Are you voting in the locals?

[Slow.Patrol]

drmotorsport said:

I'm sure I did some voting last year - though they were all 4-5 year terms!? Getting messy with all these layers of local government of Town council, District council, County Council, Police/Fire tax sponge. Outcome is that we seem to be constantly asked to vote, but nothing really ever changes..

My county got rid of the middle layer some years ago, so no district or borough councils.

Seems to work a whole lot better, especially with planning as new developments seem to be concentrated where services can accommodate the extra population.

[dirky dirk]

voting should be compulsory

and if you dont work you dont get to vote,(unless retired or ill)
too many people are getting a say that dont contribute to the pot.
and the first thing that will happen is that the parties will look after people paying in,
and focus their policies on them.


And ill be voting reform, i never wanted brexit and its not getting reversed and where i live its a massive labour strong hold,
ill nver vote tory, and im not voting labour as the crafty stehawk council sneakily got a homelss centre approved, thats my choice and mayor wise i dont know but it wont be andy burnham,
hes a talker not a doer
not after an argument ,not trying to convince anyone else dont care what others think
thats it thank you

[FredericRobinson]

Spare tyre said:

We get all the door knocking and hot air every time

When I say “ why hasnt xyz happened, you promised it would 4 years ago when you last knocked”

Get a bunch of blame and deflection, I find it very frustrating

I’m 50 this year, I’ve never had a canvasser knock on the door, I have mostly lived in safe seats so maybe they just don’t bother there.

[chopper602]

tangerine_sedge said:

I personally don't agree that the PCC should be a political appointment, in fact I don't think that the role should even exist. It seems to be a home for political failures to eek out the last years of the gravy train before collecting their pension.

I have to say I agree with you. Should be interviewed like a job and the best person wins. In my area - Tees Valley / Durham - I have no idea who any of the candidates are at all.

We also have to vote for the Mayor of Tees Valley and getting my vote again will be the most un-tory Tory incumbent Ben Houchen. He's lived up to all his promises so far and what he has proposed have or in the process of happening. Took ownership of Teesside Airport, back to the local councils and since then it has had outside investment in bringing aviation businesses in and expanding current bases (Draken - RAF aggressor squadron). This is in addition to bringing new investment into Teesport and the new Freeport. I'm not a Tory voter, but this is my local area mayor.

[SpidersWeb]

FredericRobinson said:

I’ve never had a canvasser knock on the door, I have mostly lived in safe seats so maybe they just don’t bother there.

Up until this year it was similar because it was an utterly safe seat for the incumbent. It was so safe that they couldn't be bothered to turn up to any debates or events because their majority would just be wheelbarrowed in.

However this time around the area is one of those that has been subject to boundary changes creating a new constituency and all three parties think they can win it, so I expect lots and lots of leafleting this time around, and even a few canvassers.

[Downward]

Wish we had this guy in the West Midlands


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_Binface


All government ministers' pay, including the mayor's, to be tied to that of nurses for the next 100 years.

Shops that play Christmas music before December to be closed down and turned into public libraries.

All Londoners who cannot afford a ULEZ-compliant vehicle to get a new electric car, paid for by a windfall tax on oil companies.


Royal palaces (except Buck House, because I'm nice like that) and all homes of Russian oligarchs to be gifted to the nation to help eradicate homelessness.

[Downward]

I didn’t know the Police chief was political either.

We have a Tory MP, A labour council, A Tory Major and a labour police chief.

By god !

[Skyedriver]

Lucky up here , no elections tomorrow, just the arguing who is going to be the next leader of the SNP & First Minister. (And likely end their future career as a result).

[UTH]

Granadier said:

UTH said:

Can someone explain something to me:

I live in Surrey (Surbiton to be precise) - do I have a vote in the London Mayoral election?

In my life I have not voted very often (hoping to avoid being hated on for that!) so I know absolutely nothing about my local MPs so I have no preference as to who I would vote for there, but I do have fairly strong feelings about who I want as London Mayor.

If I go to vote tomorrow, am I going to be able to vote only for who I want to be London Mayor? Or am I having to vote for my local MP and thereby voting for that person's party means I'm also voting for that party's Mayoral candidate?

Hope that makes sense, basically I want to cast one vote and that's for who I want as Mayor!

You'll get a vote tomorrow for the Mayor of London and the members of the London Assembly. It's a bit complicated but this website gives further info: https://www.londonelects.org.uk/

If you only want to cast a vote for the mayor, I'm sure you can do that and ignore the ballot papers for the assembly.

