alternative vote
 

the referendem for the alternative vote is on the fith of may whats everybodies view. do you think it is a good idea,will it work ?

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Afraid I would only vote for the one candidate I prefer ... would be very focused on this. No intention of putting Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss 'wasteofspace' in second/third or fourth choice.

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I'll be voting for it. If a seat is being contested by 2 people then fair enough the person with the majority of votes is the winner. However if more than 2 people are standing it's fairly common that the winner with the most votes does not actually have the majority of the votes.

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i put won't vote,cos no faith in any of the parties, but if i was compelled to choose would be remain as is,

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If I were still there, I would vote "yes". We have the same sorta debate going on here. It's going to be a hard sell to the voters, most of whom are set in their political ways. But it will, I believe, go someway to addressing the problem of having majority governments elected by a minority of the voters.

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I'd vote for a butchers dog if I thought it would get rid of the system we have here , once in, they are in for life or until they quit , incumbants have an over 85% chance of being re-elected, what with gerrymandering to 'create' safe seats and no spending caps our system sucks. :eek: :eek:

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My feelings on this are exactly the same as Kate, I would only be voting for one candidate, as I'm sure others would as well

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My own personal feelings on this are very much to stick with what we have until someone persuades me that arbitrarily turning losers into winners is a good idea.

I have a feeling that this will become a real hot potato for politicians in the coming weeks.

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If I vote, I'll opt to keep the present system, but it's hardly the most burning issue of the day in the eyes of the public, is it? When talk turns to politics in pubs or at work, how often do you hear it discussed? The whole thing is just the Tories' way of keeping the LibDems on side in their present economic programme.

Why don't they have a referendum on something that concerns the public more like membership of the EU? Because all politicians, Tory, Labour and LibDems are scared that the public might give the "wrong" answer. Democracy? You must be joking!

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My thoughts entirely Ken except your last statement, don't think people will be that bothered really, as I don't think it will increase the turnout at the polling stations on May 5th

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I suspect that with AV/Google Page Ranking, or whatever alternative to the present system is proposed, then we would see a whole load of losers being elected.
The LibDems have always supported Google Page Ranking because it is the only way they can get any useful number of MPs, but even with that they are only ever likely to be a prostitution party - willing to sell themselves to whichever of the two main parties promise them the most power.
Is the current system really broke? If it ain't broke, don't try and fix it!

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I was meaning more between themselves as there are bound to be party splits on this. My own stance would appear to be different to Ed Milliband, for example. As far as the general public are concerned, less than half actually vote in elections and I would imagine that many people don't fully understand what AV entails.

The situation we are in nationally is potentially what we could get countrywide - people in power that fewer people voted for and it smacks to me of a back door way for runners up to gain control. If someone gets more votes than someone else, however small the numbers or however narrow the margin, then they should win in my opinion.

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i wanted to vote 'Yes' as my first preference and 'No' as my second preference but unfortunately the present system does not allow it.

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Very good, Tealeaf .. :rofl38:

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Sorry Ken got the wrong impression, If we went to a AV system we would have more coalition governments, with people like the BNP Green EDL even the MRLP holding the balance of power, take a look what happens in Italy, it would be more destabilising than anything really, plus the fact that come May 5th I would be very surprised if the overall turnout would be over 50%

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Candidates can win under AV without gaining over 50% of the vote too.

The people that come 2nd, 3rd or 4th in the popular vote shouldn't end up being elected.

I'll be voting no but it's hardly a burning issue.

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Don't suppose it really matters in all honesty, the continual low turn outs at varying levels of polling show the publics utter disillusionment & general feeling of alienation from the politicians, parties & policies enforced upon them throughout the land.

Until everyone eligible to vote partakes there will be no true representation of how people truly feel about the style & art of government administered upon them. Far too many turn away because they feel they aren't listened to & until that root problem is sorted no matter what form of voting is in place there won't be a true reflection of the populaces attitudes or willingness to subjugate themselves to a particular form of governance.

If you need any sort of confirmation check the Poll referring to this very thread in relation to the numbers partaking to those who've read & are aware of this issue. Now take that limited cross section of a voting public & then spread it UK wide ! Pretty much sums up the apathy & diffidence of the population. :rolleyes:

To summarise, what needs to change is not necessarily the style of voting, but more the lack of voting participation. Personally I'd make it compulsory, yes there'd be resentment & folk'd probably turn that resentment into protest & spoilt votes, but at least it'd be 100% turnout, so there'd be no come backs, it'd be a case of you had the choice, no one to blame or hide behind.

