Scandal and Local Elections

There has certainly been no shortage of political scandal here in the UK over the last week or so, but how much of a difference will it make in the local elections in just a few days time? Whilst John Prescott's affair is embarrassing and the Home Office's (Charles Clarke) hash up with releasing foreign prisoners without considering them for deportation is appalling, will it, or should it, affect the local elections?

My personal opinion is that in local elections, you should vote for local issues and leave the national issues for the general election. I don't know, maybe I'm over simplifying things. Maybe you should treat Labour as Labour and Conservative as Conservative, whether local or national - after all, they should still be pursuing the same goals and have the same attitudes.

What does anyone else think? What is the arrangement in other countries with local/national government and how do issues affecting one affect elections in the other?

Election 2005 - Labour win!

It's a 'historic third term' for Labour (that's how the media keep referring to it). I don't think anyone can be too surprised. They've lost around 47 seats (there's still a couple left to declare last time I checked) but still have a majority of 66. Everyone's talking about it as if that's too small to work very well, but someone said that Margaret Thatcher had a majority of about 44 once and she managed ok! I suppose it just means that the 'rebels' will be a bit more influential.

I wonder what will happen before the next General Election. We will have a new Conservative leader (Michael Howard has announced he is stepping down). Tony Blair has said he would like to do another full term, though I suspect that Gordon Brown may take over after two or three years. As for Charles Kennedy, who can say? I think they might have a change in two or three years as well - give the new person time to get settled in before the next General Election. So, if I'm right, it'll be 'all change!' for next time and the political scene could be somewhat different!

Election 2005 - It's Official!

On Tuesday, Tony Blair finally announced the General Election will be held on 5th May. It already feels like the parties have been campaigning for months, but now they start 'officially'. I heard on the radio on Wednesday night that in some marginal areas, Labour would be sending out DVD's to try to convince people and the Conservatives would be ringing people up with recorded messages from Michael Howard! As if we don't waste enough time on the phone with peope wanting us to answer surveys and the like! If I start getting phone calls from politicians, and even worse, recorded messages, then it's going to make me less inclined to vote for them, not more!