Local elections - a weighing up of the issues

[marpleleaf]

As I said in the original post there are only two organised political bodies in Marple - the single issue Marple in Action and the local Liberal Democrats. I totally agree with you that it doesn't matter - in a way the party has become an irrelevance - my concern isn't really about how their interpretation of national policy or ideology plays out locally - because it usually doesn't. It's when a wafer thin majority, or a Labour controlled minority, sees the councillors toe-ing a Borough wide party line, that collides with what is right for the local area.

When I looked at the councillors last night and listened to them speak I thought I trusted and really liked two of them, was ambivalent about one, and felt outright hostility to two.

The conclusion seems to be that it's time to piss, or get off the pot.

Anyway, this anonymous stuff is a but cloak and dagger - Marple Leaf is the name of my webiste - I'm always happy to be known as Michael Taylor.

Cheers,

Michael Taylor

[finetimefontaine]

Mapleleaf,

Not to sure that I agree with your obvious hostility towards the LibDems. I'm no LibDemLuvver, I certainly don't think much of them nationally - but local politics is a different issue.

Political ideology is not up to much locally. Who cares if Councillors have read; JS Mill, Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine?  Who cares if you can't put a cigarette paper between them politically? Who cares what political colour they are? What we need are Councillors who are part of the community, who reflect and represent the communities needs and wishes and who are prepared to stand up for them. Councillors who keep the drains running and the park benches in a good state of repair.

That's really the problem isn't it - who is prepared to stand for office? The answer is not many. We all complain and criticise (as we are entitled to do) but we won't stand - we are all; too busy, too old, too young - etc.

I'm all in favour of diversity and maybe the LibDems have had it too easy in Marple when it comes to getting elected. But they are here and they are here every year - who else is?

Last year - pre- local election, everywhere I looked I kept seeing this local LibDem Councillor (I won't mention names it's not fair when they can't fight back and we're using 'nom -de- plumes') any way he/she was everywhere, every time I turned a corner there he/she was; Canvassing, Talking to people, putting up posters. There must have been 80/90 posters in this part of Marple. I saw 2 Labour posters, 2 UKIP and 3 Conservative . Who won the election - I WONDER WHY ?         

[marpleleaf]

Thanks for your interesting and varied responses. I went to the Local Area Meeting last night and was struck by the sheer volume of work and the utterly banality of a lot of it.

I don't understand what it is that ideologically separates the political parties on the kinds of issues that most councillors have to deal with. Their fitness for office ultimately rests on their competance and capacity for dealing with the work. There was a fairly patronising remark last night from one elected member (LibDem, obviously) about how businesses could advertise without resorting to A boards.  I wouldn't expect a Conservative to come out with something as they are instinctively pro-business - and to be fair, Craig Wright countered that with a plea for common sense - but if party differences don't distinguish elected members, why then should they matter.

But now that the Lib Dems are in government and having to respond to unpopular policies they may not have camapigned on, you start to see how irrelevant the party badge is in such a context.

Lisa's point about the local parties all asking her to stand rather backs this up, so does the current spate of floor crossing at the town hall - Lib Dem to Labour, Lib Dem to Tory and Labour to being an indie.

[Duke Fame]

I do think local government should be free of party political dogma. That said, I'd bf horrified if Labour got in and started destroying the place.

[Lisa Oldham]

Barbara... I may well not like the politicians that currently hold office.. and I think the financial rewards they get are excessive, however their hours are still long and very unsociable and that in the end was my reason for not standing, and remains so until my children and much older.. but thank you .. I quite fancy my own party too!

and chicky I doubt it would happen overnight.. unless that person was VERY VERY well known already, and well thought of I might add!! A political campaign is a costly a time consuming thing, which is why the lib dems, rich in this area, can afford all the nonsense expensive trash they put through my letterbox and the other parties can't!   An independent would find it even harder to compete and get their word out to the wider population of Marple, most of whom are still, unfortunately, unaware of this wonderful site

and amazon... yes i would be opposed to a SUPER(sized)market.. but then... I think anyone standing as an Independent right now would have to feel that way wouldnt they? and yes I know Dave and co ... its not totally obvious or proven etc etc etc that everyones against a SUPERmarket 

[amazon]

Have you given any thought to reconsidering and standing, Lisa?  Maybe you could create your own party.  (And we all like a party    Cheers.

