I have voted in the council elections as is right and proper. You know me, I’m all about being Scottish and all that it brings good and bad, but for the first time I haven’t voted SNP.
There were three independents listed on the ballot paper and they got my pencilled 1, 2 and 3 in their check boxes, even the one who had proclaimed “christian values” in his pamphlet.
SNP want to cover my country in wind turbines so until they change their tune they can piss off. Our vote is power, if we all wielded it, if we had a 100% electorate turnout we could make a difference.
The independents no doubt have their quiet agendas too, but their jacket’s on a shaky nail with no one there to catch its fall if they screw up, so get them in and keep an eye on them is where I’m at for the moment.
It was a nice walk to the polling station in the evening light, time to think, time to get annoyed. There’s always time to get annoyed. The wreck in the harbour is blending into the scenery in colour and shape. Could be a metaphor in there somewhere.
If I keep getting skies like this a mere handful of metres above sea level, I may never climb a mountain again. I’ll just open the windows, wear my down socks and light the stove on the carpet.
The girls would love it.
For the first time in my adult life I’ve just not voted in an election and, whilst I’d certainly get off my arse to vote if I felt there was anyone to vote for, this time I was happy not to.
Our local election ballot paper offered only the 3 main candidates, Labour, Tory and LibDem. (I’m in Wales btw.)
Labour’s leaflet offered us an 18 year-old candidate just gone from sixth form to college. Now he might be a great lad with a strong duty of public service, but he sounded more like a posh boy with an eye on the career politician ladder. Apparently his “experience at school had made him passionate about education”, while “selling sweets to neighbours had given him an appreciation of entrepeneurship” – well, sorry if I’ve judged you wrong, but please go out and get some more life experience before attempting to represent and shape the lives of your constituents…
The Tory offered the attempted olive branch that he could readily stand as an independent but, seeing as how at a general election, he’d be voting Tory, he felt that was the honest way to stand. Nice try, but no thanks.
The LibDems weren’t even active enough to push a leaflet through the letterbox – no info, no vote!
So, UK democracy in action, and for the first time ever my democratic decision was that none of them deserved my endorsement. A sad day.
Same at my end, Matt and Petesy. I was sorely tempted not to go at all, then I think about those who died in the war (the big one, I mean…) so that we could have the privilege of choosing our masters and I forced myself to go to the polling station. But boy was it tough. No such luxury as you had, Pete, no independent candidate to reward. I’m really not sure I should have bothered to go after all. Like Matt, the choice was only between those three parties, plus the so-called Green Party that is happily cheering from the sidelines as the bulldozers keep trashing of our hills. Lochluichart the latest casualty, with the yellow diggers busy opening up its braes.
Like Peter, the SNP *would* have got my vote but for their blind support for the wind madness. Won’t make a difference, but at least I feel better for it!
We had around ten candidates on our ballot paper and the turnout in the village was very high too, something like 60/70%, maybe the choice or the possibility of getting someone different in plays a part in that?
Democracy is a wonderful thing but it’s stil not quite right is it when you have to chose between the usual suspects or nothing.
It all needs fixing, all of it.
I looked up our result. The Tory got in with 520 votes vs 180 for the Labour lad and 50 for the LibDem. So 750 votes cast (no idea what the local electorate numbers) but the Tory gets 2/3rds, so there’s really no chance of my ‘first past the post’ vote counting for anything anyway.
Expand that out to our Westminster constituency and it’s always Labour winning with a similar share. I just can’t understand why more people didn’t at least fancy a crack at the Alternative vote system in last year’s referendum :(
I didn’t vote. I probably should class myself as one of the ignoramuses that has no idea about politics but should know better.
I just feel, as many may do, that we get shafted whatever way we turn. Fuels going up, cost of living in general just seems to be spiralling. I just can’t see it changing. What will make the difference? I am definitely open to suggestions.
Maybe we should start an Outdoors Party. Preserve the outdoors. Lower fuel to get there. Three day weekends to make the most of the it. That should do to start with.
We got three independants and mix of the regular colours. It’s better than most I think.
Outdoor Party? As long as I can pick the colours for the log…