UK Local Elections today

[oggbashan]

I have voted in the elections for my local City Hall.

I had to choose 3 candidates from the list. Ignoring Brexit and looking at local issues only I had the three major parties to choose from:

One I would never vote for because their impact locally has been disastrous in the past and their policies would be in future; another I wouldn't vote for now because their declared intentions will damage the local community; which left me with the third party that is well-intentioned but naive.

I could have spoiled my vote but I believe I have a duty to vote for the least-worst offer. There were three other candidates each representing a different and limited viewpoint and I can't agree with two of them.

The well-intentioned but naive ones got my vote this time. It will be interesting to see what the result is. The number of people voting is likely to be a small percentage of those eligible to vote, so what will happen is wide open.

 

[bodysong]

I feel sad, when I see America's political flaws mirrored across the pond.


Did the UK escape the syndrome of seeing political radicals invade a vulnerable village, only to threaten and bully the local populace ?

 

[JackLuis]

Good Luck Ogg,

 

[shewantsmore]

I didnt vote in the elections,I always vote in the general ones but for the local councils I just dont see the point

 

[Dumpington]

bodysong writes: "I feel sad, when I see America's political flaws mirrored across the pond."

And WHAT exactly are "America's politcal flaws?" that make you so unhappy?

I guess I feel sad when I see the same socialist economic policies advocated by American politicians like Bernie Sanders & Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being mirrored in crumbling nations like Venezuela, but I'd HARDLY refer them them as "America's flaws" as those failed economic views belong pretty much exclusively to the neo-socialist movement currently taking over the modern Democratic Party!

Likewise, those European nations that made the huge mistake advocated by our President Obama of welcoming tens of thousands of Muslim migrants and their anti-western lifestyles were HARDLY America's mistake! But yes, I suppose I can see how our own flaws in this regard can be "mirrored across the pond!"

President Obama brought in enough Muslims to Minnesota's 5th U.S. Congressional District that they were able to elect an anti-Semitic congresswoman to represent them in Washington! Representative Ilhan Omar deeply hates Israel, she's described the 9/11 attacks as "some guys doing some stuff," and today she blamed the U.S. for the people of Venezuela revolting against the brutal & illegal regime of Nicolas Maduro. If somebody is anti-American, then Ilhan Omar agrees with them.

"Did the UK escape the syndrome of seeing political radicals invade a vulnerable village, only to threaten and bully the local populace?"

Muslims who believe in Islamic Sharia Law will NEVER be happy living in western nations. Here in the United States, their belief-system is completely INCOMPATIBLE with the protections afforded by our U.S. Constitution, but that hasn't stopped them from demanding that America restaurants stop serving meats like bacon and/or ham, which some businesses have gutlessly adhered to in an effort to appease Islamic customers.

 

[sharingfantasies]

I didnt vote in the elections,I always vote in the general ones but for the local councils I just dont see the point

Many people use local councils as a stepping stone on their way up to larger elections. In the US, a lot of our state and national representatives should never have gotten as far as they did, but many people made the same choice you did. Now that they are making decisions that affect everyone in the country, we are finding out that they often said or did undesirable things when they were first starting out which they continue to say and do today. Every election counts as it can affect the future representatives of the country or the courts.

 

[butters]

i find it inordinately sad that people don't bother to vote

it is their choice, but people died getting the vote for women, and before that the struggle for the general populace (of men) to have a voice in how their world was ordered was a long and brutal affair.

too many young people, especially, feel so distanced from politics that they don't see the point in voting. which allows others to take control over all the mundane decisions that will affect their every day lives.

 

[DeYaKen]

I didnt vote in the elections,I always vote in the general ones but for the local councils I just dont see the point

Deserve the council you get then.

Ours is such a foregone conclusion that they don't bother to start the count until 10am the following day. Still doesn't stop me making my statement though.

 

[oggbashan]

Deserve the council you get then.

Ours is such a foregone conclusion that they don't bother to start the count until 10am the following day. Still doesn't stop me making my statement though.

Only one result so far: The previous leader (Con) has lost his seat to Lib Dem. Even if he had had all the votes given to UKIP he would still have lost.

 

[oggbashan]

16 results locally so far. 10 Cons; 3 Lib Dem; 3 Labour. Turnout generally very low, less than 30%.

Cons, UKIP and Labour have lost a lot of support to the Lib Dems and Greens. But most significant statistic so far is those who didn't vote at all.

 

[oggbashan]

One of my nieces has been re-elected in her area with a massively increased majority.

 

[oggbashan]

Nationally the Conservatives lost over 1,000 council seats and Labour lost less than 100. Labour expected to gain about 400. The Liberal Democrats, Greens and independents gained from a poor turnout.

The Pundits are suggesting that this means? All I can surmise is that 'don't care' and 'none of the above' are the big gainers.

 

[DeYaKen]

Nationally the Conservatives lost over 1,000 council seats and Labour lost less than 100. Labour expected to gain about 400. The Liberal Democrats, Greens and independents gained from a poor turnout.

The Pundits are suggesting that this means? All I can surmise is that 'don't care' and 'none of the above' are the big gainers.

Well, if they can't be bothered to vote we can only assume that most people are happy with the status quo. If not, surely they would have tried to change things.

Dorset was indeed a foregone conclusion. The only surprise is that the Lib Dems took a number of seats.

Pundits have claimed that the low turnout was a protest against the failure to deliver Brexit. If it was, then the protesters shot themselves in the foot since the biggest gains went to Anti-Brexit parties.

 

[oggbashan]

Well, if they can't be bothered to vote we can only assume that most people are happy with the status quo. If not, surely they would have tried to change things.

Dorset was indeed a foregone conclusion. The only surprise is that the Lib Dems took a number of seats.

Pundits have claimed that the low turnout was a protest against the failure to deliver Brexit. If it was, then the protesters shot themselves in the foot since the biggest gains went to Anti-Brexit parties.

The Pro-Brexit parties generally didn't put candidates forward. They are saving their efforts for the European elections later this month.

How far do local elections reflect national trends? Or are they decided on local issues? The Conservatives expected to lose many councillors and some councils because they were at a high point when these seats were contested last, and mid-term elections always has a small trend against the party in charge at Westminster, but they didn't expect to lose so many.

The real issue is Labour's poor showing. They should have made many gains against the Conservatives. They expected 400 gains and instead lost seats.

If there were to be a General Election tomorrow, no party would win outright control.

 

[DeYaKen]

The Pro-Brexit parties generally didn't put candidates forward. They are saving their efforts for the European elections later this month.

How far do local elections reflect national trends? Or are they decided on local issues? The Conservatives expected to lose many councillors and some councils because they were at a high point when these seats were contested last, and mid-term elections always has a small trend against the party in charge at Westminster, but they didn't expect to lose so many.

The real issue is Labour's poor showing. They should have made many gains against the Conservatives. They expected 400 gains and instead lost seats.

If there were to be a General Election tomorrow, no party would win outright control.

Both main parties claim to be pro-Brexit, but as we know Brexit has always meant different things to different people. UKIP started from a low position and was the only smaller party to lose ground. Over the years many have tried to equate local and General Elections, it never works. People vote differently in local elections personalities and local issues matter more in locals. This is why Lib-Dems usually do better. They are much better at highlighting local issues. You only have to look at the literature The Tories' are produced by Central Office with only 15% devoted to local candidates and issues. Lib-Dems are matt, poor quality paper and 100% devoted to local issues and candidates. Didn't see Labour's I think they wrote Dorset off before they even started.