Automated Attack Monkeys, Scalpel Mines, & Acid

The big story of what happened yesterday was turnout. In most places it was less than 30%. LESS THAN 30%!

For comparison, turnout at the 2008 elections - the last standalone council elections - in England was about 35%, in Wales about 44%. Comparisons in Scotland are meaningless, as the last council elections coincided with elections to the Scottish Parliament.

The public hates us ALL. Yes, at the moment they detest the coalition parties more than Labour, but that won't last if Labour get in.

Or, the half of voters who do vote in local elections are primarily motivated to wreak revenge on the Westminster government. This was true under Labour, it was true under Major. They are encouraged by the leading parties, who campaign on national matters. Love them or loathe them, Nick Clegg and David Cameron are not going to be your local councillors. Robert Winston can say what he likes, however remote from the truth, but councils have very little to do with healthcare.

I enjoyed the Green's broadcast, because it concentrated on the party's values, both the specific policies and a huge amount of hope. As much as I dreaded the UKIP broadcast, it successfully projected that party's core value: that everything's going to hell in a handcart. From the big three, nothing to move me.

The problem, I fear, is that politicians are so frightened of a day's bad headlines that they don't do anything slightly controversial, and come across as weak and weaselly. As much as contributors dislike the policies of Boris and/or Ken, these blokes have no fear, they are able to brush off the mud churned up and get on with what they do. They're characters, they're almost cartoon figures, but behind the character is a serious politician.

I agree that people need to believe their vote counts. Yesterday, I had the option to vote for the party I'm a member of, in the (vain) hope that the candidate would finish above someone, anyone. Or I could support the council's ruling coalition, which means voting for a Tory who believes mobile phones cause cancer. Or I could have voted for the successful Labour candidate, who (like her fellow councillors) appears to represent the other end of the ward. Under STV, my ward would probably end up electing two Labour members and a Tory, but I'd probably know that I helped elect at least one of these people.