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anyone bothering with them this year?
i aint even had my polling card delivered yet

I've had my card delivered, I will vote if I have time.

I'll be voting. Don't want the Tory bloke back in - his leaflet was laughable.

Aint had a polling card and can't be bothered to vote for any of the wasters in my ward.

Conservative as ever.

We have split councils in my home towns of Windsor and Wokingham, I think the Conservatives will walk it this year and see off the LibDebs.
Massive defeat around the country for Labour.

 You don't need a polling card to vote, as long as you're on the register, I always vote although flawed, our democracy is something that a lot of people fought for, some laying down their lives...its a mark of respect.

agree with reg even if you spoil it.(i probably will) at least go and use your right.

I will vote Tory. Lib Dems are a joke and i don't want Labour back in power in these parts even if our local Tory candidate is a bit of a pleb.

That seems to be the general opinion around the country.

And Reg you are so right

I think I've voted in every election that I qualified for local,GLC,general,european since 1979. I even voted International Marxist Group once
Power to the People!!!

Sorry REG SMEATON,dont agree with you,if you dont like any of the candidates why vote......just for the sake of it?......i dont like any of our local candidates so ime not voting,......people lyed down there lives for freedom Reg like you said,and that includes freedom of choice!

We haven't got any elections this year in Bedford as there's a new unitary authority being formed from next year.

Shame, as i normally do the election counting which pays good money.

i won't be here to vote and forgot to sort it out.

Im not going to vote because its up a hill and i don't really care enough. Take that society

I dont really pay attention of the local issues but Id have to say that the Tory Council have done a reasonable job of things in Swindon but I could never ever vote for them.I also dont feel I can vote Labour(as I always have) they've let down their core voters.Im veering towards Lib Dem but dont have a clue who their candidate is :soapy tit wank:

 My mate may have been standing....I met some "interesting" people, during my dabbling with the IMG.

  Pride of place would have been in the late 70's, when at  a party someone said " Reg, you must meet Hilary"   Hilary was a reasonable looking bird, bit older than me, who had just been released from prison after trying to blow up Robert Carr, Tory Home Secretary.  I felt strangely humble.

Makes me chuckle how people have a good old moan about traffic management and the such and then have apparent apathy towards local politics.

No it really does.

Spot on Reg.  I'll be voting early. (counts double before 7.30 I've heard)

My first election of any kind, so bless me I'm all excited. Well, as excited as local elections could get anyone.

My neighbourhood's is Blue through and through, so nobody bar the Tories has bothered sending me anything. I appreciate the effort, but I'd rather not vote for them. Anyone know where I can find the vote count in my ward last time round? See if any of the other parties even have a chance.

 In local councils elections, not all the seats are necessarily contested every year, so its maybe that your councillor was last elected in 2004.  Googling local councils 2004 may give you some results.....kind of depends where you live.

It's a rite of passage sure enough. just make sure you don't wimp out on the day.

A quick google reveals that Nick Martin (Con) quadrupled his nearest challenger last time, with Lib Lab and Green on about the same.

Well thats my vote wasted then :D

I'm with Reg too - my grandad hated politicians of every stripe but having fought and seen his mates die to defend democracy, he got bloody furious with people who couldn't be bothered to vote.

I think it was Tariq Ali Reg, unless he called himself Hilary and dragged it up on a saturday night. You been there then?

  Nah my mate wasn't Tariq....nor Hilary Benn, who thinking about it is a bloke.  Ray Davies alerted  me to the perils of watching out for dragged up blokes on a Saturday night.

I'm trying to decide whetehr or not to vote for Boris! I don't have much of a problem with Ken Livingstone as he has done some good stuff IMO, but his publicity this year was shockingly cheesey!

In a nutshell...

BNP? "British jobs for British workers" "Better education for all our people" Erm, no thanks
Left List look ok, but emergency council house building programme? No ta
BORIS! More police, protect green spaces, build affordable homes. Not bad.
Green Party. the candidate looks about 12. Their policies seem ok though
Lib Dem go on about record high fares on public transport, but seeing as prices were cut last year that's a blatant lie for a start!
UKIP, erm, no.
Alan Craig looks ok but a bit lame
English Democrats just make dodgy jokes about Scotland and tell lies
And of course Mr Livingstone. Lots of promises but not sure if he'll walk the walk!

Sorry, I bet none of you care about my opinions on the London elections! Ah well, that's what happens when you're surrounded by political nerds all the time  :|

I like the London Elections. As I don't live there, Boris would be an excellent choiuce as he can provide us with a great deal of amusement. Not sure I'd want him running anything that affected me though.

The London stuff interests me a bit. I watched the London Mayor Question Time, with the 3 main candidates, on Thursday which was quite amusing. Boris Johnson got a proper talking down a few times. He's a likeable bloke but he doesn't often make a lot of sense.

It'll probably still be on the BBCi player, might be worth a watch if you're undecided a bit.

Locally I'll be on the LibDems in my areawardthingy. If I can be arsed to vote that is. I'm very appreciative of my right to vote, but I've also got a right not to vote and stay in bed watching the Snooker all day.

I got a flyer thing through the door from my local Tory dude. He looks like William Shatner with a hint of Ginger. Libdems send me stuff all year round. Nice people. Probably.

 Eastcott Ward is a Lib Dem stronghold....it used to be Tory, until the joyous night we (that is Labour) ousted Mike Bawden.  I worked long and hard on that campaign....disappointing that its now Lib Dem land, but I can live with that..

I thought as much Reg.

