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Tuesday 30 April 2013

Local elections



Strange people keep bunging leaflets through our letterbox. One even knocked on the door but I waved him away in a lordly manner.

Their miserable lies go straight into the recycling bin, but a quick glance told me that local elections are in the offing. Who’d have credited it? I thought local elections were obsolete, but apparently we still go through the motions every now and then. Something to do with the climate or China I suppose. Most things are these days.

So what’s the best strategy for voting in a local election, should the day be fine, the memory still functioning and a desire to vote still faintly discernible within my cynical core? It’s not as if they have much to offer is it? Not even a free glass of wine at the polling booth.

Firstly, I think it’s worth pointing out that the most interesting candidate would be one who understood the need to oppose the Bureaucracy. There aren’t any of those, so it’s a rather frivolous suggestion, although it does highlight the fatuousness of it all.

This is a post-political age and our enemy is the Bureaucracy, national, EU and UN. Forget the politicians – they aren’t in charge of anything and there is no point voting for them in a post-political age. Not unless you know one personally of course, and are in a position to exact some favours for one measly vote. Seems unlikely doesn’t it? 

That's why we don't get that free glass of wine I suppose. One miserable little vote isn't worth much is it?

The trouble is, mainstream politicians are part of the Bureaucracy because it offers them status and a career beyond politics. As far as local elections go, the Bureaucracy has it all sewn up, so there is no real point voting for anyone, although insane candidates may be worth a punt.

Insane candidates are often unpredictable – a valuable commodity when fighting the Bureaucracy, although one can never be sure of these things. After all, the Bureaucracy appears to be quite attached to inanity. Global warming and so forth.

If there are no obviously insane candidates, then my next choice would be to look at a single issue candidate promoting the release of wolves into Sherwood Forest or whatever. Something interesting and distracting at any rate.

Whatever one thinks of their politics, they may at least be a headache for the Bureaucracy and where else are you going to find that?

9 comments:

James Higham said...

If there are no obviously insane candidates, then my next choice would be to look at a single issue candidate

Yep, that's my pattern too.

Anonymous said...

Indeed, hard to summon any enthusiasm. Will probably vote for the #2 if only to annoy the #1. More than a few will go for UKIP I reckon, if only out of frustration. BTW I thought Microbean disgraced himself yesterday with the Kearney interview, patronising fool, he might as well have messed himself in public.

So forget the local elections. The question in my mind was 'are the 2015 elections worth winning - are they a poisoned chalice best avoided?'. Silly question, winning an election is a ticket to the gravy train - for the politicos. Us citizens? - we get the poison. So that sums up British politics - gravy/poison.

Mark Wadsworth said...

There's a simple answer to all this.

Stand as a candidate and vote for yourself. That's what I do.

Pete McAdam said...

I have been thinking about this too. I did consider voting just to keep the most obnoxious one out. In the end I probably wont even bother with that.

A K Haart said...

James - and the more fanatical the better.

Roger - yes gravy/poison is about it. If only we could merge the two.

Mark - I wouldn't be very good. Not enough conviction and certainly not enough chutzpah to make political claims about things that actually affect people.

Pete - it's marginal isn't it? If it's a pleasant day and there is a nutter to vote for, I'll give it a go.

Sackerson said...

We had one candidate yars ago, whose slogan was "Every dog should have a warm bed."

A K Haart said...

Sackers - sounds like my kind of candidate.

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A K Haart said...

Anon - sorry I don't know. I just use it out of the box with only minor cosmetic modification.