Would. You be against a supermarket on Hibert lane

[chicky]

Please someone stand as an Independent- I think they may be surprised at the amount of local support they may gain.   It could actually happen overnight as there are many very dissatisfied with the current situation.

[Barbara]

Have you given any thought to reconsidering and standing, Lisa?  Maybe you could create your own party.  (And we all like a party    Cheers.

[Lisa Oldham]

You rarely get an independent that isn't known in the community they want to serve and already have a community reputation.  Its concern for their own community that convinces them to stand and I think makes them perfect for the job.

However, I'm also aware regular party candidates come in through that route as well and I know of a number that have been "poached" by certain parties to stand for them when they have been involved  in a community action.

A few years ago I was asked by the Labour party, The Green party and the Conservative party to stand in the same local council election! I'm sure that if I hadn't been facing off blatantly against the Lib Dems then they'd have asked me too!!

In order to make any dent on the bizarre Lib Dem majority ( and something I was advised a few years ago when i was considering standing) someone would have to stand at least 3 times to start denting any big majority and a continual voice between elections.  Think ALL candidates  fail at this as we rarely hear a peep from any of them in between elections and apart from Maggie of the Green party I don't recognise any other names on the lists to vote for and maybe thats why we vote for the Devil we know ( collective we... def not me!) ? 

So if anyone is thinking of going for it it wont happen overnight ... unfortunately.. but could someone do it anyway please because i am really fed up of this lot!

Then theres another thought... how about becoming a parish(if the govt haven't stopped it yet!) ??   Frowned upon by the council but very successful in Offerton, and would give us more power over what happened locally.. might even be able to keep our loos!! 

[Dave]

Agreed.  But of course, a brand new candidate putting him/herself forward as an independent has no record to be judged on (yet).  So what policies would such a new candidate offer the electorate to distinguish themselves from the usual lot (other than the hopelessly vague 'if elected I will stand up for you'   )

[marpleleaf]

A party candidate *also* has to serve their group. An independent is only judged on their record and how effectively they "stand up for the community" interests.

[Dave]

Interesting post, marpleleaf.  You rightly point out that our LibDem councillors are, in effect, unopposed by serious candidates from other parties.  Where your argument weakens is here:

Could this election be time for an independent slate to come forward and stand up for the community?

Which begs the obvious question - what would 'standing up for the community' look like?  I have no doubt that all candidates at local elections proclaim that they are  'standing up for the community'.  So what would an independent candidate offer that was any different from the others? 

[amazon]

The local council elections this May have thrown up a few intriguing issues. Marple's two wards have both been relatively safe Liberal Democrat seats, but these are far from normal times.

Yet I get no impression that the Conservatives have a sufficient organisation in Marple. The Conservative Club is a social base, not a political one. They have fielded "paper" candidates in the past, young activists with a willingness to put their names out, but with no hope of winning. Now that they have the opportunity, do they have the means?

Also, should Shan Alexander stay on in public life?

Could this election be time for an independent slate to come forward and stand up for the community?

There's a link to a longer blog on it here, I am genuinely interested to hear what other people think.

http://themarpleleaf.blogspot.com/2012/02/local-politics-too-important-to-be-left.html

How longs a piece of string .

[marpleleaf]

The local council elections this May have thrown up a few intriguing issues. Marple's two wards have both been relatively safe Liberal Democrat seats, but these are far from normal times.

Yet I get no impression that the Conservatives have a sufficient organisation in Marple. The Conservative Club is a social base, not a political one. They have fielded "paper" candidates in the past, young activists with a willingness to put their names out, but with no hope of winning. Now that they have the opportunity, do they have the means?

Also, should Shan Alexander stay on in public life?

Could this election be time for an independent slate to come forward and stand up for the community?

There's a link to a longer blog on it here, I am genuinely interested to hear what other people think.

http://themarpleleaf.blogspot.com/2012/02/local-politics-too-important-to-be-left.html