As the next set of elections get closer (County and European), the political parties in the district are becoming much more visible. Activists and candidates are handing out various pamphlets and newsletters in the town and by the stations, the distinctive luminous-orange diamond-shaped placards of the Lib Dems are appearing in gardens and windows, Labour's almost non-existent presence seems limited to angry letters in the Herald and KE. The Conservatives have sent out letters (see right) which include a registrations form for postal voting. These forms should be returned to Conservative HQ, where the Conservatives will check the forms and submit them on your behalf.Whilst the Conservative letter has irked the Lib Dems, with Lynne Beamont declaring it legal but not morally right, it may just be sour grapes that they missed a trick. Although it seems to be sailing close to the wind I can't come up with a watertight argument why they shouldn't do this. A non-too-in-depth search on the rules of what is permissible hasn't come up with anything either. The Conservatives aren't voting for you - they're merely registering you.
My problem with the letter (aside from the awful style and shabby presentation - where was the proof reading!?! What aboutfewer than than 4 colours for text?!? How about not trying to get every possible permutation of font / size / italics / bold text into one letter!?!) is that national politics are shamelessly exploited for local gain.
Whilst Gordon Brown is trapped in a very slow drawn-out and public car crash (although his own individual problems are perhaps lessened by the maelstrom that is engulfing Westminster as a whole) the many facets of which I do not need to detail here, surely candidates for Shepway and Kent elections should focus on local issues? Councillor Robert Bliss, Shepway District Council Leader and Kent County Councillor for Folkestone West waits till the sixth paragraph before mentioning the benefits he has brought to west Folkestone. The offer to help people with local matters amazingly gets in at P.P.S. level (after the option to help Cllr Bliss's campaign with your time and /or money). This is after an exhortation to
'send a very powerful message to Gordon Brown and Labour' (colours as original)
followed by some comments reminding us of the Lib Dems problems when in power, and a reminder that a General Election could be called with only 17 days' notice.
Precisely what influence County Councillors have on national governance (and therefore what voting Conservative at local level will acheive) is not stated, nor for that matter is Kent County Council's negligence/carelessness (http://kentonline.co.uk/kol08/article/default.asp?article_id=61229 ) in chucking money into Iceland's banks after other councils had already seen the writing on the wall. Shepway's position as the 388th most improved council over the last year out of ...err... 388, under the leadership of ...err... Robert Bliss is also unmentioned. The assertion in the letter (above) that Kent County Council is the best in the country is not referenced, and interestingly not mentioned on the Kent County Council website.
So what's the point of this blog? I suppose it's a post born out of exasperation. With trust between the electorate as a whole and elected representatives of all parties as low as I can remember, can't those politicians that can make local-level differences at concentrate on how to improve people's lives rather than flinging national-level shit at each other? Why isn't there a grass-roots rebirth of the elected representing those who elected them rather than concentrating on the filth and power play at the top? Where is the re-generation from below?
Why are national level politics infecting local level politics? Perhaps because the idea of party politics and the partisanship that comes with this has permeated power structures to the detriment of managing, governing and representing the electorate. And why am I apathetically sitting here, writing this rather than changing it myself? Perhaps because the strength of the idea of party politics and the partisanship that comes with this leads me to feel that I cannot change anything.
followed by some comments reminding us of the Lib Dems problems when in power, and a reminder that a General Election could be called with only 17 days' notice.
Precisely what influence County Councillors have on national governance (and therefore what voting Conservative at local level will acheive) is not stated, nor for that matter is Kent County Council's negligence/carelessness (http://kentonline.co.uk/kol08/article/default.asp?article_id=61229 ) in chucking money into Iceland's banks after other councils had already seen the writing on the wall. Shepway's position as the 388th most improved council over the last year out of ...err... 388, under the leadership of ...err... Robert Bliss is also unmentioned. The assertion in the letter (above) that Kent County Council is the best in the country is not referenced, and interestingly not mentioned on the Kent County Council website.
So what's the point of this blog? I suppose it's a post born out of exasperation. With trust between the electorate as a whole and elected representatives of all parties as low as I can remember, can't those politicians that can make local-level differences at concentrate on how to improve people's lives rather than flinging national-level shit at each other? Why isn't there a grass-roots rebirth of the elected representing those who elected them rather than concentrating on the filth and power play at the top? Where is the re-generation from below?
Why are national level politics infecting local level politics? Perhaps because the idea of party politics and the partisanship that comes with this has permeated power structures to the detriment of managing, governing and representing the electorate. And why am I apathetically sitting here, writing this rather than changing it myself? Perhaps because the strength of the idea of party politics and the partisanship that comes with this leads me to feel that I cannot change anything.