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im still undecided :confused: lookslike it could be a resounding no

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The annoying thing is that every household will be getting a 8 page booklet to explain both systems would guess it would consist of seven and a half pages on the PV system and a couple of lines saying VOTE FOR ONLY ONE CANDIDATE, PLACE A X NEXT TO THE CANDIDATE OF YOUR CHOISE, the old system seems to work for me:D

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Of course, it'll be no (from those who bother to vote) but that's not the point of the exercise. It'll have achieved its purpose because the Tories will have kept their side of the bargain with the LibDems and will thus be able to keep them on side for their next round of cost cutting. And the whole expensive business will have been paid for by us mugs who have been told by this same government to tighten our belts!

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I would much prefer a referendum on our continued membership of that costly farce that is the EU.........I won't hold my breath though.

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Wouldn't if I were you, Margaret, it could be bad for your health. Perhaps an Accyweb politico could tell us why they won't give us a referendum on the EU? Sssshhhh...:rolleyes:

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As you well know I'm very busy with local issues at the moment so this isn't really one for me to answer.

However, whichever side of the fence you sit on regarding Europe, it has to be admitted that the lack of a referendum for the public on membership of the EU is getting increasingly harder to justify considering the number of times it has been requested and even hinted at in the run up to the last General Election.

Compare that to the reasons for the referendum on the Alternative Voting system...

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:s_gupjump Karma sent for making me laugh on a wet Sunday afternoon (and for the rest of your reply too, mate!)

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I don't see any point in voting at all. Recent adminstrations, including the current lot, have shown that the will of the people is just there to be ignored, the primary case being our continued piggy-bank membership of the rotten European Union which continues to take us all for a ride. Given the choice of our continued membership in a referendum is the one and only reason that would encourage me to consider voting again.

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The very attitude I'm keen to get rid of on both sides of the fence.

Local elections are completely different from national politics and make absolutely no change to those in power in Westminster. Make your councillors accountable, phone them, hassle them when something isn't right in your town. We're not here just to beg for your votes every four years and it would pay for a few more councillors to realise this.

Please vote in your local elections, it's the only voice you have.

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It really doesn't help when national politicians like Ed Milliband give the impression that local politics is the same as national politics.

I do wish that people could see that there is a vast difference when voting in local elections.
In national elections vote for the party that you feel most closely aligned to......the one which reflects your own personal core values.

In local elections vote for the person who you feel can do the best job for your own locality, regardless of the party to which they belong.

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wihhout europe we have no defence with this administration..

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It's a vote that has been a long time coming and if it is a no then it will be a long time coming back round again.

I think AV could work even if it makes the politicians sit up particulary in marginals and think well I have got to work on this knowing that they will have to perhaps look more than there normal party marginalised policies to work more for the broader electorate.

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I think AV is far to complicated, and most people want only the person they choose as their elected member...they don't want to choose 2nd and 3rd choices.
There is already so much apathy about voting, this will not help that situation one little bit........and some of the older voters will be alienated by the changes.

With AV we run the risk of having water weak administration for ever.

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On the contrary, it is the electorate who need to be better informed about what their councillors actually do for them. From talking to the public on the doorsteps and across the borough it becomes apparent that a vast number vote for the badge and not the person, regardless of how good a job they are doing.

Many people seem to be under the impression that a vote for Labour in the Rishton election is a vote to put Ed Milliband in 10 Downing Street on May 6th or that a Tory vote will keep David Cameron in power and it is an uphill struggle to convince people of the difference between local and national elections.

I have lost count of the people I have helped with a problem but who will still not vote Labour in the locals under any circumstances on principle. When I ask them if they know who their Tory councillor is the stock response is almost always 'I don't know but it doesn't matter'.

The reverse will be true across the board but the AV system will not get rid of that.

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On the other hand, it is the only chance the electorate have (until the next General Election in 2015) to express their verdict on the performance of national politicians. If you stand on a Labour or Conservative ticket, the voters won't differentiate between national and local politics (and why should they?).

And the ruling party locally will, in my experience, rarely rock the boat when its own party is in power nationally.

I know it won't make much difference in Hyndburn, but I think the biggest legacy of the 2011 local elections will be the disappearance of a lot of hard working local Liberal Democrat councillors who will be judged on the performance of their national leaders.

