Vote Labour!

A little while ago, I got a flier through the door asking me to vote for one Mark Todd, the Labour candidate for Epsom West in the forthcoming election for Surrey County Council.

The flier did not waste any space explaining what it is flying for or how the land lies, so I took a look at reference 1, where it was easy enough to find out. So the make up of the council is '58 Conservative, 9 Liberal Democrats, 11 Residents' Associations/Independents, 1 Labour, 1 Green and 1 Brexit Party' and 'there are 81 county councillors in total' - a large enough number to make any kind of sensible debate difficult. I was a bit surprised to find that the Brexit people had a toe hold on the council, but that does not detract from a massive Conservative majority.

For Surrey as a whole, the Conservatives got three quarters of the seats on half the votes, not unreasonable given our first past the post system, which at least has the advantage of simplicity. While here in Epsom West, they carried the seat on just under a third of the vote. Let's hope that they do not abuse their commanding position with divisive and drastic action for which they do not have a popular mandate.

In any event, not impossible that Labour should take this seat in a few weeks time, but it looks rather unlikely. Notwithstanding, I shall vote Todd.

Notwithstanding also his rather annoying flier, denouncing all kinds of awful things which are being done, mostly as a result of overbearing central government policy. Some of which are being done by the Residents' Association council here in Epsom and which are not a matter for Surrey County at all. My main point being that it is not really relevant to tell us about the financial straightjacket into which local authorities have been put by central government. What we need to know is why and how an elected Todd would make a better fist of this rather unsatisfactory situation than somebody else.

And last but not least, no to monster tower blocks! Sadly, as in so many other places, lots of people are keen for there to be more affordable houses for badly paid essential workers to live in, just so long as they are not visible from where they live, or on their route to town from where they live.

Our candidate looks to have done his time in business with a utility price comparison business, the one at reference 2, a business from which he has now withdrawn. A business which, from my old-left vantage point, I wish there was no need for. In the olden days, we might have had sleepy energy and communications utilities, but at least they weren't all falling over themselves to rip us off and pay themselves fancy salaries. I don't suppose the clock on that one is going to be turned back any time soon, but it still strikes me as rather an odd niche for a Labour candidate to have made his money in.

PS: Saturday afternoon: I (rather than BH) have now got the flier from the Liberal candidate. A far better flier as far as I am concerned. Sent all the way from Sheffield Street in Manchester, whatever their connection with the Epsom West Liberals might be. But better flier or not, I shall not be moved and I shall stick with Labour.

Reference 1: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/.

Reference 2: https://comparisontech.com/.

Reference 3: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mark-todd-76966627. Turned up by Google.