(By the way, though it's a controversial subject on local Facebook groups etc, technically the places where you and I live have been part of Greater London since 1965, and your local council is a London Borough. That's why you get votes for London elections but won't get a vote for Surrey County Council. It's just that the Royal Mail never caught up with this change and continued to use the old county names in postal addresses.)

Ok great thanks for clarifying, I'll probably try and make the effort in that case.

[Slow.Patrol]

FredericRobinson said:

I’m 50 this year, I’ve never had a canvasser knock on the door, I have mostly lived in safe seats so maybe they just don’t bother there.

65 this year and my MP knocked on my door last month!!!

First time ever.

Lucky for him, he was warmly received as he is one of the good guys (back bench Tory). The issue seems to be, as soon as an MP makes cabinet, their constituency work goes out of the window.

[bad company]

Slow.Patrol said:

65 this year and my MP knocked on my door last month!!!

First time ever.

Lucky for him, he was warmly received as he is one of the good guys (back bench Tory). The issue seems to be, as soon as an MP makes cabinet, their constituency work goes out of the window.

Absolutely right. Ours is now a Minister with little time or interest in his constituency.

[PositronicRay]

dirky dirk said:

voting should be compulsory

and if you dont work you dont get to vote,(unless retired or ill)

Odd.

[Puggit]

Downward said:

I didn’t know the Police chief was political either.

We have a Tory MP, A labour council, A Tory Major and a labour police chief.

By god !

I wasn't going to vote as I don't agree with the political parties putting candidates in - but the 2 non-partied candidates in Thames Valley both agree with me on that. So I'll vote for one of them.

[Last Visit]

Downward said:

Wish we had this guy in the West Midlands


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_Binface

One thing i love about British politics and our elections is that we can have a serving PM on stage competing for his/her seat in Parliament alongside Elmo and Binface. And its not just BJ, lots of other PMs have been on stage with similar on election night with the likes of the Monster Raving Looney party etc. I think it's brilliant and should always be the way. Other nations probably think we're a bit crazy but i find it delightfully British.

[RedAndy]

you should turn out, but if you can't bring yourself to support any of them, then tick ALL the boxes thus ruining the paper rather than writing stuff or doodling on it - cos sometimes if it is a tight result some of those papers are pushed by the candidates to be counted too.. and sometimes they are... so you may accidentally vote for someone by writing "he's a prat" next to his name...

"spoiling" the paper is different - that#'s when you make a mistake, hand it back and get a replacement paper. The spoiled one goes into a special envelope but obviously isnt counted in the results.

[brake fader]

i,ll be voting reform its the only choice, the labour party should be locked up forever, and the torys have had their chance, the country is a shiyte hole ruined by blair and getting worse, time for serious change now.

[Countdown]

Last Visit said:

One thing i love about British politics and our elections is that we can have a serving PM on stage competing for his/her seat in Parliament alongside Elmo and Binface. And its not just BJ, lots of other PMs have been on stage with similar on election night with the likes of the Monster Raving Looney party etc. I think it's brilliant and should always be the way. Other nations probably think we're a bit crazy but i find it delightfully British.

The one time when Elmo wasn't the biggest muppet on stage.

[PurpleTurtle]

In most constituencies a vote for the Reform party will be a wasted vote.

The woman standing round my way is an out and out racist who regularly gets rinsed on the local Facebook community page when she spouts some drivel or other. I'm going to delight in her finishing in last place.

[richhead]

i will vote, our local mp has been good, and it shows in our town, its important to me, when the general comes, not so sure i will bother, as all the parties seem to be the same now, in the local im voting for the guy not the party.

[captain_cynic]

RedAndy said:

you should turn out, but if you can't bring yourself to support any of them, then tick ALL the boxes thus ruining the paper rather than writing stuff or doodling on it - cos sometimes if it is a tight result some of those papers are pushed by the candidates to be counted too.. and sometimes they are... so you may accidentally vote for someone by writing "he's a prat" next to his name...

"spoiling" the paper is different - that#'s when you make a mistake, hand it back and get a replacement paper. The spoiled one goes into a special envelope but obviously isnt counted in the results.

They're both discarded and make no difference.

Also ticking all the boxes isn't a special code. It makes no difference to someone who writes "wk" on the paper. Both are counted as "rejected at the count".

Feel free to do it but as your teacher would have told you, it's your own time your wasting. I can't see the point in it, voting isn't mandatory here and thank fk for that. I can stay home if I so choose.