Our challenge this morning has been trying to decide how to vote in the county council election. Labour aren’t really an option, as the council has only ever been either LibDem or Tory. The Tories are the current incumbents.
Having studied the literature, I can find hardly any differences in policy at a local level. The main one I have found is that the LibDems oppose the introduction of charges for local car parks, whereas the Tories would rather introduce them and reduce the Council Tax – either way, you end up paying for the car park somewhere. Also, there is a rather complicated argument about the local planning process which essentially boils down to the LibDems wanting to keep the existing cumbersome and expensive process or the Tories wanting to spend a lot of money to change it – either way, it ends up costing us somewhere.
On balance, we feel that it comes down to track record and, put crudely, the Tories have increased the Council Tax more slowly during their period in charge than the LibDems did when they were in charge. Services have also improved and a few niggling local issues seem to have been sorted out.
So, it looks like a split ballot for me – different Xs on each of the two papers. But at least I can feel safe in the knowledge that I’ve voted locally in the local election and nationally in the national election. I encourage you to do the same.
Oh, and another factor – only the Tory county council candidate bothered to visit Ruralville (or our home at least) – so we can be sure that he knows we exist out here.
UPDATE – H has been to the polling station already and caused quite a stir, being the only voter there and causing palpitations for the rather elderly polling station officers who clearly are not used to such glamour so early in the day! I’m on my way there now.
6 Replies to “Challenge”
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I can’t believe you voted, (or considered voting) tory even if it makes life better! I am shocked!!!!!
I used to be a dyed-in-the-wool Tory voter and wouldn’t have considered anything else. However, the Tory lurch to the right and my views on Europe have set me on another path nationally.
At a local level, the issues are different, and it is too easy to be clouded in one’s view by the national arguments. So, I made my local vote based on the local issues.
they have always been “RIGHT” just it just depends on how far right you wanted to be, hence “Thatcher-right” right is right!!! as far as I’m concerned, I could never go back to 15% interest rates on mortgage’s, MP’s willing to put people into prison to cover their own tracks, the Leeds NHS building that cost £51 mil to build and £16 mil to furnish to house Thatchers “Mates” who got more in travel expences than a nurse earnt in wages in a year and a bunch of posh people preaching family values and “back to basic’s”, whilst shagging each other and involving themselves in other sexual activities outside their relationships!!. Thats just for starters, there is more but that’s for another time.
voting torie regardless of local issues is just a massive step backwards, we have had them in the Great T/Wells and they have done nothing for the community, except if you live in the posh bit, where one can get restricted parking for outsiders and the streets cleaned!!
The issues you raise there are national issues. My vote for the County Council was placed with the candidate who I felt was best able to represent the interests of Ruralville – partly because he was the only one who actually visited us here, but also based on his record during his period in office to date.
My vote for Westminster was not placed with the same party because I did not believe their policies were best for the nation.
Too often, in my opinion, people vote at a local level in the same way that they do at a national level. I think it is important to think about who will best act in whichever office you are electing (local councillor, MP or MEP) and not take a blinkered view based on national politics which tend to dominate the mainstream media.
Look What I started!
51 million for an NHS building is peanuts when you think of 750 million plus for that tent in the east end.