This photo was used as my screen wallpaper a while ago. I took it standing in the middle of town on a sunny day.
Our town now has a Lib Dem council. The Tories have been kicked out after quite a while sitting around the Guildhall, making life difficult for the shopkeepers of Bath. The Lib Dems will now sit around the Guildhall, making life difficult - and expensive - for all the residents who live in the centre but have to drive in and out to work.
It seems that all over England, both the Tories and Labour have suffered massive defeats in favour of either the Lib Dems or Independents. This is a backlash caused by Brexit, of course - either against the people who caused the mess or the people who cannot get us out of it. It makes no difference in the long run.
I looked at the list of candidates for my ward the day before yesterday, and decided I would not vote for any of them. Labour and Conservatives had already been eliminated by me for obvious reasons, but I thought I would take a peek at the independent's manifestos.
The only independent for my ward was a woman representing a party called BIG - Bath Independent Group. She teaches at Bath University and as far as I can make out, her sole platform was to ease the transition of thousands of her own students across Bath and up the hill to the university. She wanted to jump on the current bandwagon of Clean Air and Congestion by forcing the council to invest heavily in busses to get her drunken students out of town at 3.00 in the morning and back to their digs on the outskirts with the minimum of inconvenience to them, despite the inconvenience they themselves cause to others when they are chucked out of late night clubs and bars. To hell with that.
The Lib Dem's grand plan was to pedestrianise a little backwater square in town which is already 95% traffic free. The only thing the Conservatives had to say (whilst quaking in their boots) was that the Lib Dems would go ahead with the plans to charge residents £9 a day to drive home from work. That scare-tactic almost worked on me.
I will, however, be voting in the forthcoming MEP elections for the South West, but I have no idea who for as yet. It won't be for creepy Nigel Farage's Brexit party, and it won't be for the even creepier UKIP party that even he now distances himself from.
Things have got a bit out of hand at UKIP recently. A UKIP spokesman was saying - in public - the other day, that all Islam is a death-cult. Farage might have secretly thought this - I don't know - but he is not so stupid as to say it out loud.
With Tommy Robinson now as an 'Advisor' with UKIP, it sounds as if they've taken over from the BNP. The other 'little parties' are all well and good, but they often have crazy ideas; The Greens are a classic example.
ReplyDeleteThey are all single issue parties, mainly because nobody knows what to do about the wider, bigger issues.
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ReplyDeleteI have removed your stupid and inflammatory comment, even if it was said as a 'joke'. I will not have hateful opinions here. If you want to make comments like that, go somewhere else.
DeleteThat's probably what they said to Queen Isabella before she defeated the Moors.
DeleteYou equating Islam with Islamic terrorists is as stupid as equating gays with paedophiles. I wouldn't put up with that either.
DeleteIslamic religion glorifies death. They will kill the infidels and take over the world.
DeleteYou better vote UKIP then. They represent your ill-informed prejudices perfectly. Now go away.
DeleteRead the story of Queen Isabella. I think she is interesting.
DeleteMy feelings exactly Tom. I despair of them all - there seems to be something new to be horrified about every day. Would we could find a strong, independent leader who could sort things out.
ReplyDeleteYes Weave. Where's Hitler when you need him?
DeleteActually, that's just what worries me.
DeleteProportional representation perhaps? It works in Ireland. I once voted: Labour, Green and Fine Gael. First, second and third choices.
ReplyDeleteWould anything get done?
DeleteWe all need to invest heavily in love and busses.
ReplyDeleteSpoken like a true Californian hippy.
DeleteDon't worry. It will all be cleared up after we're dead.
ReplyDeleteI believe in love and buses and the single issue of unseating Trump. Oh, yes, and in Jane Austen. Lets see--also in entrepreneurs. That's enough for tonight.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on unseating Jane Austen.
DeleteI just discovered the trick of voting in the Euro elections. You go to https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/european-elections-2019-candidates-mep-who-standing-eu-vote-full-list/ and then find the candidates in your area. Cross out the parties you wouldn't be seen dead voting for. then look at the FIRST person on the lists of all the other parties. they are the only candidates you can be sure will be get the job of MEP if their party wins (cos the parties rank them in order of preference.) Then, google those candidates and see which ones you like and which you don't. Personally I've been checking what they say on Brexit that is enough for me at that stage. Then vote for the candidate you feel most sympathy with, it doesnt matter which party they are in AT ALL. That way you can be sure you are voting for the candidate who suits your views.
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ReplyDeleteActually Molly Scott Cato is standing for the greens in your area, I have heard some good stuff about her.Not that I know if you would want to vote for the greens though
ReplyDeleteI think I might do something like that already. This time I am going to throw a dart at the screen, and whoever it hits will be my choice of online vote.
DeleteThank you Tom for your comment to me on John's blog, it meant a lot to me. x
ReplyDeleteA few friends of mine have died recently - one last week. They were all younger.
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