Why you should vote on election day

This lengthy election day plea to vote appeared in the Bath Chronicle on, well,

General Election Day - May 6, 2010

So, at last, the waiting is over.

Today, after weeks of official campaigning - and seemingly years of build-up - voters will be given the chance to place their precious cross alongside the name of the party and the candidate they want to represent them in Parliament from tomorrow.

And in this column we want to try to encourage every single reader who sees this article today (May 6) to exercise their democratic right and get out to vote.

The reasons why we are encouraging everybody to do their bit are manifold.

There are so many instances around the world where people have died fighting for the right to vote (and tragically some are still dying for this basic freedom today) that for us not to even bother to walk a couple of hundreds yards to a local polling station seems like an insult to those who dream of democracy.

Of course, there will be many who may say that they would like to vote but just can't find a party that completely represents all their views. That is a very reasonable argument but the truth is there is no such thing as a 'perfect political party' that will represent every single thing someone believes in. Political parties are by their nature broad churches of opinion so you are best just to try to find the one that most closely represents your aspirations and ambitions.

And of course, if you just can't get excited by any of the parties then do look at the individuals who you have a chance to vote for today. Don't forget we are not just voting for a Government; we are voting for a man or a woman to represent us in Westminster during the course of the next five years. Yes, political parties are important but the quality of our candidates has a role to play too so if you can't find a party that ticks all the boxes you would like, then judge the individuals over what you have seen over the last few weeks to see if there is somebody that comes closest to deserving of your vote.

Still struggling? Well, it is not a crime to actually vote for the 'least worst option'.

That may sound like a negative point of view but it is actually a positive one. It is showing that despite any doubts you may have you are making a positive decision to honour democracy and vote for the option that worries you least. That is entirely credible.

The most important thing of all to remember is that if you cast your vote then you have every right to have a say in what happens in the future. You sometimes get the impression that some people prefer the holier-than-thou approach of not voting for anyone so no blame can befall them if their party or their candidate does not live up to expectations. This is just a huge cop out.
We should ALL have an investment in an election and even if we vote for a candidate or a party that doesn't win, at least we can say if things then don't go as we would have liked, that we took part and we tried to make a difference.

All of the above would be applicable in any election but this year there seems to be an extra reason to believe that we should take every opportunity to exercise our democratic right and vote. IF the polls are to be believed (note the word if has been capitalsied!) then anything is possible in today' s election so every single vote could indeed count.

Your single vote for a bigger party for instance could count in swinging a seat which may be won by a tiny margin. Or, if you back a smaller party or independent candidate and enough others do, then the bigger parties may have to think seriously about whether the current electoral system of first-past-the-post can truly be a democratic way going forward.

This may, indeed, be the first election where there is no such thing as a 'wasted vote'.

So, as we enter the final hours of a truly exciting election campaign locally and nationally, can we ask all our readers who see this on May 6 and are over 18 to get out and vote? Your vote matters. Your vote counts. And this is your chance to prove that our democracy, though not without flaws, is still worth supporting and fighting for.

Three 'Question Times' - in one week!

This first appeared in the Bath Chronicle on Thursday, April 29.

Iam pretty certain that by tea-time on Saturday (May 1) Bath's election candidates will be pretty sick of seeing each other - and probably fed up of seeing me too.

The reason for this is that over the past few weeks those fighting for the Bath seat have been bumping into each other at various events at a number of different Question Time-style hustings events. These will continue this weekend with the candidates due to line up against each other at The Forum on Friday night and then at the Bath Royal and Literary Scientific Institution (BRLSI) on Saturday afternoon - both of which will be chaired by me.

Friday night's event has been organised by the Churches Together in Bath organisation and was, I understand, a huge success when a similar event was held at the last election. And then tomorrow afternoon's battle of words will see the attention switch to Queen Square where the BRLSI and the Bath and District Unlock Democracy group will be the hosts.

Both events promise to be very different but hopefully both will be very informative as well.

As for myself, I had a taste of the joys of chairing a hustings event on Monday night when I was with a different set of candidates - those battling it out for the intriguing North East Somerset seat at Midsomer Norton Town Hall.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed that first of my trio of debates this week and I was hugely impressed by the mature, intelligent and entertaining way the candidates engaged a packed hall. They treated all our questioners (as they treated each other) with real respect and I like to think that in our own small way we did a little bit of good for the local democracy on that night.


I can't guarantee that anybody changed their votes but I am pretty certain most people came away understanding the candidates and what they and their party stood for much better as a result of our time together. Job done.

What of course makes these sort of Question Time shindigs all the more intriguing at the moment is that no one has a clue about who is going to win the big vote a week today (May 6) so every single vote is precious and needs to be fought for with passion.

We have seen the impact those TV debates have already had on the big global picture but I would like all the candidates for the next couple of hustings to consider that if they make their mark during these local battles, they could really make a difference if the decision goes down to a handful of votes as many people are predicting.

So, I do hope to see a number of you on Friday night and Saturday afternoon and I hope you will have the chance to ask the questions you want to be heard. It's a great chance to make your mind up with all the candidates present about who deserves your precious vote.

Let the battle(s) commence.