Remember to vote today
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sydenhamgardener2
- Posts: 37
- Joined: 19 Mar 2014 23:49
- Location: Sydenham
Remember to vote today
Pretty much a certainty that Labour will take the council seats and the mayor but please do get out and cast your vote whatever your political persuasion.
Re: Remember to vote today
Oh god, its like picking the best of a band bunch. One of the chaps said his mission was to build more houses with 40% being 'genuinely affordable.' poor choice of words maybe, but it does read like the other 60% are going to be NOT AFFORDABLE lol.
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SydenhamOwl
- Posts: 100
- Joined: 20 Jan 2017 15:26
- Location: Sydenham
Re: Remember to vote today
I was very tempted to spoil my ballot today (for the local councillors election) but opted against it purely because I knew it wouldn't be read.
The jist of what I wanted to say was that at no point during the 18-months that I have now lived in the area has any local councillor posted anything through my door, kncoked on my door, or contacted me about anything. I have no idea who my local councillors are. I often see councillors from other boroughs on Twitter 'doorstepping' residents to ask if they have concerns etc.
At least the Mayoral candidates bothered to post their jargon through the door.
Rant over, and I voted anyway so I'm the mug in the end...
The jist of what I wanted to say was that at no point during the 18-months that I have now lived in the area has any local councillor posted anything through my door, kncoked on my door, or contacted me about anything. I have no idea who my local councillors are. I often see councillors from other boroughs on Twitter 'doorstepping' residents to ask if they have concerns etc.
At least the Mayoral candidates bothered to post their jargon through the door.
Rant over, and I voted anyway so I'm the mug in the end...
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chris 1961
- Posts: 18
- Joined: 24 Nov 2017 15:10
- Location: Sydenham
Re: Remember to vote today
Would like to think that after 40 years of Labour rule and 16 years of a Labour mayor without any visible benefit to the borough of Lewisham, and the carve up that senior Labour councillors have with an off shore faceless development company to re-generate the area around the ground of the boroughs football team - probably the most "working class" team in London, that people will vote for a change of power.
Sadly, seeing some of the wealthy, middle class representitives of the Labour party around i think it is a lost course.
Sadly, seeing some of the wealthy, middle class representitives of the Labour party around i think it is a lost course.
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sydenhamgardener2
- Posts: 37
- Joined: 19 Mar 2014 23:49
- Location: Sydenham
Re: Remember to vote today
I suppose the one thing about living in a totally safe seat is that you can vote according to your beliefs. You don't need to hold your nose and vote for a party you don't like to prevent the one you really hate getting in.
However, it also does feel like a rather expensive charade.
However, it also does feel like a rather expensive charade.
Re: Remember to vote today
You get to vote for a Mayoral candidate?!SydenhamOwl wrote:The jist of what I wanted to say was that at no point during the 18-months that I have now lived in the area has any local councillor posted anything through my door, kncoked on my door, or contacted me about anything. I have no idea who my local councillors are. I often see councillors from other boroughs on Twitter 'doorstepping' residents to ask if they have concerns etc.
At least the Mayoral candidates bothered to post their jargon through the door.
Well, I've been here for over 5 years now - and 25 in the local area - and I realised earlier this week that I had no idea who my councillors were, or even what party they represented (I'm over the border in Bromley). The Greens leafletted us, and Labour had sent through a couple of newsletters in recent months, but apart from that, nothing, I think. I had (and still have) no idea what precise policies I've voted for, because I couldn't find anything much online telling me what the 4 parties were committed to doing with our council taxes. It's pathetic. Can you blame people for deciding to use the whole thing as a stick to beat the Government with when they have no idea of what's happening at local level? (well, yes I can, but ...) I did notice, though, that none of the prospective Tory candidates lived anywhere nearby to where they would have been serving.
Re: Remember to vote today
I feel quite able to criticise local councillors on occasions, but can I put in a few good words for them here?
First, it's not difficult to find out who they are - certainly for someone comfortable enough with IT to be posting on this Forum. If you're new to them, and you email them about something, I'd be surprised if they don't get back to you. Obviously, if you're emailing them about a widely discussed issue - say the Bell Green gas holders - they'll have a few on the matter already, so if they don't agree with you, they'll probably not come round to your way of thinking immediately. But your opinion will be part of their general 'ear to the ground' listening out for what people care about. If you're saying something new, or bringing new points to their attention, they may well want to find out more, but as local councillors, the odds are that they will know more about what is happening, and what can be done, than members of the wider public.
