Come the elections ignore the national parties

So May the 1st and we have the local elections arriving next month (4th June). This means an upsurge in campaigning from all parties and a flurry of leaflets through the door. For those feeling cynical about how you only hear from your councillors when election time rolls around don't blame them blame yourselves and your gnat-like attention span for politics.

So what's with the title of this entry? Well it's an attempt to remind people that the local elections aren't the national elections; okay everyone got that? For those who already know this (and I guess you will being intelligent enough to read this blog) feel free to repeat it slowly to your less intelligent friends.

Ignore the politicians and especially ignore the media who will try to use the local elections as some sort of weathervane as to national mood. Slap anyone who says they're going to use the local election to "Send a message" to the national party. Wow how brilliant of you, you're going to vote for someone you may not like to spite a national party who don't know you or particularly care about you.

The national party don't care about the messed-up roads on the Millfields estate, they don't care about the Central Networks hole left for a week on Areley Common, or the dangerous corner on Lickhill North; they've bigger fish to fry.

Remember if the local elections go in favour of one party the national party line will be that "It sends a message" if it goes against them the line will be that "It's only local politics and has little bearing at the national level" and it's that last line that's the closest to the true thinking of the national party.

This is one of the few true moments that you can be totally selfish and no-one will ever know about it - so vote for the person who is likely to make your life, in your locality, better and keep the party politics out of it.