For the last few local elections I’ve had no one to vote for. It’s not long until the general election and I’d really rather not have to spoil my ballot paper again, which could be a problem…
Lib Dems
The local Lib Dems are keen to point out that they don’t just appear at election time, which is true. Unfortunately the result is that their newsletters just tend to annoy me a lot more often. The latest front page is all about their opposition to building houses on greenfield land. Now I’m not all that keen on the idea of that either if there are alternatives, but planning seems to be a problem on the brownfield Wildern Mill site as well. (Still resisting the urge to have a real rant about local planning in general, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time!) There’s also a reminder of previous campaigns, including the fight to stop a gravel pit. The good news is that Eastleigh does have excellent recycling collections for all the newsletters.
I might be more tempted to vote for the Lib Dems on national issues, except they keep reminding me that there isn’t any point.
Conservative
Seem to keep a fairly low profile locally. Either that or they just don’t think I’m likely to vote for them. They often seem to be campaigning for the same things as the Lib Dems. For example, Maria Hutchings’ out of date looking web site also features the fight to protect green spaces and over development.
The Conservatives biggest plus point nationally is that they aren’t Labour, and they could win the next election.
Labour
They appear on the ballot paper but I have no idea what they think about local issues. Nationally, they seem to have put the unelected evil Lord Mandelson in charge, so there’s no chance I’ll be voting for them. If Mandelson keeps coming back, he’s not getting the message.
RON
There was UKIP as well last time but otherwise we don’t seem to get much more choice in Eastleigh. Not even an option to reopen nominations to give the candidates/parties pause for thought. So who can I vote for. One idea bubbling away in the back of my mind for a while is that I could vote for myself- I’d just need to get on the ballot paper.
That was all before the Digital Economy Bill, which was beginning to look like it would go through without any real opposition. What can you do when none of the parties support your views? The Digital Economy Bill might still sneak through without the scrutiny it requires, handily under the cover of an election campaign so, while I would rather not stand in the election, I haven’t ruled it out completely. Scarily, I’ve already been offered the £500 deposit and a nomination! My manifesto would be simple: to stand down at the earliest opportunity. So a vote for me would be a vote for RON. Yes, a single issue candidate, but one who it’s safe to vote for. Does anyone want to join the RON party? A good way to register frustration with politicians and draw attention to the Digital Economy Bill, or a waste of time and money?
Update: Eastleigh News have a handy guide to my competition. I wonder if anyone else is thinking of standing.
Update: It’s now too late to register a new party, which is a shame- I was thinking that “For The Win” would look good on the ballot paper! There is still time left to stand for election, but after much consideration I don’t think there is really enough time to go for it this election. If I did stand, I would want to do it justice and put in some serious work, otherwise it would basically be an expensive way to spoil my ballot paper! I would need to think about my current job, properly research the mechanics of submitting nominations and the rules that govern candidates. I would also need to check that I could actually deliver on my manifesto pledge and stand down immediately in the unlikely event I won! (I just assumed that would be possible, but while chatting to my campaign team someone pointed out that it might not be possible, so definitely worth finding out. I wouldn’t want to be one of those parties that make all sorts of promises which they don’t keep!) Then there would be the small matter of attempting to get at least 5% of the vote!! Still, depending on how bad the next batch of MPs are, you might see a few “For The Win” candidates in the next election! Just leave a comment if you would like to be one of them! (13 April 2010)
Notes from a small field 
I can’t vote in Eastleigh but sounds like a good idea. We do usually get quite a selection of candidates in Sutton but realistically only two parties have a chance of winning.
On the election theme, I’m now drowning in letters from both Tories and LibDems. Came home after a long weekend away to find a pile of letters and flyers last night.
My wife can vote in this election now, having become a British national 3 years ago. She has been asking me what do each of the parties stand for, which is really making me think and explain what the policies are (or aren’t in most cases.)
In Taiwan the elections are a little more exciting, indeed the parliament is much more fun, often having a good old punch up when someone calls another member something rude.
Think it should all be settled with arm wrestling.
If only I lived in Eastleigh… then I could vote for you :)
The other problem with the Lib Dems is that their (regular) newsletters seem to spend loads of paragraphs slagging off tories and labour and very few telling us what they actually DO. Oh and making random planning objections.
I’m from Eastleigh :-) (£500 seems a very expensive RON…)
Go James!
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No one from Eastleigh has offered there vote yet (well, apart from Jo!) so yes, that 5% of the vote would be unlikely. Even so, £500 doesn’t seem quite so expensive when compared to the £20,000 for a couple of adverts. Potentially much better value for the publicity, and there’s always a slim chance of getting it back! Have until 4 pm on Tuesday 20 April to decide…
Go for it! But you can’t have my vote, I’m not in Eastleigh :(
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