How will Woking vote ?

Well here's a turn up for the books, the local faithful Lib Dem "Winning here" poster site is sporting a Labour poster. The coalition has clearly been a bit too much for at least one  Woking former Lib Dem voter.

I wonder how wide spread their problem is ?

Each party has it problems in Woking this time round.

There have been warnings in the press on electoral fraud, and I hear that (all) parties have been called by the returning officer to be warned on the subject.

Labour have lost all their councillors in Woking and will be looking to claw some ground back, and perhaps even get to the balance of power position.

The Conservatives are looking to extend their recent period in overall control, and on paper should have a good chance especially given the 0% town council tax rise ( but the unhelpful Surrey (also under Conservative control) large rise completely blows this out of the water ), however that's before you factor in the disillusionment with the modernising Cameron Conservatives. Woking has strong Christian and Muslim voting constituencies and Cameron's attack on marriage is going down like a bucket of cold sick here. Apparently it looks like it will be hard to get the vote out, and even if they do can they be sure that X isn't going in the UKIP box in the privacy of the ballot booth ?

The Lib Dems have the problem of being in coalition nationally, but relying on squeezing the Labour vote as the party of the left locally. Their tactics have been to be more positive this year, trying to take credit for things that have happened, rather than the usual range of Tory phobic attacks. How will that work ? Is the vote squeeze over ? ( I know some people who think there are more Labour supporters in Woking tactically voting Lib Dem than Lib Dem supporters, so there could be a dramatic unwinding. However the record shows that where the Lib Dems have high voting support it holds up - regardless of the national picture. )

For UKIP the aim will be to carry on the steady increase in local votes, potentially altering outcomes which will at least put the other parties under pressure.

What will today bring in Woking ? About the only thing I can predict confidently now is rain !

The Lib Dems should just accept at their heart is a vacuum and disband

What is the point of the Lib Dems ? Nobody knows ( not even them ).

Hence there's a re-branding exercise going on.

However, their problem is they are an empty soulless political hobbiest organisation, who exist to win elections and to not be the other two parties.

Time to put the old bird out of its, and everyone else's, misery.

Its likely to happen at the European and UK elections shortly anyway ....

How a Lib Dem MEP would like to betray Britain

So Lib Dems - do you disown this traitor ?

H/T Danniel Hannan & @JackDaRipperJr

Salaries many of us could only dream of for political non-jobs

At last the government is taking the fight to the, mostly, left wing parasites in local government.

Like Communist party officials with their Dacha's and special shops local government officials have been replicating non-jobs for over paid left wing Guardian readers at a frightening rate.

Now when we are forced to make cuts by the monumental and immoral stupidity of the last Labour government they would rather rob the poor and disadvantaged of their services than cut back on their fat cat life styles.

This is true "left wing" politics in this country - see Liverpool, Manchester and Camden councils for obvious examples.

At last this message has moved beyond the fantastic Tax Payer's Alliance to the mainstream media. See this article in today's Telegraph. Or purchase last week Spectator.

Update: And it appears those sanctimonious hypocrites the LFib Dems have the biggest Fat Cat kept by one of their councils. Remember that the next time a leaflet from - say Woking Lib Dems - drops through your door.

Look at the last 13 years of Labour and vote Conservtaive on May 6th !

Voting Lib Dem just won't do it. Its now clear the only role left for the Lib Dem is possibly to support Labour to carry on !

The DUP are lined up to support the Conservatives and the SNP have indicated they will also. No need for the Lib Dems - there MPs only role could be to keep Gordon Brown in power and transfer more powers to Brussels.

Vote Conservative !

Has Rosie Sharpley been shamed into revising the dodgy Lib Dem bar chart ?

If you get a letter from the Lib Dems in Woking it will have the following form on it and the bar chart that has been repeated in all the various forms of literature the Lib Dems have pushed through letter boxes. ( Some of the literature is designed to look like local newspapers - the purpose of this is obvious and it doesn't reflect well on Rosie as the Lib Dem candidate. )

Yes its the infamous Lib Dem dodgy bar chart. Taking whatever local elections results the Lib Dems want to throw in - ignoring the general election result - when Labour always poll far better - and of course ignoring UKIP on the bar chart. ( UKIP are the useful idiots in Woking - allowing Euro federalist Lib Dems to split the right of centre vote ).


