2024 local elections

[paulfromcamden]

As you get older you forget just how bad the Tories are

I think for some older people it's a reactionary vote for the status quo. Society and attitudes change over time and some people will find that disconcerting.

And there's also the thing about being idealistic when you're young and don't have any money then deciding you'd like to hang on to your cash when you've got a few bob later in life.

The irony being of course that the Tories have been disastrous for most people's wealth with poor economic growth, stagnant wages and Truss bumping up the cost of everyone's mortgage.

 

[matt j]

I can't believe for a second why any life long/trad Tory would vote for this lot based on being "good with the economy" meme of yester year. They're an absolute shit show, in fact I can't see anything remaining that a trad Tory would vote for other than it being not Labour.

 

[Minio]

Truss bumping up the cost of everyone's mortgage.

I might be missing something but how did a prime minister for 45 days, with policies never actually implemented, do any permanent damage to interest rates in the UK?

I've seen much higher rates in other places.

 

[gavreid]

I think for some older people it's a reactionary vote for the status quo. Society and attitudes change over time and some people will find that disconcerting.

And there's also the thing about being idealistic when you're young and don't have any money then deciding you'd like to hang on to your cash when you've got a few bob later in life.

The irony being of course that the Tories have been disastrous for most people's wealth with poor economic growth, stagnant wages and Truss bumping up the cost of everyone's mortgage.

More likely to vote far righ too, despite either living through the war of its aftermath!

 

[gavreid]

I can't believe for a second why any life long/trad Tory would vote for this lot based on being "good with the economy" meme of yester year. They're an absolute shit show, in fact I can't see anything remaining that a trad Tory would vote for other than it being not Labour.

I've a Tory next door in his 80s now. Hated Thatcher, born working class but blue blooded nevertheless...

 

[paulfromcamden]

I might be missing something but how did a prime minister for 45 days, with policies never actually implemented, do any permanent damage to interest rates in the UK?

I've seen higher rates in other places.

From: https://www.reuters.com/business/fi...y-still-paying-trusss-growth-plan-2022-10-17/

 

[Seeker_UK]

From: https://www.reuters.com/business/fi...y-still-paying-trusss-growth-plan-2022-10-17/

And not just internal damage either:

 

[paulfromcamden]

And not just internal damage either:

Though as she has explained none of it was her fault and we should point the finger at the woke deep state blob. Or something.

Nurse!

 

[gingermrkettle]

Yes my question is about why it isn't politicised in the same way.

Because we aren't the USA and religion isn't definitively aligned to political views.

 

[gez]

Authoritarianism. It is only one step removed from Mugabe, Putin or whatever stooges standing outside polling stations with baseball bats. Any true democracy includes the right to stay away should one wish. This is especially true under FPTP systems such as ours. I fully understand my vote is a waste of my time as it will never count towards representation. This is true for anyone who doesn’t live in a marginal seat where a party or candidate they want is actually in contention. In my entire voting life I have only been represented in the EU elections.

I do still vote despite this, but only as a protest to provide further statistical data for the campaign for PR. If I had to get photos done for what I fully understand is a waste of my time I’d likely stay home. As it happens I still have a couple of years on my passport and, so I’ll keep having my vote counted for PR-supporting minority parties national total.

I can't see how it's Authoritanarianism personally. I mean if coersion was going to exist it would exist with people going around bullying people to vote a given way irrespective of if people were obliged to vote, so I don't understand the bully boy/stooges relevance. If it's the right to not vote for any of the canditates that's an issue, well mandatory voting doesn't require that you have to choose a candidate any more than staying away from the polls does now. You'd just have a optioned named "none of the above". If anything I'd say it's far better to actually count that "anti" vote than not. Currently you just don't know why people didn't vote.
If anything I have an opposite view. People died to protect our right to maintain a democracy against an authoritarian regime, in my view voting is a privilege that we shouldn't take for granted and thus I feel it's our civic duty to at the very least "express our opinion" in the democratic system, be that chose a candidate or say "f*ck off". Either way I think it's important the view is counted. In a way I also see it as a form of "rememberance" of those that died to protect our democracy.

Of course a lot of work would need to be done in order to make sure voting is easy, pain free and convenient so that those who are less mobile etc can have their say. It also needs to be impossible to corrupt.

 

[gavreid]

Because we aren't the USA and religion isn't definitively aligned to political views.

