General Election the Ballers Vote

[Bambulus]

How's that hard to believe? Considering the ususal British attitude?
Considering they were open from 7am to 10pm (or 10.30 can't remember which). Then there is ample time. People finishing at 5.30 have loads of time before and normally don't start until 9 so there's 2 hours. And for those who work later there's always the first half of the day. There's no excuse. If they're so bothered about voting they would have gotten up earlier. I work 8am -6pm and still managed to get in before work. It took a whole 5 extra minutes out of my day, so yes, it is down to those people not being bothered until the last minute.

Because people's lifestyles are an excuse for hundreds of people queueing and hours of waiting...

It's nothing administrative, I'm sure...


Especially since the same thing happened in the 70's, without a sodding hitch.

In fact, read some of the testimonials on the BBC, people did come in the middle of the day, but were asked to come back later because of the huge queues (and running out of ballot papers, in one stations case). And it's 10pm, but people were saying that some stations with problems were closing earlier, around the 9:50 mark.

AND THEN you have to account for the journey that some people will have had to have made to the stations, along with the journey to work, taking kids to school, picking them up, etc... May have gone without a hitch for you, as it would have done for the majority, but it's still no excuse for the organisation of the rest of them being a complete SHAM.

Oh, and just to throw this in the mix...

They're blaming STUDENTS. That's right, STUENTS, for turning up without their polling card (which actually states YOU DO NOT NEED TO TAKE).

And they lost some of the postal votes. Go them. Busy lifestyles getting in the way there...

 

[pid]

Comparing it to the 70's is a bit weak. Just because it was a balls up then doesn't mean it was their (admin i assume) fault now.
Journey time doesn't really factor as you vote in your area. Schools, community centres, castles (on BBC)I'm very doubtful that anyone had a major journey to make. And as you say, picking up kids etc does cut into free time but nothin that cannot be moved a whole what? 15-30 minutes.
I'm not disagreeing on the postal side. Everyone here knows about Royal Fail, but there wasn't as much "administrative failings" as people react to. Not a chance.
The whole blaming students thing- not heard about that part much but come on, they have literally all day between vodka shots & late night trip to the petrol station for Rizzla's. (awaits student rebellion)

 

[Bambulus]

Comparing it to the 70's is a bit weak. Just because it was a balls up then doesn't mean it was their (admin i assume) fault now.

I think you misread/I didn't make it clear

What I'm saying is that there was an 85% turnout of voters in the 70's that didn't even cause a disturbance. That went off without a hitch and everybody got their vote. I'm directly comparing it to now, because this has been a high turnout election with which the administrative side of the election organisation weren't prepared for, even though they knew what was coming. It has been a failure.

Journey time doesn't really factor as you vote in your area. Schools, community centres, castles (on BBC)I'm very doubtful that anyone had a major journey to make. And as you say, picking up kids etc does cut into free time but nothin that cannot be moved a whole what? 15-30 minutes.

Journey time to the station isn't a hassle for most people. But what causes the problem is that it wasn't just the 10-15 minutes. It was hours. Literal hours. Try delaying picking up your kids for hours. Ain't gonna happen, no way no how. Try delaying going to work for hours. Yeah, right.

But all of this is secondary to my main point. People shouldn't have to wait for hours to vote. It shouldn't be happening. People were turned away because they were forced to wait such a long time. That's a failure. Queues were so big that they actually told people to come back later, only to find that the big queue was still there. That's a failure. They RAN OUT of polling cards. FAILURE.

I'm not disagreeing on the postal side. Everyone here knows about Royal Fail, but there wasn't as much "administrative failings" as people react to. Not a chance.

I'm sorry, but WHAT? No administrative failings? Tell the enquiries to pack up and go home then, they're obviously not needed.

Get real, mate. Seriously. I hate to get so riled up over a discussion, but saying that there haven't been any administrative failings when there's been a complete uproar about unreasonable waiting times and poor organisation is just plain stupid.

