Local Elections 2023

[Torvald Utne]

4 minutes ago, Mudface said:

 

Sorry, didn't mean to sound off- I just remember how excited our two lads were when they were able to vote and how crushed they were when their chosen candidates and parties didn't win. We seem to forget how hard fought the right to vote was and how precious it is.

 

The thought of being told you can't vote for some arbitrary reason is utterly abhorrent. That you still count is a very powerful feeling in creating and maintaining a society. That should never be taken from anyone.

You only count if there are enough like minded individuals in your area.  Even then, Tories or New Labour is just an illusion of democracy.

[Mudface]

1 minute ago, Torvald Utne said:

You only count if there are enough like minded individuals in your area.  Even then, Tories or New Labour is just an illusion of democracy.

 

Of course. FPTP needs to go immediately. Sadly, it looks like Labour won't do what they should.

[Bruce Spanner]

On 03/05/2024 at 06:38, Bruce Spanner said:

Nah, based on Labour sending out blanket texts to activists telling them ‘it’s close, get out and help’ to make sure it’s a wipeout.

 

It'll be a double figures win.

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Bruce Spanner said:

Micky Fabricant's significant other might be losing West Midlands.

 

Lovely stuff.

 

[YorkshireRed]

8 hours ago, an tha said:

Right you've had your say and called me out vociferously and that is fine, it is your opinion, like my opinion is mine.

 

My point was made without context, so let me provide some.

 

The people who vote should be as best as possible  representative of the population as a whole......IMO with people living longer that scale is getting more and more unbalanced.

 

The average age in the UK is now around 40 I believe the average voting age is around 52.

 

Capping the voting age would bring us back a lot closer towards the average of the population.

 

My call to cap the voting age is largely about rebalancing the scale.....Because currently for me the views of the elderly are being overrepresented and there is an unfairness at play.

 

Politicans are bending over backwards all the time to please the elderly - knowing they make up the majority of the voter base, while people of working age are in comparison neglected..... And the youngest the most so.

 

16 year olds have no voice...

 

People at any stage of life being left behind economically will have long-term effects in fucking up society. Effects we are already seeing today.

 

Values change over generations. If you take the oldest generation as one end of the scale, the youngest generation as the other extreme of it and those in between as the middle ground, in a society were all three are represented equally  it will all roughly even out. But in a society were the oldest generation is overrepresented, the middle and younger generations are potentially stuck living under outdated views/what the elders wanted.

 

There is as we all know a minimum age to be able to vote - I feel a maximum age too is entirely reasonable.

 

I'll start by saying that in hindsight suggesting it should be 65 was setting it too low - I'd probably suggest maybe 75 would be a more suitable age.

 

It is IMO no secret at all It’s no secret that elderly voters wield the most power in puvlic votes. For example In the 2016 Brexit referendum, 90% of over 65's turned out to vote; they are our most enfranchised demographic.

 

According to a survey carried out by Tory pollster Lord Ashcroft - of 12,369 people on the day of that referendum - three quarters of 18-24 year olds (73 per cent) voted to remain. Older voters, meanwhile, largely voted to Leave, including 60 per cent of people over the age of 65.

 

 

 

I'm lifting the next part of this post (the bits in quotation marks) from an article I read on the subject as it words things better than I am able to - but I agree with it totally.

 

"The elderly will not have to live with the consequences of their vote as long as young people. This is especially pertinent to the Brexit vote, whose consequences young people will be experiencing 60 years down the line. Sad as it may be, it is still the case that much of the UK’s older population will not live to see the long-term consequences of their vote. Older people are more likely to vote solely in their own interests, whereas young people vote with a wider perspective, as pensions and healthcare will eventually affect them further down the line. Older people have no reason to vote with education or the working sector in mind because, for the most part, these policies will not ever affect them directly.

 

Record numbers of people are living in poverty, relying on food banks, and homelessness is on the rise. The UK’s political system does not serve the population as it should. The vote share is weighted heavily towards the elderly, and it is not because young people are not interested. We need to try something new. Japan has been investigating a weighted voting system, where the voters who will be impacted the most have the most weight to their vote. This seems, on the surface at least, to be a far more productive way of voting in general.

It would mean more referendums regarding issues pertinent to each age demographic: pensions, education, healthcare and taxes. But having a more meaningful vote about the policies that affect you the most appears to be a better way of having your voice heard compared to the current system."

 

Turnout amongt the elderly is much, much higher than all the other age groups. Here is a graph from last 3 GE's:

 

 

And that much, much higher turnout seen in those elderly groups votes overwhelmingly Tory.

 

 

 

The political system favours the elderly. There are fewer than 6m people aged 18 to 24 in Britain, but more than 11m aged 65 or older....

 

I've read articles that quote this "no taxation without representation" argument....

 

Lifting from an article again below:

 

“No taxation without representation” are said to be watchwords of democracy. Perhaps the formulation should be reversed — no representation without paying taxes. Why should those who no longer make a contribution to the state be allowed a disproportionate role in choosing governments"

 

I feel it is more sensible to make an explicit connection between working and voting (while recognising the needs of the working-age sick and disabled and stay-at-home mothers). A decent society is one in which those responsible for compassionate actions, such as pensions or healthcare, are those who pay for them.

 

I  am also of the view that given the higher levels of cognitive impairment and decline seen in the elderly that capping the age at which people can vote would lead to a more 'informed' overall picture.

