Did you vote in the Local Elections?

[jazzer]

You only reep what you sow. When they coming a bleating, it will be nice to remind them of the 58% who retained the current councillors.

[DuncanW]

apbremer Wrote:

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> I cannot believe that voters have been so stupid.

Absolutely brilliant - thank you so much for posting that.

[Soylent Green]

With three votes, people were able to split how the voted party-wise. I voted for three different ones. Because I am appalled by Southwark Labour's track record on social housing ( Elephant and Castle = case in point, I could only give the party partial support. Fortunately, there was enough choice to be able to show discontent without having to vote for one of the other major parties, as I would rather kill myself than vote for a scum-bag Tory or a Tory-turncoat LibDem.

[apbremer]

And the Tories were voted out in Wandsworth despite the council taxes for 40 years being a fraction of those in loony Lambeth across the street for identical services. Do poverty stricken stupid voters hate Boris so much that they will willingly commit financial hara kiri.I despair again.

[Jenijenjen]

The answer to your question is yes

[trinidad]

apbremer Wrote:

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> And the Tories were voted out in Wandsworth

> despite the council taxes for 40 years being a

> fraction of those in loony Lambeth across the

> street for identical services. Do poverty stricken

> stupid voters hate Boris so much that they will

> willingly commit financial hara kiri.I despair

> again.

Loony Lambeth - interesting comment!!

[hpsaucey]

trinidad Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> apbremer Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > And the Tories were voted out in Wandsworth

> > despite the council taxes for 40 years being a

> > fraction of those in loony Lambeth across the

> > street for identical services. Do poverty

> stricken

> > stupid voters hate Boris so much that they will

> > willingly commit financial hara kiri.I despair

> > again.

>

> Loony Lambeth - interesting comment!!

As is 'poverty stricken stupid voters'. Classy stuff (not)

[jazzer]

Those who voted wanted to give Boris a bloody nose and they did that, for them it was not about local issues but rather to hurt the Tories, which they did. It is short sighted politics as they are now stuck with a labour run council who will as in Southwark dictate to the residents. As I stated yesterday, you reep what you sow. Here in Southwark labour councillors were re-elected. They'll now continue to push their own agenda as is the case in Lewisham. Many will now have to endure a further four years of seeing the borough on a further downward spiral with increase council tax and fewer services.

[Sue]

How do you know why people voted as they did?

[legalalien]

It?s democracy at work. People can vote how they want for whatever reasons they want. The main thing is that people vote.

I?m not happy with the outcome in my ward, but am prepared to give loser?s consent.

I would like a bit more transparency/ accountability though and I hope that the LDs remaining in council step up and do a good job of being in opposition. Similarly Labour councillors who are not in cabinet. I view that as meaning keeping on top of detail and asking probing questions - not just giving speeches about the things that they disagree with. If there are any LD party people out there, maybe you could set up an email address for people to send suggested questions to?

FWIW I really liked Richard Wingfield as a candidate even though I didn?t vote for him - maybe the LDs could consider him for the LD candidacy at the next GE if he is interested.

I?ll say it again - it would be great if the promised Engaging Communities programme could happen and we could have some ward meetings. Public meetings in person rather than meetings with selected RAs and lobby groups is important in reuniting the community, I think. I?d like to think we could manage that without it turning into fight club.

[diable rouge]

jazzer Wrote:

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Many will now have to endure a further four years of seeing the borough on a further downward spiral with increase council tax and fewer services.

With Covid and now the cost of living crisis, there can't be many councils that haven't or won't put up council tax and/or reduce services. This is up to 2019/20 for England...

Local authority ?spending power? ? that is, the amount of money local authorities have to spend from government grants, council tax, and business rates ? has fallen by 16% since 2010

Councils can't borrow this shortfall, so something has to give...

[Rockets]

With hindsight, the Tories and Lib Dems should have made an agreement to have one party not run candidates. Unfortunately they split the no LTN vote. The Tories should have stepped aside and let the Lib Dems have a run at it on their own. Neither of them could mobilise like Labour can - it was fascinating eavesdropping on that Labour councillor war gaming sessions hearing how they would target "weak" Labour voters on the basis of socio-economics, age and race and then send activists to their doors to lobby them to vote if they hadn't already. The other parties seemed to be reliant on the actual candidates getting out and knocking on doors in the run-up to the election. Labour are good at mobilising, other parties aren't.

[jamesmcash]

The Tories and the Lib Dems were never going to agree to do that. Their goal was not to remove the LTNs. It was to win seats for their respective party.

As for Labour's mobilising strategy, we do exactly the same thing as every other major party. We speak to people, hear their concerns and try to persuade them to vote for us. On polling day we visit the people who have told us they'd vote for us to remind them to vote.

