2014 EU/Local Election Thread - Predictions and Results

[scifisam]

That said, I don't really give a shit about people trying to persuade other people to vote one way or another. Back in the day, they even used to actually come and knock on your door to do that.

They do that here too. It's different to standing in the way of the entrance to the polling station.

 

[killer b]

so they were trying to prevent you from voting?

 

[Hocus Eye.]

Nerd point: party persons asking for your poll number outside the polling station is to check you against the promises they've had whilst canvassing. In theory, if your number hasn't been through the polling station they will knock on your door later, maybe even offer you a lift. In my distant past as a Labour member it was called 'The Reading System', after Ian Mikardo who was, presumably, MP there. Basically carbon copied pads of your vote promises.

Oh yes, I remember the Reading System. After computerisation it was replaced by printouts from the Electoral Roll on a program called Elpac. We would enter all our promised votes on to Elpac and in subsequent elections you could use that knowledge again. Of course it wouldn't be necessarily reliable because people sometimes vote differently in Local Elections than they do in General Elections. Of course it is more accurate if you do a complete canvas at every election but then sometimes you just don't have enough workers.

As you might expect the Liberal Party would get up to various dirty tricks. In one election I noticed that they had a car to deliver some of their voters to the polling station. Of course the car was not needed all the time so they would park it right outside the polling station with a sign on the door saying Vote Liberal. The door was deliberately left open reaching across the pavement so the sign was clearly visible and it was there for a very long time thus breaking the rule about canvassing just outside the polling station.

 

[Roadkill]

and that they are 'seen' to be doing party work so that they can start their greasy climb up the ranks

Most of the ones I've seen recently have been so old they'll have dropped off their perch long before they get into any position of influence!

 

[Wilf]

Traditionally it used to be minibuses from the old folks home to boost the Tory vote.

Or residents getting signed up for postal votes without having much knowledge of it - and then the candidate pouncing on the home the day the ballots were delivered.

 

[Hocus Eye.]

and that they are 'seen' to be doing party work so that they can start their greasy climb up the ranks

It is not about being 'seen' to do party work. It is hard work if you have a full-time real job at the same time - most party workers do have. The 'greasy climb' consists of taking on various roles over the years which may include being delegate to the General Council of the local Party, being delegate to the local Executive Committee, being Ward Secretary, and Ward Chairman. After that you may be invited to stand as a candidate at first for an unwinnable ward or two. Later if you have success in improving the votes on the unwinnable ward you may get a chance to stand for a theoretically winnable one. If you get elected enough times then you may be in line to be a candidate for Parliament. Many years of hard graft will have been done before that. Nowadays people with friends in high places but no connection with the town will be parachuted into likely constituencies.

 

[SpineyNorman]

Further nerd point: 'back in my day' we used to give lifts to anyone who wanted one (usually as a result of a canvasser asking someone who says they will vote for you and is maybe elderly) - as well as offering lifts when knocking the vote out on the night. Has that all ended now? Must be a host of health and safety/car insurance/nonce issues with random politicos offering lists?

Still happens when they're desperate to get the vote out. I helped out a couple of times on Dave Nellist's campaign in Coventry last year (when he lost his seat) and labour had a whole fleet of taxis picking up anyone who said they'd vote for them and taking them to vote (it was raining). Along with other dodginess like landlords demanding tenants took down Dave's posters, replace them with labour ones and vote labour.

 

[scifisam]

so they were trying to prevent you from voting?

They did move aside after a member of a different party asked them to.

But they're really not supposed to impede entrance to the polls. And it's just one symptom of the problem that TH seems to have WRT following the law and common practice when it comes to voting.

Why do you think it's OK? If you don't, then why are you challenging me on it?

 

[killer b]

I'm not challenging you. I'm interested what happened.

 

[tim]

Here's the result for Oxford:

http://www.oxford.gov.uk/Library/Documents/Elections/Declaration of results.pdf

Is this the only place in the country where the LibDems got more votes than UKIP?

