Local Elections
 

To be honest I couldn't be bothered to vote for either of the candidates on my local ward and I don't think I'm going to vote in the European elections later this month, as we should have been out of Europe and hence should have been no need for them.

Re: Local Elections
 

I took my dogs for a late walk, got to the polling station at 9:57.
asked who was standing (only conservative and labour) and walked home without entering.

Maybe Ill stand next year, for another party.
IS the raving loony party still going? lol

Re: Local Elections
 

Well, I actually went down to the polling station....I got my ballot paper....put a very large cross troughboth names and wrote 'politics = disillusion.
So my vote will not count.
I will go to the polling station for the European elections and will very likely do something similar.
My husband did not vote, neither did my son in law....they both feel that voting serves no useful purpose if the vote can b disregarded as easily as out vote to leave the EU has been disregarded.

Re: Local Elections
 

Well, if you really want to put the cat among the pigeons in the European elections.
Vote for Tommy Robinson :)

That will upset them all.

Re: Local Elections
 

Down here we only had the usual Three Stooges Parties so, for the first time ever, we spoilt our ballot papers, writing “none of these parties” across the names.
One thing that probably won’t get mentioned in the me-jah, but could be interesting, is the % of spoiled ballot papers. Suspect it will be a big increase.
Bring on the Eurine elections!

Re: Local Elections
 

We only had two candidates on our ballot paper. Neither of whom I could vote for....so I wrote my message on my paper.
It seems that there have been a lot of spoiled papers....reportedly 800 in Ipswich.
The number of spoiled ballot slips have delayed the results because apparently the spoiled papers have to be verified by a count supervisor.

Re: Local Elections
 

Why do they not disclose how many "Spoilt" Ballot Papers have been submitted? at each polling station,

Re: Local Elections
 

I have a feeling that they do, Cashy, but it’s rarely reported and/or readily admitted by the parties.

Re: Local Elections
 

Possibly but they certainly do not disclose or report them. would be very interesting to know do yeh not think?

Re: Local Elections
 

Cashy,
If this link works, you should be able to see quite a comprehensive breakdown of ‘rejected’ ballot papers in Hyndburn.
Will listen out to see if anyone analyses the % of spoiled ballot papers, nationally, compared with previous years.

https://www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/downlo...V3mZ2sHbksWdLu

Re: Local Elections
 

Thank you for that link.
The turnout was abysmal.
Even though my vote did not count, I DID take myself off to the polling station(which I do regardless of the type of election....local or general) I would hate to think that anyone considered me too idle/apathetic to drop my paper in the box.

Re: Local Elections
 

Cheers mate i was one of the 70 odd lol seems to me most people didn't bother full stop.

Re: Local Elections
 

I think most of the votes are now in, except Northern Ireland. Biggest losers Conservatives, the biggest winners seem to be the small parties like the Lib Dems, Green and Independents.

Party Councillors Change +/-
Conservative 3549 -1327
Labour 2009 -77
Liberal Democrat 1339 +695
Green 264 +193
UKIP 31 -144
Others 1165 +658

Re: Local Elections
 

Well, like so many I have to admit I just couldn't bring myself to go to the polls, probably like me a large amount of people are sick to the back teeth with claims before an election of how we and our votes matter.
But then after the votes are counted whosoever gets the majority promptly discounts any of our wishes.
Come the next general election however I will be casting my vote hopefully so will all the other non voters I just hope it brings us a different M.P., someone that tells us before the election that they think a brace of miniscule but broad beams has more chance of understanding the EU than I have.

Re: Local Elections
 

It beats me why party politics plays any part in local councils. Our representatives on the council need to be able to fight for local issues on behalf of the voters.

Come to think of it, by the same argument, I don't know why party politics plays any part in general elections, MPs should represent their constituencies, not the party line.

