Where are the results?
Overnight results from council elections across the country have been coming in. But where are the results from Milton Keynes?
There aren’t any yet. The elections for Milton Keynes Council in 2014 are more complex than in most areas. This year ALL seats on the Council are being contested after the ward boundaries were redrawn. Usually only a third of all seats on the council are up for election. So there are a lot of contests (and if you voted yesterday, you’ll have seen how long the ballot papers were) – and it was felt better to start when everyone is refreshed – and results should be through later in the day. Counting will start this morning at MK Stadium. I’m off to attend the count shortly.
Around the World in a Day!
Yesterday I was away from Milton Keynes for most of the day, leaving on the overcrowded 06-23 Virgin to Euston; and returning late in the evening.
I attended a meeting hosted by the British Library on campaigning in the 2012 US Presidential Election – then attended a European Citizens’ Dialogue at the Royal Institution – and finally headed to Parliament for a meeting about the First World War! The range of my interests in a day! (US; UK and the EU).
The first meeting allowed for an exchange of views about techniques in US campaigning – which has a real relevance this side of the pond since such ideas often cross the Atlantic. (I spent some of the last US elections campaigning in Virginia – some, but not ideas [some would breach UK electoral law!!! – when the polls closed, to encourage people to stay in the queue to vote – food and drink was given to voters – in Milton Keynes that would involve committing the electoral offence of “treating”!]) One theme was that we should not be blinded by the technology – it merely allows for more effective campaigning of the type that has existed since mass democracy arrived. It is still a matter of contacting voters – particularly those who are sympathetic to your views – and getting them out to vote.
The European Citizens’ Dialogue was an event for the public. Citizens were able to put questions and ideas to and receive answers from a Commissioner, Viviane Reding, and a UK Government Minister, David Lidington, the Minister for Europe. There was a useful exchange of views. A video and further information is due (at the time of writing this post on 11th February 06-13am) to be available here.
The parliamentary meeting was put on by the British Council to launch its report “Remember the World as well as the War” – about the First World War. It was a fascinating meeting, with speakers describing the research around the world about peoples’ knowledge and views of the significance of that conflict. The report is well worth reading, and I learnt a lot. It is available at http://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/britishcouncil.uk2/files/remember-the-world-as-well-as-the-war-report.pdf .
Our RIGHT!
How should a people be governed, and by whom? That’s one of the great questions which has dominated human history. Democracy is imperfect, but as Churchill once said – “democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.”
The vote is both a responsibility of a citizen (We have the responsibility for choosing who makes the decisions – and for holding them to account for they way they have carried out the tasks we delegate to them) and a prize for which many have been prepared to sacrifice their liberty and even life.
Today is the first “National Voter Registration Day” in the UK – and it is intended to celebrate it on this day each year hereafter. A number of organisations are encouraging as many people as possible to register. If you haven’t registered yet – please do so. A form should have been sent to your property in late summer, early autumn last year – but if you have moved, you might have missed it.
If you have any questions about whether you are registered, or whether you are entitled to vote – get in touch with the Electoral Registration Office at Milton Keynes Council (01908) 252529 – or if you live outside MK your District or Borough Council. You can pop in your post code at http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/ & you can get the needed form and where it needs to be sent.
Who can vote?
You have to be 18 years old in order to vote. If you are 16 or 17 years old you can register, but need to include your date of birth. You will be able to vote in elections as soon as you turn 18.
In order to register to vote you need to be a British or Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland. If you are a citizen of a European Union country, other than Britain or Ireland, you can register to vote for local government and European Parliamentary elections only.
West of Watling Street 