It had to be done. I could not wait to vote, and so I nipped out after blogging and doing the morning admin to get my cross on the ballot paper, just in case anything (heaven forbid) might have prevented me from doing so later in the day. This voting lark matters that much to me.
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Well i voted by post a few days ago. I always think if the weather is bad or I have a cold or something the trek to the polling station is not that easy!
Me too. Let’s hope they arrive on time! Post is an absolute shambles where I live at the moment.
Only 80% of postal votes are actually included in the final count. Always best to vote in person
Me too, around 9am. Busier than usual: a queue of several people. The checking of ID was slowing things down. I recommend voting earlier rather than later.
Agreed
My polling station was busy, and as you say, took longer than usual
Ours was very quiet – and the volumteer said it had been all day – not good.
Still busy here when I last went past
“The checking of ID was slowing things down” – by design. After all, don’t want too many UK serfs voting, might upset the status quo.
I registered for an overseas vote – they never got back despite submitting everything in good time. UK voting system – designed to exclude not include.
In Florida, 90% of the people I know utilizes “Vote-By-Mail”.
The local county election office that runs all elections encourages “Vote-By-Mail”.
Should be utilize not utilizes. Sorry for the auto correct typo via the spillclucker!
Postal votes have been a mess this election.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXmYAgLySqc
Me too!
Today is not the day for spoiling your ballot paper; it’s a day when voting is vital. (Tactically if necessary.)
It’s when you have to think about the greater good.
Voting always brings me an overwhelming feeling of being part of something huge and the opportunity of the start of something better (usually sadly misplaced, unfortunately).
Thank you for all your blogging; it is much appreciated by me and many others too I think.
Thanks
Voted early too. I have been strangely uneasy about the results of this election and what a Labservative government will mean for Scotland. Nothing good, I expect.
We, in Scotland, have our own General Election in 2026. I hope that will be a momentous one for us.
Agreed
The SNP has a lot to do
In Scotland we have a third dimension to our voting choice: get in the lifeboat or stay on the Titanic and rearrange the deckchairs. Neither of the 2 leading parties in Westminster offer us any hope or prospect in the next 5 years. Indeed Labour plans to undermine our democracy be refusing any right of secession and both Tories and Labour plan to privatise our NHS bit-by-bit, so I’ve “voted for the lifeboat” as I still can’t see how we could conceivably make a bigger mess of running our own affairs.
It doesn’t matter who rules in Westminster: the future for Scotland-in-UK is bleak and unacceptable. Our Claim of Rights (the Scottish People are Sovereign in Scotland) must now be invoked. It’s been part of Scots Law since 1689 (it may have existed before then without codification) and ratified in recent times in both Holyrood and Westminster, although it has been routinely ignored by Westminster since 1707-8. Action, civic and/or political, is now required to initiate progress towards Independence.
In Scotland I would be, as you know, with you.
I organised proxy votes as we’re abroad right now. Worked seamlessly I’m relieved to say.
It’ll be interesting to see how many Scots have been fooled into voting Labour but, 2026 is the “proper” election for Scotland.
Bring it on.
Ditto.
Good on you, Richard. My postal vote went in last week and I vote in that manner because the polling station is two miles away along B roads sans footpath, with the one bus route we had being lost to austerity some years ago. Historically this is one of the safest seats, but the this year there has been a notable absence of banners/posters for the incumbent so one remains a tiny bit hopeful.
Live in hope
There was a lovely old couple with green party rosettes on standing outside my polling station. I went in to the station, held my nose, and voted tactically as there is an outside chance of ousting the long-standing Tory from his seat. But it made me feel physically nauseous to do so. Every part of my being wanted to vote Green but I also knew that, to do so would have meant my vote counting for nothing. So I spoke with the two people when I came out and apologised for my tactical choice. Turns out that they were formerly long-term Labour party members but had quit the party following Jeremy Corbyn’s appalling treatment at the hands of both the press and the Labour party itself. They don’t hold out any hope for Starmer proving to be anything more than what he appears to be – a centrist Tory-lite and a “safe pair of hands” that will guarantee more of the same for the next 5 years. It was a sad moment. None of us had any real hope because the voting system is rigged against us. Apparently the Green Party candidate had stopped by at our little village polling station earlier that day – that made my tactical choice even more of a bitter pill. At least they had made the effort, when they knew they stood no chance of winning. That shows gumption.
Thanks for sharing that
My sympathy Miss N, was a shitty situation to be forced into by our rotten voting system. Still with us thanks to the tory/labour duopoly. Which apparently Starmer wants to perpetuate.