If you want to meet them, most have surgeries, and in LB Lewisham, there are also the Local Assemblies. After many years as a community rep on the Perry Vale Assembly I stood down from this last year, but I have no hesitation in saying these local councillors were genuinely interested to know what local people thought. How many people are aware of the local assemblies? Do you see the flyers which get delivered? I'd not say Local Assemblies are perfect, but as a way to hold quarterly, non party political meetings, in which people get a chance to raise issues face to face, I certainly think they can work, although details of particular Assembly arrangements can be questioned
Things won't be quite the same for Alywin in LB Bromley, but I happened to run into one of her(?) local councillors earlier this year, Kathy Bance. The first time I'd met her, years ago, we got annoyed with each other, because she thought I'd promised to do some fund raising for her pet cause, and I hadn't. But that's what happens with local councillors, at least most of them. They are very dedicated, strong minded and engaged with their communities. Think of them as human beings, and work out if there is a way to get round misunderstandings, as happened that time with Kathy, and years later you'll meet like old friends, in this case doing some voluntary work at Melvin Hall, which is now another of her causes
Even councillors who seem parachuted in as a stepping stone on a hoped for glittering political career - well, of course they have ambitions beyond the local, but they are also going to be listening as part of their own political learning, and they will want to show how hard working they can be. In fact, it is extraordinarily hard work, and it's not hard to see the stress new, conscientious councillors put themselves through. Older ones may seem complacent - well, some are, I'd say - but it may also be they've learned to handle the stress.
Yes, they will sometimes follow their party line, maybe not being that enthusiastic about it themselves, but centuries of experience shows that this is the way to get more or less coherent politics, linking local politics to national.
First, it's not difficult to find out who they are - certainly for someone comfortable enough with IT to be posting on this Forum. If you're new to them, and you email them about something, I'd be surprised if they don't get back to you. Obviously, if you're emailing them about a widely discussed issue - say the Bell Green gas holders - they'll have a few on the matter already, so if they don't agree with you, they'll probably not come round to your way of thinking immediately. But your opinion will be part of their general 'ear to the ground' listening out for what people care about. If you're saying something new, or bringing new points to their attention, they may well want to find out more, but as local councillors, the odds are that they will know more about what is happening, and what can be done, than members of the wider public.
If you want to meet them, most have surgeries, and in LB Lewisham, there are also the Local Assemblies. After many years as a community rep on the Perry Vale Assembly I stood down from this last year, but I have no hesitation in saying these local councillors were genuinely interested to know what local people thought. How many people are aware of the local assemblies? Do you see the flyers which get delivered? I'd not say Local Assemblies are perfect, but as a way to hold quarterly, non party political meetings, in which people get a chance to raise issues face to face, I certainly think they can work, although details of particular Assembly arrangements can be questioned
Things won't be quite the same for Alywin in LB Bromley, but I happened to run into one of her(?) local councillors earlier this year, Kathy Bance. The first time I'd met her, years ago, we got annoyed with each other, because she thought I'd promised to do some fund raising for her pet cause, and I hadn't. But that's what happens with local councillors, at least most of them. They are very dedicated, strong minded and engaged with their communities. Think of them as human beings, and work out if there is a way to get round misunderstandings, as happened that time with Kathy, and years later you'll meet like old friends, in this case doing some voluntary work at Melvin Hall, which is now another of her causes
Even councillors who seem parachuted in as a stepping stone on a hoped for glittering political career - well, of course they have ambitions beyond the local, but they are also going to be listening as part of their own political learning, and they will want to show how hard working they can be. In fact, it is extraordinarily hard work, and it's not hard to see the stress new, conscientious councillors put themselves through. Older ones may seem complacent - well, some are, I'd say - but it may also be they've learned to handle the stress.
Yes, they will sometimes follow their party line, maybe not being that enthusiastic about it themselves, but centuries of experience shows that this is the way to get more or less coherent politics, linking local politics to national.
Re: Remember to vote today
The trouble local councillors have generally is that they can't do much if either the council's hands are tied or are cash-strapped (money drastically reduced) by central government. The best they can offer is "I hear what you say" or "I know where you're coming from" whichever party is in control.
Devolving responsibility was thought to have advantages in theory when first mooted then introduced, but it's turned out just to be a blame game by central government IMO with the added disadvantage of being a country of postcode lotteries which can't be right.
It must be soul destroying being a local councillor with good intentions so they deserve all the praise they can get especially in poor boroughs, where I think the council foots the bill for any reductions due to benefit recipients. (<- Someone correct me if wrong pls.)
Devolving responsibility was thought to have advantages in theory when first mooted then introduced, but it's turned out just to be a blame game by central government IMO with the added disadvantage of being a country of postcode lotteries which can't be right.
It must be soul destroying being a local councillor with good intentions so they deserve all the praise they can get especially in poor boroughs, where I think the council foots the bill for any reductions due to benefit recipients. (<- Someone correct me if wrong pls.)