Latest Moan From You and Me 2024

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussion' started by JWK, Jan 1, 2024.

  1. Obelix-Vendée

    Obelix-Vendée Head Gardener

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    In Belgium, voting is compulsory and you can be fined for not voting. ID cards are checked at the entry to the polling station so that stops voter fraud and catches the non-voters. Those who disagree with the compulsion or who really don't rate the candidates just spoil their paper in protest.

    Seems reasonable to me.

    As for never changing the party you vote for it seems to me there is a lack of analytical thinking. Some of the things the Tories have done over the last few years have been atrocious and deserve to lose voters. The same goes for the Labour party too and some of their policies and behaviour under Corbin were risible as well as dangerous.
     
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      Last edited: Apr 25, 2024
    • Punkdoc

      Punkdoc Super Gardener

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      There are times I have found it difficult to keep faith with my Party, but there is still an existential difference between them and the Others, and with luck they will form the next Government.
       
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      • Clueless 1 v2

        Clueless 1 v2 Total Gardener

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        I think I might have voted conservative once, just because.

        I remember when I had just turned 18, and a general election was coming up. I lived with my dad in a nondescript village at the time. I was really excited. I was going to change the world for the better. I was going to vote for the green party.

        Then my dad dropped the bombshell. I might not be able to vote for who I want to win, because it depends if they have a candidates in our constituency. I think that was the first time for me that my delusions of living in a democracy first became apparent.

        I found out ahead of time that my options were labour or conservative. Lib Dems might have been there too, I can't remember. But guess what, in another constituency, where my mam lived, there was a green party candidate. Great. All I need to do is official move to my mam's house, register to vote from there, and get my voting card in time. Yeah. With about a week to go, no chance.
         
      • noisette47

        noisette47 Total Gardener

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        Oh well, that's alright then :phew: :biggrin:
        My reaction on seeing that headline (and the other one about another £15 million to Ukraine) was: And the Waspi women? The 3 million or so women who were cheated of 6 years-worth of pension and who the DWP refused to compensate for their colossal communications cock-up? The Ombud sman has referred the issue to Parliament in an attempt to get justice for them, but the Gov whips are doing their damnedest to delay readings of the Bill indefinitely. How come there's all this money for their pals' arms contracts but they couldn't possibly afford compensation for those women? :gaah:
         
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        • ViewAhead

          ViewAhead Head Gardener

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          For national elections, voting for the party with the leader you think is most likely to be up to the job makes sense, especially if there is not a lot of difference between their manifestos.
           
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          • noisette47

            noisette47 Total Gardener

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            If you'd ever been in the situation as I was of (nearly) being totally disenfranchised, you'd appreciate the right to vote! I can understand people being so disenchanted by politicians that they no longer bother, but that's handing power on a plate to a known shower of crooks whereas casting a vote might hand it to a slightly different shower of lesser crooks.
             
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            • john558

              john558 Total Gardener

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              438119186_7482624931791391_6776893006228472967_n.jpg
               
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              • shiney

                shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                Yep! :) Before the last local election I spoke to three of the prospective councillors - the only ones knocking on my door - and asked them to promise to sort out two problems in our bit of road and send that promise in an email. I got one email promise so voted for that person and copied it to my neighbours (there are only twelve properties here) and she won by 22 votes.

                She got one of the problems sorted in six months (speedy work for a local council) and the other took two years but I was copied into all the emails with the county council.

                She has got my vote this time as well.

                With voting for MP it is slightly more awkward as I sometimes torn between voting for the party I think is the least worse and voting for the person who I think will do the best for their constituents. For most of my voting life I have known all my prospective MPs and have voted accordingly. With only one exception they turned out to be very good constituency MP's.

                For the next national elections I don't know who I shall vote for - yet. Our current MP shall be standing down. Although I know him personally and have voted for him three times I had told him that I wouldn't vote for him in the next election because of his view on one matter. I don't think that is the reason he is standing down :heehee:. I have no idea who will be the candidates for the next election so may vote upon which party I detest the least.
                 
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                • pete

                  pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                  Not under the system that we have, if you dont vote for the popular one your vote means nothing, only votes for the winner actually count.
                   
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                  • pete

                    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                    They dont knock on doors anymore around here and as I said earlier the only one flooding social media is the green party.:dunno:
                     
                  • shiney

                    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                    I don't do social media so wouldn't know :noidea:
                     
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                    • BB3

                      BB3 Gardener

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                      I feel completely let down by the lib dems. I would love to vote for a centrist party. I don't think I could ever forgive them for supporting the Tories once they had a taste of power.
                      I have never voted for them but I would so much like to.
                      I wish that the rational politicians ( oxymoron?) on both sides of the political divide would get together to form a left of centrist party.
                       
                    • Loofah

                      Loofah Admin Staff Member

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                      I've just seen an advert for the latest AI features with Photoshop. There's really no point in the art of photography anymore, it's all just a few clicks and the fakery abounds :(
                       
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                      • pete

                        pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                        I'm probably watching too much TV and news programmes at that, but is anyone else fed up with having cancer on every programme.
                        I'm finding it all fairly depressing.
                        .
                        Its alright keeping cancer awareness going but it seems to have gone into overload.
                         
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                        • pete

                          pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                          I think its been heading that way for a long time, even before AI.
                          Every picture you see has got stupid colours in it.
                           
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