Disgusted with OH.......

Oh dear ! Sadly, I don't think he will be alone.

Oh my! OH threatened to but in end he didn't bother apathy at its best, our polling station was completely empty . I have a bad feeling about this!

Divorce papers?

Each to their own ! I went down this morning expecting to be the only one their but there was a queue !!!! Only of 2 people but still a queue and a steady stream after us. I think the fact that we were having a power cut at the time had something to do with it !

I do not think I will divorce him! - he has PD and would find it hard to cope without me! Believe you me I feel like it!!

He is a highly intelligent man, but politically naive in the extreme. We avoid the topic of politics as it would only cause an argument.

I will stay patient - what else can I do?

EU Elections only up here in the England North West. I think some areas had local elections as well.
There were 11 parties but I had only heard of five of them. The idea of the "Pirate party" appealed but I suspect they might just be having a little bit of fun.
The voting station was deserted at 10:30am.

Choose one of fifteen candidates on the form at our Polling Station (aka the Village Hall)!

Apparently UKip have been bitching that they come at the bottom of the form - alphabetical order, you see. Personally I wouldn't mind seeing them at the bottom of la manche...

Ouch- must say I would that that very difficult to live with... if I am honest.

I was under the impression that there would be a single transferable vote for these elections, but it was a "one cross in a box" scenario.

I found the whole form very irritating. In the absence of proper information being circulated, each party had a single headline underneath, some of which really got under my skin. Even the Green party had a "Stop fracking now" strapline - it seemed a bit ridiculous to pick out just one issue like that.

Feeling a bit pissed of with the whole sheebang really - doesn't feel like democracy to me, just an expensive farce.

And the staff were sitting in our village hall dressed in flimsy clothes and wasting masses of electricity as they sat under the (very wasteful) heaters. Sigh. I felt like telling them to put a cardigan on.

Ours is in the village hall too. I went, as I always do, partly through respect for the women who fought for us to be able to vote, but I didn't sort of, well not quite exactly vote, as such.

You mean you spoiled your paper, Phoenix Respect!

Mishap I was dicussing this with a friend who lives in Cumbria (the Eden Valley). She speculated that very few people would be voting UKIP in her area.
I replied that I thought a lot of people would be voting UKIP, but keeping quiet about it
I have a bad feeling too, Tanith

Oh dear. I think I would feel ever so slightly murderous.

Now, can anyone tell me if it's just this area, or is there a definite correlation between UKIP, and gnomes in the front garden? I admit to one slightly suspect garden ornament (hides head in shame) but he is a fisherman in oilskins and lurks under the gunnera by a pond. He doesn't flaunt himself in the front garden along with several other suspicious-looking characters, a St. George's flag and a UKIP placard.

Bad feeling indeed.

I think the problem is that many people vote by headlines/straplines or party loyalty rather than because they really know anything about the policies.

This is why I am so opposed to referenda which can only be meaningful if those voting have a full grasp of the implications of their vote, e.g. someone might vote to leave Europe because they don't like terrorists being able to hide behind EU human rights legislation but have no clue about what the economic implications for the country might be. I count myself amongst such ignoramuses.

We have the privilege to vote in secret and as we like either as a protest or because we have a decision as to what we want to vote for. A number of people lost their lives to give us that privilege and we should excersise that right. How we vote is for our own conscience and should not be ridiculed if a person chooses to vote in a manner that we ourselves do not understand or disagree with.
I am saddened if a persons choice, whatever it is, is denigrated.

I did that last time in the last European elections, phoenix (spoiled my paper, wrote across it) but I don't know if anyone takes any notice.

I expect a lot of people are going to vote for UKIP because they are just fed up of the main three two parties. You can't count the Lib Dems (oops, typed Dense, instead of Dems, Freudian slip) any more really, they just interfere in the proper process of government by one party or the other.

Oh dear, hope I don't unduly influence anyone who hasn't yet voted - GN may delete this post.

SPOILER: DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT YET VOTED.

Well - I think if we had joined Norway &Co rather than the EU, at the time we would have held on to oil and fishing rights. The Scandinavian countries have ended up being very wealthy as a result, but I think it's too late for us to backtrack now. Our farmers would be better off, they wouldn't have to see imports coming is from other countries simply because we have to accept a proportion of their produce, and as one of the wealthiest countries, we pay a vast amount to subsidise other countries' farms while then having to sell their produce rather than our own. Lose-lose.

Then we have to put up with all the bureaucracy rubbish from Brussels.

On the plus side - we get cheaper smelly cheeses. And peppers out of season are far cheaper than they used to be.

Yes, I agree Brenda, I should not have written the above. To all Lib Dems, I have voted Liberal in the past, and would not denigrate anyone who did vote for them. That is their choice and everyone is entitled to vote as they think fit without being ridiculed by others.

Mishap I so agree with you about referenda.

Brenda I don't think it's denigrating anyone's choice to say that certain parties have dangerous ideals and policies.
There was a BNP candidate standing in my constituency.
If he gets any votes at all, I find that worrying and shameful.

I agree, everyone should have the freedom of choice to state a preference, but we should also have the freedom to say that we disagree. Keeping quiet when we see a party looking to decrease the liberty of others is wrong.

I agree with you too, Brenda. This thread makes uncomfortable reading.

I tend to write "None of the above" when I want to spoil my ballot paper. I don't make a habit of it, but let's just say it has happened on more than one occasion.

I always vote and have done today. Not for UKIP though. I agree with Phoenix. I would feel disrespectful to the many who fought for the vote if I didn't use it.

I am not ridiculing his choice, but, from my discussions with him, I know that his reasons are not ones that bear too much scrutiny, because he is in general not interested in politics and admits to knowing nothing about who he voted for or why. He just saw it as a bit of a joke. I am not amused. It is a serious matter, as the party in question has the potential to increase racial tension - that is a cause for concern and not for boasting or joking. I am very disappointed in him and his attitude - I make no excuses for that.