Local Elections: Stupid Voters

People are stupid.

Not so long ago they voted the Conservatives into power and a couple of years later they ditch them in their thousands. But why?

Surely people were aware that there were going to be major cuts whichever party was in charge? You have to give a government time to sort the country out. Of course they might fail, but they might just pull it off.

If you voted Conservative, but are now voting elsewhere then you are a fool.

i voted labour at the general election but voted conservative yesterday.

I always vote labour, no point chopping and changing.

I've voted Conservative in every election since I turned 18, however yesterday I didn't vote.

Like many people, Natasha is suggesting that everyone votes in local elections based on national issues - they don't necessarily do this. It's possible - and in many ways desirable - to vote in local elections based on how well your local council is performing.

So nobody knows if this government is being "ditched by thousands", and we won't know until 2015 which is when the next General Election will take place.

I'm upset with the current government over a number of issues, even taking into account the record deficit it inherited from Labour, and if there were a General Election next week I'd struggle to vote Conservative.

These issues are:

1 - Slashing the top rate of tax
2 - Size and scale of increase in university tuition fees
3 - Interfering with legal definition of marriage
4 - Legalising slave labour with forced unpaid work experience for long term unemployed
5 - Failure to keep economy out of recession

I never vote, they are all lying bastard's. I look after my own, make as much money as i can quickly.
Then i think i will take my money abroad.

largehat wrote:
1 - Slashing the top rate of tax
2 - Size and scale of increase in university tuition fees
3 - Interfering with legal definition of marriage
4 - Legalising slave labour with forced unpaid work experience for long term unemployed
5 - Failure to keep economy out of recession

Largey!
Can you start a topic on each of those subjects in the next few weeks I could do with a mass debate!

I voted SNP.

quite honestly i won't be voting for Labour or the Tories ever again.

largehat wrote:I've voted Conservative in every election since I turned 18, however yesterday I didn't vote.

Like many people, Natasha is suggesting that everyone votes in local elections based on national issues - they don't necessarily do this. It's possible - and in many ways desirable - to vote in local elections based on how well your local council is performing.

So nobody knows if this government is being "ditched by thousands", and we won't know until 2015 which is when the next General Election will take place.

I'm upset with the current government over a number of issues, even taking into account the record deficit it inherited from Labour, and if there were a General Election next week I'd struggle to vote Conservative.

These issues are:

1 - Slashing the top rate of tax
2 - Size and scale of increase in university tuition fees
3 - Interfering with legal definition of marriage
4 - Legalising slave labour with forced unpaid work experience for long term unemployed
5 - Failure to keep economy out of recession

sounds like labour.

Only an idiot would vote labour after everything they did.

Lets be honest, there are very few politicians who genuinely think of the country before themselves nowadays. Politics is a career just as much as any other trade. The difference is that if a plumber, electrician or office worker makes a decision, the whole country doesn't have to suffer for it.

Bolton Hater wrote:I always vote labour, no point chopping and changing.

It isn't difficult to imagine how stupid you are

Natasha Whittam wrote:Not so long ago they voted the Conservatives into power and a couple of years later they ditch them in their thousands.

Actually the Conservatives were not voted into power. No political party was voted as we ended up with a hung Parliament and it was the LibDems and Conservatives that made an allegiance, thus creating the coalition today. It could easily have been LibDems and Labour!!!

To be fair, Natasha is right in a way that the people who vote in teh Local's do just go off what happens with teh National government and seem to be blinkered as to what the Local councillors actually do. After what has happened, under Labour, in Bolton - I would definitely vote them out given the chance, but because many just see what the Government is doing they think that their Local vote will make a ounce of difference.

IF the Locals were to be ever reformed then I would suggest that Local political Parties were not associated, or named, as teh major central political parties, then people would actually vote on Local principles and how well they think the last lot of councillors have done in power. Plus I wouldn't have this mix-match of Local Elections where some councillors are voted 1 year and some another. I would ahve ALL Local Elections at the same time and possibly at the midway point of the Westminster term (which I would fix at 5 years)

bwfc71 wrote:
Actually the Conservatives were not voted into power. No political party was voted as we ended up with a hung Parliament and it was the LibDems and Conservatives that made an allegiance, thus creating the coalition today. It could easily have been LibDems and Labour!!!

Actually, a Labour/Lib Dem coalition would have had a very difficult time, for two reasons.

1) They wouldn't have had an overall majority between them and would have had to have formed an unstable 'minority' government.

2) As the coalition would have omitted the party which gained the most votes and the most MPs, it would have been seen to have disregarded the will of the electorate and would not have had a mandate to govern.

If that had happened there would have been a new general election in Autumn 2010 in all likelihood.

largehat wrote:

bwfc71 wrote:
Actually the Conservatives were not voted into power. No political party was voted as we ended up with a hung Parliament and it was the LibDems and Conservatives that made an allegiance, thus creating the coalition today. It could easily have been LibDems and Labour!!!