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I agree with what you're saying but a Labour or Conservative badge is an expression of opinion on national issues. For a useless local party to coast into power simply on the back of the party in Westminster is no good for anyone. We have several apathetic councillors who wave to the populace every time elections draw near and get voted in because of the badge.

Whilst in principle the AV system tries to do away with this it will never work because of those people who blindly vote for party colours and all we will end up with is lazy councillors who have found that their luck is running out suddenly garnering more votes by default.

The public doesn't trust politicians, I've learned that much from talking to residents on the doorstep who see us as being in it for what we can get. Councillors have to work harder anyway since the expenses scandal in order to justify their positions and quite rightly so.

Change the way your councillors behave, not the way they rack up their votes.

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Nothing to do with local elections, this system would only be used at General elections, at local elections you very rarely get any more than a two horse race so PV voting would be useless, Oh and by the way there are bloody useless Labour councillors too

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I have met at least one :rolleyes:

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I hear what you're saying, Ken - and I recognise that local and national politics are fundamentaly different in their essence. However, the promises made on the doorstep during election campaigns should be taken with a pinch of salt as they never, ever seem to bear fruition.

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Many voters in local elections don't vote on local issues . They use it as an opportunity to put two fingers up to those in Westminster . If nationally Labour do well in the May elections , the political pundits will say that it was a bad night for the Government .

Whether it is right or wrong , that's how it comes across . It always has been that way as long as I can remember .

One sure way of remedying it is to take party politics out of local government .

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Local Elections held on one day, teh first thursday in May, simply turn into a referendum on the national government. However spreading them out wouldn't change anything in my view.

Voting on the government is an easy option and it not only represents issues that are of greatest importance to themajority, national issues. They are the issues people are familiar with and understand.

Local Councillors have to work very hard to compete with the bigger, national issues which pervade into people’s lives through tv news, newspapers and national policy such as the NHS.

Some local councillors manage to match national news with local news because of their efforts and their results run slightly at odds with national trends proving that local can be important.

People vote for a party locally because it represents a guaranteed offer, essentially left or right. Many voters never see candidates and if they do it is only for a moment on the doorstep and badge gurantee's some form of a contract between voter and candidate. Party's also offer a commitment to work together and a mandate. The major Party's have tended to offer a clear winner too.

All these factors I think form the basis of local election results which is shame. Councillor Britcliffe has wasted tens of £millions and under normal circumstances would never have been allowed anywhere near the leaders office.

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As opposed to the Billions of £s and many thousands of lives , (many of them British) wasted on an illegal war (Iraq) co-started/sponsored by the ex leader of the Party of which you are so proud to support . :rolleyes:

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Not to sure how I feel about this post , think if I was a Rishton voter I could really take offense that a candidate/Party looking for my vote would take such an elitist view of his electorate ....terms like "vast number"/"Many people" , (which suggests more than 50% + of the population) .... "need to be better informed" , do you really think the folks of Rishton are ignorant donkeys to be used for political gamesmanship .
Some people on either side of the political spectrum could think "better informed" could mean introduction of re-education camps (a Stalin/Harriet Harmon type of thing ... "we know whats best for you" ), or
maybe some sort of 'educational' means test could be introduced to wean out the non political savvy , ie was Lord Palmerston a Whig or a Tory ?
I think Mr Moss if you and your party want the votes of the folks of Rishton you need to show a bit more respect for the whole and not just the few, and stop using terms like "better informed" and "uphill struggle" ;)

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I don't know about this .... I get your point, and that of Ken too. It's one of the tricky questions about democracy. I think that the politically savvy Rishton voter would tend to agree with Ken, though. And the question of the politically ignorant voter, or the ones that really don't give a flying you know what, is a thorny one. But it's one that I think should be left alone. The only qualification for voting should be citizenship (and age of course). I don't believe that is something to be tampered with. Maybe something that could be done within the education system.

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steeljack, with the greatest respect, I think you are too far(geographically) removed from the situation to know what you are talking about.

Ken is not being disrespectful about the locals of Rishton. In respect of local government, and elections of local government officials, I think that many folk have such an apathetic view of politics, that they 'turn off' intellectually when such things are mentioned......and as such will be able to tell you very little about local politics.....because they see it as boring, uninteresting.

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But it's the truth and I see it as part of my job to make sure the electorate are better informed about who we are and what we do. Since I got elected I have written several letters to every household, taken over running of the noticeboards and made as much of an effort as I can online to publicise what the Rishton councillors actually do.

