Local Candidates Deserve Some Consideration

This is a revulsion election: revulsion at Mr and Mrs Brown, Mr and Mrs Balls and - still - revulsion at Mr and Mrs Blair.  Regardless of party or belief, flying in the face of some widely- and strongly-  held convictions, we are going to vote our utter disdain for a small group of self-seeking sycophants.  Sycophants of what?  Of their self-interest primarily.

And so enormous is the rejection of the values and aims of post-democratic administrative governance by permanent elites, what might be called the caste model of politics, we barely glance at the proposals being put forward by the alternatives.  Then, as an aside, we express our dislike for our own lack of acquaintance with the manifestos of others - but it is our own choice to have just familiarity enough to be sure that they still stand for democracy within our own country and throwing the rascals out. 

On 6 May we will have more than one vote to cast  however.  Having scored the ballot paper through to the wood with a cross for the not-Brown-Balls-and the past, candidate  we will turn over another paper.  Many of the candidates there will be utterly decent people, people bearing Party labels that are badges of honourable local activities and undertakings appropriate to our neighbourhoods and local needs and pleasures.  Often we may not have bothered even to turn out to vote for the local elections but this year, as we are determined to be in the polling booths as the nemesis of the big bad Bs, we might pause before the double error of going too far and acting in ignorance.   Perhaps we should read the record of the local people, ignore their party labels, and choose without breaking the pencil-lead as we put our crosses.