Boris Johnson: a genuine concern...

[Ant]

Have to say, upon further research and prodding myself to remove one or two 'neither's from my list, that votematch was broadly right too.

Another postal ballot filled in here.

(I may revert to voting in person next time round. I like the convenience of postal voting but I'm not 100% confident in it. But perhaps that's another issue for another thread.)

[Ladygooner]

Voting hours are a nuisance - if you don't get up early to vote in the morning you have to make sure you don't go out after work and get back to ED by 10pm - postal voting is good IMO. Don't know why we can't have voting on Sundays like they do in Europe when people are not working all day.

[*Bob*]

Votematch (good site!) accurately has me down as Ken first, Paddick a close second and Boris the Fool down in 5th.

Adding strength/weakness of personality etc into the mix, naturally it'll be Ken Ken Ken all the way for me, seeing as Paddick is clearly woefully out of his depth (regardless of whether I agree with most of his policies).

[SeanMacGabhann]

is getting up a few minutes early THAT hard LadyG?

c'mon lass - that's not the spirit wot got us a democracy in the first place 'zit?

;-)

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

I had postal vote a couple of years ago. The ballot paper never turned up so I went to the polling station and was not allowed to vote because I should have received it through the post! Switched back pretty quickly, besides, I like to take my daughter along to the polling station - I think it's important to expose children to the procedure and it's always an excuse for a quick history lesson (Madam Pankhurst I salute you).

[Ladygooner]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

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> is getting up a few minutes early THAT hard

> LadyG?

>

> c'mon lass - that's not the spirit wot got us a

> democracy in the first place 'zit?

>

> ;-)

Yes it is! Postal voting is the way to go!

[*Bob*]

Postal voting just isn't the same.

You need a makeshift cubicle (with a tatty drawstring curtain) to get a real feel for the magic of the democratic process.

I notice our local polling station is actually the pub, which is genius.

[Ladygooner]

That is genius! Now if they just moved polling day to a sunday I could have a beer at the same time!

[Keef]

Ant Wrote:

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> Have to say, upon further research and prodding myself to remove one or two 'neither's from my list, that votematch was broadly right too.

This made me go back and take a bit more time over it, and only had 2 or 3 "neither"s this time (although I think Agree or Disagree still doesn't really paint a fair picture...

Top 2 are still the same, but interestingly, Ken and Boris have basically swapped positions, with Lib Dem still 3rd out of the "big 3"... Pleased to say UKIP have fallen right down, above only BNP and One London.

Anyway, I know my number 1 vote, but I already did, so it still hasn't really helped.

[Asset]

Votematch interesting! Ken 1st and Sian 2nd. I was thinking of doing them the other way round. I agree that sadly Paddick is not convincing enough.

[Marmora Man]

Asset Wrote:

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> Votematch interesting! Ken 1st and Sian 2nd. I

> was thinking of doing them the other way round. I

> agree that sadly Paddick is not convincing enough.

If you vote that way around the second vote won't be counted - it will be a run off between Boris & Ken - so a second vote for anyone but them has no weight or value.

[*Bob*]

Marmora Man Wrote:

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> If you vote that way around the second vote won't

> be counted - it will be a run off between Boris &

> Ken - so a second vote for anyone but them has no

> weight or value.

It will have weight any value in that you actually gave your vote to (in your opinion) the first and second candidate who most deserved it - regardless of whether they win or not.

Have to say I find clamour for tactical voting these days a real bore.

I had someone tugging at my elbow not long back about voting this or that way to keep the BNP out. Perhaps a little more concentration on the people actually voting for the BNP (and the reasons as to why they do so) rather than relying on a connivance of mainstream voters to keep them at bay might be a better idea.

[dc]

*Bob* Wrote:

> Have to say I find clamour for tactical voting

> these days a real bore.

>

> I had someone tugging at my elbow not long back

> about voting this or that way to keep the BNP out.

No tactical voting is required on this issue - as I pointed out above.

Just vote for whoever you want to support and so long as it isn't actually a vote for the BNP it will help to keep them out. They get a GLA member if they can crawl above a 5% share on the London-wide vote. Just bothering to vote at all is what really matters.