Labour don't seem to be making much of an effort round Eastcott. I haven't heard anything from them anyway.

Ginger Shatner won't be getting my vote and I haven't heard anything about a green candidate, meaning my options are running thin. I could just randomly pick some unknown who's going for it, but I'll probably accidentally end up voting for some far right nutter.

This voting thing is a dangerous responsibility.

I have reasons not to vote for all 3 major players in the Freshbrook/Grange Park ward.

Labour would be a wasted vote, and both Tories and Lib Dems are claiming responsibility for the abomination that is the new pedestrian crossing for Greendown School kids over Whitehill Way.

I think i'll vote Tories because a) i think the council is doing better under them, and b) it'll piss my dad off.

I might vote tory as he was the only chap that bothered to knock on my door and talk to me about what he does  :mrgreen:

On a serious note, was going to vote tory anyway.

I will vote but just so i can say i have done.People who moan but dont vote do my head in.

Whoever i vote for is pointless anyway as i live in Walcot and we all know they wont do anything in thoses areas

 :nod:

Im not sure, will probably go Tory again, but they are all lying fuckwits anyway.
Shame we dont have any Monster Raving Loony candidates here, they would definitely get my vote.

In the Generals in 2001?? I voted for an Independent just because he looked like a pirate  8)

here in southampton the tories campaign seems to be based on the 10p tax rate furore, which i was fairly sure had exactly fuck all to do with local councils, and i'm sure that won't stop them putting the council tax up by 20% if they get in anyway.  however, they also appear to be the only party to have made an effort.  i wrote 'disgrace' on my voting form last time and ticked all the boxes, might have to do the same.

I'm voting for the novelty, but will be voting conservative because a nice coservative man came round my house and told me lots of nice things he would do for my community. He also convinced me that labour is ran by drug addicts and pirates. I never knew that!

In my ward I have no-one to choose from other than the 3 major parties. As we've now reached the stage where ideologically there's no difference between those 3 "alternatives" then frankly they can all fuck off.

People can judge me how they like but I'm a bit sick of the "people died to secure the vote" argument. People didn't die to secure the vote, they died to secure the political power to attempt to change society for the better, and to improve their lot in life. When there's a candidate that offers that then I'll vote. Otherwise I'm as disenfranchised as my great grandfather was in his South Wales pit village at the turn of the 19th/20th century. OK yes I could walk all the way there to spoil my ballot but frankly what's the point.

My dad always voted and was very antagonistic towards those that couldn't be bothered to. However, if he'd ever lived in a ward where there were three Tories standing and no other candidates I don't think he would have dragged himself down the polling station either. And that's where we are now as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, as political perspective and difference has been almost completely removed from the process of politics, the only judgement the electorate is trying to make now is the competence of the various candidates, and I'm not sure popular elections are the best way of going about that.

With the growth of cabinet style local government and the consequent increase in power of senior council officers, the amount of difference councillors make to the direction of local authorities is pretty fucking small anyway to be honest. And probably just as well, because the calibre of local council candidates has been falling badly for the last 20 years or so.

The route to becoming an MP has moved back to being:

Top university
MP's Research Assistant post
Placement in party central office or political think tank
Candidate in some unwinable seat
Candidate in winable marginal
(Hopefully) MP

The route through local politics that the left opened up in the 70's and 80's has pretty much been closed off. As a result no fucker with anything about them wastes time in local government politics any more. Which is how you end up with council leaders like Sue Bates!

(It's also meant the Labour Party, and therefore the commons in general is becoming as middle class as it ever was again. Someone should work out exactly how long it was from the formation of the Parlimentary Labour Party to the point at which the leaders of the two major parties were once again a pair of public schoolboys with bugger all in common with most of the electorate).

So anyway I'm not voting and that's final. Someone call me when the revolution starts and I'll knock up some barricades for you and make some sandwichs, but until then leave me out of the politics stuff. I did my bit and look what good it did me.

My area is totally Tory - and I'd never vote for any of them - Labour have not even bothered to put a leaflet in my door so in a sense my attitude is if they wanted me to vote for them then they would tell me what they are standing for and how they would improve things, but surely if they cannot be bothered (probably 'cas they don't stand a chance) to even send me an election leaflet then why should I bother wasting my time voting for them as they obviously don't want me vote !

I do think though that unfortunelty Labour are in for a kicking in the local's this year.

The councillors in Eastcott are sound, the best in the borough, keep them in fb.

No green party this year  :(

i voted green last time.the bloke who is the local leader is a nice bloke, but has the organisational skills of frank spencer.

I'm voting Tory. They are not perfect but have done a reasonable job since getting into power. Labour were a fucking joke for the town last time they were in power

I've been waiting for a sensible reply to the no vote argument. Thanks for that Lumps, i've never voted in any election for similar reasons.

I don't know if he is a pleb, but he certainly didn't proof read his leaflet.

Such a small oversight to make, but considering this gives the impression he spent all of five minutes considering the contents and design of the leaflet, I won't be voting for him.

I have no one to vote for as we have no elections.  However, I would like the idea of making voting compulsary, but having a 'none of the above' option...it'd be interesting to see how many times 'nota' would 'win'.

Also add to that Donkey they should reduce the age of voting to 16 and spend a hour a week or so in Schools educating them on politics.

16 to go to war 18 to vote is bollocks

I didn't think you could go on army operation thingies until you were 18?

Nah 16 Ben

Are you considering joining the army Ben?

I miss Millom.

I wonder if he ever did get anyone to sign up.

he got me to sign up to the trust - said he'd shoot me if i didn't.