I want everyone in Rishton to at least know who their councillors are because some of them still don't. When I am out in the village I always have some cards and a notepad with me so that if someone does present me with a problem it can be properly documented there and then. Whilst canvassing I have been able to report several things because some residents still don't know that a quick phonecall to any one of us could have dealt with it.

The fault lies with the councillors in most cases and in three years time when I go asking for people to vote for me again I would hope that most people at least recognise my name.

There really is no excuse for a politician who claims to represent the community and yet is never seen.

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Well as I say to everyone on the door who asks what Clare Cleary will do for Rishton (and asked the same thing of me last year), no one who comes a-knocking can make you any cast iron promises about what they will definitely get done in your town and those who do aren't worth your vote. All we can offer you on the doorstep before an election is what we stand for, the problems that we are aware of and how we would go about dealing with those problems to help the community. You could vote for a candidate who promises something and find in May that they do not control the council so how can they honour that promise?

No one can guarantee you anything, beware of those who do.

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I have seen My Tory councillor around 7 or 8 times since last May on the estate where I live, haven't seen hide or hair of her Labour counterpart

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The same will be true of me in parts of Rishton, some areas take up much more of my time than others and so lots of residents still don't really know who I am. However, my previous statement still applies and if you have a problem then take it up with your councillors, that's what we're here for.

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Oh I have no problems Ken, just pointing out and clarifying about your statement about not seeing councillors, if I do have problems I do know the correct way to go about things, think I grasped that during my involvement with local government:rolleyes:;):D

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I haven't seen any councillor of any party or any counterpart since last May .

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aint seen any fer years.

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Well done .

I only wish all the councillors and election candidates would do the same .

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I admit to voting for the Greg Pope at the time of the Iraq War . It took me a long time to realise what a hypocrite I was . If Margaret Thatcher had been Prime Minister I would have been opposing it from the start .

Such is the tribalism of party politics .

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Well to be honest JCB until this term (starting last May) I have very rarely seen a councillor from ANY party around the estate where I live and we have had councillors from both parties who actually live on the estate, but never saw them up and about. As I said earlier I have seen the Tory councillor knocking about on numerous occasions and not during the day, but early evenings and weekends

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I agree with Ken. Local government deserves it's own debate rather than a national context.

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Shan't be voting for it.

More unfair than the present system.

Would have voted in favour of proportional representation.

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I am interested to know why we are living in not normal circumstances, please explain what you mean Graham.

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I don't fully understand Google Page Ranking but I think it is better than this AV.

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Well normal circumstances to Graham is a 35 seat labour majority council Neil:D

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Be very careful about Alternative Voting, we have here in Australia a similar system for the Federal Government, guess what some of the minority parties get in and stuff things up.

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Parties get in here under the first past the post system and stuff things up every time .

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seen one round here yep the scottish christian party Contact Scottish Christian Party theyve even got all their billboards in the town centre..

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God botherers knock on doors 52 weeks to year, don't forget to cancel them when you go on holiday:D

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Jehovah's Witnesses don't take any part in elections , Jaysay . :rolleyes:

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They're not the only God botherers though JCB;)

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The AV system is the system that is used in the London Mayor Elections and what got Tory Boris Johnson in as Mayor in 2008.

Baically it doesn't matter who gets in if you look at the way it works they all fall down at the end and people end up hating them, whoever it is.

I think I'll probably vote for AV then you can make strategic votes.

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The more I look into this AV system the less I like it.
Take the 3 main parties.. if your preference is the tory candidate then your second is likley to be the lib-dem rather than labour.. I think the same goes for most labour voters..second choice lib-dem (or the monster looney bisciut party)... so little wonder the lib-dems are all for this system.. it could win them seats just by coming second!

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Even though most Labour politicans are against the introduction of AV, it's the method they use, when voting for their party leader.

:rolleyes:

I would vote for Proportional Representation, but not for this tin-pot half-way house.

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True..and I can see why the tories and labour don't like the idea of AV.. it would probably mean less seats for both of those parties.. but I won't be voting for something that, to be honest I don't fully understand. :confused:

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If AV is so good why are there only 3 (?) countries that use it - only Australia. Fiji and I think one other, use it and Fiji are dropping it very soon and i think Australia are considering dropping it.
Surely, if it is better than first past the post then more countries would use it.
Of course the Lib-Dems want it as it is their only chance of getting more seats. The majority of votes that they get are only protest votes against the Tory and Labour parties/personalities.
They must pray at every election for a hung parliament so that they can become King Makers.

