistically, what is the difference between Blair's Labour and Cameron's Conservatives?)

Blair was believed to be a liar, but Cammeron actually is:

A month before the General Election, Cameron said: "Our plans involve cutting wasteful spending … our plans don't involve an increase in VAT." A week later, VAT was raised to 20%

The NHS, "We will stop top-down reorganisations of the NHS," (from the coalition agreement)

Increase the threshold on inheritance tax to £1,000,000. Didn't happen.

Liam Fox promised "a bigger army for a safer Britain", but it lost 7,000 soldiers.

On education maintenance allowances, Michael Gove said, just before the election: "Ed Balls keeps saying that we are committed to scrapping EMA. I have never said this. We won't." They did.

Cameron said he would re-introduce the married couple's allowance. He hasn't.

Prison for anyone carrying a knife; Hasn't happened.
No cuts to the navy;
Keeping the child trust fund for the poorest third of families;
No hospital closures;
3,000 more midwives;
A two-year council tax freeze
Family-friendly government were all deceptive conceits too.

And before anyone says politicians say anything to get elected, let's think back to 1997. Labour was so terrified of breaking pledges that it stuck painfully and needlessly for two years to Tory spending plans and kept to policies that the former chancellor Ken Clarke laughingly said he never had any intention of following.

 

[superblue24]

Good grief, what incredibly short memories you all have!

Let us not forget that Gordon Clown sold all of our countries gold reserves at a time when Gold was relatively low value in comparison to the premium value it's worth today. What a superstroke that was!

That is only a side issue to the ridiculous amount of debt that Labour plunged this country into during their tenure. I shudder to think of what state the country would be in if Labour were still at the helm although we dont have to "imagine", we can simply remember back to the Greek riots last year.

It seems to me that we have become an incredibly selfish nation thinking only about the "few quid" that has been taken here and there out of our pockets. The Conservatives have one overriding objective which is to get the country out of this massive hole and not end up in financial ruin. The only way to do this is to reduce benefits and increase taxes as far as the taxpayer is concerned. Labours answer was to go the other direction and get people spending their money and it clearly didn't work as the figures don't lie. I for one am happy to sacrifice some of my hard earned cash if it means a future for the country.

Additionally, I cannot say that I have ever seen a less charismatic Labour party leader than Ed Milliband. The gut looks clueless, sounds clueless and only ever seems to criticize the Tories without coming up with intelligent alternatives. Definitely NOT PM material and would be even more of an embarrassment than Bush was to USA.

I weep for my country at times.

 

[Pubey]

Labour retain control in Sheffield. Hillsborough switches from LD to Labour.

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

Good grief, what incredibly short memories you all have!

Let us not forget that Gordon Clown sold all of our countries gold reserves at a time when Gold was relatively low value in comparison to the premium value it's worth today. What a superstroke that was!

That is only a side issue to the ridiculous amount of debt that Labour plunged this country into during their tenure. I shudder to think of what state the country would be in if Labour were still at the helm although we dont have to "imagine", we can simply remember back to the Greek riots last year.

It seems to me that we have become an incredibly selfish nation thinking only about the "few quid" that has been taken here and there out of our pockets. The Conservatives have one overriding objective which is to get the country out of this massive hole and not end up in financial ruin. The only way to do this is to reduce benefits and increase taxes as far as the taxpayer is concerned. Labours answer was to go the other direction and get people spending their money and it clearly didn't work as the figures don't lie. I for one am happy to sacrifice some of my hard earned cash if it means a future for the country.

Additionally, I cannot say that I have ever seen a less charismatic Labour party leader than Ed Milliband. The gut looks clueless, sounds clueless and only ever seems to criticize the Tories without coming up with intelligent alternatives. Definitely NOT PM material and would be even more of an embarrassment than Bush was to USA.

I weep for my country at times.

reducing the debt was their main aim but its gone up, the governments econonomic policies are not working

 

[Neil_F]

reducing the debt was their main aim but its gone up, the governments econonomic policies are not working

No it wasn't, it was eliminating the structural deficit by the end of the Parliament. Debt would continue to climb throughout because the government would continue to borrow, it is just borrowing less on an annual basis.

The Labour party does know the difference between the deficit and debt doesn't it...?

 

[canveyshrimper]

No it wasn't, it was eliminating the structural deficit by the end of the Parliament. Debt would continue to climb throughout because the government would continue to borrow, it is just borrowing less on an annual basis.

The Labour party does know the difference between the deficit and debt doesn't it...?

Aren't two Eds better than one?
Or probably not in their case.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Boris wins London with 50.2% of the vote....I could be wrong but I read it somewhere :unsure: