Waiting for my voting information and I’m told there are no local elections this year, only in one ward and that’s Throston.
All the others are cancelled…which explains why Labour is all over Throston like a rash every weekend.

Got mine last week.
From doormat to kitchen bin in 4 seconds.

They can all Fcuk right off.

Mr Great Britain Nigel Farage. says "Reform UK is 'parking it's tanks' on Labour's lawn.

You must be in a Throston Ward then Kev.
Nowt personal but I want to VOOOOOTE.

You need to vote, putting your card in the bin is a vote for the opposition.

Not if all the candidates are the opposition! A case of least worst in most cases.

No one in authority has bothered to give an explanation as to why we aren’t having them.

Hartlepools seats aren't up for election apart from a couple.

Don't Councillors stand for a 4 year term, probably most of the current ones have not held their seat for 4 years so that’s why they are only a few up for re election ?

We have had local elections every year since time immemorial…every year.
Unless the Government have pulled a fly one and increased the term of office without telling the voters, we don’t know because no one else knows…
The idea of giving Councillors 4 year terms of office stinks, it’s just a way of hanging onto power, as the average Councillor of the three main Party’s are just sheep who nod when told to do something.
This however doesn’t answer the question and it should not be left to the public having to gues.
Personally I’d give all Councillors a two year term, all would have to be independent and not members of any Party and reside in the ward they represent….so we can hear the voices of those who live there and not those who put their Party before local opinion….as they always do.
If I want sheep I’ll go to a farm.

The people who can answer is the Council, contact them.

Local Councils should have absolutely nothing to do with Politics. Each representative should be voted in on merit and reside in the Ward that they represent.

It’s always been a four year term.

MPs should be the same, high profile politicians are parachuted into safe seats.

agree. they are called LOCAL councillors and not mouthpieces for there westminster party. once living in your ward was a requirement and you had to wait for the chance to put up in the ward you lived in. not sure if thats still the case.

Why is face book full of people asking why ….and why is only one ward having an election.
Elections are being cancelled all over the country in advance of changes to local authorities.
We’ll probably be dragged into Son of Cleveland when it happens to us.

They are stupidly complicated I believe Hartlepool is or was a third each time.

they can fiddle around as much as they like but the end results will be the same unless people have very short memories.

Mind you, can anyone remember your local Councillors knocking at your door to ask your opinion of things…?
I’ve lived in this hose 29 years and the only time one called was when the Akers Belchers were ‘running’ the town and some bloke who reminded me of Father Jack thrust a leaflet at me and said “take this”……a bad move….I asked him to leave and close the gate on his way out…..he then scurried over the road to the rest of the possee and he pointed at me as though he’d discovered Dr Frankensteins lab….once in 29 years…..

29 years you can think yourself lucky. you do not get a leaflet through your door now and the last time a local would be councillor knocked on mine i did not have a driving licence.

Leaflets are not a problem as ratboy brings them to us. …in pieces.
His hairy sister couldn’t give a toss.

I always wanted to live in a hose but in the end it was just a pipe dream.

I can arrange it for you

I didn’t have you down as a pipe fitter

never had that problem with dogs and the post or delivering anything. its been the bin men taking stuff away that was a problem with a couple. suppose in there doggy brain they were nicking something rather than giving us something extra.

First time we’ve had it with a dog….but we were warned about the breed, they instinctively regard it as an ‘invasion’ of the family space and they go into protection mode…but aren’t aggressive to other dogs…vermin is another story

Pipe fitters…always liked watching them work…never met a bad bunch….I’m getting sentimental now…

I agree with you Jamie.

Which is why I will be spoiling my ballot paper as usual, a duty I have performed in every kind of election this century - other than the EU referendum where I did submit a valid ballot paper. Tony Blair was the last person to fool me into putting an "X" in his party's box, and I take great pride in trashing my paper as outrageously as possible.

Things to remember about spoiling your ballot.

1) You are not obliged by law to use the pencil they supply, and can take any writing implement you desire in to the polling booth. I used a black Sharpie pen at the last general election, and have got some crayons this year for the council elections.

2) You are prohibited by law to take any photos in a polling station, which makes it awkward if you wish to show all your friends on social media exactly what you did. But there is no law stopping you taking some tracing paper or a sheet of transparent plastic into the voting booth, and making a facsimile of your spoilt paper. I can post my latest one if folk are interested.

3) Be aware that your paper will be scrutinised by the person in charge at the vote count, and make sure you spoil it sufficiently enough to ensure they don't declare it as a valid vote. This happened in Birmingham about 10 years ago. You are required to mark one box only, or if a number of choices are allowed like in the EU parliamentary ones we used to have, only the correct number of boxes. We all usually draw an "X", but that is NOT compulsory. The rule is that your mark must be completely contained within the box, and doesn't encroach on to the rest of the ballot paper. At the Birmingham election I referred to previously, one person drew a cock and balls inside the box of one of the candidates - and this was declared valid by the returning officer as only one box had a mark in it. Do not make that mistake.

And 4) The most important thing about spoiling your ballot is that the total number of spoilt papers MUST be counted and read out alongside the votes cast for the candidates. That is the law. So it is NOT a waste of a vote, it tells those in power that this many people want NONE of the bastards.

If enough folk do this, it will worry those in power. And they will fucking SHIT themselves if that number actually "wins" the election in just one constituency.

This practice is not just for nutters. Any sane person who is sick of all the lying bastards would do this.

And as such, I commend it to the Bunker.


Kenny Bottles MP.

(Mad Person)

Wiping your arse on it will guarantee a spoilt ballot paper..100%…probably cancel all the others too…..jackpot…

just cannot see the difference in trailing to a poll station to spoil your ballot paper to not bothering to turn out in the first place. you can still also comment on the result if there was nobody you wished to vote for with them all as bad in your eyes.

Sadly, as long as we don't have a "None Of The Above" option (unlike many other countries) then it's the best you can do. Why? Because THEY don't like it up 'em...!

Which is precisely why the Electoral Commission has banned political parties such as the "None of the Above" party and the "NOTA" party appearing on UK ballot papers.*

At least a spoilt ballot-paper will be counted, and the total announced for each constituency.

Also, once you've done it, then no twat can give you any of that tedious shite about people who (supposedly) went to war to fight for your right to vote. You just did vote, for no fucker..!

And if you still aren't convinced, then watch the film "Brewster's Millions" (Richard Prior version) which is funny as fuck - and should get you laughing if nowt else.


* Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/None_of_t ... ed_Kingdom

Agree with you Kenny, people who are not satisifed with any of the parties should do exacty as you have stated.

It's actually a lot of fun doing it.

I sniggered like a naughty kid while I was in the booth last year, and the two women on the desk were clearly wondering what the fuck I was up to when I pulled out the plastic sheet and traced over the image and the words I'd just created on my ballot-paper.

That allowed me to produce this pretty accurate "artist's impression" when I got home.

Was this your renaissance period…?
I like the flow of your line around the stunted gonads and the sheer joy expended in your delightful comment on life in the voting booth….aided by the use of black to identify your struggle with ……etc, etc, etc.

Are that lot up above Pools targets for next season

Potential new owners!

So we’d ll be renaming the the club “Paddy McGinty’s Goat FC’.then …Begorra.