But whats this ? Over on the Lib Dem web site the Labour vote has suddenly shot up (see below) ?
How can this be ? Could it be that the backlash against Lib Dem campaigning techniques which have been described as dirty and nasty is beginning to worry them ?
That's about the 14% Labour got in the last general election.

This could be a sign of a wider lifting of the veil on the true nature of Woking's Lib Dems and Rosie Sharpley's campaign. Many people never know them as their opponents do, but I suspect if this starts to change their support will erode.

Why don't Lib Dems campaign on their policies rather than dodgy bar charts and pathetic campaigns about who's most local ?

I think the second and third leaders debates show why. Nick Clegg was doing great until Lib Dem policies like the immigration amnesty and joining the Euro came up. The weak point of the Lib Dems is their policies, which is why they try to make such a big issue out of anything else they can.

PS Take a look at the results from the last general election here in The Times. The Times has Labour of 16% and others ( mostly UKIP ) on about 3%. This information is just missing from almost all Fib Dem Lib Dem literature.

The Lib Dems have been wrong on the biggest question of the hour

Those serial chancers the Lib Dems probably thought being anti-Tory and siding with Labour on carrying running of the nations credit card for a few months was a smart move. After all it allowed them to stir endlessly and smear shamelessly.

But now, just one week before polling day, the weak point of that argument becomes clear.

Its always been known about, and it was Labour's chancellor Alistair Darling who put it best when he described the UK skating in thin ice which will suddenly give way. Once the cracks start its just a moment till your under the freezing water. No time to change your mind.

Events in Europe show how real that risk is.

Labour and the Lib Dems want to try our luck on the ice, because it offers themselves the best political returns.

The Conservatives have argued that reductions in over spending need to happen now, not next year. Like the Irish we want to set about safeguarding our country from calamity. The Lib Dems and Labour have chosen the Greek route.

David Cameron must crush Nick Clegg with this tonight. Labour is finished, but the Lib Dems could yet finish the UK with their selfish and ignorant economic policy. This is not a local council election where the traditional shameless Lib Dem stirring and opportunism can be tolerated any longer.

Vote Conservative - whilst there's still time and you've only heard the ice creek, not crack.

A bar chart you can believe in !

Its election time, which means the Lib Dems will be out playing their usual tricks and of course to ubicutous dogey bar chart.

Well this year the local Woking Conservatives have poked fun back at the hobbiests as you can see below.If you want Brown Out - vote Conservative. Any Lib Dems might keep Brown in power !

H/T to the Conservative leaflet that just dropped through my door.

Interesting results in Woking

The Conservatives have taken back Horsell from the Lib Dems, and held the division I live in St John's and Brookwood in a close result ( with UKIP syphoning of a considerable amount of the vote ).

The Lib Dems have won Woking central from the Conservatives, which will please them. The UKIP vote, if it originated from Conservative support, considerably weakened the Conservative vote, but the Lib Dems would have defeated both Conservatives and UKIP vote.

The interesting pattern here is a strengthening UKIP vote, which appears to be at the expense of the Conservatives. This will give the Lib Dems hope.

( Results from Surrey CC are coming in here ).

Update:

I note the Lib Dems have won Woking south - with what looks like a squeeze on the Labour vote and UKIP squeezing the Conservative vote.

So vote UKIP - get Federalist Lib Dems ....

Lib Dem leaflets - why do they do it ?

Yet another Lib Dem leaflet has dropped through my door. Now I'm not one of those people who moves it straight to the recycling - as delivering leaflets myself and realise the effort and time that's gone into putting them out.

I only know one or two Lib Dems, but those I do see themselves as moral people who I'm fairly sure wouldn't lie, mislead or spin and smear in any other walk of life.

Why do they behave like they do at election time ?

My leaflet before me claims that Surrey County council spends too much money, but in the next box goes on about the terrible - yet unspecified cuts - that will be made to bus services soon.

The Lib Dems get a lot of support from people employed in the public services around here, yet the leaflet complains about Surrey CC employing more office staff. Why stop there - why not offer to reduce the number of office staff ? ( I think we can spot the conflict of interest here ).