Re: Local Elections
 

It shouldnt play any part, but it happens to be the only chance us oiks have of getting the arrogant gets to listen,

Re: Local Elections
 

I have always said that party politics has no place in local government.
It is a totally different animal to national politics.
I never take any notice of which party the candidates are from....I judge them on their ability to do the job.
In that respect I like them to be a resident of the area that they are a candidate for....believing that they will want to make their environment safe, clean, pleasant and well supported by services.

I do not trust those who are parachuted in....because they are NOT going to have the best interests of their voters/residents at the centre of what they do....they are going to have their own political agenda....much like our own representative.

In general elections....I vote with my brains. I do not follow any specific party.
I look at what they are promising(knowing full well that promises are like pie crust...easy to break) and how these promises are going to be effected.
I have always felt that a local person who knows the difficulties and the concerns of the voters, the problems being faced in our locality, would perform better.
And that was where I went wrong last time.
Our current MP looks (on paper) to be the ideal candidate to fulfil these criteria....but experience has shown that he is not for the town...he is for himself and his own agenda.
I will not make this mistake again.

Re: Local Elections
 

Agree, Morecambe, and the disfunction of party politics is exemplified by the current nonsense where we have:
1. a rabid remainder Prime Minister pretending to the country and her party that she’s delivering a deal to leave the EUSSR, and
2. the leader of the opposition, a life-long leaver, pretending to the country and his party that he doesn’t want to leave.
So much for principles in politics.

Re: Local Elections
 

Cashy, it looks like something in the region of Thirty nine thousand voters spoiled their paper in disgust at politics.

Re: Local Elections
 

I am sorry to say that the idea of morals, ethics and principles in politics is long dead.
A bit like manners and democracy.
Jeremy Corbyn is just an opportunistic politician....he jumps on whatever bandwagon the youth of the country are hooked up to.
Right now it is climate change that is the current flavour of the month.
He does this to capture the votes of those who are idealistic and gullible(because they have very little real life experience).
A bit like the promise he made to abolish University tuition fees(anyone with half a brain would be asking where the cash to do this, was coming from).

Re: Local Elections
 

True and that just goes to show how gullible many of these so called students are!!

Re: Local Elections
 

They just have not got the experience to see through him...or to question what he says.
You do not make the poor richer by making the rich poorer.
Those with money have the choices of where to take it....and many of those 'rich' are politicians.
Not that they would see it that way...and that is where the problems lie.
Our politicians do not live the lives that the electorate live...so they can appreciate none of the difficulties.
Health care, education, social deprivation....those things are just soundbites to them.
They mean nothing in real terms.

Re: Local Elections
 

they never have and never will and thats why they spout a lot of rubbish which most do not agree with but still get votes because they belong to a party that a person has always voted for. any idiot could get voted in as long as they are a labour candidate in places like barnsley and hartlepool .

Re: Local Elections
 

Did a monkey not once stand as a candidate for Hartlepool. hence your monicker? Or was that Hull?

Re: Local Elections
 

The successful mayoral candidate in the 2002 local elections, Stuart Drummond, campaigned dressed in the costume of H’Angus the Monkey, using the election slogan “free bananas for schoolchildren”, a promise he was unfortunately unable to keep. However this appears not to have dented his popularity, as he went on to be re-elected two more times.

Whatever the truth, the legend of Hartlepool and the hanged monkey has endured for over 200 years.

Re: Local Elections
 

I believe it was during the napoleonic wars a Monkey was washed ashore from a shipwreck, the locals not understanding "Monkey" assumed he was a French spy & hung the unfortunate creature.


Or so the legend/myth runs.

Re: Local Elections
 

That’s what I’ve always understood how the legend came about.

Re: Local Elections
 

I would think a monkey would be far more handsome than any Frenchie.
Poor blooming monkey!

Re: Local Elections
 

What would Macron think?

Re: Local Elections
 

Are you trying to tell me that Macron actually has the power of critical thought?

I would trust the monkey before him....but then that goes for a lot of our own politicians too.
Especially our own elected representative.

Re: Local Elections
 

thats how the legend started. people born in the town and supporters of hartlepool united are also known as monkey hangers hence my username being from the town and an ex pools supporter.