Who gets your vote?

Today, May 2nd is the date of the local government elections. It is the day when many people, but not all, get to vote for their councillors who will ate the decisions on their local services for the next four years.

The local elections are interesting for a couple of reasons. Firstly the election of these officials probably has more importance to our day to day lives than the election of MPs. It is these officials who will run services such as household waste removal, it is they who will decide how the local roads are maintained and make planning decisions to decide whether new homes are built or new shops open. These council officials will also determine how the council tax is spent and whether it can be frozen or the cost increased.

http://www.tamworthconservatives.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/vote.jpg

The other interesting thing about these council elections is that most of us won't even know the name of the person we might be voting for. If we don't know who they are then how can we make an informed judgement about their policies and beliefs? For these local elections not a single flyer has been put through my door and no one has come knocking to canvass my support.

So what do I do when I get to the polling station? Do I take a look at the names and pick the most interesting one? Do I close my eyes and randomly place my mark? Do I deliberately spoil my ballot paper in protest? Or do I pick the candidate based on their allegiance or not to one of the national political parties?

Of course the final option above is the one that the leaders of the political parties would want. They see a vote for a councillor as a vote for their policies. Its important it gives a perspective to the national political picture. UKIP is hoping to improve its number to prove that it is a party to be taken seriously. The Conservatives are hoping for a good showing as affirmation that the public are behind their policies on the economy. The Lib Dems are hoping not to be punished for getting into bed with the Tories and Labour are willing a good result so they can gain some momentum towards a hopeful general election win in a few years.

As the results come in the BBC will use them to predict what would have happened if the night had been a general election rather than just a local one and the politicians will be ready with their opinions on the results.

Get ready for excuses if they are not good and pats on the back over the acceptance of various possibilities if they are

 

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