They were victorious in Gibraltar. Perhaps, there future les in a "Focus Leaflet" driven libconquista of the villages , towns and cities to the North - Cadiz could become the new Portsmouth. Mrs Clegg is an ideal candidate to spearhead this venture

 

[elbows]

As you might expect the Liberal Party would get up to various dirty tricks. In one election I noticed that they had a car to deliver some of their voters to the polling station. Of course the car was not needed all the time so they would park it right outside the polling station with a sign on the door saying Vote Liberal. The door was deliberately left open reaching across the pavement so the sign was clearly visible and it was there for a very long time thus breaking the rule about canvassing just outside the polling station.

There was a car with rather visible vote Labour stuff parked in the car park of our polling station (a school) when I went to vote here once, not sure exactly how long ago but within the last 10 years. In my memory it was decked up enough with Labour stuff for me to notice it and have a moan to myself about whether that was allowed, hell I even want to remember it having red balloons attached to it, but I suspect that might be my mind playing tricks.

Tellers were alive & well here this time, as usual.

In terms of council election wards this is a very safe Labour seat that is rarely troubled by any other party having a serious campaign here.

 

[J Ed]

They were victorious in Gibraltar. Perhaps, there future les in a "Focus Leaflet" driven libconquista of the villages , towns and cities to the North - Cadiz could become the new Portsmouth. Mrs Clegg is an ideal candidate to spearhead this venture

Yes, Señora Clegg's Francoist father was quite keen on reconquistas

 

[butchersapron]

The final actual real local electiuon results:

 

[JTG]

Anything on UKIP/Green averages in seats they stood in?

 

[butchersapron]

Anything on UKIP/Green averages in seats they stood in?

Coming days i think - whole load of data for people to get through.

 

[JTG]

Coming days i think - whole load of data for people to get through.

True story

 

[Sue]

They did move aside after a member of a different party asked them to.

But they're really not supposed to impede entrance to the polls. And it's just one symptom of the problem that TH seems to have WRT following the law and common practice when it comes to voting.

Why do you think it's OK? If you don't, then why are you challenging me on it?

Absolutely. They should've stamped on this a long time ago, bringing in people from outside the borough to run the polling stations/count if necessary. I also agree about the racism thing -- someone I know is on FB, denouncing anyone pointing out the obvious problems in TH as racist. I don't give a toss what race people are, I do give a toss when people are trying to intimidate others at polling stations and generally acting unacceptably.

 

[Wilf]

Further nerd point: 'back in my day' we used to give lifts to anyone who wanted one (usually as a result of a canvasser asking someone who says they will vote for you and is maybe elderly) - as well as offering lifts when knocking the vote out on the night. Has that all ended now? Must be a host of health and safety/car insurance/nonce issues with random politicos offering lists?

Actually, me asking questions about health and safety, insurance and noncery suggests I'm just the kind of soulless bureaucrat ukip wants to sweep from the board.

 

[butchersapron]

This is how you do it donetsk:

#BritainElects@britainelects
The town of Yarm (pop: 9K) has voted to return to administration within Yorkshire (from Stockton). FOR - 89% AGAINST - 11% [Turnout: 24%]

 

[JTG]

This is how you do it donetsk:

#BritainElects@britainelects
The town of Yarm (pop: 9K) has voted to return to administration within Yorkshire (from Stockton). FOR - 89% AGAINST - 11% [Turnout: 24%]

Sanity prevails. Bournemouth back to Hampshire next please

 

[Wilf]

There was a car with rather visible vote Labour stuff parked in the car park of our polling station (a school) when I went to vote here once, not sure exactly how long ago but within the last 10 years. In my memory it was decked up enough with Labour stuff for me to notice it and have a moan to myself about whether that was allowed, hell I even want to remember it having red balloons attached to it, but I suspect that might be my mind playing tricks.

Tellers were alive & well here this time, as usual.

