Thursday 8 June 2017

Postcard from the Front

Just finished a 2-hour stint of telling at the polls, in my ultra-marginal division (supposedly a prime Labour target).  First observations:
  • slow business, on a cold morning
  • very few youngsters coming through (but they often vote in the evening)
  • no Labour tellers out - which is v. unusual for a marginal: may be some new tactical use of troops, but flies in the face of conventional wisdom.  The again, what doesn't, these days?
  • usual % of cheery folk, thumbs-up etc.  But a higher proportion of heads-down, grumpy, won't-give-their-polling-number than I recall before:  a more divisive atmosphere
Also had a stroppy young council employee / polling officer, told me I couldn't ask to see people's polling cards.  I told him I couldn't demand to see them; and that he should call the Returning Officer for further and better particulars.  (After 4 decades of doing this stuff, I know my rights.)

 Now off to cast some proxies.  Vote early, vote often ...

ND  

Update: polling officer v. confused about proxies - didn't even check who I was.  Democracy, eh?

Update 2: and the Labourites are not at the station either.  Some years, they've pestered the hell out of the train travellers.

And no eve-of-poll leaflet from them - you can't tackle a marginal without blanket effort (which is how we are defending it) ...  I think they may have given up on this one and fallen back to holding what they have. 

16 comments:

Tony Harrison said...

Glad to hear you know your rights: I know mine as a voter, too. I've always been irritated by these "tellers" with their impertinent requests (sometimes demands) to know my details, and I tell them to mind their own damn business. A couple of times I've made formal complaints to the Returning Officer, where "tellers" were especially persistent. Horse-whipping's too good for them...

Elby the Beserk said...

Will be off with the hounds to vote when the rain eases off. And yes, the hounds have got their voting cards as well. Natch.

E-K said...

Ow-wooo!

My hound is Monster Raving Looney.

I'm sending my postcard from Cyprus. Conservative, natch.

Anonymous said...

@TH - their back's only fit for the lash as my Gran used to say!

Nah, seriously, well done ND.

DtP

CityUnslicker said...

I am wavering and not voting until after work tonight, might plum for the blue meanies after all.

dearieme said...

I can remember when such officious people were always referred to as "little Hitlers".

Anonymous said...

Haven't you heard, the little hitlers took over in 1973 Jan, when we frogmarched/goosestepped into joining their empire.

James Higham said...

Did mine early, sit back and laugh the rest of the day.

Anonymous said...

I'm off to the bookies for the 1st time since Ernie Els won the Open back in about 2006. Seriously, got £20 to waste and i'm going accumulators.

1) Chris Bryant losing - just out of principle

2) 115 + majority (it's only £20 quid and bookies are quite intimidating)

3) Scott Benton wins Huddersfield (i've been smoking!)

Anything over a 30 majority will see me right. I'm not greedy.

DtP

Steven_L said...

You can't put 'related bets' in an acca, you're getting rained on for nothing!

Steven_L said...

Fortunately I moved 25% of my SIPP to cash in case of cheap shares next week. But I doubt it'll be anything like the post brexit meltdown, 40% of challenger banks and house builders etc.

What if the polls are correct? May to resign and no government for a while?

Brexit derailed?

Charlie said...

I stuffed a load of cash into US shares this afternoon in case of this eventuality.

IF the exit poll is correct, I assume May goes pronto, we have a CON+DUP minority govt for a few months and another election. PM Boris anyone?

HarryD said...

Well, tits.

Charlie said...

Swing FROM Labour TO Tory in Sunderland... long night ahead.

Thud said...

Only 2 results but not showing same result as exit poll, May is toast though.

SADLOVE said...

I am wavering and not voting until after work tonight, might plum for the blue meanies after all.
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