Elections

I can’t believe that many people would trust Boris with their personal bank card or daughters.

But, because of Brexit and the successful COVID vaccine programme he will weather the current storm.

People often vote differently in local and national elections - but this time around I don’t think many people will bother to vote and predict a very low turnout.

Working in Local Government (not Halton), I have seen the effect that cuts in central government funding have had on councils' abilities to provide adequate services to their residents. The 65%+ cut in funding that the Tories have forced on Local Authorities since 2010 is probably viewed as their biggest win of the austerity program as it has really served to turn people against their local councils. Most councils now struggle to offer any decent level of service beyond statutory requirements and this will continue for the foreseeable. Changing the make-up of your council isn’t going to rectify this. Councils really only make money through central funding, business rates, council tax, rents, fees and investments. So, when your central funding is cut 65%, guess what happens to all the others? A lot of councils are looking to investments now to generate income, however that initial spend is taking money away from providing essential services. When you consider the amount of the money that the Tory Government has wasted over the past 12 months, that would have seen every local council right for a generation.

In terms of the national government themselves, the Covid vaccination program has been a massive success, of that there’s no doubt. However, every preceding decision made to that point that was questionable. Austerity had crippled the NHS’s ability to cope, PPE was non-existent and when it was ordered it was subject to cronyism and wasn’t always the correct stock, lockdown’s weren’t enforced in time nor were they enforced properly, ministers and aides flouted lockdown rules without retribution, borders weren’t (& aren’t) properly closed, mistakes were repeated in the ‘second wave’, the list goes on. And that’s before you get started on corruption and wasted money. Or get started on their bread-and-butter failures like food bank usage, homelessness, child poverty, which have all sky-rocketed since 2010. Or get started on the Brexit inadequacies which will properly surface post-Covid.

However, Johnson’s rating is surging. Probably because of the vaccination program, probably because of Starmer being useless, and probably because most people are happier to get back to the pub than think of government corruption, food banks, feeding schoolkids etc.

So, yeah, I expect the Tories to do well May 6th.

A hugely interesting reply GPO!

I agree with your penultimate paragraph, especially about the leader of Her Majesty's Opposition, who would to the outsider, appear to have had a charisma by-pass, but...........

As a Labour Party member for nearly as long as I've been a Lion, I hope you're mistaken with your last line, but........

I'm not holding my breath!

Spelly.

Who cares about Police and Crime Commissioners - voting is always low in these elections. Who cares about local authority elections, when their ability to deliver decent services has been decimated by the Government's austerity cuts. Who cares about democracy when it delivers foodbanks and public corruption. Well we should all care, because if we don't vote we only deserve what we get.

The problem with the Labour Party is that it is still deeply divided, with the Corbynites still fighting for their unrealistic and unachievable  social utopia. Kier Starmer has to get back full control of the soul of the Labour Party before he can fully engage in opposing this right wing government. Until that happens, the Party will continue to be unelectable as it was under Corbyn and continues now under Starmer.

Who cares about Police and Crime Commissioners – voting is always low in these elections. Who cares about local authority elections, when their ability to deliver decent services has been decimated by the Government’s austerity cuts. Who cares about democracy when it delivers foodbanks and public corruption. Well we should all care, because if we don’t vote we only deserve what we get. 1) The problem with the Labour Party is that it is still deeply divided, with the Corbynites still fighting for their unrealistic and unachievable social utopia. 2) Kier Starmer has to get back full control of the soul of the Labour Party before he can fully engage in opposing this right wing government. Until that happens, the Party will continue to be unelectable as it was under Corbyn and continues now under Starmer.

1) Yes we are, and no, it's not gonna change any time soon.

2) Is he capable of doing that? I fear not! We are short of a genuine leading light, that can head a quality opposition, then potentially, move into Downing Street, and that's also unlikely to alter in the near future, but......

As ever, the poster is in my window, advising people to vote in a similar way to me, but.............

If there's more than a 30% turnout, I'll be highly surprised!

Spelly.

Agree with much of the foregoing, and as a former LGO it hurts!

I suspect that whoever was leading the oppositiin would be on a loser atm.. Society has changed with Austerity for so long convincing too many that that is as life should be. We will only change it when joe public realises that he has been taken for a sucker.

I can remember the post war election and Atlee was no magic personality, but the changes that his govt offered were what people needed, and that,imo, will be what it will take again. My dads opinion rings in my ears tbh ' We're not going back to what we had!'

Sadly Bojo and his mates will have their banks full by then from the way they are going about it now.

Just been to vote, and there was hand sanitizer as you go in, with screens in front of the people on duty. One way in, one way out.

Different to the past, but of course it's necessary, and it was all very well organised, with no queueing.

I'm not holding my breath for a great night for us, and the outcome of the Hartlepool by-election result will be interesting to say the least. That result is due about 6.00am tomorrow according to BBC News.

Also, will Nicola get a(nother) mandate, for a(nother) referendum? I hope not, as Edinburgh, Glasgow, and John o' Groats, are (in my opinion) just as British as are Cardiff, Wrexham, Belfast, Londonderry, Widnes, and Monton.

Spelly.

My guess is that they will get am "independence" majority at these elections and the SNP will demand a referendum hoping that Johnson will refuse, which will be used to push more Scots to an anti British stance. This is what the SNP want.

It would be better for Johnson to agree to a referendum to be held on a date to be determined, but requiring a 60% majority vote and a mechanism to allow all Scots ie born in Scotland or Scottish parents and living in the UK, to vote in the referendum. Hopefully, Scots will realise that the UK and the individual countries forming the UK, will be better off by staying together. Having said that I bet there are many parts of England that do not want to be part of a Conservative led country!

