AIBU: The Green Party

[LegoToast]

So, tomorrow is the local elections. There are five candidates in my ward: Labour, Conservatives, an independent, UKIP, and the Greens.

I will be spoiling my ballot.

Ten years ago, I would have voted for the Greens. Their views were the closest to my own. But now, I’d rather vote UKIP as a protest vote than give the Greens anything at all.

Out of all the parties, I feel that they have been hit the hardest by the Kool Aid. A tiny party that was unknowingly dominated with a challenging ideology. They didn’t stop and think. They saw new people with new ideas and accepted them gladly. The lost good genuine people over this issue as well as tons of voters.

The Greens were the party of science and logic. But now they’re nothing more than meaningless “woke” statements hidden behind a veneer of environmental activism.

I couldn’t join even if I wanted to. I’d only be expelled for having the wrong facts.

Yes, other parties rushed into the woke cookies too, but they’re slowly edging backwards. The Greens can’t come back from this. It will haunt them.

Agree, I will spoil my ballot. I don't think the greens are the way to address climate change. They are too overrun with TRAs and tied up in knots about stupid stuff.

To address climate change we need governments to actually do stuff - massive subsidies on electric cars, massive investment in research, massive penalties for not recycling / using too much plastic. Huge investment in public transport (and re-nationalise). I've often wondered if actually a communist government would be better for the environment than the greens simply because they'd be willing to do things like renationalise the railways.

Other countries do practical things better than us, in Switzerland in most of the communes the normal bin bags for general waste (which you have to use by law) cost about 20 quid for a roll of 10. So that's a big incentive to recycle as much as possible, and they doubled their recycling figures by doing that. Government could easily do that here - yes, people would complain at first but they'd get on with it after that. They just don't want to - don't know why, plastic / petrochemical lobbyist money propping too many of them up?

Please, please, please and a million more pleas do not vote UKIP. I understand why
none of the parties are desirable (I also don't know who I'll vote for in the general election over this) but UKIP are a horrible, thuggish racist party.

I won’t vote UKIP, but I do think that the Greens are just as bad because of their misogyny. In my eyes, if you vote Green, you may as well vote UKIP,

I spoilt my ballot and then had a very heated argument with one of the labour candidates (male) who told me that women shouldn't be entitled to sex segregated spaces and it was appalling and illiberal to object to self ID and undermine people's gender identity. He started arguing about why on earth I would need to be in a women's only ward etc. Apparently Karen White was irrelevant. I think I called him another twatty lefty misogynist and then his wife started on me. Oh and they are parents at my kids school too so that will be fun! Interesting my partner says when he told the same guy he objected to self ID a few weeks ago he just nodded along quietly, so he's going to be asking him why the different response to a woman. That's me done with labour anyway.

Even my mum is spoiling her ballot.

I understand your logic. But I live in a conservative stronghold for local government (read only 1 opposition member) and part of democracy is having an opposition to offer some scrutiny and try and hold the majority party to account.

If I spoil my ballot I will still live in a local authority area with only one party - where is the scrutiny and opposition.

I feel so strongly about this that I have voted for people I don't agree with knowing that they can't actually form a majority anyway as they don't have enough candidates in enough areas but they may at least question some of the decision making of the conservatives.

I spoiled my paper today...Can't vote with any conscience for any of them. Not one candidate even knocked at my door to canvass; in fact I had election material literally thrown at my doorstep from the pavement.

I was told that there was some way to have your lack of vote recorded - not just as a spoiled ballot? Can't seem to find out what that may be?

Some local GP actions

www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/images/national-site/le-2019/local-government-programme-2019-03-12.pdf

In my borough the GP is gaining volunteers and we are putting together community projects.

There's also a few GC voices connecting behind the scenes.

Just like MN isn't a hive mind neither is a political party - there is push and pull.

@OhHolyJesus

And just why are the GC voices "behind the scenes"? Why aren't they out and proud?

Oh yes, because you'll be suspended and bullied if you did. No thank you!

I've spoiled my ballot many times.
Once I wrote "All Wankers" in big letters across the slip.

I agree LegoToast. like most parties it's a mix of machiavellian charismatics, sincere idealistic do-gooders and brainless sheep. I'm one of the middle category who saw the light and got the heck out.

I’m so desperately conflicted about this. I’m on my way to vote now. Greens have been so visible here, really engaging with local communities and very active. I wanted to vote for them to support their work locally but I just can’t overlook their record nationally as others have said.
Conservative stronghold here anyway and a lazy one at that. MP has replied to none of my letters.

Shall I vote green and hope for change in the future if the local person is decent?

I don't disagree Lego it's a rock and a hard place and it shouldn't be a problem but it is and there are men and women fighting against it. I'm not a member but I might return - I don't agree with the TWAW policy and I'm not the only one. I have never 100% agreed with any political party, even the ones I support. It's a big issue to disagree on, no doubt about that, but I didn't want to spoil my ballot.

I spoiled my ballot. I hope I managed to do it in a slightly meaningful way, they hadn't left any room for comments.

This is the first time I really don't know what to support.

I voted Green due to our local candidate being involved heavily in activity to clean and protect local woodland, of which I approve. I'm not impressed with their policies on our sex based rights, but none of the other options available to me today were any saner, and nor am I convinced that spoiling my ballot will have the slightest effect either. It was a difficult one.

Don't spoil your ballot. The only people who see it will be counting agents, election agents, and prospective councillors.

At local level, if you are unhappy about your choices, STAND YOURSELF!

It doesn't cost any money at local level to register to stand as an independent. You just need ten nominators who must live in your ward. You file your papers with the local council's electoral department and that's it.

Even if you only get 10 votes, and one of them is your own, it's far better than not voting at all or spoiling your ballot. You, for example, could get the 10 votes a sitting councillor needs to return. And you may do better than you suspect.

Nothing will change unless good people start getting stuck in. Don't give away your democratic right to determine who governs you. Ever.

Don't spoil your ballot. The only people who see it will be counting agents, election agents, and prospective councillors

Unless it is a very close contest it is likely only the tellers and the presiding officer will see them.

I was told that there was some way to have your lack of vote recorded - not just as a spoiled ballot? Can't seem to find out what that may be?

There isn't.

I spoiled my ballot. I hope I managed to do it in a slightly meaningful way, they hadn't left any room for comments

You didn't.

I worked at one election as a counter about 15 years ago and there didnt seem to be anyone there taking note of the way in which ballots were spoiled or what was written. Just as well as there were a number of doodled penises. Was a while ago though so may be different now, but as I said, not seen any evidence ballot spoiling achieves much.

I will be voting shortly (parents evening first) I will be voting for who I feel best addresses the local issues that are important to me. I am repeatedly advised to vote independent but they really are either not what I want or have many ideas I disagree with.

Mayor is a little harder, vote 2 will most likely be strategic.

But voting for someone who hates women achieves worse than nothing.

All the counts i've been at the nominees and other party members were watching the ballot papers like hawks to check they weren't being put in the wrong pile. Plenty of time to glimpse a penis or an 'adult human female'. Think of it as subliminal messaging.

But just 'hating women' cannot be the basis on which to base a decision, if I spoil a vote I may as well not vote at all, as I have already said my 2nd mayoral vote will be strategic. I'm not voting for who I want, I am voting against who I don't want.

Locally I want my bins collected and roads not being built and children to have school places, today that is what I will be voting for.

I swithered all day about whether to vote at all but finally felt compelled to do so. There was no room to write anything meaningful if I spoilt my ballot papers and a choice between Labour, Conservative and one Independent so I voted for him. It seemed closest to 'none of the above'.

Lol at 'just hating women'
How low can you go?