The leaflet claims that Lib Dems voted against the budget and tries to imply they would have spent less - but is that really honest ?

It appears Surrey Lib Dems ( so perhaps the Woking chapter is just "following orders" ) have decided to use a poor review (and it was the first one) of children's services - which due to the crazy way reviews of council services work means that the lowest score is use to brand the council, rather than an average. It helps central government control local government, but it doesn't make Surrey the worse council in the UK. As if this form of misrepresentation wasn't bad enough the Lib Dems went and tried to create the impression that everyone's outraged with their usual tactics of quotes and use of the left wing media ( they're not - satisfaction with Surrey CC is one of the highest in the country ). I would be ashamed to be associated with such tactics, and so should Lib Dem party members.

Just for the record here is the Audit Commissions summary for Surrey CC 1 Jan 09:

Surrey County Council is 'performing well', according to a new report released today (22 July) by the Audit Commission. The Commission's corporate assessment inspection team found that the Council works well with its partners in the Surrey Strategic Partnership and has developed a clear vision based on a good understanding of the needs of residents.

Also note point 7 from that reports Executive summary:

Political and managerial leadership is strong. Councillors and officers are clear about their roles and responsibilities although a more structured approach to councillor development would promote a better understanding of their statutory responsibilities such as corporate parenting. The Council's Constitution, codes of conduct and protocols for staff and councillors support constructive and positive working relationships, based on mutual respect and trust. These arrangements help councillors take responsibility for strategic and policy matters, allowing officers to focus on operational delivery. This promotes transparency and helps create an open and supportive culture.

So you have to ask yourself what trick are the Lib Dems trying to pull ? Full report here.

Compare with the actual result for the last general election : Woking 2005

TOP THREE PARTIES AT A GLANCE
Conservative		47.4%
Liberal Democrat		33.1%
Labour		16.3%

And of course there's the dodgy bar chart based on whatever result the Lib Dems find puts their message across ( regardless of if it compares like for like polls - the one this time is for the parliamentary constituency, no doubt trying to push their candidate, but used local election results. At the general election the gap was 14% not 4% ) and the call the squeeze the Labour vote. But then the proponents of PR fail to mention that in the European elections PR is being used. Vote Labour - get Labour MEP ( it beyond me why you would want to - but its the likely effect of voting for them ).


Its all good tactics if you believe in winning at any cost and without any principles - but why do you do it Lib Dems ? Those of you I meet are normal people who certainly seem honest in their dealings other than politics.

I almost commented on Norfolk Blogger's post on the importance of leaflets for Lib Dem campaigns, but I'm guessing just before an election isn't a good time for cool considered debate.

But I have to tell you Lib Dems there's something rotten at the heart of your party which places integrity as such a low priority, and winning at all cost so high.

Update: The inevitable leaflet slip up has been made by the Lib Dems in Cornwall ( lets face it any party can make this mistake with activists with their blood up ).

The choice in Woking's local elections on Thurs

Woking in Surrey elects councillors every year. Last year the Conservatives at last gained a majority on the borough council for the first time in 12 years, with a effective campaign on council tax rates.

This of course has piled the pressure on for their first years performance. The result ? A zero % tax rise for the borough component of the council tax. ( If only all politicians kept their promises so effectively ).

But the Lib Dems are campaigning to break back in. They have bemoaned almost every attempt to control costs made by the Conservatives. The local free papers wouldn't be the same without quotes from a Lib Dem councillor (dig deeper and find out who owns the local papers if you want to know why .....).

They have taken a more ruthless approach to candidate selection for Knaphill - bringing in an outsider who lives a quite some distance from the ward. Lib Dem groupies have been dragged in from far away to give the impression of local activity. There is a great deal of scepticism about some of the campaigning techniques the desperate Lib Dems are employing this year.

I would also remind people that the Lib Dems have been, and still are as far as I know, in favour of abolishing Surrey - so they can have a little fiefdom in Woking to play with. ( Of course thats totally impractical, but it doesn't stop the political hobbyist and careerists in the Lib Dems ).

