Electoral Snog, Marry, Avoid?

stickywicket

I've only been back in the country for two and a half days but already the party leaders are reminding me of my old youth club as they eye up potential partners in a Snog, Marry, Avoid kind of manner.

The two main players are (currently) sworn to celibacy (“I can promise nothing, my dear”) while the bit players are ready to cosy up to anyone who will offer them a larger tax-free alliance, the banning of Trident, an EU referendum or simply a 'make me an offer'.

Meanwhile, if all goes as it normally does, 1/3 of the electorate won't even bother turning up to register a protest vote but will still consider they have a right to criticise the efforts of whoever makes it into parliament.

Do we, ultimately, get what we deserve politically?

theresak

I'm not sure, to be honest. Where I live, the result is a foregone conclusion, unfortunately - 'twas ever thus. Locally, councillors are wrangling continually over plans for the City, and absolutely no notice is taken of the views of the majority who live in the city & its environs. My own MP appears to be good at planting trees & cutting ribbons, but ought not to be trusted with anything more demanding.

The political parties all seem far more interested in scoring points off each other than working constructively - all are only really interested in self-image. When - and if- a party leader comes along and displays a modicum of integrity, I shall vote for that party.

I will be placing my cross in the Ballot Box, but with no great faith in a parliament for the people.

applerose

My current MP has done a lot for our town but I don't want his party running the country so whichever way I vote, I think I'll both get and not get what I want. Wish it was all over though. I've had enough of all the name calling.

barbara12

I do think the saying a change is good has a rest..should apply then the party that is in know we are not pushovers.. :roll: I have only missed voting ..once due to illness...so off I will plod.. we shall see...

stickywicket

Tezz, I was in your situation for the first 10 years or so of my voting life. Our result, too, was a foregone conclusion and what was even more galling was that he never seemed to actually do anything. Rumour had it that his maiden speech, several years in, consisted of “It's a little stuffy in here. Could we have the windows open.” Voting, in such circumstances, seems pointless but a reduced majority should at least scare them and, over time, even large majorities can be whittled down.

Christine, I'm now in a similar situation to you. Our current MP does not represent my favourite party but he's a good man and a good constituency MP. I've voted for him several times before. However, I came back from the US to find a brown envelope, addressed to me with 'PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL. TO BE OPENED BY THE ADDRESSEE ONLY' printed on it. I thought that maybe my recent endoscopy and colonoscopy results had been reviewed for the worse but no – it was just two sides of A4 denigrating the party of his only real rival. There was absolutely nothing anywhere to indicate the source but – literally – when I got my reading glasses out (which I don't usually need) and stood by the window I could see that the minute font at the bottom said it was printed by...yes, my MP's party. I consider that tacky in the extreme and also very shabby tactics and I'm now re-considering my vote. If I change it I shall email him to let him know why.

Barbara – that's a magnificent voting record. Well done you! Keep plodding on.

(I see this morning that SNP and Plaid Cymru are now playing hard to get. We shall see.)

barbara12

I'm with tezz..will be voting..but I just don't have any faith in them...its down to trust and I certainly don't trust any of them...wounder if the raving looney party are standing... :roll:

frogmorton

Mining town here so a safe seat too.

Like Barbara I have AWAYS voted and always will as long as I can and have brought my girls up to appreciate what their vote cost the Suffragettes

I would be very unimpressed too Stickywicket at those underhand tactics :roll:

Love

Toni xx

applerose

I'm pretty sure now who I'm voting for. 1 MP, 3 borough councillors and 11 parish councillors. Took some sorting through the piles of leaflets and reading up on them all online.

Slosh

Will be doing my bit to say goodbye to my current high profile MP but as last time he had a 30,000 majority think he's unlikely to loose his seat. However if I get asked by his party tomorrow if I have voted for him I shall just ask them why as a person with a disability I would!

dreamdaisy

I have always voted - even when flattened by operations I ensured I had a postal vote: being franchised is a privilege.

I ignore the run-up to the election with all the sniping, blame-laying, flirting with the minority parties and general 'Look at me!' and 'It's all your fault!' nonsense. I ignore the promises because we all know that some will be broken (if elected how is Ed going to smash his magnificent tablet of Portland stone? That I want to see on YouTube).

This is going to be a close one, probably far too close for comfort. Never mind, there are minor parties who are willing to cuddle up to either side, regardless of colour and principles, under the illusion they will be gaining something resembling power. Ya think? It didn't work that well for Mr 'I can bend my principles to suit' Clegg. Supposing the coalition comprises the SNP, UKIP, the Greens, Plaid Cymru and The Monster Raving Loony party. There's a thought. Crikey. I wish I hadn't had it! DD

daffy2

Like Christine I have a multiplicity of voting options, complicated for me by the fact that I have moved - not far but far enough to have changed wards - and so have a different selection of usual suspects, newbies and wannabe's to sort through.
As fibrofog has got into bed with an allergy high it is going to be something of a challenge to do my bit. I think a coffee and chunk of luscious home-made gluten free cake in my favourite caff will be required for remedial purposes!
Not sure I will want to hear the news first thing tomorrow, so might strategically exit when R3 does its news summaries until my breakfast has got to work....yes I know I could leave the radio off, but I like to listen to the music.

stickywicket

Oh daffy! Have the coffee and cake on me. Your day sounds to have started none too enviously.

I hope Radio 3 will have something suitably soothing after announcing the results. Maybe a bit of Chopin. Definitely not the atonal stuff.

tkachev

Mine is also a foregone conclusion. The likely winner ( with 52% of the vote according to current polls) doesn't even live in our area whereas the other candidates are local people.

But all the bed-hopping between the other parties on a national level is far more exciting. I can't see how Ed can avoid Nicola's proposal!

Elizabeth

theresak

This is going to be a close one, probably far too close for comfort. Never mind, there are minor parties who are willing to cuddle up to either side, regardless of colour and principles, under the illusion they will be gaining something resembling power. Ya think? It didn't work that well for Mr 'I can bend my principles to suit' Clegg. Supposing the coalition comprises the SNP, UKIP, the Greens, Plaid Cymru and The Monster Raving Loony party. There's a thought. Crikey. I wish I hadn't had it! DD[/quote]


Next time we`ll have to form our own party Arthritics Anonymous.

daffy2

Thanks Sticky - it was lemon drizzle cake, the end bit, so really tart and sugary, yum.
I had 9 candidates to sort through, but in the end the biggest challenge was getting to the polling station, which involved a single track lane off a busy road, with poor visibility and limited room for manoeuvring.However I managed and did my bit.
There are several musical depictions of chaos that R3 could choose for tomorrow morning...or the Dies irae(day of wrath, day of judgement) from Verdi requiem as broadcast Wednesday night might be another option!

dreamdaisy

What a very interesting night that was and it's proving to be an even more interesting morning. Ed Balls has lost his seat. DD