May 6th 2021 Elections

[El Cid]

38 minutes ago, Anna B said:

That's why people should get more involved in politics.

Locally, apart from trying your luck and standing for election as an independent Councillor, you can go down to the council meetings in the town hall and watch proceedings, or table a question and ask the councillors direct. You can also contact your councillors by post, phone, or private meetings although in my experience this is harder to do.

In reality, people do not get involved in politics. Only a very small number will even commit to pay a party membership. Loads of people complain on social media and online forums, but that is all they do.

[Anna B]

19 minutes ago, El Cid said:

In reality, people do not get involved in politics. Only a very small number will even commit to pay a party membership. Loads of people complain on social media and online forums, but that is all they do.

Sad but true.  Which is why we get such a rubbish bunch of crooks and reprobates representing us... 

[ECCOnoob]

1 hour ago, El Cid said:

In reality, people do not get involved in politics. Only a very small number will even commit to pay a party membership. Loads of people complain on social media and online forums, but that is all they do.

Absolutely.

 

Same old story every time. For most average people they simply don't care. Oh yes they will fill in some online form or some clickbait petition or maybe even go to the effort of chucking their ill informed opinions around the twitterati echo chamber but that's it.

 

People are more than happy to spend weeks obsessing over some reality television guff or pouring over intimate details about the latest z list celebrities copping off. But when it comes to anything about the real issues of the world and real government decisions you can barely get people to read so much as a leaflet.

 

The fact is politics is complicated. Politics is boring. Politics doesn't have the bright lights and glitter balls of showbiz. BBC Parliament channel, the abundance of Hansard transcripts and live feeds from the Chamber are never ever going to win over the draw of ITV2 and live feed from a love Island house. At best it's a casual glance and forming snap judgements based upon whichever side of the press one has a leaning towards. Press coverage which of course our advertiser influenced and ego filled journalists are only too happy to provide with their own slants and distorted reporting.

 

Even in local elections such as this I look around at the debate and not a jot mentions about how good an individual candidate would be for the community or what they can do for our city or what roots, knowledge and connections are to the area or what skills and attributes they bring to take us forward.   Nope - as always it boils down to the simplistic tribal mentality of whether they are more likely to be on the red side or blue side.

 

That's all people care about these days. People need to go back to basics and remember what they are actually voting for. They need to learn what our chosen representative in Parliament is supposed to be about and actually engage with them and the system they are part of.  

 

UK politics 101 we vote for a person not a party.

Edited April 12, 2021 by ECCOnoob

[Anna B]

47 minutes ago, ECCOnoob said:

Absolutely.

 

Same old story every time. For most average people they simply don't care. Oh yes they will fill in some online form or some clickbait petition or maybe even go to the effort of chucking their ill informed opinions around the twitterati echo chamber but that's it.

 

People are more than happy to spend weeks obsessing over some reality television guff or pouring over intimate details about the latest z list celebrities copping off. But when it comes to anything about the real issues of the world and real government decisions you can barely get people to read so much as a leaflet.

 

The fact is politics is complicated. Politics is boring. Politics doesn't have the bright lights and glitter balls of showbiz. BBC Parliament channel, the abundance of Hansard transcripts and live feeds from the Chamber are never ever going to win over the draw of ITV2 and live feed from a love Island house. At best it's a casual glance and forming snap judgements based upon whichever side of the press one has a leaning towards. Press coverage which of course our advertiser influenced and ego filled journalists are only too happy to provide with their own slants and distorted reporting.

 

Even in local elections such as this I look around at the debate and not a jot mentions about how good an individual candidate would be for the community or what they can do for our city or what roots, knowledge and connections are to the area or what skills and attributes they bring to take us forward.   Nope - as always it boils down to the simplistic tribal mentality of whether they are more likely to be on the red side or blue side.

 

That's all people care about these days. People need to go back to basics and remember what they are actually voting for. They need to learn what our chosen representative in Parliament is supposed to be about and actually engage with them and the system they are part of.  

 

UK politics 101 we vote for a person not a party.

And yet the much maligned Jeremy Corbyn galvanised politics for a while and built the Labour party into the biggest party in Europe, with a following, especially amongst young people, that most politicians would kill for. How do you account for that?

Unfortunately that spirit has not continued with his successor, middle-of-the-road Keir Starmer, who has managed to achieve the opposite effect.

Edited April 12, 2021 by Anna B

[andyofborg]

4 hours ago, Anna B said:

And yet the much maligned Jeremy Corbyn galvanised politics for a while and built the Labour party into the biggest party in Europe, with a following, especially amongst young people, that most politicians would kill for. How do you account for that?

Unfortunately that spirit has not continued with his successor, middle-of-the-road Keir Starmer, who has managed to achieve the opposite effect.

There may be an appetite for a different sort of politics which Corbyn tapped into, however when people saw the reality of what the offer was then they decided his offer wasn't for them. 

 

I think we all know you find that dissapointing, but that's the reality. 