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You summed the useless ******* up very well yon Barrie.;)

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Eloquently put sir

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thats what i said.:D

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Ya but not as eloquently cashy:D

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Can I vote no as my first choice and yes as my second?:confused::D:D

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Those who say that the 1st past the post system will avoid confusion and watered down government, seem to have forgot we have a coalition now because the 1st past the post system hasn't worked at the 2010 election - thus we have this coalition.

With AV; MP's will have to work harder to keep their seat - I am personally sick of MP's who have seats for life off less than 50% of the consituency vote.

What is AV? | Yes to fairer votes - Yes to AV - Alternative Vote

If they spent the same amount of time on TV, explaining how the AV works rather than promoting that Royal Wedding - this would be a far better country!

AV will mean that politicians and politics is fairer.

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I'm afraid I must disagree there.

The more candidates there are in an election the more diverse the vote is going to be. There were 9 candidates last year and the public are expected to rate them in order? I didn't hear from half of them myself so essentially 4 or 5 of the points from my ballot sheet would have been falsely awarded from the start because I knew nothing about them. The losers' points would then have been arbitrarily awarded to people who I wouldn't have voted for simply in order for someone to break through the 50% mark.

Nothing about that system speaks of democracy to me, it is just a way of bumping up the votes for lesser parties and actually making the system less fair by forcing people to allocate points to people they wouldn't want in power in the first place.

It's a definite 'no' from me.

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I know how it works.

It's like an election procedure designed by some crackpot committee.

A charter for losers.

Thankfully it hasn't a cat in Hell's chance of being implemented.

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Well, that is unless the Scots and the Welsh vote for it.
It seems that this might just happen....the turnout at the Scottish elections is predicted to be high and they are also more in favour of AV....or so it was reported.

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It is quite possible that the AV referendum will be won on a very small turnout of voters possibly on 25% of voters will vote. If 51% of those voted in favour of AV it would mean that the Yes to AV would win with only 13% of the total electorate of the UK. As Margaret said in post 78 there are all out elections for the Scottish Parliament and also the Welsh Assembly so there are likely to be more people voting in those 2 countries and they already have a system of alternative voting.

I am not in favour of AV however voters would not necessarily rank the candidates in order of preference and I suspect that many people would still only vote for one candidate. Personally I would only ever vote for a Labour candidate and nothing would persuade me to rank a candidate from any other party.

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Clatonender, if everyone else did that too, then although we would, in theory have Av...it would still be a first past the post system....or have I got it completely wrong(remember I am a bear of very little brain)?

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No, in theory you're quite correct. The spanner in the works comes from everyone not playing by the rules so the whole system of AV then becomes a mockery.

You're only really interested in one candidate anyway, why should you have to bother with the others?

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And thinking about, and denoting the 'also rans' would be quite time consuming.....well that is, if you did it properly.
I think many people give very little thought to where they put their cross.......they(in the main) just look at the colour of the political banner and that's it.

The fact that the Labour party has changed beyond all recognition since the days of true Socialist policy escapes many people.
The other political parties have also changed,but I would think, to a much lesser degree.
When I vote(and I don't always vote in National elections....if I don't find a party that has my core values at its heart then I cannot, in conscience, vote for any of them) I do consider seriously what my vote means.
My daughter tells me off,(isn't that a scary concept) and says that someone has to govern the country and, that by wasting my vote I am allowing others to dictate the way governing should go.
In local elections I operate in a different way......my vote goes to the person who can do the best job for the area. Party politics has no place in local government.

In local elections voting against the party that is governing nationally seems to me to be a stupid idea......OK it might send a message to the MP's in Westminster, but do they really listen, or for that matter care? Their tenure is secure until the next General election,they think we are all dummies anyway and will have forgotten it all by then.

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The only party that are advocating AV are the Lib/dems because it would suit their purpose of trying to get more elected members, but as yourself and claytonender have said why would you want to rate the also rans on your ballot paper, when it could actually mean your helping a candidate get elected that under any circumstances would you ever support, its just like you or me helping to elect a member of the Tory Party in your case and Labour in minor, no way Jose'

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I certainly think your spot on about lots of people voting for national issues (as a protest) at local elections, that's why I am quite sure Labour will gain Hyndburn in May, it was the same in 1997 when Labour won power HBC was in labour hands with a 44 seat majority in a 47 seat council, two years later they lost control, that's one hell of a turn round in anybodies book

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im voting in favour. anything that makes voting more interesting;) im off theres a more important thing happening in a couple of hours..;) cmon the rangers:):dancedog:

Re: alternative vote
 

Oh the final of the micky mouse league;)

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Voting for AV won't make voting more interesting, it may have a catastrophic effect on who actually gets into power....you may get the very last person you would want to be governing you.
You have so much LESS power in deciding who actually governs you.....but then it will give you something else to whinge and moan about...if that makes life more interesting for you, then I don't envy your life.

