Bring on the council elections this Thursday… because that will put a stop to the gangs of rosette-wearing wannabes hanging around street corners, mugging folk for their votes on Saturday mornings.
Mind you, I did that in reverse at the weekend when I noticed the Conservatives setting up their stall in Stonehaven while I was out to pick up some milk.
I couldn’t help but ask the chap standing behind a tabletop full of leaflets if he would give me a yes or no answer to one question – is Boris Johnson fit to be prime minister of the United Kingdom.
When he said that in his opinion it was “no”, I was suitably impressed at his honesty and let him get on with what looked to be a long day.
Now, it would be very easy to cast a jaded eye over the runners and riders for this Thursday’s council elections and think to yourself: “Why bother?”
Let’s face it, with the almost non-stop parade of headlines claiming scandal and mischief is rife, with fingers being pointed at parties of all political hues, it is tempting to just dismiss the lot. But that would be folly when it comes to council elections.
Local councils matter very much
The people asking for your vote on Thursday are the people who will be deciding almost every aspect of your daily life.
They are the folk who will decide how your kids are educated, when your bins get emptied, how the vulnerable are cared for, whether your local library stays open, whether or not the potholes on your street are fixed, if the arts will get any support.
And then they will decide how much of your hard-earned cash they will take off you for all of this.
So, yes, local councils matter. They matter very much. And so do the people who run them.
This is why we all need to take a very close look at council candidates – and look beyond the party they are running for.
Make an informed choice
There are councillors in my area with political views diametrically opposed to mine. But they are still damn good advocates for Stonehaven and have done a power of good.
There are others whose worldview I share and endorse, but I’m painfully aware of never hearing from them from one election to the next.
If you can’t be bothered turning up to vote on Thursday, you are basically allowing other people to say how key aspects of your life will be for the next five years
So, look at their track record, run your eye over their achievements and what they have actually delivered. Is it all hot air and puffery, or are they really earning the wages we pay them? Then you can make an informed choice.
But, above all else, you have to make a choice.
Democracy only works if we all take part. If you can’t be bothered turning up to vote on Thursday, you are basically allowing other people to say how key aspects of your life will be for the next five years.
That’s quite a power we have at our disposal. Let’s use it wisely.
Scott Begbie is entertainment editor for The Press & Journal and Evening Express
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