 

I've put a lot of time and thought and effort into presenting my argument and I'd appreciate you knocked off the insulting remarks like "fascist" etc....I am not a particularly educated feller and trying to write down my thoughts on this is not easy, so as I say considerable effort has gone into trying to get what I mean across. Disagreeing is of course no problem - I'd just appreciate doing so in a more reasoned fashion than you have so far...Ta!

 

 

 

At the end of the day we know you’re a sound poster. Misstep, or well researched and articulated post, we know nothing you’re giving to write comes from a bad place. 
 

All is good in our hood. 

[Harry Squatter]

12% voter turnout where I live. But they'll all still moan their arses off and say everything is shit.

[an tha]

28 minutes ago, YorkshireRed said:

At the end of the day we know you’re a sound poster. Misstep, or well researched and articulated post, we know nothing you’re giving to write comes from a bad place. 
 

All is good in our hood. 

I appreciate the kind words - as i do the others who have made kind comments - regardless of whether we agree or not.

 

I at the same time respect and appreciate those who have disagreed with me and have  even been heavily critical in doing so, but have maintained decency - what I don't appreciate are reactions like one individual has decided are an appropriate way to contribute to the discourse. I wouldn't speak to someone like that in the 'real world' and i wouldn't accept being spoken to like that in the 'real world' either.

 

Disagreeing is one thing and is 100% sound of course

 

Disagreeing vehemently is another but is still 100% sound.

 

Disagreeing and being repeatedly abusive is another altogether and is bang out of line - I find it a shame.

 

 

 

 

[TheHowieLama]

26 minutes ago, Harry Squatter said:

12% voter turnout where I live. But they'll all still moan their arses off and say everything is shit.

Is it?

[Bruce Spanner]

Big Keith walking and talking like a PM there.

 

Good stuff.

[Section_31]

[Kepler-186]

6 minutes ago, an tha said:

I appreciate the kind words - as i do the others who have made kind comments - regardless of whether we agree or not.

 

I at the same time respect and appreciate those who have disagreed with me and have  even been heavily critical in doing so, but have maintained decency - what I don't appreciate are reactions like one individual has decided are an appropriate way to contribute to the discourse. I wouldn't speak to someone like that in the 'real world' and i wouldn't accept being spoken to like that in the 'real world' either.

 

Disagreeing is one thing and is 100% sound of course

 

Disagreeing vehemently is another but is still 100% sound.

 

Disagreeing and being repeatedly abusive is another altogether and is bang out of line - I find it a shame.

 

 

 

 

Your running tips are off the charts lad so it’s a disenfranchisement from me, Clive: 

[Section_31]

Beth Rigby somehow turning it into a bad result for Labour.

 

"Knifedge though wasn't it, lost a lot of Asian votes did thee not?"

 

Everyone's blind date nightmare that woman.

[Bruce Spanner]

Just now, Section_31 said:

Beth Rigby somehow turning it into a bad result for Labour.

 

"Knifedge though wasn't it, lost a lot of Asian votes did thee not?"

 

Everyone's blind date nightmare that woman.

 

'Are you not going to eat that, are you thinking I want to eat it so you're leaving it to be chivalrous, do you think I'm eating too much and I'm fat, are you a fat shamer, why do you hate women?'

[Jairzinho]

Beth Rigby scares the shit out of me.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

7 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

I'm nicking that.

[RJ Fan club]

3 minutes ago, Jairzinho said:

Beth Rigby scares the shit out of me.

 But would you? She’s not as scary or as alluring as Foxy Knoxy… but 

[Arniepie]

Tory wipeout

Reform 2 councillors despite a massive social.media campaign. 

Khan Victory despite corbynesque levels of bile.

 

Not too bad. 

Surely they are toast?

[Bruce Spanner]

Just now, Arniepie said:

Tory wipeout

Reform 2 councillors despite a massive social.media campaign. 

Khan Victory despite corbynesque levels of bile.

 

Not too bad. 

Surely they are toast?

 

Nope, and don't think that way until the day after the GE.

[Anubis]

Another gobshite appears to be upset today. 
 

[an tha]

19 minutes ago, Kepler-186 said:

Your running tips are off the charts lad so it’s a disenfranchisement from me, Clive: 

Ha! Cheers...Got a marathon on Monday.

 

Bricking it as been nursing an achilles problem over last month or so. I was in sort of shape/form to lob a chunk off my PB.....Now i am just hoping to get round without being crippled!

[Section_31]

10 minutes ago, RJ Fan club said:

 But would you? She’s not as scary or as alluring as Foxy Knoxy… but 

 

Fuck that, she looks like Robert Vaughan's sister from Superman 3.

 

 

[an tha]

4 minutes ago, Arniepie said:

Tory wipeout

Reform 2 councillors despite a massive social.media campaign. 

Khan Victory despite corbynesque levels of bile.

 

Not too bad. 

Surely they are toast?

And still i have seen sky news making projections today that all what has happened this week would not translate to a majority in a GE.

[Anubis]

Aaaaaand another.

 

[Arniepie]

3 minutes ago, an tha said:

And still i have seen sky news making projections today that all what has happened this week would not translate to a majority in a GE.

I'll believe it when it happens 

[RJ Fan club]

5 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

 

Fuck that, she looks like Robert Vaughan's sister from Superman 3.

 

 

Borderline boiler, the head says no but the nuts say go 

[an tha]

2 minutes ago, Arniepie said:

I'll believe it when it happens 

I won't relax and breathe a sigh of relief until Sunak or whoever might be in charge of the tory bastards has got the removals men in at 10 Downing St.