Seagulls Party

[B.W.]

I am not a resident in an area covered by LDC but this is a great idea, and I offer my full support... money if needed... PS et al deserve a big thank you for all they have done so far, and are true heroes in my eyes...

 

[FalmerforAll!**]

Can this be a sticky please?

 

[B.W.]

Yes... sticky, please mods... most important news of summer so far... thank you...

 

[sully]

We all have 11 months to get on the electoral register in the LDC area.

Anyone got a spare room I could rent?

 

[zefarelly]

I've only just read all this since it started yesterday afternoon, and I'll appologise for the over reaction in slating it from the word go, It certainly seems far better prepared and organised than I expected, and one would hope that despite being pretty much a single issue party it will present enough of a challenge to the system and the other main parties that it will be given some serious consideration by voters and viewed as a serious threat by the other parties. I'm sure the opposition parties will try and brush it aside as 'not a serious party' hopefully to their cost. Thats happened on a far bigger scale in the past (Bell in the 97 general election?)

I think my original disdain was based on a view that the kind of percentage of the population that is prepared to vote on the sole issue of the Falmer stadium is likely to be relatively small? I may be wrong but voting turn outs have been very low in recent years, and Lewes doesn't strike me as the kind of area that lives, sleeps breaths football and the Albion, therefore displacing died in the wool voters ( probably a majority ) won't be easy. generating votes by getting apathetic and abstinant voters out of their seats would probably be the most profitable way to raise the parties showing ?

Being a lifelong West SUssex Resident and not being familiar with Lewes and its local ways, its difficult to say, but its just my opinion, and like everyone else I'm entitled to it whether anyone else likes it or not.

 

[Bozza]

Stuck...

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

I think my original disdain was based on a view that the kind of percentage of the population that is prepared to vote on the sole issue of the Falmer stadium is likely to be relatively small? I may be wrong but voting turn outs have been very low in recent years, and Lewes doesn't strike me as the kind of area that lives, sleeps breaths football and the Albion, therefore displacing died in the wool voters ( probably a majority ) won't be easy. generating votes by getting apathetic and abstinant voters out of their seats would probably be the most profitable way to raise the parties showing ?

I think in this case the usual apathy among voters towards local elections could work in our favour, Zef. As you say, the turnout in local council elections is usually very, very low? So Lewes residents may not turn out in force to vote for a single issue party, but Brighton fans living in Lewes probably would in this case. I'd have thought that the number of votes required to make a difference to the results, regardless of whether a Seagulls candidate actually won a seat, would be fairly small.

Living in London, I can't of course vote for them. But I'll certainly be making a donation when the opportunity is given to us.

 

[zefarelly]

I agree, whilst TSP are unlikely to win, they could well overturn a majority just by getting the electorate to vote.

If they did win they'd be in the sh!t as thhey'd have to be local councillors for the duration of a term and I wouldn't wish that on NSCs' worst !

 

[Dandyman]

Apologies if already posted but this might be of interest, particularly if you use the drop down to see existing members.:

http://www.lewes.gov.uk/council/1818.asp

 

[BensGrandad]

I am sure that PS said that in 1 particular ward the votes cast was down to 1 in 6 people 5 not bothering. These are the type of seats to be fought and won, where there is general apathy towards voting.

 

[bigc]

exactly.

you will NEVER win over the nimbies and loyal lib dems...

but if thats such a small percentage of the people that actually COULD vote, then exploit this!

Perhaps information on how to register to vote should be included on the site soon, or would that be too overt?

 

[dougdeep]

Are there to be, VOTE SEAGULL T-shirts?

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

Perhaps information on how to register to vote should be included on the site soon, or would that be too overt?

Perfectly legitimate. But "instructions on how to register your self to vote at your mate's address in Lewes" would be a bit, er, against the law.

Why can't the Seagulls party put candidates up against overtly anti-Stadium candidates in Brighton & Hove, or other parts of Sussex?

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

Further thoughts on campaign tactics. We should do as the Lib Dems do, and parachute activists in from EVERYWHERE to campaign in the most marginal seats. A lot of local Liberal Democrats will travel for miles to drop leaflets in other parts of the UK. The ones I know are almost obsessive-compulsive leafleteers. It's probably how Norman Baker got elected in the first place.

You don't have to live in Lewes to canvas or drop leaflets. You just need a car or a day return ticket, and a pair of feet*.

I, frankly, am sick of this. Let's well and truly hoist the bastards by their own petard

*And maybe hands

 

[wadhurstseagull]

This may be a tad ambitious but I feel we should be looking much wider than Lewes district. Wherever a Lib Dem councillor sits or a lib Dem is standing in East/West Sussex There should be a Seagull candidate. This will send a strong message to Lib Dem leadership.

Supporters come from all over Sussex and a broad range of votes could be gained.

 

[bigc]

Further thoughts on campaign tactics. We should do as the Lib Dems do, and parachute activists in from EVERYWHERE to campaign in the most marginal seats. A lot of local Liberal Democrats will travel for miles to drop leaflets in other parts of the UK. The ones I know are almost obsessive-compulsive leafleteers. It's probably how Norman Baker got elected in the first place.

You don't have to live in Lewes to canvas or drop leaflets. You just need a car or a day return ticket, and a pair of feet*.

I, frankly, am sick of this. Let's well and truly hoist the bastards by their own petard

*And maybe hands

they can be devious bastards too.

remember Tatchell in 1983?(admittely SDP but they became Lib Dems)

 

[zefarelly]

Perfectly legitimate. But "instructions on how to register your self to vote at your mate's address in Lewes" would be a bit, er, against the law.

well it never stopped anyone else . . . . a vote in the hand is worth 2 for Bush

standing outside the areas would help raise the profile I'm sure, if nothing else

 

[Monkey Man]

As a Seaford resident I'm concerned about a lot of local issues and would like to register these concerns via the ballot box. I've been thinking about my options and concluded that the best I can do is a spoiled ballot paper.

So I'll vote Seagull, not because Falmer is the most important thing in my world (it isn't) but because I'll know that the candidate will support at least one of my causes.

I think politics, especially local politics, is going to get a lot more like this with single-issue groups making a big splash while all the other parties get bogged down with herd-mentality collective responsibility and bland policies that merge together.

The only thing that niggles is the fact that the elections are so far away. Clearly the club expects this battle to rage for quite a while yet ... I thought we were told that the LDC intervention was to be welcomed as it would bring everything to a head more quickly?

 

[The Large One]

Why can't the Seagulls party put candidates up against overtly anti-Stadium candidates in Brighton & Hove, or other parts of Sussex?

I would agree with that IF all candidates standing in that ward were anti-stadium.

 

[Screaming J]

This may be a tad ambitious but I feel we should be looking much wider than Lewes district. Wherever a Lib Dem councillor sits or a lib Dem is standing in East/West Sussex There should be a Seagull candidate. This will send a strong message to Lib Dem leadership.

Supporters come from all over Sussex and a broad range of votes could be gained.

Don't agree. The point is to stop what Lewes DC are doing in buggering up the stadium and the club. Therefore we should concentrate our fire where it will have most effect; within the confines of Lewes DC. Its not Wealden or Brighton who are opposing the stadium - or have the power/means to do so now. Lets focus our efforts on the bastards in Lewes.