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UK politics general discussion
- Thread starter Craig
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Alix
TS Member
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- The Swarm or Oblivion
I’ve just followed my own advice and tracked down profiles on my local candidates. I have to be careful what I say as I’m a civil servant so excuse the vagueness. Couldn’t find on BBC so had to do a bit of a dig around. We have no independents in my ward. Two of the main parties have published candidate profiles on local community pages (along with their own web pages), one has just names, not even photos. Check that party’s local pages, also just names, no profile.
How can they expect people (especially floating voters) to vote for them if they can’t be bothered to write a pen picture and their key issues?
How can they expect people (especially floating voters) to vote for them if they can’t be bothered to write a pen picture and their key issues?
jon81uk
TS Member
I think if you put your postcode in here it will tell you who the candidates are, then you can Google their names to find more information.
Local elections 2023: When are they and who can vote?
Local elections in some parts of England and Northern Ireland are taking place in May.
www.bbc.co.uk
For local council elections I think the quality of the individual is more important than their party affiliation. Where we used to live we had a great very active councillor in a neighbouring ward who did a lot to help residents, but he initially was Conservative (changed to independent later) and the effort he put in was the important part not the party.
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In some ways the council elections are more important for local issues that the General election is.
There is - at least - a chance you'll get a local councilllor who will fight for local issues.
With the GE you've very likely to get a whipped robot parachuted in who's probably never even lived in the area they're supposed to represent.
There is - at least - a chance you'll get a local councilllor who will fight for local issues.
With the GE you've very likely to get a whipped robot parachuted in who's probably never even lived in the area they're supposed to represent.
Matt.GC
TS Member
I was going to suggest the BBC website as others have done. Also got the locals around here in a few days. I actually know one of the local councillors as I used to work with him. He's a Tory and he's had his council seat for years. Despite the fact he's a Tory and I used to be a Labour party member we get on rather well. You can have strong views without falling out with everyone.
I'm writing a speech today for my dad's funeral and I loved him dearly, as I do my mother. I think the Greens are insane, but they always voted Green. Doesn't change the relationship so I'm puzzled as to why you feel this way? You're an adult who is quite rightly taking your democratic right very seriously. I think you voting for the first time is a wonderful thing and you give me more hope for the future knowing someone as young as you is engaged in this way. Don't throw that away over silly family loyalty guilt. It would be more "selfish" in my opinion if you voted a certain way just to keep a loved one happy rather than what you genuinely believe in. It's also a secret ballot. I don't tell work colleagues (since I manage many people with various views and opinions it would be inappropriate to do so) but pretty much everyone else knows. I have a Vote Labour sign in my window and my Daily Mail reading next door neighbours don't mind a jot when they're bringing stuff round for the kids. It's up to you who you tell and entirely up to you to vote for who you think would serve your community better. That's your democratic right and it's very precious.
I'm writing a speech today for my dad's funeral and I loved him dearly, as I do my mother. I think the Greens are insane, but they always voted Green. Doesn't change the relationship so I'm puzzled as to why you feel this way? You're an adult who is quite rightly taking your democratic right very seriously. I think you voting for the first time is a wonderful thing and you give me more hope for the future knowing someone as young as you is engaged in this way. Don't throw that away over silly family loyalty guilt. It would be more "selfish" in my opinion if you voted a certain way just to keep a loved one happy rather than what you genuinely believe in. It's also a secret ballot. I don't tell work colleagues (since I manage many people with various views and opinions it would be inappropriate to do so) but pretty much everyone else knows. I have a Vote Labour sign in my window and my Daily Mail reading next door neighbours don't mind a jot when they're bringing stuff round for the kids. It's up to you who you tell and entirely up to you to vote for who you think would serve your community better. That's your democratic right and it's very precious.
Benzin
TS Member
Your family sound like the most stereotypical DM reading Tory voters who complain about everything that's wrong with this country then refuse to vote for anyone else because "they've always voted Conservative".
Vote for who you want. If your family has a problem with you doing so that's not your fault, but theirs for being close minded and not allowing alternative opinions from those who are actually struggling in the modern world.
Vote for who you want. If your family has a problem with you doing so that's not your fault, but theirs for being close minded and not allowing alternative opinions from those who are actually struggling in the modern world.
