LOCAL ELECTION MAYHEM BECKONS.

The forthcoming local elections are likely to be disastrous for the main political parties with views about Brexit overshadowing all else. I certainly will not be voting for any of the principals and, if there isn't an option, I'll be spoiling my ballot as a protest against the whole damn lot of them. Some might argue that local elections are about local issues and that Brexit shouldn't come into it but, frankly, local parties mostly do what they're told by their national leaders so the difference is minimal.

In my own area, the fight has always been between the Conservatives and the Liberals, with Labour being a distant third in the polls. The local council is currently under the control of the Conservatives who have, historically, done a reasonable job. The Liberals, desperate for power, do what Liberals do everywhere - they plough their own furrow, spreading lies and disinformation about whoever is in office. They send out a newsletter which is so full of misleading stories as to be actionable; they pander to every special interest group with 'promises' about what they'll do when elected, even when these 'promises' have no chance of being put into practice and even when the local council has absolutely no ability to implement them. Basically, they say whatever they think will get them elected, regardless of any other considerations.

Now, given that many people probably won't bother voting this time, being utterly disillusioned with the failure of the national parties to resolve Brexit and the fact that my borough was a strong 'Leave' voting area, what is likely to be the outcome of the council elections ? I can see Conservative voters staying at home because of the shocking performance of Theresa May and her government, and Labour voters staying at home because of the failures of the national Labour Party leadership, not only over Brexit but also over their dramatic move to the extreme left of British politics and their perceived failure to combat anti-Semitism. No 'Leave' supporters will vote for the Liberals but their dedicated supporters will turn out, buoyed up by the promises of the wonders to come. 

The outcome will be a huge win for the Liberals and 4 years of a Liberal-run council, after which their lies and duplicity will be so obvious that the Conservatives will come back, as long as Brexit is finished with by then. What we really need is a proper alternative to these shysters.