Democracy time again!
On Thursday May 6th 2021, the UK public gets to exercise some democracy by tootling down to their local polling station and put a cross on a piece of paper.
The electorate was spared much of this tediousness last year thanks in part to the ‘coronavirus’, which meant that elections were suspended because it was declared ‘unsafe’.
Polling stations will have measures in place to mitigate against the risk of Covid-19. Anyone going to vote is asked to
Wear a face covering unless you have a valid exemption
Bring your own pen or pencil
Follow signs and guidance from staff at the station to adhere to social distancing
If you would prefer to vote by post, rather than attend the station in person, you can download an application form
and…
Measures at polling stations may include:
Separate entrances and exits where possible
Altered layouts to allow for social distancing when waiting to vote and when completing a ballot paper, but still ensuring electors can cast their vote in secret
Polling station staff wearing PPE
Voters asked to wear face covering where possible and use hand sanitiser when they enter the polling station
Voters encouraged to bring their own pen or pencil
Polling booths regularly sanitised.
I have actually seen a couple of local campaigners actively encouraging people to register to vote by post. Because voting by post is perfectly safe of course, and not open to corruption at all… 
“Bring your own pen or pencil”
It’s funny how just a couple of years ago, people who brought their own pens to polling stations were laughed at or derided as ‘conspiracy theorists’.
Last time I went to vote, the polling station was a massive sports hall in the local primary school, the volunteers were sat along a big table spaced away from each other, and there was no queue.
No problem with social distancing then.
This obsession with sanitising and disinfecting everything is just ridiculous.
Metro Mayors
Living in the West Midlands myself, I can only write from my own perspective. I did come across an interesting article in the local Express And Star, which offered some detail on the ‘old’ West Midlands County Council:
The difference as I see it is that the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is already a new version of the old county council, but with the exception of the Metro Mayor, it has NO elected officials, ie councillors.
And it can be argued that the ‘elected’ Mayor is just a figurehead, a puppet, a nod to the ‘idea’ that this is all somehow democratic. The appointed technocrats behind the scenes out of public view are the ones really pulling the strings, and no doubt pushing the same agenda as before…
This is probably also the case for the other ‘combined authorities’ around the UK.
The current West Midlands Mayor Andy Street (Conservative) started electioneering last year (before the election was cancelled because ‘Covid’) about his big ‘transport plan’. And he’s been doing the same this year. But this time around, he’s been exposed, because ‘his’ transport plan has now been revealed as a greater Government plan regardless.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-launches-3-billion-bus-revolution
“Andy’s Transport Plan” will just become “Liam’s Tranport Plan”, when the voting masses blindly put their cross in the Labour candidate’s box on the ballot paper. Because that is what they will do when it comes to crunch time. People are pissed off with the Tory national government, so will just vote Labour because they think they will get something different.
But as I’ve been saying for years, nothing will ever change if you continue to vote for the two ‘big parties’.
And best of luck to any independent candidate standing in this election, they don’t stand a chance. Not unless they agree to become a figurehead.
London Mayoral Election
The media dictate public opinion, either through news article coverage or via bogus ‘opinion poll surveys’.
The intended perception is thus: “you must choose between Labour or Conservative” (red or blue)
You must vote for one, or the other will ‘get in’. Its as simple as that.
Ordinarily, as someone who believes in ‘true democracy’, I would welcome the plethora of candidates standing in this election, that voters can choose from.
Last time I checked, there were 17 candidates, and good luck and best wishes to all.
But the problem as I see it is that most voters in London will be presented (via the media) a perception that ‘only a vote for Labour/Conservative will matter’ and to a great extent that is probably true.
As I don’t live in London myself, my opinion does not count at all. If I did, I would probably vote for David Kurten of the Heritage Party, for what it’s worth.
But for many people who don’t ‘align’ with the mainsteam political parties, and would rather vote for some independent or someone representing a smaller party, all that ends up happening is that all the ‘anti-establishment votes’ become diluted and fragmented.
A majority of ‘disenfranchised’ voters, making their mark on their ballot paper, choosing a candiate outside of ‘the mainstream’, will ultimately end up losing out to the minority, depending on which way this minority have been ‘programmed’ to vote. A minority that will either choose Labour or Conservative.
But whoever gets the biggest percentage of votes ultimately wins.
PREDICTION: Sadiq Khan (Labour) wins comfortably, that will be eagerly reported by the media, but look at the overall figures, they will tell a different story.
Hartlepool By-Election 2021
As with the London Mayor election, you have the same thing up in Hartlepool, where there are 16 candidates to choose from.
Again, voters looking for someone to vote for who doesn’t represent a mainstream Establishment party are spoilt for choice.
But ultimately, a large number of candidates just makes it easier for a Labour or Conservative candidate to triumph, unless of course a significant number of people rally behind one or two of the ‘other’ candidates.
Do I think these other candidates are wasting their time? Possibly, but I don’t begrudge them for ‘having a go’.
Do I think voters are wasting their time by casting their vote for these candidates? Absolutely not, your vote may not ultimately matter, but at least you know in your own mind that you DIDN’T vote for an Establishment party.
But ultimately unless voters can get behind an independent/non-Establishment party candidate in significant numbers, the Establishment wins every time and nothing ever really changes.
