General Chat

The Campaign here was very intimidating here too....not very British :-( :-(

I've just watched the Jess Phillips speech after winning the count. What happened is appaling - if this is signs of things to come then I am very worried.

Well, the pro Palestinian candidate got within 500 votes of Wes Streeting a prominent mouth piece for Labour.....now that could have been a real shock :-0

Just goes to show how culturally this area has changed :-0

Well :-0 :-0

All change around here :-0 :-0
This has been a firmly Conservative area since at least World War 2, but no more!

Labour has taken so many seats in Kent, even in the long-held Conservative areas.

Will they do better for this region?

How can something return if it wasn’t there in the first place?

Or are we talking about way way back when only a few had the vote :-S

I had more people knocking on my door during the local elections!
Absolutely no-one for the general election.
Leaflets - loads, but only from 2 parties.
When I went to vote, there were about 7 candidates. I'd (obviously) never heard of 5 of them. r the
I just voted tactically - not for the party I believe in, as they had little hope.

Oh for the return of Proportional Representation, rather than First Past the Post.

No canvassers here.
Several SNP notices on telegraph poles.

I don't know the situation at the village hall, which was the polling station, as I had a postal vote and therefore no need to go out in the lashing rain and howling wind, thank goodness!

Lots of leaflets delivered along with the mail.
I hadn't heard of any of the candidates, partly because our village is now in a different constituency, following boundary changes.
We received leaflets for both the old and the new constituencies' candidates, which was confusing.
I did know the names of a few of the candidates in the "old" constituency - but of course couldn't vote for any of them this time.

Nobody sitting outside our pollting station, there was just a woman at the door reminding everyone that they needed photo i.d.
It was really busy with a queue of about 20 in front of us and a steady stream following us in , - a fair mix of ages too. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a higher turnout than usual.
Many people took their polling card and handed it to the checker with their I.D and then moved on to the next table to pick up the voting paper.

As daughter says, We are allowed to moan now that we have voted. No point moaning if you don't try to influence who gets in. ;-)

Island - Well they could be working as well as people ;-)

Linda - I have never ever taken the polling card with me. I don’t understand why those number takers on the door are surprised - there is no requirement to take it with you.

We have had an incredible number of election pamphlets through the door and in the post. We had one canvasser last night, she asked OH if he was going to vote for her party, he said no, so she then asked him who he was going to vote for. His reply was “ Have you ever heard of a secret ballot?”
What annoys me most of all is when they sit outside the polling station and ask to see your card on the way in. I am sure that a lot of people think that they are some official and hand over their card to get their name ticked off a list . Today it was the Lib Dem party who are hoping to take the seat from the Conservatives. The woman said “ Can I have your card “ as I walked up. My answer was “ No you can’t” , she looked quite shocked. I would have given the same answer to which ever party it was.

I was surprised to see 5 candidates on the ballot paper, two I'd never heard of!
No door knockers that I know of but then I tend to have my headphones on of an evening.
Perhaps too many flyers from one party and just one from another. None from the other three.
I haven't noticed any posters in windows - how common LOL I don't get why people do that :-S
I was expecting a queue this morning or at least the number takers outside. No and no.
I've a feeling it could be a low turn out here - as per :-|


Birds at work Names? Confused

I haven't seen any posters, but there are notices on just about every lamp post , from the 4 main parties who have a chance of winning here.

There were no supporters outside the polling station, but I think that might partly be due to the weather. We managed to dodge the showers, which are short but very heavy. There was a steady trickle of people going in to vote, mostly older folk, but younger ones are at work and a lot are away as it's the first week of the summer school holidays.

We won't know our result until tomorrow as this is a large rural constituency with several islands, so we have the same problem as Florence.

It’s only just gone half past three and a certain party is already out banging on people’s doors to remind them vote.

Not getting answers as oropendola are at work or still getting kids from school. Oh I do hope folks didn’t vote for them.

Gwyn, I think that is acceptable.

We didn't see either candidate going to any doors. But at least there was an election. . In April OH answered door to a Labour person asking what we were going to vote in THE election. Well, he must have lost money at the bookies. :-D

WE used to live a few 1000 yards away from the parliamentary border so often used to get the wrong group kknocking or posting through the door.

8 candidates here, but few posters to be seen. There are none in my immediate locality, but I've seen a few in gardens on the main coast road.
We had one candidate at the door, I believe, but missed him, but have leaftets from 6 of the parties standing, including one mini newspaper, which I was attempting to plough through this morning.

Our present Conservative MP does not live in our constituancy, but I'll let him off that as the boundary changes mean he is now over the border, so hardly his fault.
Conservatives took quite a knock in the local elections, so it will be interesting to see what the changes bring today.

In answer to your question AnnG, it isn't legal :-0. In fact, according to The Council nothing should be attached to lampposts anywhere in The Borough :-0. We have had more than a few problems with this, no sooner are the flags taken down that they appear again :-|

My father would never allow election posters in the windows.
Yet we were encouraged to talk about all sorts of things but political choices were kept quiet. I don’t believe he ever voted himself except for the common market referendum.

So I guess the answer to your question Names is probably fear.

Belle I am not sure that is legal. Or have things changed. working for local government I used to do Poll clerk at the local and general elections (including the count) and outside the polling stations there was not allowed any posters for individual people or parties (talking 1970s now.)

had no canvassers round here, did have several leaflets delivered. One or two posters on houses that usually have posters. I think people are much more wary of declaring their preferences. Although we never did have any posters on display.

The only Canvasser I've had is an Independent who was promoting a Palestinian State and the blight of the the people in Gaza. All very honorable but what are you going to do for the people of this country :-S

She might do well as there were Palestinian flags flying from the lampposts outside the Polling Station :-0 :-0