I posted a poll at the other local forum after seeing a poll on facebook, so thought it would be good to do one here. Who will you be voting for?

No one.

total and utter waste of 10 mins of my life, which could be better spent doing something far less pointless.

Playing devils advocate, what about the services you value? If you don't vote and services are decimated, how can you come on here and complain when you didn't vote?

No I will not be voting.

I have not voted in a single election, local or national. Ever. There is no point.

To be decimated, services would have to be less than 10% of what they are now, but that is another matter.

The provision of local services are independent of which party is in power.

On that basis then, education in West Berkshire is already down 8%, and is being cut further next year!!! Children Centres already cut by 5% with more to follow, Libraries already cut by £300,000. Even Day centres and youth clubs have already been "decimated" by the Conservative administration using your terminology, not mine.

So why would you continue to defend them?

That may be so, but councillors are supposed to take decisions, not unelected officers.

I'm not defending anyone. Mere;y pointing out that it matters not who is running the show.

Isn't central govet taking up the slack?

and decisions based upon?

Cameron and Pickles have said that current Government funding should allow councils to protect key services. You typically defend the West Berks administration on most things.

Go Apolitical Democrats. Shame Miss Whiplash is not standing.

I won't be voting - I have served as a councillor, a branch chairman for the conservatives, a conservative future chairman and served on several steering groups and commitees. I have got involved with politics nationally and locally and if I decide not to vote this time I think I have a right to do so and still complain. I hate the line if you don't vote you can't complain. Should I vote for someone I disagree with? Then I could complain but not really because I voted for them? That's a bit of a paradox. I'm with Dannyboy and even if I went and voted tory, my wife would go and vote Lib Dem, so I'd rather stay in.

Agree there is no one standing in my area apart from Conservative or Lib Dem so I have no one to vote for.

Miss Whiplash??

I take your point.

I'm going to spoil my ballot paper. I'm utterly fed up with local politicians, a plague of pox on the lot of them.

*oh FFS*

Yes. Independent, or spoil it, is my view. Lib Dems and the Tories are the same thing locally.

They are not totally the same... for a start both names are different and spelt differently.

Showing your youth Richard - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindi_St_Clair.

I've heard of Miss Whiplash (the real one), but using the context of the quoted post, I was trying to think what relevance Miss Whiplash had to the Apoliticals!!!

Actually decimation was killing every tenth man, not sparing every tenth man, so a decimated service would be reduced by 10%, not reduced to 10%.

Oh My God !! Lindi !! where are you now ?? why dont you write any more ? Can I have my gerbil back if you've finished with it ?

And the closet Tory councillor gets pwned!

If your right to vote was taken away and we lost our democracy would you complain?

Not to us.

Of course not - it wouldn't be allowed!

Is it democracy when there are only two candidates? Both of who are in allegiance with one another.
AV will be no use to me, or I suspect many others, when this occurs with this situation.I do believe it will mean that the majority of voters and those who did not vote do not want whoever was elected?

Where are there only two candidates in allegiance with one another?

Clay Hill. Now that the two main parties are engaged nationally they are all but the same locally. They always have been only difference has been the colour of the banners. One is blue the other orange.

You know nothing about politics in Newbury if you think that to be the case.

I think you should actually speak to the candidates before making such ill informed statements publicly.

Also, there six people and three parties contesting Clay Hill rather than two as you suggest.

Labour are standing two candidates in Clay Hill.

Still only two parties as far as I am concerned now that Cons are engaged with Libs. Labour as you seem to imply have no chance in Newbury?

As to asking the candidates? That is a complete joke is it not after the questions asked at the last election and the answers given? Every answer given has been renegade on or completely forgotten. Look at the mess WBC has made of Newbury. Look at the state of NTC. Enough said?

your quite a sad person really. do you have any friends????

His quite a sad person really what?

You standing this time round then panda?

i'm sitting at the moment. Are you standing, oh no you chickened out didn't you

Sure're you're not lying?

why did you back out from standing. were you frightened of not getting any votes???

Any more personal abuse like that and I will complain to the NWN, but I doubt I will get the same results as councillors might!


Who rattled your cage panda?


Something any Tory candidate (or Lib Dem for that matter) need not worry about, eh?

why are you answering questions i put to Simon. Can't he speak for himself.

I'm sure Simon is more than capable of looking after himself, however; are you usually this nasty to people? You haven't posted on here for days, and the first three things you post are catty.

You seem rather sensitive to criticism of NTC.

well someone asked where i was, so here i am. If you dont want me on here then dont ask.

I didn't ask you to post, I only wondered where you had got to. Perhaps things are getting a bit busier for you lately?

yes just like your overactive mind. I enjoy you and your little group putting the world to right. I know i'm safe in your hands. If the prime minister would let you run the country, i know we would all be so much better off.

Talk about an over active mind!

Panda's are endangered aren't they?

Pandas are, yes. They have trouble socialising I understand.

On topic: while this is hardly scientific, the poll shows that the left wing parties seem to split the opposition vote. Maybe they would be better as a 'coalition'.

The only "complete joke" is your attitude to local politics.

You think the Conservatives and Lib Dems are "engaged" in Newbury (I presume this means some sort of coalition or agreement) when this simply isn't true, you didn't realise Labour were standing in your ward and you didn't stand yourself yet you still complain that there's no choice of candidates.

Some people really don't help themselves, do they.

The evidence indicates the majority of people vote for parties before personalities. This puts independents at a severe disadvantage.

I think you are right to a point. People vote for 'personalities' but within their leaders of the major parties. That is 'personalities' need a powerful party machine to back them.

Thatcher was regarded as having a better personality than Callaghan and Foot. Major was regarded as having a better personality than the Welsh windbag, the same with Blair over Major/ Hague etc. And now Cameron over Brown.

This is very true, when people won't even talk to their candidates.