By Isle of Wight Observer
It’s possible this column will be of no interest whatsoever to at least half of you, because it’s about local politics and most people are so bored with the whole shebang they won’t even bother voting next Thursday. In some areas last time, only one in five electors turned out to support anyone at all. One in five! If it was a football match, they’d abandon the whole thing.
I can’t say I’m surprised. I know I should get out more, but a few friends and I recently spent an hour of our precious time going through the candidates and wards seat by seat. Just for fun – I use that word loosely – we wanted to see if we could predict next Thursday’s results. Our nostra Holmesy predictions are now sealed in an envelope, which my solicitor is keeping safe until Friday.
No one likes a bragger, but I’m fairly certain we’ve got almost every ward right. We disagreed on fewer than four. If you’re impressed, you’ll probably want to know who these so called ‘experts’ are. One was once a prominent Labour member, another is currently Conservative, and the third is a well known Liberal Democrat. It’s a matter of great pride that I have long-standing friends who are passionate activists and supporters of all the major parties and none. We’ve never fallen out about our varied viewpoints, and that’s the way it should be.
There’s far too much shouting and venom in politics these days. No-one seems to listen, or ever change their mind. Politics seems ridiculously tribal – you half expect people to start painting their faces. What is the point of having a mind if you can’t change it?
Many people believe it’s best to avoid discussing politics with friends, family, or colleagues who hold different views. I think that’s a shame. There’s no need to fall out with anyone who doesn’t believe what you do. Life’s too short, and the Island’s too small, to spend it sulking at people you’ll bump into in Sainsbury’s.
I saw Zac, the Green Party leader, on TV the other evening. He felt some questions were unfair, including the old, bigger breasts by hypnosis thing. It’s arguably the most interesting thing about him; I don’t think I could avoid asking about it either.
A family friend was a former policeman who went on to make a living as a fortune teller. In the late ’70s he started doing breast readings. As a teenager, I was very impressed that such a career path existed.
I count several of our hard-working independent councillors as friends. Some deserve another term, while others’ achievements are… well, let’s say “difficult to locate.” The candidate I voted for last time turned out to be an egomaniac of Olympic standard. I’ve yet to meet anyone with a good word to say about them.
The people who helped with my predictions are experienced council observers. Yes, they too should get out more. I’ll reveal the predictions after polling day – but I can reveal the overall picture now. No party will gain control of the council; independents will be the largest group so deals will be needed. The Greens will pick up a few seats; Reform will get plenty of votes but not many councillors. The Conservatives have a few good candidates, but their result will be a disappointing number of seats, same for the Liberal Democrats.
Only around half the population voted in the last general election, and only a third of those voted Labour. All are disappointed with Keir Starmer. Labour will have a very bad election result nationally.
If you want something to vote for, remember the council is ultimately responsible for the chaos on Island roads. Surely you want someone – anyone – to sort that out!