Election Day 2018

ALL campaigning over, all leaflets sent, all persuasions made, all ears well and truly bent. Today (Thursday) it’s our turn to communicate, to make a single mark in reply.

To vote, or not to vote?

That’s the question. Whether it’s better to decide who to support and then go and make one’s views clear, or to have nothing to do with the whole thing and just mutter and complain later.

In one of the two big decisions recently, 2016’s choice was to leave the European Union. With a difference of just 1.3 million votes it was close run thing but every single vote counted towards the total. However almost 13 million people didn’t vote.

At the time, the outcry on Twitter was as simple as “Oh grandma, what have you done?”

But it was somewhat wasted as “grandma” didn’t have a Twitter account and didn’t respond.

If she had have done, the simplest line would have been “I voted dear, why didn’t you?”

But the outcome was clear and “grandma’s” had used her vote to make a difference.

In the other, the big decision of 2017 gave a very clear answer to a Prime Minister requesting clear mandate as the country said, “Sorry, you can’t have one”.

Once again around 13 million people chose not to express their views and they didn’t vote.

It’s still a free country and it’s your choice as to whether to vote or not. If you don’t vote and later discover you don’t like what’s being done for you (or to you), a mirror will help you identify the culprit.

Do manifestos matter?

Election leaflets and party manifestos have long been held in low esteem. “Promises promises” is our usual reaction, yet research published in 2015 by Dr Judith Bara from the University of London showed that not only have the number of specific election pledges been going up since 1945, so have the attempts by individuals and parties to deliver on what they’ve promised.

Does this mean that when a party promises you “a more prosperous future” that it’s going to happen? The answer’s a big fat “NO” because the promise is meaningless. To understand why this is so, ask how much more prosperous you’re going to be — a penny a year? Or £1 million a minute? The first is so small it makes no difference, the second so big it’s ridiculous. The problem is that the promise isn’t specific enough.

But when it is specific, Dr Bara found that people do try to deliver what they’ve said, so on balance those manifestos do matter, especially when they are on record and can be assessed at a later date – something that isn’t always true about social media statements.

Are the politicians answerable?

The quick throwaway answer is almost certainly “No” in the short term – e.g. between elections. They aren’t answerable in the longer term either, but only if the public have forgotten or forgiven all their transgressions, mistakes and failures.

However, as the Secretary for War found out in 1963, when the true facts of his behaviour came to light, he resigned. And as countless politicians of all parties, places and persuasions have found since, actively misleading your colleagues or the public isn’t recommended.

Closer to home, there’s been times when a local councillor’s behaviour or performance hasn’t been up to scratch and they find themselves either voted out or booted out, even in Wokingham.

The logic is simple. When a councillor becomes a liability their colleagues take action before they too have to answer to the electorate.

Who do I vote for?

Does it make a difference as to who you vote for? Well, if you want to choose what gets done locally, the answer is a resounding YES.

And thanks to the Great Reform Act of 1832 and its 41 successors, then provided you’re registered, you’ve a chance to vote and it’s TODAY.

So if you want to check out the candidates, their leaders or the local manifestos for Wokingham’s Borough Elections, they’re all here: www.wokinghampaper.com/vote2018

Now where’s my Polling Station?