In terms of council election wards this is a very safe Labour seat that is rarely troubled by any other party having a serious campaign here.

Suppose there's a chance it was simply a voter - or that the candidate and perhaps agent as well have the right to go into any poll station? My excuse for knowing that, as well as being involved in Labour for 10 years, is that I was once attached to the elections unit in Rochdale Council as part of my job there. I got to do glamorous things like sending postal votes out (though I was also something like a returning officers assistant in a poll station, which meant I got paid a fee on top of my normal money).

 

[butchersapron]

Sanity prevails. Bournemouth back to Hampshire next please

I wonder who the holdouts are and if they are now going to be crushed? I fear for them.

 

[JTG]

I wonder who the holdouts are and if they are now going to be crushed? I fear for them.

Mind you, I'm all for annexing Filton, Downend and Kingswood. Yate can fuck off though

 

[Wilf]

I wonder who the holdouts are and if they are now going to be crushed? I fear for them.

Defend the airfield!

 

[gosub]

No, it's not. The ones who were standing in the way of the entrance were not behaving the way they should. Last election was worse, with actual stuff shoved in your face and leaflets on tables in the voting room. Not on the voting tables, but on other tables next to the door.

We've had people brought in to supervise the vote because it does not work the way it should. We still don't have an official turnout because they still haven't finished counting votes.

I bloody hate that our council is corrupt, and because the mayor and his aides are bengali you're a racist for suspecting they're corrupt. Our mp is also bengali, and is there a word against her? No. She was voted in, turns up, does her job, all normal.

Do I dislike David Cameron because he's white? No. I'm allowed to dislike corruption in my own bloody council. Come and live here and see what it's like and say it's not corrupt.

They had the ERO on PM this evening, sounded a bit ineffective (not that he's got any easy job), reckons there was only one instance of literature in a polling station reported and it was removed, and that there was a local pact to limit candidates to 2 representatives per polling station, did get called to one instance where this was broken but didn't see it personally. Also reiterated the claim disputed by TH urbanites that there was police at all polling booths. No questions relating to the allegations at the count were asked, he reckoned it was taking so long because it was a close contest. Said he knew nothing of Electoral Commission concerns and wanted to here from anybody with any problems, which he would share with the police.

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

They had the ERO on PM this evening, sounded a bit ineffective (not that he's got any easy job), reckons there was only one instance of literature in a polling station reported and it was removed, and that there was a local pact to limit candidates to 2 representatives per polling station, did get called to one instance where this was broken but didn't see it personally. Also reiterated the claim disputed by TH urbanites that there was police at all polling booths. No questions relating to the allegations at the count were asked, he reckoned it was taking so long because it was a close contest. Said he knew nothing of Electoral Commission concerns and wanted to here from anybody with any problems, which he would share with the police.

Who is his boss? Must be between a rock and a hard place...

 

[J Ed]

This is how you do it donetsk:

#BritainElects@britainelects
The town of Yarm (pop: 9K) has voted to return to administration within Yorkshire (from Stockton). FOR - 89% AGAINST - 11% [Turnout: 24%]

Next stop Yorkshire independence

 

[belboid]

Next stop Yorkshire independence

Yorkshire First managed to beat No2EU and they English Democrats. The fight is on.

 

[dennisr]

Irish election results - the wonderful SWP (the people behind People Before Profit Alliance) give an "analysis" of the Irish elections.

Only a semi-veiled reference to the sabotage of Socialist left's Euro election challenge in Dublin. No mention to the 14 AAA Councillors elected. Apparently, it at least "helped to raise the profile of People Before Profit local candidates"! An official policy of "keep yer heads down till it all blows over lads"?

Party before People?

http://swp.ie/content/elections-show-desire-change-irish-workers-move-left

 

[marty21]

Mind you, I'm all for annexing Filton, Downend and Kingswood. Yate can fuck off though

I quite like Yate tbf - a mate of mine lives there