Actually, a Labour/Lib Dem coalition would have had a very difficult time, for two reasons.

1) They wouldn't have had an overall majority between them and would have had to have formed an unstable 'minority' government.

2) As the coalition would have omitted the party which gained the most votes and the most MPs, it would have been seen to have disregarded the will of the electorate and would not have had a mandate to govern.

If that had happened there would have been a new general election in Autumn 2010 in all likelihood.

True, but it was a possibility it could have happened. As it was a vast section of the electorate had their votes ignored - the ones who voted Labour, because the Major Party with the fewest votes (between the big 3), LibDems, created the coalition with the Tories - and before you say, I know that the Tories and Labour would never had created a coalition!

Natasha Whittam wrote:People are stupid.

Not so long ago they voted the Conservatives into power and a couple of years later they ditch them in their thousands. But why?

Surely people were aware that there were going to be major cuts whichever party was in charge? You have to give a government time to sort the country out. Of course they might fail, but they might just pull it off.

If you voted Conservative, but are now voting elsewhere then you are a fool.

Firstly, The Cons were not voted into power and please god, for the sake of 99% of us never will be again.



To slash and burn investment in our country the way they have is the policy of the deluded and then, when it is clearly proved to be the wrong approach resulting in greater borrowing, to carry-on with no plan 'B' is madness.

Bolton council, like all northern councils, have to make saving of £ Millions (I forget the exact figure) because the ConDem government have cut their allocation. Schools have had their investment/improvement programme cancelled. The police have had their budget cut by 20%. VAT increased to 20%.

Oh yeah, At the same time, the people with more money than they know what to do with have had their rate of of income tax (if they pay it) reduced by 5%.

Unless you have inherited wealth with no social conscience, there is no reason for you to vote Tory. But even then, that is insufficient reason.

chipbutty wrote:

Firstly, The Cons were not voted into power and please god, for the sake of 99% of us never will be again.

To slash and burn investment in our country the way they have is the policy of the deluded and then, when it is clearly proved to be the wrong approach resulting in greater borrowing, to carry-on with no plan 'B' is madness.

Bolton council, like all northern councils, have to make saving of £ Millions (I forget the exact figure) because the ConDem government have cut their allocation. Schools have had their investment/improvement programme cancelled. The police have had their budget cut by 20%. VAT increased to 20%.

Oh yeah, At the same time, the people with more money than they know what to do with have had their rate of of income tax (if they pay it) reduced by 5%.

Unless you have inherited wealth with no social conscience, there is no reason for you to vote Tory. But even then, that is insufficient reason.

The Conservatives got the most votes and a Conservative is the PM, so stop being so bloody picky.

I disagree with you, I think the massive budget cuts will save this country in the long-term. I accept that some of these cuts have not come in the right places, but overall it had to be done.

ChipButty, you seem to forget that the banking laws were relaxed by the Labour government, which allowed the bankers to run things their way with virtually no restrictions. Befiore you can invest in any business, you have to stop the money leaking away otherwise your building on quicksand. This is basic finance and applies to companies or countries. I agree that the Tories are not doing it as well as we all hoped, but there again, this, or any other, country has never been in this situation before.

Natasha, the Tories got the most votes (just) but not enough to form a government. There is a Conservative Prime Minister but only because the Lib Dems allow him to be.

What really pisses me off is ordinary working people supporting the super-rich whilst at the same time dumping on their own kind.





Glos, I haven't forgot that Labour 'Allowed the bankers to run things their own way with virtually no restriction' as you say, but have no recollection of this ever happening (I think you had better look to The Wicked Witch for an unleashing of the financial sector).

Sorry, no idea what you mean about money leaking away and business on quicksand or what it has to do with government policy.

Glos, I can confirm that it was under the last full Conservative Government that the Banking restrictions were lifted - to help us get out of the last major recession of the 1970's.

It became so successful that a drama series was made about working "in the City" - Capital City.



What made this recession worse, and more by the Bankers, that they became Tefal in their practisies and realised that they could virtually do whatever they want as the ombudsman became very weak in recent years and didn't challenge the Banks - mainly because the ombudsman became full of the exact same people who are working in the City.



Even now I know of situations in the RBS (which is 82% owned by the people) were they are not following the Banking Code, just to up the profits and get the work done - and its not in the Front "Gambling" Office but in the back-offices in Manchester where they are not checking the applications carefully enough - just becaue they have too little staff who know what they are doing thoroughly!

chipbutty wrote:Natasha, the Tories got the most votes (just) but not enough to form a government. There is a Conservative Prime Minister but only because the Lib Dems allow him to be.

What really pisses me off is ordinary working people supporting the super-rich whilst at the same time dumping on their own kind.

You seem to have it in for the rich. I agree that those who inherit their fortunes should be taxed to the hilt, but those who created their own wealth should pay no more than Mr Average. Why should you be penalised for being successful?