Matt N
TS Member
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I’m sure they wouldn’t have a problem with me doing so, in hindsight, and I imagine that most of my previous worries were in my head. In reality, I probably put a lot more pressure on myself than anyone externally puts on me.
Funnily enough, I wouldn’t call anyone in my family a loyal Conservative voter, from what I can tell.
My one set of grandparents supported the Conservatives in 2019, but they both voted Remain and only voted Conservative because they wanted an end to the Brexit impasse and Boris Johnson was presenting one. Although come to think of it, my nan does always say that she “quite likes” Boris Johnson…
My other grandad is hard to pin down in this regard. He voted Brexit and seemingly agrees with many of the current Conservative immigration policies, but he actually had a doorstep row with our local Conservative MP during the last election campaign where he called Boris Johnson a “filthy liar” and said he refused to vote Conservative with Johnson at the helm. Although he also repeatedly warns that Labour will “bankrupt the country”…
I'm not sure that's true; the number of eligible voters who die before the next election hasn't fallen, it's the number of people in that pensioner/retirement voter group collectively which rises as time goes on.
A healthy person voting in their 70s today will have reason to expect they'll live another 10-20 years. That being the case, it can't be that they are "voting for a future they simply will not be a part of".
tayspru
TS Member
A prime example of the above phenomen is Brexit, it’s screwed the entire country and sufficient number of voters have died since that the result would now be decisively remain. As well as this, even those in their 70s, while they may still live through the consequences of their votes for some time, are also unlikely to be meaningfully contributing to the economy, and will be largely unaffected by policy decisions on education, housing, rental rules, economic policy
The main point though, to get back to influence by family etc - it’s your future you’re voting for
The main point though, to get back to influence by family etc - it’s your future you’re voting for
Yikes.
tayspru
TS Member
Meaning retirees invariably don’t pay income tax. Not everything is an attack
Getting worse.
Every opinion is sacred and every vote precious. To suggest that some voters are more deserving than others on the grounds of adult age, economic activity, tax paid or frankly anything is pretty abhorrent to me.
tayspru
TS Member
My point being however, that their motivations to vote are very different compared to those who are in employment, are looking to buy property, or have children in the immediate future. They have every right to their vote, but to vote the same as them just “because” often isn’t on the interests of younger voters
Also, when the “opinion” in question puts the human rights of an actual person in jeapordy (for example trans people, immigrants), then no - that opinion isn’t sacred
You cited Brexit as an example of how older votes "screwed the country"; I'm not sure I can find any compelling evidence that younger citizens voted as their grandparents asked them to in that referendum but perhaps you know differently?
Your contribution was also in the context of a previous post where you baselessly stated the number of people voting on matters which they will not be around to see out was going up.
If you're not in favour of voter suppression, as I'm quite sure like me you are not, you need to be careful about what you suggest.
It is in the context of a democracy. You can't simply exclude people who have a different opinion to your own, and yes that includes moral issues. Part of that is trusting that progressive liberal values will win out (and yes part of progression is that dinosaurs eventually become extinct).
Either way if you are relying on gerrymandering or voter suppression then ultimately the omens are not good historically.
Alsty
TS Member
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If you have a Conservative council and would like to change that, this site can help you to vote tactically to oust them: StopTheTories.Vote
I know I'm in a Labour council, so outside the scope of your post, but they're encouraging me to vote for the Lib Dems... I question the wisdom of encouraging voting Lib Dem in a Labour area where the Tories normally come second.
I hate our voting system.
Matt.GC
TS Member
I think it's the specific ward you're in. For instance, Labour don't have a hope on hell of winning my local council, but are second place in my specific ward. They got hammered at an overall UA level but have the best chance of winning on this ward.
Tom
TS Member
From the couple of things I've looked at, I believe the site is somewhat discounting the general massive swing to Labour in the polls. For example it is suggesting many Green tactical votes in seats where I think the Greens could be swept aside by a general Labour surge. We shall see!
The voting system is hideous, but overall it is the easiest, cheapest and most decisive method of voting so I have learned to pinch my nose and bear it....but anyone mention the word 'mandate' and I can still be triggered...
The voting system is hideous, but overall it is the easiest, cheapest and most decisive method of voting so I have learned to pinch my nose and bear it....but anyone mention the word 'mandate' and I can still be triggered...