Repost: Taking Votes

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(The last of three reposts from an initial political blog in 2011 – Keevil)

A Local Elections Blog Post, by a new Labour Councillor could not go without comment.

(It is no longer available to view. Which highlights the lie that things are on the internet for ever, and that people aren’t fans of archiving – Keevil)

As much as I don’t want this blog to be a constant rebuke to things that other party members say,

(which is why this blog was created! – Keevil)

sometimes it is needed to raise the level of debate in these towns.

(it’s still needed. again hence the new blog – Keevil)

In it, it said;

“Despite the protestations by those on the left; if the Green Party or this TUSC band of lunatics, we would have been able to dent the Tory majority. This point is stressed every single time – if you split the left vote with fringe parties (and lets be frank they are not a realistic prospect of being in government, and even less so with no AV) then you open the field up to the right. Fact.”

I’m not indifferent to the situation. I was inclined to only reply to this with a West Wing clip, which makes the point I would like to make marvelously, though you have to wait till the end of the clip.

(at about 1:49. if you can’t watch it all – Keevil)

However, I couldn’t just leave it there, for one simple reason.

“Fact.”

The blogger in question had used that at the end, and by the rules of intellectualism had won the point. The only thing they could have done to make a stronger point would have been to put “QED” at the end of the sentence. Now I don’t fully understand this, but a housemate used it all the time at Uni, and he got his way a lot.

Anyways.

(a decade later and I’m still not over it – Keevil)

There are two points, firstly the admission that the voting system is unfair under FPTP (which favours a two party system)  compared to what it would be under AV, or heaven forbid Proportional Representation.

(There having been a referendum – a completely fair and open referendum at that – this topic can never be again discussed – Keevil)

Secondly is the idea that the Green Party should stand aside for the Labour Party. This implies that the voters like sheep would automatically vote Labour which they wouldn’t. Also I could not in good conscience support a local party which refuses to apologise, on any level, for the New Labour Government.

If I concede that good things happened under New Labour, will the blogger concede that bad things did to? Or will the very attempt cause them to go into mental breakdown?

Thirdly, they should look at the large percentage of people who don’t vote in Medway and ask themselves what they did to encourage/discourage higher turnout.

I am reminded of a ballot paper in the second By-Election where the voter had written no in every candidates box. Except mine. Except for the Green Party.

How could I stand aside in my

(by my, I meant I lived there, not owned it – Keevil)

ward for two Labour representatives, one who in his acceptance speech upon becoming Councillor stated regarding his Conservative opponent

“we agree on a great many things”

(nearly half a decade later and I’m still not over it – Keevil)

The other who argues loudly for cuts and defends Trident, despite it being illegal and unaffordable.

Labour members continue to assume they have a right to be the party of opposition, whilst siding with the Conservatives on issues and ignoring the growth of a party which now has an MP and successful councillors in Brighton and Norwich.

The Brighton Politics blogger, in his Post ‘Labour is no closer than ever to understanding how to respond to the Greens’  talks about how Labour have rejected a coalition with the Brighton Green Party.

(That blog is still there. Brighton bloggers, showing it how its done – Keevil)

“There is no way that Labour will come anywhere near taking control next time. The next locals are likely to take place on the same day as the general election in 2015. Caroline Lucas will be re-elected with a thumping majority, with Labour coming in a distant third.”

They go on to state that Labour have misled the public twice in recent Elections and that Brighton Labour activists are blinded to reality.

“Labour’s obsessive attacks on Caroline Lucas make the party look like bad losers, and many people are delighted that the City has produced the first Green MP.”

Can we one day expect as has occurred in other areas, a Labour campaign of;

Vote Green get Tories.

(There has been instead a rise of the UKIPper instead. Who do campaign under ‘Vote UKIP, Get UKIP’. Ahem – Keevil)

All I know for certain is that in the first By-Election I stood in

I beat the BNP.

And they didn’t stand in the second.

Come the next election, should the opportunity arise I will most likely stand again,

(which I did. Yay me – Keevil)

and I will definitely support any member of the Green Party that stands also. As I can not support a party which assumes too much and concedes nothing. More importantly, I shouldn’t force the people that voted for me or the Green Party to do it either. QED.

Keevil

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