The decision, for those who have it (my ward has no election), on Thurs is this:

Vote Conservative: Get good services run knowing its your money that's being spent ( ie high quality good value ).
Vote FibLib Dem: Get a muddle - spending more money and raising council tax, but not getting good value for money - much like Gordon Brown's Labour party really.

Think about it ....

Lib Dem peers to sell the UK down the river

So the betrayal is in. The Lib Dems having stood on a general election manifesto promise of allowing the voters to decide on the EU Constitution, are going to vote in exactly the other direction.

Their justification for this betrayal of their country and their word ?

Lord McNally, Lib Dem leader in the Lords, said he would not fall into "elephant traps" set by the Tories. - the BBC reports

So its tactical politics trumps the existence of the current UK state ? The Lib Dems are the worst, and completely devoid of principle, opportunists in politics.

Nick Clegg is right to emphasis the Liberal in Lib Dem because they are no longer democrats. One day it is my sincerest hope that these quislings and oath breakers will pay the price of their betrayal of the peoples trust.

By the way the same applies to the Labour peers and the likes of Lord Brittan.

Rachel Joyce's BlogSpot: Do the LibDems want to break up stable families?

Rachel Joyce's BlogSpot: Do the LibDems want to break up stable families?

Have to say I missed this one from the Lib Dems on the bucket and spade (with sandals of course) exercise last week.

I've blogged about social mobility before - the problem is that if genetics is a factor in your capabilities and fair society will inevitably be a stratified society.

The socialists and their confused Lib Dem co-traveller need to wake up to this.

The Lib Dem conference

The reason the Lib Dems don't get excessive scrutiny of their policies is that, I suspect, many commentators would think it cruel.

Illegal immigration amnesty, local income tax, zero carbon but no nuclear, Ming as leader.....

Frankly you just have to feel sorry for them. Though perhaps I should add my personal thanks for making the job of canvasing in future elections so much easier.

Another Woking Lib Dem bar chart !

You can see the theme developing here - but let me show you the can't win her[TM Cowley Street] bar chart. Then a number of facts and a policy that the local Lib Dems didn't think was worth telling the electorate about:
Now the Lib Dems are in power this year as the Mayor is a Conservative ( thus removing one vote this year ). But hold on a minute - no votes cast to be shown ? ( Don't the Lib Dems believe in proportional representation - or is that just a ruse to get themselves bigger expense accounts?)

In the contituency this leaflet was distributed in the Conservatives win hands down.

In the last local elections the Conservatives got 45%, the Fib Lib Dems 40%, 25% to the rest. It was due to the votes distribution that the Conservatives lost power. But you wouldn't guess that from the Lib Dem bar chart.

The bar chart also tries another perceptual trick putting an additional much smaller box around the Conservative councillor number.

I believe this tells you who the Liberal Democrats really are. By their own bar charts shall you know them !

PS

By the way these were the results in the continuency that this leaflet was dropped in last year:

Conservatives 63.4%, Lib Dem 17.8%.

My bar chart based on the actual results of the 2006 Woking Borough elections for this ward.

Update: See what the Lib Dems are up to in Guildford here !

Lib Dem bar charts

I was beginning to feel a bit bipartisan. Thinking about the common problems all political parties and activists have campaigning in the modern world. I even saw the opposition councillor walking past doing a bit of a leaflet drop and felt a bit of empathy for him. But then my long awaited Lib Dem election leaflet dropped through the door.

This has to be one of the most brazen Lib Dem bar charts I have ever seen. I choosing my words as carefully as I can here - my wife heard a far stronger version an hour or so ago.

Let me explain - below is one of those infamous Lib Dem bar charts - not the can't win here one (though they have one of those and is as bad as ever ), but one on council tax.I have a band-D property so I know exactly how much money is charge for each service - see below. Those of you who can count will spot that Surrey CC tax was £1009.62, the £43 increase is 4.4% over the last year's figure. For Woking Borough council £190.62 the £8.10 is also 4.4% on the last years figure.


A realistic and fair bar chart would therefore show percentages and be of the same height. ( And that doesn't take into account the fact that the settlement from central government was good this year for the Borough and neighbouring Guildford council managed a 1.95 % council tax rise. In fact Woking's council tax bill is the highest in Surrey ! ).

So what do you think of the bar chart now ?

