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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Could I vote UKIP.... if it would regenerate my town?

286 replies

AngelDreams · 05/04/2015 21:13

We have a failing town, the last bank has left, we still have a post office, and a couple of other shops, and there is a little car park there, where they charge you as soon as you get there.

We (me and my friends) think that if it was free for a couple of hours we would go in and get stuff, maybe go to one of the cafes there, but no, as we can get free parking in the nearest (slightly bigger) town, we just go there.

I was talking to a local shop owner who is up for election on the local council - he said he wants to sort the parking, but cannot run on the lib/green/lab/cons side as they are all in the 'keep parking charges' for various reasons. He said he is going in as UKIP as he would never get in as an independant. I dont think i could bring myself to vote UKIP though....

OP posts:
ragged · 05/04/2015 22:11

UKIP have had control of Boston town council for a few years. This article suggests they're in same rotten boat as rest of small town centres.

Original poster
AngelDreams · 05/04/2015 22:14

My parking there once a fortnight is not going to raise the town up out of depression.

OP posts:
BIWI · 05/04/2015 22:16

Well it might. Plus, if you're parking there then you're shopping in your town, so it will help get money back into your local shops.

Original poster
AngelDreams · 05/04/2015 22:17

i dont want to go into town and buy an item for 50p, if i have to pay £1 to park, i'll go to Sainsburys (its closer as well)

wheres the draw? why should i bother, let it die? people out of work, doesnt matter...

no it does matter, and i love the petition idea - i'll do it in the morning

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 05/04/2015 22:20

It just seems strange to expect parking to be laid on for free.

You wouldn't expect a free bus to town would you?

SwedishEdith · 05/04/2015 22:20

I doubt all of the other councillors are all favour of keeping the parking charges - you can't go on the say so of this UKIP bloke. And his argument about standing for UKIP rather than as an independent doesn't stack up - you can't stand for a party whose views you totally disagree with. So, lobby the other parties on getting rid of the parking charges.

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 05/04/2015 22:24

People need a reason to visit a place - free parking, a post office and a couple of shops aren't going to cut it. If he were really keen on driving the local economy he would have a whole raft of policies - housing, schools, job creation, events, facilities etc...

But no, he's a Kipper and therefore incapable of thinking of more than one policy

Jacobsmum1973 · 05/04/2015 22:32

But no, he's a Kipper and therefore incapable of thinking of more than one policy

Grin
GoldenBeagle · 05/04/2015 22:43

The UKIP candidate in this area is too busy manoeuvring to block Syrian orphans coming into the county to worry about parking. Syrian orphans, terrified, alone, traumatised, being held in limbo while the UKIP guy follows policy and uses his office to block the number set by the gvt for this area coming.

Tiny children, orphaned.

What are these people like?

Lilmissconcerned · 05/04/2015 23:58

Only read a couple of responses usual hate ukip.

Problem is if you vote nationally in a local election you might not get the best person to fill that post. In my local election I vot for the person I know will do a god job. For examples be of my local councillors was a lib dem changed to ukip and I voted for them the second time around not cause he was ukip but because he was a bloody good councillor who got things done.

Never vote blindly in local elections... And never punish the best person for the job because you don't like the mast they nailed their colours too... Local and national politics are not the same thing... Ever

AlbertHerbertHawkins · 06/04/2015 07:42

NO

Hassled · 06/04/2015 07:46

I think it's pretty unusual for town car parks to be free. I'm trying to think of a single local example and can't. And even if your councillor shop owner gets elected, he's still going to have to win his fellow councillors over on this - it's not like he gets elected and bam, car parking charges are finished. That income will feature in someone's budget.

RuthAaaghhh · 06/04/2015 08:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Trapper · 06/04/2015 08:20

If you are a racist homophobe the go for it. Otherwise, no.

Amummyatlast · 06/04/2015 08:26

My local town has some free parking during the week. It doesn't encourage me to shop there because most of the shops are crap. While I might go in to pick up a few small bits, if I want to do any real shopping I travel to the next town, where I have to pay for parking, but have a decent selection of shops.

YABU. Don't vote UKIP.

BuggerLumpsAnnoyed · 06/04/2015 08:27

That is the most ridiculous reason for him standing for UKIP and for you possibly voting UKIP

brightnearly · 06/04/2015 08:56

....and Hitler built the Autobahn. Reason enough to vote for him?!?

soapboxqueen · 06/04/2015 09:11

Unless you agree with all or most of their other policies, I wouldn't vote for them.

The towns around where I live all have a mixture of free and paid for parking. The free parking tends to be a five minute walk and be for a maximum of 1 or 2 hours but it certainly does help to encourage shoppers. Especially when big retail parks tend to be free.

If the number of shops left is so small, will free parking really help at this point? Anyway, it might be more productive to ask the council how much money they make from the car park, I assume you could get this under freedom of information. If it's very little because nobody goes to the shops, then see if you can get the local chamber of commerce to help set up a mini-campaign to eliminate the parking charges.

Original poster
AngelDreams · 06/04/2015 09:24

AMummyAtLast - "While I might go in to pick up a few small bits" i think this is it, even if i want a few bits, i'm not going to take a chance that i would have to pay for parking and still have to go somewhere else

whereas 2 hours free parking, i'll pop in there first

OP posts:
Sickoffrozen · 06/04/2015 09:38

If you want to vote Ukip then do it. That is what a democracy allows you to do. Ukip will pick up lots of votes in the election so you won't be alone. They won't win it clearly but they will certainly do some damage to the Tory vote.

somewheresomehow · 06/04/2015 17:12

Why ask that sort of question on here you will get all the ukip haters out in force conveniently forgetting that everyone is entitled to vote for whoever they see fit. If they say they will do something that will benefit your town then do it, I would

BIWI · 06/04/2015 17:15

Absolutely everyone can vote for who they see fit - that is the basis of a democracy. But the question remains - why would you vote for party with such despicable views and intentions?

Sirzy · 06/04/2015 17:19

Scary thing is I imagine a lot of UKIP members are using tame, false promises like this to try to gather local support.

somewheresomehow · 06/04/2015 17:22

well the other parties are hardly keeping the their promises are they

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 06/04/2015 17:23

What an odd post somewhere - do you think us kipper-haters aren't aware of the democratic process?

Also what local political candidates DON'T promise benefits to their area if they are elected?

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