The 2015 General Election

[Xela]

I remember years ago when it was close to a general election every lamppost was covered in flyers. Haven't seen a single one this time. I'm guessing its not allowed any more?

 

Apart from Andrew Mitchell who is the current MP for my area, I can't name any of the other candidates. 

[Chindie]

I've only seen one campaign sign on anyone's windows or on their lawn, a bloody huge UKIP one yesterday but I think that would possibly have been a different constituency, just.

I was hoping to get a bunch of leaflets from all the parties and get a nice fire going, with a bottle in hand on a lovely evening. Sadly seemingly not to be...

[bickster]

Apparently my seat is classed as a marginal, 4000 Labour majority. Where I live is prime Tory voter land. Not 1 leaflet, poster, anything... other than Labour who have killed enough trees to wipe out a small rain forest. Its frankly quite odd, they usually actually try

[Avfc96]

The seat where I live is classed as a marginal even though it has been Labour for ages. When I looked at the results for 2010 the Tories were not far behind at all which surprised me, as where I live is a very working class area.

[chrisp65]

My constituency has switched sides five times since the 80's, tory / labour / tory / labour and currently tory

 

the tory majority was about 4,000 last time, but votes for Plaid. LibDem and UKIP last time added up to about 11/12,000 so it really is a marginal

 

Therefore, as you'd expect, we've been bombarded with visits, door knockers, TV crews, campaign buses, invites to hustings etc., the lot. We even had the PM here a week ago having an ice cream on the beach and telling us that at no point did Baby Snatcher Thatcher ever try to close this town down. 

[snowychap]

I've only seen one campaign sign on anyone's windows or on their lawn...

There were a couple of those giant ones (the kind that look as though they need planning permission) in gardens on the Droitwich Road in Worcester.

Passing them the other Sunday, it looked like they'd been attacked on the previous night.

One just had 'Arse' written across it; on the other, someone had taken the time and consideration to amend 'Robin Walker' - doubling the b, adding a g and changing the l to an n.

Edited April 19, 2015 by snowychap

[Jon]

Sadly, I have to drive through Wilmslow on my way to work, and this morning passed a few 'Vote Gideon' posters, as it's part of the Tatton constituency.

 

and where I live is a tory safe seat - haven't seen many posters, though the guy 2 doors down from me has a Labour poster in his window.    

[Eames]

There was a thing on the BBC Website last week which basically said election posters and like are expensive to produce and not massively effective. Some policy wonk or "election strategist" has obviously decided that bombarding FB and Twitter is a far more cost effective method of collecting with the electorate.

 

On my 2 hour train ride to work I've seen one UKIP sign in a field and a couple to Tory ones attached to houses but precious little else.

[blandy]

My MP just knocked on the door. At least I know what he looks like now. I'd never vote for him, but he seemed decent enough, for a tory..

[chrisp65]

Well, in line with my post of yesterday, I've been in my local town square today and the BBC have 4 or 5 vans, a marquee and people with cameras and mics jogging around trying to get people to speak. Over on the island, today my parents have had two different candidates knocking the door, both with their own little film crews so my parents have refused to open the door - but did speak to them through the open living room window and accepted some leaflets handed through the window.

I am soooo hoping they've made it on to the local news as eejit islanders confused by door / window useage.

[sharkyvilla]

I've only seen one sign, and that was for the Lib Dems at what turned out to be their candidate's house as I cycled past. Labour and the Tories have put up people for election who have never lived in the town. I assume the Tory guy is on the up and been given a safe seat and the Labour guy is a sacrificial lamb. Democracy at work. I doubt anyone will bother calling round at all.

[CarewsEyebrowDesigner]

Signs popped up overnight here. Every lamppost as far as the eye can see covered in the big daft faces of our local lot.

 

No idea why they bother, to be honest.

Edited April 20, 2015 by CarewsEyebrowDesigner

[B94villa]

Signs popped up overnight here. Every lamppost as far as the eye can see covered in the big daft faces of our local lot.

 

No idea why they bother, to be honest.

This. There's now a huge sign saying Conservatives on a sharp bend right outside the local Tory MPs house. Everyone knows she lives there. We already assumed that's who she'd be backing.

[chrisp65]

as I drive through town there are a large number of labour signboards on the terraced houses, dozens of them

 

as I get to the more well to do areas the labour begin to thin out and you start to see a small number of plaid, maybe a total of six

 

the 'posh' houses as you leave town have two or three conservative signs, really not many

 

as you drive along the link road, the fields of the land owners have been given enough signs to have them at 50 metre intervals, one land owner, 20, 30, 40 signs

 

 

 

life's all about stereotypes

[snowychap]

Police to probe Jesse Norman's muffin

 

 

A Conservative candidate standing for re-election has dismissed as "nonsense" claims he attempted to sway potential voters with cake.

Jesse Norman, who is standing in the Hereford and South Herefordshire constituency, was seen with boxes of treats while out campaigning.

Mr Norman was photographed at a supermarket with a box of chocolate muffins and some cherry Bakewells.

West Mercia Police confirmed an investigation was under way.

It comes after UKIP candidate Kim Rose, who is standing in Southampton Itchen, was told by police he would face no further action over allegations he laid on sausage rolls and Jaffa Cakes at an event in February.

"Treating" is barred under election rules as it could be seen as inducing voters to cast their ballots one way or another.

Mr Norman, who won the seat in 2010, called the claims "nonsense".

He said: "We had a couple of small boxes of chocolate muffins and suchlike. We may have given one or two out to children, who are not even voters."

 

[Eames]

^^ what a complete waste of Police time.

[bickster]

Got a Liberal "Focus" Team leaflet through the door tonight. Full of their usual idiotic lies. Apparently the Liberals built the new road thats going to connect to the motorway (the one thats currently nine months behind schedule and causing huge queues), even though its a Labour controlled council… go figure

!

The logic says that in 13 years of Labour Govt, it wasn't built. They fail to mention it wasn't built during a similar period prior to that when they were in power. Now they've been in govt it has been built… by the Labour council who were told by Westminster they could have their new road but would have to fund it themselves but apparently the Liberal Govt is paying for it.

Its actually a litany of lies from start to finish and then on the back we have nice profiles of the Lib Dem candidates in the elections, the candidate for MP is actually last on the leaflet and its glaringly obvious that she stands zero chance at all of getting elected

Having said all that its par for the course with the Lib Dems, Focus leaflets have always been a litany of lies, untruths and taking credit for something that they've had no influence on at all.

[bickster]

Oh a quick reminder to everyone, that you can change your vote in the poll should you wish. Just delete your vote and vote again

[blandy]

Talking of lies, that Tory MP who came round yesterday implied to me he was formerly in the Navy. I looked it up today. He wasn't. He worked for Morrison's supermarket as some sort of manager. The Twunt.

[choffer]

Not a sniff of any doorstepping round here. Guess they figure it's 98% immigrants round here so there's no point.

 

My only source of information is my daily email from Uncle Dave, the subject line of which should probably just read "Why you should think the two Ed's are rocket polishers". If I ever find out which of my oh-so-amusing friends signed me up on that email list, there'll be trouble.