[RollingJ]

10 hours ago, sibon said:

On the contrary. Your councillors do represent you. That’s a fundamental of democracy.  They represent their electorate, of which you are a part.

 

 

More than 50% of the country have to live with a far right government which they disapprove of.  I’m sure a few green councillors won’t ruin your life.

OK - they 'represent' me as a member of the electorate, but the overall position the elected councillors in Sheffield do not represent my views - just as the overall position of the elected MPs in Westminster do not represent yours - for some reason, you complaining about that is different to me making my statement.

9 hours ago, Anna B said:

That's why people should get more involved in politics. You can write to your MP, watch discussions and debates on TV, sign petitions, go and see your local MP at surgeries usually held locally every month where you can ask them questions and challenge their views.

 

Locally, apart from trying your luck and standing for election as an independent Councillor, you can go down to the council meetings in the town hall and watch proceedings, or table a question and ask the councillors direct. You can also contact your councillors by post, phone, or private meetings although in my experience this is harder to do.

 

There's the freedom of information law on your side too, so use it. You could join a party, or there are also various lobbying groups you could join (which is how the IOC managed to get the local referendum question on the ballot paper,) or if all else fails you can join a protest and tie yourself to the railings.

 

Remember politicians like nothing better than being left alone to quietly get on with screwing up the City/Country, so don't give them the opportunity. Putting a tick in a box once every 5 years just doesn't cut it. It's your country, so at least let them know what you think.  

Write to my MP - my current one may reply, but her predecessor was incapable of stringing two words together - the poor bloke was well and truly stitched up by the 'selection committee', 'discussions  and debates' on TV are stage managed for effect, petitions are a waste of paper/electrons, and how long do you get to speak at an MP's  'surgery'?

 

Same applies to council meetings - ask a question that challenges the council position, and you get a load of waffle as a response and in some situations even get 'asked to leave' as a 'disruptive influence'.  I must say my local councillors have previously been very receptive when I have contacted them in the past over purely local matters, and between us we have rectified a number of problems - although even they had difficulty in rousing the right people to actually sort the issues.

 

FOI - it exists, but there are 'exclusions' as to what can be released under it, and who can say that the information given is 100% accurate? Join a party - yup - and end up wasting hours of your life 'debating' with no useful outcome. The local referendum question is on the ballot paper - yes - but what will it truly achieve even if the 'system' is changed? What would tying myself to railings do, apart from giving me sore wrists and risking getting a severe cod - or worse?

8 hours ago, El Cid said:

In reality, people do not get involved in politics. Only a very small number will even commit to pay a party membership. Loads of people complain on social media and online forums, but that is all they do.

Totally agree. I have not paid a party membership ever since the 'levy' element in Union dues was made voluntary. I'm not complaining, despite how it may appear to some, merely trying to make my point on here - but I suspect you know that, and respect it, as I respect, but don't agree, with some of what you say. Thank you, by the way, for being a voice of reason in a sea of obfuscation.

7 hours ago, Anna B said:

Sad but true.  Which is why we get such a rubbish bunch of crooks and reprobates representing us... 

Exactly - and that applies over the whole spectrum of politics/politicians.

Edited April 12, 2021 by RollingJ

[RollingJ]

@ECCOnoob- I'm not going to bother 'quoting' your post #53, but agree totally.

[El Cid]

6 hours ago, Anna B said:

And yet the much maligned Jeremy Corbyn galvanised politics for a while and built the Labour party into the biggest party in Europe, with a following, especially amongst young people, that most politicians would kill for. How do you account for that?

Unfortunately that spirit has not continued with his successor, middle-of-the-road Keir Starmer, who has managed to achieve the opposite effect.

I was once a member of the Green party, at that time I thought the environment was the most important issue. But I was wasting my time and money, if the Greens didnt get elected.

So a party has to appeal to the masses, or it will fail.

[Anna B]

4 hours ago, El Cid said:

I was once a member of the Green party, at that time I thought the environment was the most important issue. But I was wasting my time and money, if the Greens didnt get elected.

So a party has to appeal to the masses, or it will fail.

That's only true of our 'first past the post' system. The system needs to change but that requires the people with the power to vote for it, and it's not in their interests to do so, so it's checkmate.

 

I'm afraid that ultimately that way revolution lies. No wonder the political establishment are trying to pass laws that stifle dissent. They are doing to politics what Thatcher did to the Unions.

Edited April 12, 2021 by Anna B

[Jeffrey Shaw]

21 hours ago, Anna B said:

According to what I've read in Wikipedia Labour currently have 13 seats, Lib Dems 11, and Greens 4, so it's all to play for. If that was reflected in decision making it would make a difference.

You presumably mean not the strength of each Party on SCC as it stands but the affiliation of the councillors whose seats are up for election this time around. There are 84 Councillors in all (= 28 wards @ 3 each); one-third (= 28) retire each year except in 2017/2021**/2025/etc., these being the years when SYCC [dec'd 1985] would have had its elections.

 

** (so the 2021 election is really 2020's, delayed- there would not otherwise have been Council elections this year)