Local Elections 2006

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

Weird you should say that. I feel that - as a general rule - greens in rural areas are Tories with a conscience (if you excuse the paradox), whereas greens in towns and cities are generally left-wing in thought and outlook. There's been no hard and fast research gone into that, more a case of seeing who wears the Barbour and wellies, and who wears the sandals.

I wonder if rural and urban Green Party members actually get on with each other?

The comparison you draw is close to that between Lib Dems.

Urban and rural Liberal Democrats certainly don't. If you went to constituency party meetings in Lewes and Manchester Withington, you'd find them surreally different. Of course, one is fighting off the Tories while the other beat Labour into second at the election. Which is probably why.

 

[33057 Seagull]

In my ward we only have the choice of the big 3 so for the 1st time ever Im not voting as all of them care mnore about £ notes than people - my abstention is my protest against this capatailist nightmare we live in

In my ward you only have one choice, Conservative, as the other parties have not fielded any candidates. Expect a very low turnout or loads of spoilt ballot papers. Elsewhere in Adur, of the 14 wards Labour have only fielded 7 candidates, Lib Dems 12. The choice in Sompting is Tory, LD & Green with no Labour stading at all.

I am not sure but I don't think there are any Labour standing in Worthing at all. The problem in reality is those who would normally stand are as disillusioned as the electorate. You will find that many of the candidates have been put up as purely a paper exercise; particularly within the Labour & Liberal Democrat parties, but also in one or two case with the Tories too. Probably only the Green candidates have a real conviction & desire to be elected, but I predict these elections will be the lowest turnout ever.

 

[Gully]

I grew up in mid-West Sussex, at that time you could put a monkey up for election with a blue scarf on it and he would be returned to office. Admittedly times have changed a little with the Lib-Dems getting in on the action but from what 33057 says it hasn't changed that much. At the moment if you were canvassing for Labour you would probably be subjected to torrents of abuse, most people no matter how strong their political leanings aren't prepared for that, it makes you wonder how democratic we really are.

 

[mona]

UKIP is the middle-class version of the BNP.

The Green Party are Tories on bikes.

Where's the party that I can vote for?

Magnificent post, Gwylan.
Things are made simpler in Sussex. All one needs to do is vote only for candidates who back our stadium.

I'm glad that the Greens are being perceived as a yuppie party. Bike around Brighton and then secretly fly to Vietnam or Namibia for a winter break.

 

[sullyupthewing]

Right I have decided what to do, I am going to email all the canditates standing in Broadwater and see if they have an opinion on Falmer, the best reply gets my vote, but I will not bother with the you know who’s.

 

[Skintagain 1983]

UKIP and (especially) the BNP hate the country I was born in and live in. I'm proud of this great country of ours, so I despise those who hate it. They'll never get my vote. It would indeed be interesting to hear how they stand on ID cards - both trumpet the rhetoric of personal freedom against an overbearing state, but both are in their natures corporatist. I'm assuming they will be like most of the post-Thatcherite right in Britain - shouting freedom while promoting greater state control.

Up here we have additional serious parties to vote for: the SSP (on the left) and the SNP (on the left or right depending on who the candidate is and who the current leadership are). At the very least, voting for them can help in screwing over Labour ruling majorities, which is always a pleasurable exercise. And at least they provide genuine opposition to Labour, particularly intellectually, unlike the Tories or the LibDems.

Interesting Mr Badger... are you actually advocating I vote for one of the opposition parties... Has parenthood changed your views on the so-called "democratic" electoral process?

 

[fatbadger]

Interesting Mr Badger... are you actually advocating I vote for one of the opposition parties... Has parenthood changed your views on the so-called "democratic" electoral process?

Certainly not. I watch football, I don't play it. I watch democracy, I don't play it. Simple. Just like everyone else on here who doesn't play for the Albion, but watch them from the sidelines, I feel free to comment on the football. And the same goes for democracy.

 

[Skintagain 1983]

Certainly not. I watch football, I don't play it. I watch democracy, I don't play it. Simple. Just like everyone else on here who doesn't play for the Albion, but watch them from the sidelines, I feel free to comment on the football. And the same goes for democracy.

How refreshing...

 

[Strike]

UKIP do not have any links to BNP, unlike them they have got nothing against the UK being Multi Racial, just opposing bogus immigrants. they now have a black member of the National Execetive Committee. Only thing that concerns me about UKIP is that they apparently work with the far left Searchlight magazine, apparently Searchlight check members address's to keep out the BNP.

 

[Strike]

I would never even think about voting for the UKIP or BNP, their core views go against pretty much everything I believe in or would want for this country. I wonder where they stand on ID cards as I think that might become the biggest election issue in the next few years.

UKIP are anti ID Cards.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I'm glad that the Greens are being perceived as a yuppie party. Bike around Brighton and then secretly fly to Vietnam or Namibia for a winter break.

Quite. The kind of smug self-satisfied buy-to-letters that cycle the Great Wall of China for charidee