So why does the muslim community take it more seriously than the Tory party in prayer? I really don't know I don't believe myself but I think the CoE is racist in a nutshell...

 

[Kirk]

Taking of decent journos, challenge the interviewee and this happens.

Sangita Myska leaves LBC as Vanessa Feltz joins in schedule shake-up

The presenter's departure follows speculation about her position at the talk radio station.

www.bbc.co.uk

Replaced by Feltz. Yikes.

 

[Kirk]

Authoritarianism. It is only one step removed from Mugabe, Putin or whatever stooges standing outside polling stations with baseball bats. Any true democracy includes the right to stay away should one wish. This is especially true under FPTP systems such as ours. I fully understand my vote is a waste of my time as it will never count towards representation. This is true for anyone who doesn’t live in a marginal seat where a party or candidate they want is actually in contention. In my entire voting life I have only been represented in the EU elections.

I do still vote despite this, but only as a protest to provide further statistical data for the campaign for PR. If I had to get photos done for what I fully understand is a waste of my time I’d likely stay home. As it happens I still have a couple of years on my passport and, so I’ll keep having my vote counted for PR-supporting minority parties national total.

We do need to vote if democracy is to work. Recent research from the University of Chicago:

• Compulsory voting increases turnout, especially where there exist enforced penalties for abstention.
• The composition of the voting population (those who do vote) tends to better reflect the composition of the electorate (those who can vote) where voting is compulsory.
• Compulsory voting increases the rate of invalid ballots cast.
• Compulsory voting probably moves election results and policy to the left.
• There is little evidence that compulsory voting makes people more politically informed and engaged.

It's mixed picture research wise though. I am not aware of any research that claims CV leads to authoritarianism.

 

[paulfromcamden]

Recent research from the University of Chicago:

• Compulsory voting increases turnout

This is the kind of groundbreaking insight you'd hope to get from the boffins at the University of Chicago.

 

[gingermrkettle]

I think the CoE is racist in a nutshell...

It really isn't, at least not my place. Support for refugees, congregations for Cantonese and Portugese speaking congregations as an integral part of the church and a very clear celebration of all the languages including those from South Asian and African backgrounds last Pentecost.

 

[Kirk]

By the way, I think you're incorrect when it comes to the relationship between wealth and voting Conservative in the UK, at least if this 2017 YouGov chart is true. The days of when the working class predominantly voted Labour are well and truly gone:

Though they seem to agree that age is a predictor of voting choice:

The demographics dividing Britain | YouGov

As the campaign starts, YouGov data shows how class, age, gender, education and income will shape the electorate

yougov.co.uk

The trend in the West seems to = low income, less educated, blue collar types forgoing class-based/party voting - and joining Tinder. Here in the UK in the last election, they swiped right when they saw the hot blonde. Buyer beware. But it's not just that cohort - more voters than ever in the UK are now willing to experiment.

 

[Kirk]

This is the kind of groundbreaking insight you'd hope to get from the boffins at the University of Chicago.

The winters are long.

 

[Southeastern]

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[ff1d1l]

We do need to vote if democracy is to work. Recent research from the University of Chicago:

• Compulsory voting increases turnout, especially where there exist enforced penalties for abstention.
• The composition of the voting population (those who do vote) tends to better reflect the composition of the electorate (those who can vote) where voting is compulsory.
• Compulsory voting increases the rate of invalid ballots cast.
• Compulsory voting probably moves election results and policy to the left.
• There is little evidence that compulsory voting makes people more politically informed and engaged.

It's mixed picture research wise though. I am not aware of any research that claims CV leads to authoritarianism.

Everything not forbidden is compulsory.

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

I can't see how it's Authoritanarianism personally.
If anything I have an opposite view. People died to protect our right to maintain a democracy against an authoritarian regime, in my view voting is a privilege that we shouldn't take for granted and thus I feel it's our civic duty to at the very least "express our opinion" in the democratic system, be that chose a candidate or say "f*ck off". Either way I think it's important the view is counted. In a way I also see it as a form of "rememberance" of those that died to protect our democracy.

I don’t see voting as a privilege at all. If anything, it is a basic right that we should be able to take for granted.

That we feel it isn’t, and is a privilege, is part of the problem; there are elements in our leadership that believe they have a right to be there, and our right to vote otherwise is just a figleaf of democracy and only something to be paid lip service to.