Thetownend.com

Isn't it funny with an election on may 1st the tory council are picking up all the bins and flytipping, I've seen a van driving round pinehurst twice this week picking up stray bin bags. how long will it be after the election when they start threatening people again?

Is there council elections on May 1st? Didn't know that. It doesn't seem that long ago I voted last time.

I think my council electoral ward is Lib Dem. I can't really remember.

No offence, and I'm not a tory fan but you're talking bullshit. The council have been picking up bags for 6 months from the fuckwits who are too lazy to recycle or take their rubbish to the tip.

As long as my rubbish and recycling get picked up I can't grumble and despite a few teething problems early on, they've been doing it fine for a year.

In Westlea ive had no problem for 5 years.  Until this week when they realised I was a young man nit a OAP and they have stopped picking up and returning my bin, boooo

Go torys

Local politics really needs glamouring up doesn't it? I mean the majority of people don't really give time to local issues, they just vote along national party lines. You've always got your busybody types who like to get involved but I don't think you get much interest beyond that. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh. It might be a Swindon thing, I don't really know.

I wouldn't mind getting involved in local politics, it's something which interests me a bit, but to be honest I'd probably only do it if I could see a path into national politics. Which sort of brings me on to another point...

Does anybody else see a problem with more and more modern politicians being just professional politicians? I don't mean it being a full time job, I mean the way that students loyal to a party get groomed up to work for the party then become MP's. It sort of ruins the independence of the MP. I'm not sure I really know what I'm getting at here. Maybe someone else will take over my train of thought...

Stand as an independent Ben.

Can't afford it and you don't win.

TEF Party?

Might solve any redevelopment issues the club have.

"We want to build a new stadium right over Penhill"

Deal.

Tef party would be difficult because we don't all live in the same area, in fact nowhere near.I'd probably be a bit left wing for most of you anyway.

Not that I'm saying I've given it some thought.

The Tory candidate in our village is reet clever.

On the flyer he handed me last night he managed to spell the name of the village wrong and say he'd be campaigning against our village post office being closed. Think he's 2 years too late for that!

in a local elcetion i usually vote for the candidate rather than the party they represent.
but i think our council needs some balance so my vote was for the greens last time.not that it got them anywhere.
the tit for tat snipes from the tory's and labour are a fucking joke in swindon. both have been fucking useless and blame each other for it,so neither of them will get my vote this may.
might go liberal this time?

If anyone on here decided to try and stand for anything politics related imagine all the crap that would come out of the woodwork if they made anything of themselves!

You can see Ben becoming an MP and its suddenly revealed that his expenses went on making home made bombs and in his spare time he likes to indecently expose himself by leaving his clothes in alleyways!

That sounds cool, a big floating stadium. Can help but think it would be a touch expensive though

 I had a mate at school, who sat down and mapped out his career in politics...get elected to SBC,  get on some committees, work the local party network....stand for MP in no hope places to gain experience, then stand for Swindon. He did it all,  except the last bit, I was  :shock: .  I asked him when the opportunity arose why he wasn't going for it.  He had become disillusioned with the way national party politics worked,  and felt he could do more as a local councillor.

 There are a few even on SBC who are motivated by a desire to better the community.  Just a few, mind.

 Had he climbed the greasy pole...(insert racist joke here) I could have given the tabloids some juicy bits, but never would.  I think everyman/woman should have a few skeletons in cupboard.

I'd prefer them to have skeletons!  To me it just shows they're normal people.

Going back to FB's point about career politicians, it's so true.  The most embarrassing example of this (that I can think of) was William Hague.  All he ever wanted was to become a politician.  He rose up the ranks too quickly and didn't have the life experience people expect from senior politicians.  He never stood a chance.

It surprises me that, even today, there is a very high proportion of senior politicians that went to the top universities.  If you want to lead a political party, don't even think of starting at local level and working your way up.  It won't work.  Just work very hard during your teenage years and win a place at Oxford or Cambridge.  If you want to know who will be leading the country in the 2020s, take a look at who made President of the Oxford Union in the 1990s.  It really is that simple.

Not literally mind, or we'd be electing Dennis Nielsen for PM  :shock:

Gravediggers would be out of work as well.