‘Oh no, not again’ – voters have their say on election decision
Abby Bolter has been asking voters in Bridgend what they think of Theresa May’s snap General Election
IT’S been less than a year since people were asked to vote on whether or not we should stay in the European Union and less than two years since the last general election.
Now Prime Minister Theresa May wants voters to go back to the ballot box as she hopes to secure a thumping majority and the clout needed to get things done at home and abroad, particularly when it comes to negotiating Britain’s exit from the EU.
Currently riding high in the polls, it’s a gamble that could pay off if she can bring the most important people, the voters, around to her way of thinking.
In May 2015, Bridgend returned Labour’s Madeleine Moon as MP for a third time, but her majority over the second-place Conservatives was cut to 1,927, meaning she now sits in a marginal seat. Can Labour retain their hold on the constituency on June 8 or will the Prime Minister’s popularity release its stranglehold?
Jill Williams, 61, a retired human resources administrator from Broadlands, Bridgend, certainly hopes so as she will be voting Conservative, even though she wasn’t too keen on another election.
“I thought ‘ oh no not again’,” she said. “But I want to vote Conservative. I think she is doing a good job.”
Jill said even though she voted for the UK to leave the EU, she wishes she hadn’t because of what she has learned about the implications since. But, regardless, she still feels Theresa May is the right person to steer the UK through the choppy waters ahead.
But Alan Robson, 74, from Bridgend, who is retired from the prison service, disagrees.
The Labour supporter believes Jeremy Corbyn is the “best leader we have had for a long time”, despite opinion polls showing that just 14% of respondents thought he would make a good Prime Minister, while 50% backed May.
Alan’s also not happy with the prospect of another election.
“I thought it was a waste of time, that she is just doing it for political gain. I don’t think there’s any need for it. But she is struggling with the majority she has got at the moment.”
Despite his support for Labour, Alan maintains his anti-EU stance. How- ever, he is opposed to a hard Brexit, which would mean the UK exiting the single market.
“I still think we would be better off out of it than in.
He added: “If Jeremy Corbyn’s MPs didn’t undermine him all the time I think he would stand a chance.”
It does seem that no matter what their political persuasion, many people in the constituency are still in favour of the UK leaving the EU. Bridgend as a county – not the constituency – voted in favour of Brexit by 54.6% to 45.3%.
Even though it’s hard to know if the result would have been the same if the referendum had been run along constituency lines, Madeleine Moon faced a violent reaction from the electorate in February when she voted against triggering Article 50.
She argued she was not standing in the way of democracy but pressuring the Government to get the best possible deal from Europe, moving away from a hard Brexit which she fears will cost jobs.
Some electors even called on her to resign while others accused her of “betrayal” and “spitting in the faces of constituents”.
Retired taxi driver Annette Smith, 79, from Bridgend, said she was staunchly pro-Brexit, believing those who said that if the UK cut ties with the bloc the NHS would receive an extra £350m a week. She now knows that is not the case and believes confusion is the only certainty.
“I think it has now got to the stage where people are totally confused about who to vote for, and if Theresa May doesn’t get a good majority that she is after what will happen if Labour (get in) or if Labour and the Liberals join forces? How will that affect us with the Brexit vote? We just need someone to fight for us.”
She believes this all could have been avoided if David Cameron had stood his ground.
“I know David Cameron didn’t want Brexit but I honestly think he was voted (in) by the people and he should’ve turned around and said ‘Right, I didn’t want to come out but because I have been voted in I will carry on and do my utmost for the country’.”
There are a number of domestic issues which need addressing, with the cost of living one of them according to Christine Edmonds, 48, from Bridgend. She said: “I think people are really fed up with everything. Everything is going up apart from wages.
“I was surprised when I heard an election had been called – it’s taking a risk. I might vote differently. I don’t think anything will change around here – Labour has been here for so long.”
Mandy Lock, 44, from Bridgend, is a full-time carer for her mother and she has an 18-year-old severely autistic son. She is concerned about help being taken away from disabled people and benefit cuts, but isn’t opposed to Theresa May.
“She seems to be doing pretty well at the moment,” she said.
“There have been cuts ” in benefits and everything else and that is hitting Britain hard, especially disabled people now. I am hoping she does something about that.
“We usually vote Labour, but I don’t know.”
Labour voter Ade Davies, 57, a retired paramedic from Llanharan, said his immediate reaction to May’s Tuesday statement was “why”?
“I don’t think politicians do anything for no reason and we won’t know the true reason so it just makes me wonder why, pure and simple?”
Chris Eyre, 41, from Ogmore-by-Sea also thinks another election is unnecessary but remains in favour of Brexit.
“I think it’s too early yet. But she is trying to get out of Europe and it’s the best thing for us.”
Pro-Brexit security officer Pa Sillah, 30, from Bridgend, also questioned the timing.
“I don’t think it’s the right time with all these Brexit things going on, though saying that if Theresa May feels it’s the right time, fair enough.
“I voted Labour – this time I think I will vote for the Conservatives because of Jeremy Corbyn. I don’t think he’s fit to be the leader.”
Chloe Evans, 26, from Rhondda, who works in Bridgend, said she was a little surprised at the election call.
“But I am quite glad they are doing it again. Perhaps people have more understanding now. I think people may view it as another Brexit referendum,” she said.
Jess Pothecary, 20, from Brynmenyn, near Bridgend, is mum to a fourmonth-old daughter. If she votes on June 8, it will be her first general election.
“I don’t know if I will vote or not. I have just got to read or listen to what they have to say and go with what I think.”
Jess is in favour of Britain leaving the EU due to what she said was the number of people coming into Britain, although she believes the country should take in refugees from Syria.
But Mary Forster, 22, from St Athan, a barber in Bridgend, has had her fill of politics.
“It’s all over the news and I don’t want to watch it,” she said. “They should just get on with it rather than just talking about it.”