It was delivered at the last moment - before anyone can start to let people know about the real nature of what they have said.

The leaflet goes on to complain about Surrey CC (Conservative controlled) - even though there is no election this year for the country council !

I add the relevant section of their leaflet below.

Just in case your wondering - here is the Conservative bar chart I received, and have on one or two occasions delivered:
I have a small criticism of this also, like many newspaper graphs it isn't grounded at zero. Whilst the gaps between the different levels look ok - all the bars themselves should be higher by around 15% ( this would make the gaps look less, but not by much really - which is why this annoying). ( Based on my rough estimation with a tape measure - its getting late you know. Its possible the charts are based on area, but I think the tendency is to read them as height. It too late at night to work though all this now.)

None of the charts shown is strictly untrue - but they all lead to perceptual difficulties, especially when just glanced over. In my opinion the Lib Dem one is by far worse, and very likely to lead the viewer to conclusions that are false.

We can all do better - but I suspect the Lib Dems have by far the furthest to travel. ( See - I'm still trying to be charitable).

Lib Dem Woking - highest taxes in Surrey !

As you would perhaps expect the Woking Lib Dems have had real trouble with making decisions that will keep our Council tax down. Hence we (Woking) now have the highest council tax in Surrey. And they are also having to raid reserves to help pay for their first year in control along with an inflation busting 4.4% raise in tax.


Not satisfied with that they have also raise parking changes twice in one year ( the signs that tell you about the charges are now starting to get pasted over each other like an inner city flyposting site ).


The Lib Dems are the smug party. They think they know what to do better than anyone else, and they certainly think they know what to do with your money better than you do !

They try to squeeze the vote for Labour - but Labour voters are better of under a competent Conservative administration just like every one else !

The Lib Dems slogan should be Lib Dems - wasting here !

Update: For more info on what people think of the Lib Dems see the following:

Make Surrey Liberal Democrat Free
Fib Dems (the antics of the yellow ones in Scotland).
Yellow Peril

Deceit and the Lib Dems party broadcast

See the following on The Woking Forum message board. Vigilante ( no idea who it is - except they're not me ) is spot on here. Tells you a lot about the Lib Dems I think.... here he/she is below:

---

By Vigilante

19 April 2007, at 22:04:25

Woking featured in a TV party political broadcast for the Liberal democrats the other night. The town was used as an example to emphasise the party's green credentials by mentioning (and showing) CHP, Hybrolights, etc. with, as I interpreted it, the implication that WBC's green policies were due to the leadership of the party currently in control. Correct me if I'm wrong, but, surely, these measures were decided upon long before the Lib. Dems had control here. It's a pity the Advertising Standards Agency can't be involved in these broadcasts; we might then get a lot more facts than spin from all the political parties, something that's long overdue.

---

See original here - whilst links last !

Update:
Looking at the BBC election web site I'd say he has a good point:

PAST RESULTS
2004: NOC 2003: NOC 2002: NOC 2000: NOC
1999: NOC 1998: NOC 1996: LD 1995: NOC
1994: NOC 1992: CON 1991: NOC 1990: NOC
1988: NOC 1987: NOC 1986: NOC 1984: CON
1983: CON 1982: CON 1980: CON 1979: CON
1978: CON 1976: CON 1973: CON

Prior to the 2006 election there was a Conservative council leader. Note the following extract from the local elections manifesto from the Conservatives that year:

Woking Borough Council (Conservative-led - note prior to 2006 election)
Climate Change
The Council has opened a town centre Combined Heat and Power (CHP) station, as part of
an extensive Climate Change Strategy. It is the first commercially-operating energy
station of its kind in the country.
The CHP station uses combined heat and power technology, together with heat-fired
absorption cooling, to produce environmentally -friendly energy services.
The station provides heat, power and cooling to town centre buildings, including the
Council offices, by distributing electricity via private wire, and heat and chilled water
services via private pipe networks.
The main benefit is that this reduces fuel poverty – the use of the private grid reduces
energy losses and costs. There is a security of supply and the ability to operate in ’island
mode‘ if the National Grid fails.

Page 17 of 21 Vote Blue go Green.

If my understanding is correct I think the real credit here goes mainly to one or two members of the council staff who have pushed this issue.