Local elections 2017

[Fussbudget]

A thread destined to die on its arse, judging by the general levels of interest and enthusiasm around.

Anyway, the only candidate for mayor that's bothered to leaflet around here so far is the Tory (!), and he's campaigning on a promise of using his budget to bring Teesside Airport back into public ownership (!!). Up is down, left is right, dogs living with cats etc.

Any signs of the impending apocalypse in your area yet?

[Etienne]

Local elections 2017

Anyone living in the Bayston Hill, Sutton and Column ward in Shrewsbury is lucky enough to have the opportunity to vote for me. I have no chance of winning, however, anyone living in the Porthill ward is strongly advised to vote for Julian Dean who a) would be a great councillor, and b) is quite likely to win, especially given that Labour may not even be able to field a candidate.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Local elections 2017

Good luck Etienne, I lived in Bayston Hill for 6 years so would have voted for you. Why do you think you won't win?

[Diable Rouge]

Local elections 2017

Etienne wrote: Anyone living in the Bayston Hill, Sutton and Column ward in Shrewsbury is lucky enough to have the opportunity to vote for me. I have no chance of winning, however, anyone living in the Porthill ward is strongly advised to vote for Julian Dean who a) would be a great councillor, and b) is quite likely to win, especially given that Labour may not even be able to field a candidate.

Who're you running for?

[Lucy Waterman]

Local elections 2017

Green, I'm guessing? I maybe a Labour man but sincere good luck and admiration, Etienne. Being a local councillor is a lot of thankless hard work, and so too is campaigning - so regardless of whether you think you'll get in or not, I wish you the best for the battle.

[E10 Rifle]

Local elections 2017

Standing for election for the Greens is quite the thing among OTFers isn't it? Good luck Etienne, even though I'm not in the same party.

My other half's going for a Labour candidate selection gig in May, which is a part daunting, part exciting prospect.

[Levin]

Local elections 2017

What position is that for? It took me longer than it should have to confirm that there aren't any elections in London this year.

[E10 Rifle]

Local elections 2017

For the London local authority elections in 2018 – candidate selection round our parts takes place in April and May.

[Etienne]

Local elections 2017

Yes, I'm standing for the Greens.

The reason I won't win is that all our campaigning is centered in the Porthill ward. So, I've been campaigning for our candidate there rather than in my own ward.

[Duncan Gardner]

Local elections 2017

Good luck Etienne (and Julian). I was in nearby Oswestry recently spreading the Green message. For any locals, as Sean of the Shed said on another thread, I'm the Ian Paisley soundalike (actually more Alan Green)

[GCostanza]

Local elections 2017

Except a vote for the Greens is largely a complete waste under the FPTP system.

Needless to say they've given up where I live.

And with the best will in the world, why would anyone want to sound like Ian Paisley?
Hardly Green from any perspective.

[Etienne]

Local elections 2017

Well, FPTP is why the Greens are forced to target particular seats, but once we get representation on a Council, it often leads to several more. Certainly the Porthill ward is one where the Greens could well win, and Labour don't seem to have even picked a candidate yet.

I agree that I would probably give up if I had to canvass you, Gonzo.

[WOM]

Local elections 2017

Good for you, J. Best of luck. If I had to go door-to-door talking to 'the man on the street' about politics, I'd just end up punching someone in the face.

[Etienne]

Local elections 2017

I think most people are far more reasonable than you'd imagine, face to face, and the ones who aren't don't tend to waste your time.

It's all the houses where no-one answers the door that is draining.

I did get one guy saying he wouldn't vote Green because the Scottish Greens are propping up the SNP. That seemed a niche priority for Shrewsbury local elections.

[Etienne]

Local elections 2017

I don't think it was Tubby.

[NickSTFU]

Local elections 2017

Etienne wrote: Yes, I'm standing for the Greens.

The reason I won't win is that all our campaigning is centered in the Porthill ward. So, I've been campaigning for our candidate there rather than in my own ward.

Well, that explains why I've had nothing through the door.

I usually vote Labour in the locals, and I see the late Liz Parsons husband is standing, but I never met him, or the other candidates for Labour as it happens.

The Tory candidates look terribly young and are probably on work experience, before going for safe seats.

Anyway, I'm working down in Basingstoke that day, so I need to sort out a postal vote.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Local elections 2017

This is my first experience of an election campaign as a member of a political party (though I did quite a bit of delivering and some polling station help for Labour as a 15 year old in the 1979 general election). The leaflet delivery rounds remind me of my teenage days with a paper round (except of course for the time of day at which I do the job).

[Etienne]

Local elections 2017

Yes, sadly Nick we just don't have the resources to leaflet everyone.

[Duncan Gardner]

Local elections 2017

For the record, the Green candidate for Gonzo's area saved the deposit while doubling the vote in the 2015 GE.

While in the most recent (October 2016) Council by-election in the Borough, the Green finished second but with a vote nearly twice that of the LibDem, three times the Tory and six that of the Kipper...

At this weekend's Green Conference (combined with Global Greens Congress) in Liverpool, there was a lively fringe on potential co-operation between anti-Tory parties. The panel (Lucas, the Green candidate who gave way to LibDem in Richmomd, a Labour/ Compass guy, a SNP MP and Jonathan Porritt) all talked it up, some cynics in the audience (mostly ex-Labour) were less keen

In a similar spirit, good luck to E10's other half and to returning veteran EEG in their campaigns...

[Tubby Isaacs]

Local elections 2017

Etienne wrote: I don't think it was Tubby.

Ha ha.

Labour won 52 out of 64 here last time, but Plaid could do much better. The long time Labour member and canvasser in this household has given up.

[NickSTFU]

Local elections 2017

I've been sufficiently organised to apply for a postal vote before the cut off date of the 18th April.

Labour have finally got around to putting something through the door and as usual have kept to local issues.

The Tories, as usual, have gone on more national issues as well as local(ish).

I'm looking forward to a Tory knocking on the door so they can explain to me why, if education spending has gone up in real terms, my son's SEN school is struggling to find money for support staff and what are they going to do about protecting local education budgets.

[Etienne]

Local elections 2017

I've had two Tory candidates knock on my door. Which suggests their database isn't as up to date as it might be. I know that what I should do is keep them on the doorstep as long as possible, but I can never manage it.

[GCostanza]

Local elections 2017

The stats still don't look good for the Greens, with

[Lang Spoon]

Local elections 2017

These are local elections. Are you taking about a pact at council level or National? Cos the greens already tried reaching out to Labour on the progressive alliance stuff in 2015. Plus, however bad things are for the Greens at the moment, UK Labour looks utterly fucked, maybe forever. Why hamstring the Greens with too close an association to a failing mess?

[GCostanza]

Local elections 2017

Both!

And if Labour are so bad, no great evidence the Greens are even remotely making an electoral impact as a consequence.

If anyone's close to being 'a failing mess', it's not Labour.
Yet.