How will you vote tomorrow?

[Lord Bracknell]

There are elections this week. And a referendum.

How are you going to vote?

 

[Chicken Run]

There are elections this week. And a referendum.

How are you going to vote?

Blue and NO.

 

[beorhthelm]

i realised last night that i've had no literature about the local elections, parish and District. so why or who should i vote for? and then they wonder why they get low turnout. pretty poor.

 

[drew]

I shall be voting using a X for my preferred candidate rather than a number.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

There are elections this week. And a referendum.

How are you going to vote?

I will walk around to the Church of The Good Shepherd where they will furnish me with a pencil and a sheet a paper with various names on. I will then go to a little table where there might be a pen hanging on a string (like you used to get to get in the bookies I imagine) and exercise my prerogative. Surely Sir you could complete your 'telling ' by turning up at the Polling Station.

 

[Acker79]

There's an election as well?

 

[Brovion]

Yes to AV.

Not sure about the locals, I'll probably abstain. I usually vote for a hatstand if it's wearing a red rosette, but our local Labour councillors recently sent round an election leaflet where they proudly announced they were in favour of yet more traffic restrictions in the Fiveways area and the removal of more parking spaces. I don't drive to work (I don't even own a car although my wife does) but even the most cretinous Green (or scared-of-Green Labour) should be able to tell that simply reducing domestic on-street parking won't actually achieve anything except increasing local frustration.

 

[Napper]

Whoever put Liberal needs their head examined

 

[Bold Seagull]

i realised last night that i've had no literature about the local elections, parish and District. so why or who should i vote for? and then they wonder why they get low turnout. pretty poor.

Are we really at the stage where unless you get a party pamphlet through the door, you don't know who to vote for? There has never been an easier or better time to be able to access information about what are councils have been doing, what they've been spending on, and a scrutiny of the decisions they have been making.

These local elections shouldn't be about mud in the eye for the coalition, or party allegiance, but whether your individuals have been functioning productively on your behalf. Personally, I don't feel a Tory majority local council has worked for Brighton & Hove. This should be a progressive city encouraging development and the creation of opportunities, whereas our Planning Committee in particular appears unable to encourage any kind of investment. Housing Associations and developers have taken their money elsewhere as councillors with their nimby hats on continually go against planning officer recommendations.

I'll be voting for my labour candidate (given that in my particular field they have always encouraged good design and been pro development in the right context and supportive of their planning officers) and voting YES for AV. It maybe far from a perfect system, but I think it has the potential to be an improvement on what we have currently.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Is this poll being done by FPTP or AV ?

 

[Brovion]

...

These local elections shouldn't be about mud in the eye for the coalition, or party allegiance, but whether your individuals have been functioning productively on your behalf. ....

I agree but it's sadly never the case though. Local elections are always treated as popularity polls for the government in Westminster as opposed to judging local people on local issues. Crazy.

EDIT: I can't actually post on Lord B's poll as I'm Yes/Abstain!

 

[beorhthelm]

Are we really at the stage where unless you get a party pamphlet through the door, you don't know who to vote for? ...

These local elections shouldn't be about mud in the eye for the coalition, or party allegiance, but whether your individuals have been functioning productively on your behalf.

i agree entirly with the second point... so im confused by the first. i have this funny notion about voting for what the candidates individually stand for, particularly at local elections. surely if you believe in the second point then you should welcome this? if a party or candidate cant be bothered to communicate their policy why should i vote for them? in the past i have received a round up pamplet covering all candidates, as well as party ones. I looked last night (albeit breifly) and couldnt even find a candidate list online. sorry, but im not about to trawl through minutes of meetings to judge what the councillors positions are, which doesnt help for incoming candidates anyway. democracy in action.

 

[Norman Potting]

I agree but it's sadly never the case though. Local elections are always treated as popularity polls for the government in Westminster as opposed to judging local people on local issues. Crazy.

EDIT: I can't actually post on Lord B's poll as I'm Yes/Abstain!

Yes and not sure. Have had little by way of publicity but will vote for the Councillor who has done the best job for the area irrespective of political colour. Agree that it is crazy that local elections are seen as a way of "getting back" at central government. As I work closely with local Councillors I am impressed by the efforts that most of them put in to try and do their best for the area bearing in mind that Central Government pulls most of the strings regarding funding and other matters.

Although their politics are of a different hue to how I vote at a General Election I am quite comfortable voting for them locally.

 

[8ace]

Green and YES

 

[keaton]

Green, Green, Red, Yes

 

[seagullondon]

Labour and No.

 

[Bold Seagull]

i agree entirly with the second point... so im confused by the first. i have this funny notion about voting for what the candidates individually stand for, particularly at local elections. surely if you believe in the second point then you should welcome this? if a party or candidate cant be bothered to communicate their policy why should i vote for them? in the past i have received a round up pamplet covering all candidates, as well as party ones. I looked last night (albeit breifly) and couldnt even find a candidate list online. sorry, but im not about to trawl through minutes of meetings to judge what the councillors positions are, which doesnt help for incoming candidates anyway. democracy in action.

I do take you're point, there does appear to be less information on a door to door level, but I was suggesting their isn't any harm in people doing their own research to find out what's going on. Pamphlets, lets be honest, tell you very little. Not everyone has internet though, so there should be more information I do agree. Here's a few links anyway...

http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c1244754

http://www.votewise.co.uk/

http://brightonhovelabour.com/labour-national-local-elections-manifesto/

http://www.brightonhovegreens.org/localsites/bh.html

http://www.brightonandhoveconservatives.com/

http://www.liberalbrighton.org/

 

[Albumen]

Green and YES

Good man. A Green council please. Get money making Mears and her prehistoric cronies out.

 

[Albumen]

When the only two party leaders voting NO are from the Tories and BNP you know to vote YES.

 

[Titanic]

Early and often.