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It is hardly a strong argument to argue against first past the post on the basis that it didn't deliver a one party majority in 2010 given the current Government is the only coalition since the war.

AV won't fix 'MPs not working hard'. It just means they'll be more vague, stand for less and break more promises as they try and pander to second, third and forth preferences. People can still win without 50% of the vote under AV.

It would not make politics fairer. More coalitions - more deal making in smoke filled rooms by politicians not voters.

Under first past the post you can register your view on who should Govern and everyone gets one chance to do so. Under AV some people get more than one voice, they get more chances to vote than others if they support minority parties first. That is unfair.

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I get what you're driving at Marg but I must strongly disagree. There is much more to local politics than that and 'sending the message to MPs in Westminster' is probably the last thing that should be on your mind when you cross your ballot sheet.

I would always, always advocate voting for the candidate who will do the most for your town or village in any local election. It is very little use to anyone voting for a Tory candidate simply because we have a Tory government if that candidate is useless, the same being equally true with a government of any colour.

I would urge all of you to vote for the person who will do the best job in your area, not the one who happens to be wearing the 'correct' badge.

Re: alternative vote
 

Apparently, in the early twentieth century the House of Commons voted in favour of this method of voting.

Five times it was rejected in the House of Lords.

History and use of instant-runoff voting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Ken, I somehow think you have missed the point...maybe I waffled on a bit much:).
That was exactly what I was saying. Local politics are a different ball game altogether and should not be viewed in the way a general election is viewed.

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Think you'll find Margaret that the Party in opposition at Westminster always does better at local elections whichever party it is, think its called human nature;)

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My apologies, I thought you were implying that people should vote with whatever government we have.

I would urge you all to look at your area and then look at the election promises that are being made. Make local representatives accountable and ask yourself whether the promises you have heard in the past have been fulfilled.

I have three years of my own tenure left to prove to people that I was the right choice in 2010. If it turns out that people think I was not then I will expect defeat, not because I'm wearing the wrong rosette but because I didn't work hard enough.

Re: alternative vote
 

I was advocating that people think...and think clearly, about what they want for their own local area. What issues are there? How can they be sorted out? Is the man(or woman) canvassing your vote, aware of the issues....have they got a proven track record, are they up to the task?????
If the person trying to get your vote has no answers to these questions, then clearly they cannot perform the job that needs doing and you should not vote for them....whatever coloured rosette they are wearing.

Ken, I think we are both singing from the same hymnbook, and are both sitting in the same church:).

Re: alternative vote
 

And not for the first time.

What we really need is for councillors to interact much more with the electorate so that they can see what function they perform in the grand scheme of things. So many of the residents in Rishton still think that we had a Labour council until last May because the government was Labour.

A crash course in local politics will be included in my next letter to the residents in May.

Re: alternative vote
 

The Tory candidate couldn't even call personally - sent an acolyte, so how could we determine what the position was on anything unless we asked pre-determined questions?
Mind you, other than Ken calling some weeks ago we haven't even had a flyer from Labour.:rolleyes::D

Re: alternative vote
 

You're currently at Norden View, Barrie, a highly exclusive area of Rishton and worthy of best bib and tucker. Leaflet on standby.... I have to watch my appearance these days, particularly as one of the Conservative candidate's supporters branded me 'common' for using Facebook to link to my political blog.

What a proud moment that was, I am finally one of the common people too!

Re: alternative vote
 

Yep, ya Pheasant ! :D ;)

Re: alternative vote
 

Common asa muck Ken:D:D:D

Re: alternative vote
 

Same wi me Barrie Labour sent somebody else top my door (which is strange as they done usually bother, think they know its a waste of time)Couldn't understand why Labour would canvass me and of course as soon as I heard the words I'm canvasing for John!!!!!!!the door was shut, I was having a very bad day health wise and was annoyed at being dragged to the door. Then I started to think about it and started to wonder, could it have been an Accy Webber, and I was right it was, as I was abruptly told on Facebook later. I can only say that if Clare had let me know she was canvasing in Immanuel that afternoon she was would have been quite welcome to come in for a brew, if I could have managed to make one that is:D:D:D