Here, I voted Green anyway. In the absence of being able to arrange a vote swap where I would in effect have voted for a Green in one of their target seats in return for voting labour here (which in any case is probably the best anti tory vote here) we voted Green anyway. I wanted to vote for policies I believe in, for once. PR, rejoining the EU, progressive taxation, renationalisation of the water industry, properly funding the NHS, building affordable homes and taking the climate emergency seriously.
If the tories still win here (Hemel Hempstead) it’ll be because the anti-tory vote will be split between labour and the LD’s, NOT because 2 people here voted Green.
Three people voted Green!
Governments, councils, housing associations, private developers….whatever, do not build ‘homes’. People build homes. The above mentioned build houses. I really hate this use of language ….these weasel words – and loaded expressions.
We really shouldn’t fall for it.
I deeply sympathise. Can I suggest, absent electroal reform, primaries aimed at the sitting MP? Select the best one & vote to turf out the incumbent. This has the possibility of undermining the party system (good) and moving power back to citizens (good). Just an idea in these dire times.
Classic Jonathan Pie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPGV-_r8JOY
It’s very good, by both of them
Luck you – we had literally no-one to vote for!
Owen Jones is spot on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEwegrVEsQE
I have voted, my children have voted, we have all voted. We have all taken part in a massive show of “going through the motion” of taking part in the democratic process. So what next? Will there be changes? Will there be any accountability for those when they get into office? What expertise have they brought to their office.? We had a chance for change but Nick Clegg blew it. We had another chance but Caroline Lucas refused to align with Jeremy Corbyn. I can’t see another chance anytime soon. We all march to the drumbeat of Democracy, the multiparty system and one man one vote, but the song remains the same.
Thank you, John.
I know what you mean.
Clegg and Ed Balls were Tories at Oxford. Their labels later were just that.
Lucas is not as progressive as you might think. Corbyn is not her only victim. I will spare Richard the details and libel risks. I have nothing, but contempt for Lucas and her backers, here and overseas.
We will have to differ on Caroline.
I know her well and think she is pretty progressive – although not always in line with GP polocy, I admit.
And let’s be clear, I could not support Corbynon economics (too right wing) or Brexit, and said so.
Lucas does come across as being genuine – and prepared to engage with ideas . I dont know much about her or her ‘backers’ but she does seem head and shoulders over most of the nodding donkey MP’s right or left.
That is my opinion
But no doubt she has also upset people
You have to
Richard and readers may be interested in https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/07/project-2025-architect-signals-bloodshed-if-left-opposes-trump-led-revolution.html?unapproved=4065324&moderation-hash=97cca0aaf7985b6447e61e7a10b68774#comment-4065324. Please scroll BTL and look out for my tidbit when it comes out of moderation.
That is very worrying
And Labour likes these people
Tories line up to party with them
Thank you, Richard.
Re Corbyn: He met Barnier the Monday evening before the Thursday election. A Norway plus deal, including my suggestion on City access to the single market and its supervision, conveyed to my friend / former colleague / his constituency party secretary, were scuppered by Starmer, Swinson and Davey.
Off topic for Mike Parr: https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/07/germanys-grid-is-getting-greener-as-its-industry-is-weakening.html?unapproved=4065328&moderation-hash=bf133adc93479fc82d0a180da2fb9b1b#comment-4065328.
Off-topic:
Thank you Col Smithers. COO BASF (I have this from the person he spoke to) “Germany is a loss centre”. But.
What is the cost (to extract) of gas from, e.g. the North Sea or the Groingnen gas field . It ain’t Euro35/MWh (Rotterdam TTF). More like Euro2/MWh.
The article fails to engage with the cost of money in the Euro-zone. When it was sub-1%, WACCs (weighted average cost of capital) for RES were 5%. This was delivering elec @ less than 5eurocents/kWh – certainly competitive with elec from gas. This is not the case now, given cost of money @ 5% plus a big margin (2% over base?).
This has very bad impacts on discounted cash flows when building the business case – but you know this.
All the above applies to the UK & its silliness with interest rates.
Agreed
let’s join the dots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F9rKBYwIlA
https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmer-joined-secretive-cia-linked-group-while-serving-in-corbyns-shadow-cabinet/
https://bylinetimes.com/2024/06/27/dismay-as-starmer-backs-westminsters-winner-takes-all-voting-system-as-labour-eyes-big-majority/
The Electoral Registration Office staff throughout the country have been working flat out to get everything ready for today. This has not been helped by the changes in legislation particularly regarding overseas voters which has increased the workload dramatically. Without these people in the offices and the staff in the Polling Stations working all day our system wouldn’t work at all.
They are the unsung heroes behind every election.
Accepted
Thank you from a polling clerk. 16 hours’ work without a formal break (although there is time when there is nothing to do) is tiring!
Seconded