Thursday 6th May

[fleetfootmike]

I'm sure someone's expecting this post, so...

Vote, folks. It's your right.

(readers from countries who do not have an election today need not apply; may contain nuts; candidates measured by volume, nit weight; the value of your vote may go up as well as down (but is worthless if you don't use it).)

Comments

[stevieannie.livejournal.com]

"some candidates may have settled in transit?"

I'm off to do mine in a minute, and face a truly horrible choice. The best potential MP, *by far*, is a colour that I've never ticked in my life. I am facing a battle between what I know would be the right decision for the area and 18 years of my mother quoting Nye Bevin and Keir Hardie...

*sigh*

If only there was a nice Green Party Candidate I could vote for!

[aunty_marion]

We have Green Party candidates in both local and general elections (as I saw by looking at the forms an hour ago when I voted), but as they haven't actually bothered campaigning round here, I've no idea how good/bad/indifferent/raving they are...

[armb.livejournal.com]

Our (South-East Cambs) Green Candidate has apparently been sensibly spending his time helping the campaign in Cambridge City, where the Greens might get a significant percentage of the vote, rather than wasting his time here, where they won't. (He's also a City councillor who lives in the city.)
The Lib Dems might get a bit of a boost from our new local Labour candidate having been suspended from the Labour party, along with the national swing, but it's still a fairly safe Tory seat.
I'll be voting anyway.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

"Our (South-East Cambs) Green Candidate"

I just managed to misread that (mild dyslexia is fun!) as "Soft Green Cannabis". I'll vote for that *g*...

[tattercoats.livejournal.com]

I would just add that 'bothering to campaign' is much easier for those with a big part machine to back them, especially with industry or union money coming in... the smaller parties, and the independents (pace the Jury Team) simply may not have the resources to leaflet many thousands of homes... and a proper Green candidate may well balk at the paper and print wastage that will ensue if they do.

Better media coverage of the minority parties and candidates would help, I feel... but I do feel obliged to defend those who have not, for whatever reason, spammed your letterbox. 'Not bothering' may really not be a fair assessment. Sorry for any offence - that's my tuppenceworth.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

Someone commented recently that their local Green party had been handing out leaflets, most of which ended up as litter. I would rather they didn't. (Not that we have any minority party candidates in my area except UKIP, and they got nearly 5% of the vote last time so aren't really 'minority'.)

And actually going round to houses and standing in the town square or whatever is very expensive if you don't have the resources to employ a lot of other people to do it for you (several thousand houses a day?).

[aunty_marion]

OK, you're right. I retract the 'not bothering' bit; but I haven't seen *any* information about them anywhere. No posters in windows or anything else. One or two judicious medium-sized posters in the library or other advertising spaces perhaps would have reminded people that they do at least exist. Not everyone has the knowledge/expertise/oomph to find out where to find out about such things - I know it would take me longer than I'd feel 'worth it', though I'm sure it's possible. If I'd known they were standing and what their policies were, I'd have been able to make an informed decision on whether or not to vote for them.

[antonia-tiger.livejournal.com]

At least your mother is on the side of the saints.