One of the very few lessons I've learnt in life is that if there's a comotion about something, there's usually a reason, and the reason here is plain to see. They need to do better if anybody is going to have any faith in our voting system.

I'll brb. Going for some more vodka shots and rizzla's.

 

[pid]

I think you misread/I didn't make it clear

What I'm saying is that there was an 85% turnout of voters in the 70's that didn't even cause a disturbance. That went off without a hitch and everybody got their vote. I'm directly comparing it to now, because this has been a high turnout election with which the administrative side of the election organisation weren't prepared for, even though they knew what was coming. It has been a failure.

I thought you meant there WAS a failure, probabaly how i read it.


Journey time to the station isn't a hassle for most people. But what causes the problem is that it wasn't just the 10-15 minutes. It was hours. Literal hours. Try delaying picking up your kids for hours. Ain't gonna happen, no way no how. Try delaying going to work for hours. Yeah, right.
Again, delaying etc as in leaving kids at schools hours your right, but what i meant was they could've easily done it beforehand. Polls opend at 7am. Even getting kids ready etc gives you enough time to go vote. Again, if they were so enthused about going they can make the extra time.

But all of this is secondary to my main point. People shouldn't have to wait for hours to vote. It shouldn't be happening. People were turned away because they were forced to wait such a long time. That's a failure. Queues were so big that they actually told people to come back later, only to find that the big queue was still there. That's a failure. They RAN OUT of polling cards. FAILURE.
I agree like you said, everything's kind of secondary to the fact they shouldn't have to wait. But playing devils advocate for a second (there's a surprise), as you pointed out the 70's were massive turnouts. I wonder if the organisers have come to accetp that due to the lack of turnout the "assumed" (wrongly obviously) that the system worked?

I'm sorry, but WHAT? No administrative failings? Tell the enquiries to pack up and go home then, they're obviously not needed.
I didnt say they don't need to as i said previous (i think, sorry i'm at work so hadn't proof read) but there's always more negative hype than realistic. Like you said before, i didn't have a hitch but that's not in the papers is it. If you see where i'm going with that.....
One of the very few lessons I've learnt in life is that if there's a comotion about something, there's usually a reason, and the reason here is plain to see. They need to do better if anybody is going to have any faith in our voting system.

I'll brb. Going for some more vodka shots and rizzla's
Get me a 24 pack of Wotsits while you're there
.

There's a lot of things wrong with the country without blaming it all on "the Polls" is what i'm getting at.

 

[Return of the Silver Fox]

This has affected very few people and that's unfortunate and avoidable by both the administrators and the electorate.
This will be blown out of all proportion as there is talk of compensating those who have been disenfranchised. Baically the few who lined up and didn't vote will be joined by thousands who will claim they couldn't vote but never actually turned up.

 

[Liam92]

i voted lib dem because in scotland they were responisble for removing uni fees for full time students, which i'd like to keep however it doesnt really matter since my constituency is a safe labour seat. i knew our lib dem mp wouldnt get elected but if you don't try then you never know if you could've.

 

[Bambulus]

Well, as of last night, it's final.

Britain has been ConDem'd

 

[John C]

Well, as of last night, it's final.

Britain has been ConDem'd

Lets just hope for the economies sake that its far more Con than Dem.

 

[niallist]

I'm no economic expert but i believe vince cable called the credit crunch before anyone else in the political establishment. so maybe not so bad.

 

[stongle]

I'm no economic expert but i believe vince cable called the credit crunch before anyone else in the political establishment. so maybe not so bad.

The credit crunch was caused of systemic risk in financial system, (or moreover the lending activity and intraday financing of banks). Vince Cable might pontificate quite grandly, but he's pissing into the wnid wth his idea's as the UK doesn't exist in a vacumn and he clearly doesn't understand systemic risks.

Furthermore, I see nothing in the Conservative or Lib Dem policies to deal with emerging power economies (Russia, Brazil etc etc). Basiclly, the guy's a tool.