We didn't win with any magic tricks. We were just more popular than the other parties this time. This is especially true in somewhere like Dulwich Village where the turnout was so high that mobilisation on the day was less of a factor.

[Waseley]

I'd like some of what you are on Mr/Mrs R. Can you imagine a world were the LDs and Torries went into partnership? It's not going to happen. Wait a sec it did... But it ain't going to happen again.

Perhaps time to move on? You appear to be grasping a straws and I see no evidence that the masses voted against Labour on this single issue.

[Rockets]

Cllr McAsh - it was just fascinating hearing about the resources you deploy around an election and I was wondering whether others deployed the same. Your colleague (was it Richard Livingstone?) talking about the reports run to target weak voters was a real eye opener.

We had repeated house calls from Labour councillors and activists in the run-up to the election, had one from the Lib Dems and didn't see a Tory. There were Labour activists outside the Dulwich Village polling station very keen to get our polling card numbers so we wouldn't be "targeted" later in the day. There wasn't anyone else from another of the other parties.

It is really impressive how you mobilise.

I do love the idea of reminding people to vote, a bit like the way men in the 1800s were encouraged to join the navy! ;-) Sorry couldn't resist...

P.S. I am thinking of becoming a Labour councillor just for the lunches you have + my goodness that was a Roman feast you were all tucking into!

[Rockets]

Waseley Wrote:

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> I'd like some of what you are on Mr/Mrs R. Can

> you imagine a world were the LDs and Torries went

> into partnership? It's not going to happen. Wait

> a sec it did... But it ain't going to happen

> again.

>

> Perhaps time to move on? You appear to be

> grasping a straws and I see no evidence that the

> masses voted against Labour on this single issue.

Just the joys of life Waze...joys of life.

Labour and Lib Dems seem to have done some pacts around the country but yes it was a bit of a daft suggestion from me given the Tory and Lib Dem's last disaster of a pact!

It was just interesting looking at the numbers and in areas where Labour is so entrenched someone will have to get clever to get them out.

[heartblock]

I was a LP member for years and part of the last local election's 'resource', one of things I admire is their ability to organise, bringing in activists from outside the local area. A lot of activists have left, but DAWN LP is pretty strong and they worked hard and the party machine kicked in....despite a falling membership and no money.

Not sure London 'success' will extend to a majority in Parliament.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

apbremer Wrote:

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> I cannot believe that voters have been so stupid.

> In DV ward they voted overwhelmingly to rid

> themselves of these wretched LTNs...

No. The public consultation was not a vote. It also wasn't restricted to people who live in the area. Anyone with an opinion and an Internet connection could participate - just like this forum, in fact! And just like this forum, the results of the consultation were not reflective of the real world.

[ohthehugemanateeLTN3]

Dogkennelhillbilly Wrote:

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> No. The public consultation was not a vote.

It also wasn't overwhelmingly against LTNs. The claimed 2/3 were not people who didn't want them at all, but people who didn't want them in precisely their current form. That includes people like myself who advocated for the closures to be modified to add emergency vehicle gates. It's absurd to see people claiming my response was anti-LTN.

[Rockets]

Dogkennelhillbilly Wrote:

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> apbremer Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I cannot believe that voters have been so

> stupid.

> > In DV ward they voted overwhelmingly to rid

> > themselves of these wretched LTNs...

>

> No. The public consultation was not a vote. It

> also wasn't restricted to people who live in the

> area. Anyone with an opinion and an Internet

> connection could participate - just like this

> forum, in fact! And just like this forum, the

> results of the consultation were not reflective of

> the real world.

So are consultations pointless exercises then - should they be scrapped?

[jazzer]

Nice to see Diane Abbott already attacking Keir Starmer stating "he should consider resigning if fined". What's the saying keep your friends close and your enemies closer. So much for party unity, and look at the shower 58& have put back in to run the council. Maybe don't just start to throw stones in glasshouses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Diane Abbott wouldn't like to associate herself with anyone that had got into trouble sith the police...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-34244370

[jazzer]

Even funnier their is the beginnings of talk on GB News of Starmer being replaced, so much for a united team, you really couldn't make it up even if you wanted to!!!

[Rockets]

Starmer (interesting to see Rayner has been dragged into it as well after first denying she was there) could be in for a rough ride, you suspect whomever has leaked it from within the party will have more and Starmer's expression the last few days suggests he thinks there's more on its way. Looks like the hard left might be starting to try to wrestle the party back. The problem for Labour the last few years has been their ability to spend more energy fighting themselves than the Tories.....just what the country doesn't need.

If there is a leadership battle let's hope they learned some lessons from 2019 and don't do something daft like go for another hard-left leader.

[JohnL]

I don't think there really is much more - it is basically what it is - Tories desperate for a truce if you believe tory whatsapp yesterday but don't think that's happening until Sue Gray reports.