As for Hartlepool, it looks like there is still a legacy from Brexit with those previously voting UKIP in 2019 now supporting Conservatives; and Labour voters not sure that the loony left of the Labour Party have gone away. I have always believed that Starmer's biggest fight prior to the next general election, will be within the Labour Party. The attack on his character has probably been promoted from  his opposition within the party.

So Hartlepool has turned Blue eh? No surprise really, but the turnout was only 42.3% despite the huge publicity it created! Why did more half the electorate take the "I can't be a***d." attitude?

I'm not holding my breath for anything other than similar results (and turnouts) overall, so.....

Where does this leave the Labour Party, my party? I fear we are approaching summat like the dark times when Militant Faction made us un-electable!

Spelly.

Our politics are polar opposites Spelly, but I think Corbyn did a horrendous amount of damage to Labour's cause. To some, he was revered as some kind of god, but getting cosy with terrorists and being distinctly un-patriotic is never a good look. As for Starmer, I have no doubt he is a thoroughly decent fella but sorry, he isn't a leader. I would struggle to be inspired by him. Labour is in a really bad place and the electorate will look at recent events and say: we wanted out of Europe - done. We were in the midst of a terrible pandemic. We needed vaccinating quickly - done. I honestly don't think people care about Boris's decorating costs and who paid the bill. Starmer needs to step up or step aside. Also Spelly, I think the "dark forces" have been creeping back into Labour for quite a few years now and that just isn't palatable to many. Just my thoughts mate.

Our politics are polar opposites Spelly, but I think Corbyn did a horrendous amount of damage to Labour’s cause. To some, he was revered as some kind of god, but getting cosy with terrorists and being distinctly un-patriotic is never a good look. As for Starmer, I have no doubt he is a thoroughly decent fella but sorry, he isn’t a leader. I would struggle to be inspired by him. Labour is in a really bad place and the electorate will look at recent events and say: we wanted out of Europe – done. We were in the midst of a terrible pandemic. We needed vaccinating quickly – done. I honestly don’t think people care about Boris’s decorating costs and who paid the bill. Starmer needs to step up or step aside. Also Spelly, I think the “dark forces” have been creeping back into Labour for quite a few years now and that just isn’t palatable to many. Just my thoughts mate.

Interesting comments, and I wouldn't / couldn't argue with much of what you say.

I agree Starmer's days could be numbered, but I can't see (anything like) a shining light who could fill the void at present.

The Red Wall of the North East is getting bluer, and bluer, and I reckon that's (still) a result of the (then) Labour hierarchy's ambivalence on Brexit. I voted Remain.

On 5Live this morning, Nicky Campbell said Labour's last eleven general elections read, lose, lose, lose, lose, Blair, Blair, Blair, lose, lose, lose, lose.

Would I return to the days when we were in power, and our leader acted as Bush's puppet over Iraq? No way! That took me (a lot) nearer to resigning from the party, than anything else in the nigh on five decades that I've been a member!

What's the solution? Answers on a postcard to party HQ please, but.....

Meantime, I seriously doubt that I'll see us in Downing Street again in my lifetime!

A little bit of good news is that during a night of disaster, we safely retained the seat in my ward.

Honest enough reply mate?

Spelly.

Born in a council house, state educated, gaining technical qualifications at night school and worked on a building site for most of my adult  life, I’ve got to be a stereotypical leftie. And, to make matters worse I voted to leave the EU.

Since getting the vote at 21 I’d always voted Labour but didn’t at the last general election or in the recent multiple elections.

Why? Perhaps because I’m following my stereotype and refusing to support a party who, I’m certain, thinks I’m thick (and probably a lot if other bad things too). Blair and Starmer don’t share my values anymore than Boris does, but I would support an updated Gordon Brown and, who knows, that man or woman might be waiting in the wings and surface in due course.

So Hartlepool has turned Blue eh? No surprise really, but the turnout was only 42.3% despite the huge publicity it created! Why did more half the electorate take the “I can’t be a***d.” attitude? I’m not holding my breath for anything other than similar results (and turnouts) overall, so….. Where does this leave the Labour Party, my party? I fear we are approaching summat like the dark times when Militant Faction made us un-electable! Spelly.

By-Elections are, historically, a significantly lower turn out than General Elections, no idea why though.

As for Labour, I honestly think they're caught between the devil & the deep blue sea.

Nobody wants Jezza Corbyn & his commie disciples, because we all know how that ends... And nobody wants Tony Blair Mk2 because we all know how that ends too...

Then add the fact that Labour reneged on their 2017 Election promise to enact the will of the people regarding the EU referendum, and more recently, showed subservience to a far left terrorist organisation.

I reckon trust is the answer to your conundrum.

And trust is very hard to win back...

The characteristics of the population has changed over the past 10 years and the pandemic has continued that change. We now have virtually no large industrial operations and what we have don't have union representation any longer. Unite has managed to push the wrong leaders or non-leaders and hence made Labour unattractive.

Many workers are convinced that 'being their own boss' makes them Tories! They may be directors of their own company but won't have the PM's telephone number!

I am afraid that the working population will have to slowly learn the lesson of Brexit and Union representation and that will take time and suffering.

I am lucky in that my final pay pension scheme serves me well, other younger souls may not be so lucky. That maybe what it will take to make people realise that being your own boss means that you are on your own when the going gets tough.

Starmer is relatively new to the game of politics and how to play it. Things will have to get back to virtually pre-war levels before many are prepared to admit that they made a mistake. The extreme left of his party are still fighting those battles of course.

Boris is electioneering every time he opens his mouth, and the people buy it!