I think many Londoners would find it slightly more inconvenient than 'a bore' if the BNP were to gain representation on the GLA.

[woodie]

I hope London makes the right choice.... being a loveable plonker is not a good basis to run the capital.

that line sticks out for me..

[Keef]

Marmora Man Wrote:

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> Asset Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Votematch interesting! Ken 1st and Sian 2nd. I

> > was thinking of doing them the other way round.

> I

> > agree that sadly Paddick is not convincing

> enough.

>

> If you vote that way around the second vote won't

> be counted - it will be a run off between Boris &

> Ken - so a second vote for anyone but them has no

> weight or value.

Yeah but surely Asset would be going Green 1 Ken 2, so it would count if it's Ken Vs Borris.

[*Bob*]

dc Wrote:

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> I think many Londoners would find it slightly more

> inconvenient than 'a bore' if the BNP were to gain

> representation on the GLA.

Seeking to 'keep the BNP out' is student politics. It isn't just a bore.. it's dangerous. It's one of the reasons why the BNP are on the verge of getting in.

[mightyroar]

Tactical or a bore or whatever...... a second vote for anyone but Boris or Ken is a wasted vote.

The first vote should be for whoever you genuinely want to win.

[*Bob*]

I think my point is: I don't believe there's any such thing as a 'wasted vote'. The only wasted vote is one which isn't used.

The Greens have never won significant seatage anywhere in particular over here, but (partly) because of all the 'wasted votes' they've had over the years, half their policies have been incorporated by the mainstream parties.

Repugnant though they are, I'd rather someone vote for the BNP than not vote at all.

[Asset]

if there was proportional representation there wouldn't have to be any 'tactical' voting, or is that just the case in general elections?

[david_carnell]

The GLA does work on a partly proportional basis i.e. the list system. You'll be asked to vote four times in total on Thurs.

Mayor 1st choice

Mayor 2nd choice

Local candidate - individual

London list - party only

You could, if the mood took you, vote for four different political parties on each one. That'd f%&k MORI and YouGov right up!

[Ant]

Heh. I think that's what I ended up doing, actually.

[Keef]

*Bob* Wrote:

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> I think my point is: I don't believe there's any such thing as a 'wasted vote'. The only wasted vote is one which isn't used.

>

> The Greens have never won significant seatage anywhere in particular over here, but (partly) because of all the 'wasted votes' they've had over the years, half their policies have been incorporated by the mainstream parties.

>

> Repugnant though they are, I'd rather someone vote for the BNP than not vote at all.

I agree with you *bob*. What does annoy me is that the Greens or Lib Dem will certainly have done better in the past had people not constantly voted Tory to Keep Labour out or vice versa. This election will be exactly the same and it's depressing.

mightyroar Wrote:

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> Tactical or a bore or whatever...... a second vote for anyone but Boris or Ken is a wasted vote.

>

> The first vote should be for whoever you genuinely want to win.

There you go, have a vote just to ease your conscience, then vote for Ken or Borris to stop the other one getting in.

Why do we even bother having other parties? Grrr!

[Marmora Man]

*Bob* Wrote:

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> I think my point is: I don't believe there's any

> such thing as a 'wasted vote'. The only wasted

> vote is one which isn't used.

>

> The Greens have never won significant seatage

> anywhere in particular over here, but (partly)

> because of all the 'wasted votes' they've had over

> the years, half their policies have been

> incorporated by the mainstream parties.

>

> Repugnant though they are, I'd rather someone vote

> for the BNP than not vote at all.

Voting is as you point out a thoroughly good thing. However, as I understand the complicated and ridiculous 2nd preference vote scheme any 2nd vote for any candidate that is not in the run off (which practically means either Ken or Boris) just won't be physically counted - and therefore becomes just waste paper and won't be counted - so if you were, for example, to vote Green as 2nd pref it won't be scored against Green at all and the final count will only show 1st pref votes for all players and 2nd pref votes for Boris & Ken. Personally as I'm voting for one of the big two, i'll ignore the 2nd preference slot.

[Ant]

Are you allowed to vote for the same candidate as both your first and second preference?

[Moos]

Well, it would demonstrate your passion. But it won't help the candidate. ;-)

Seems to me we're caught between the red devil and the deep blue C.