How did you vote and why today

From the Primrose53 link

On average, Labour's vote is down by 16 points on that in 2022 - and even more - by 19 points compared with 2024. The drop has been especially sharp in places where the party was previously strongest and in wards where many people identify as Muslim.

This pattern has helped to magnify the party's seat losses, which currently stand at 250 seats or half of all those it has been trying to defend. So far the party has lost control of eight councils

I havent properly formulated my thoughts on the above yet.

I remember as an ardent teenager hectoring another teenager because she said she hadn’t bothered to vote. I said women had died so that she could have the vote. Her reply, “No, they died so that I could choose NOT to vote if I didn’t want to.” I couldn’t disagree. However, I always go and vote. Tactically yesterday, as it happens.

I voted for candidates in my excellent local council.
If people voted for anything other than them then I have to conclude people are even way more stupid than even I believed them to be- but that's democracy for you.

I voted for the best candidates to serve the local community, whatever party they represent.

The headlines so far are only an emerging picture but the trends seem consistent. Reform UK are wining the most votes, with other votes splintering across the other parties, but none of the parties managing a runaway popularity. So not an indicator of the result of the next GE. Much can happen between now and then.

In a GE I vote for my preferred party as its FPFTP results.

LaCrepescule

I strongly believe it’s our duty to vote, even if we feel disillusioned. It’s the only way we can influence the state of our constituencies, our country and the world. It infuriates me when people
say they can’t be bothered.
We live in a democracy and we’re bloody lucky. Rant over.

No I agree.
It’s a kick in teeth to these woman who so bravely fought to win the right for us ladies to vote.
So whether my vote is the right one, or not, I do make sure I vote.
I did a postal vote this year.

Pity Sarnia you couldn’t have voted for ‘Larry the cat’. I feel it would probably do a better job 🤣

It isn't as simple as voting for your local councillors though is it, the results are pretty much guaranteed to end Starmers premiership, the local election results currently look like they are demonstrating a realignment in national politics.

^The Left will be crying in their thousands today.
I suspect they won’t listen either and that has been their problem all along.^

I think the results will be exactly what 'the Left' are expecting. The LP isn't listening to them, either.

What may be surprising the government (as opposed to the Labour Party members) is that veering to the right, with punitive attacks on immigrants and welfare hasn't impressed the right wing voters they were after.

Oops. Excuse duff formatting. It was meant to be:

The Left will be crying in their thousands today.
I suspect they won’t listen either and that has been their problem all along.

They face the realities of power.

Reform can promise what they want but can't deliver what they suggest on immigration.

But people have to find out for themselves, and how was it ever any different?

Lemon Jam Reform UK are winning the most votes ...

They are not. Based on declarations so far, an estimated 75% of voters who bothered to turn out for local elections yesterday did NOT vote for Reform.

It's our ridiculous FPTP system - the same one that gave Labour a massive HoC majority on less than 34% of the vote in 2024.

If all the other parties learn anything from this is that we need PR before the next GE.

In the current voting system that we have, the one which returned a labour government, Reform are doing very very well.

Galaxy

It isn't as simple as voting for your local councillors though is it, the results are pretty much guaranteed to end Starmers premiership, the local election results currently look like they are demonstrating a realignment in national politics.

For England. It will be interesting to see what happens in Scotland and Wales, as long term, part of the UK pulling further away from England will have much more far reaching impacts than council elections I think.

MaizieD

Oops. Excuse duff formatting. It was meant to be:

The Left will be crying in their thousands today.
^I suspect they won’t listen either and that has been their problem all along.^

Sir Kier's answer is to plough on quicker with what they have been doing!!!

They are not. Based on declarations so far, an estimated 75% of voters who bothered to turn out for local elections yesterday did NOT vote for Reform.

I think they need 30% to form a Government?

They may be slightly disappointed.

The timing is in the nation's favour.
Two years, in which Reform may demonstrate that they are genuinely worth supporting, by improving the lives of their local voters...or not.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating thereof.

Peter Kellner's substack:

kellnerp.substack.com/p/yesterdays-elections-the-story-so

Extract:

1. Behind the impressive tally of Reform’s gains – likely to end up well over 1,000 – Nigel Farage should be privately worried. In last year’s local elections Reform won 41 per cent of all seats contested across England. On the basis of the overnight figures, this year’s tally is around 33 per cent. If there were no polls, and there had been no elections last year, this year’s figure would be astonishing. But we do have the record of recent polls and elections, and it seems clear that Reform has peaked.

Under first-past-the-post, this matters. Our voting system helped Reform last year, when it won a much higher proportion of seats than votes. Its support is now at the point where that bonus has started to shrink. If more voters desert the party, it could suffer badly – falling short in many council and parliamentary seats that it would have won last year.

Graphite
If all the other parties learn anything from this is that we need PR before the next GE.

The party who win or get more seats by FPTP are never going to agree about that.
3 Dec 2024 — Lib Dem proposal re PR is passed by 137 votes to 135 with some Labour backbench support but is unlikely to become law.
Reform were pro PR, but note this

YouGov tracker data shows Reform UK supporters are also changing their tune…

While 2024 Reform UK voters are still more likely to back PR than FPTP for elections to the House of Commons, the 45% favouring electoral reform is a double-digit decrease from polls in January and July last year, when 55-56% support changing the voting system in this way.

Against this, the proportion of Reform UK voters favouring FPTP has risen 14 points from 17% last January to 31% in our latest figures.
i.e. when they think they’ll win more by FPTP, they’ll be less keen on PR.

I agree Mollygo. Parties like PR in principle as long as it doesn’t deny them power when they would have it under the current system.
We are now full PR in Wales, and you can bet your life that if Reform get the most seats today but are unable to form a government because nobody else will work with them to create an overall majority, they will change their PR stance altogether.

Monica I totally agree with you about voting for local issues. The press and most voters are thinking of the current national and international issues and the unpopularity of the Labour Government. They are wrong.
Yesterday's vote was for local services. We needed to concentrate on a party we believe would provide good schools, repair potholes etc. locally. We need local councillors who will respond proactively to our concerns. This is not necessarily related to national party politics.What happens nationally is irrelevant.

Graphite

Lemon Jam Reform UK are winning the most votes ...

They are not. Based on declarations so far, an estimated 75% of voters who bothered to turn out for local elections yesterday did NOT vote for Reform.

It's our ridiculous FPTP system - the same one that gave Labour a massive HoC majority on less than 34% of the vote in 2024.

If all the other parties learn anything from this is that we need PR before the next GE.

Graphite, you have not quoted my full post. I did make it very that votes were splintered across all other parties and that "no one party, so far was managing a run away majority".

There are a number of parties that share 100% of the votes cast. Even on your figures, Reform gained 25% of the vote and all the other parties shared the remaining 75% of the votes cast.

Chris Mason used the following words on BBC news website: "Reform are ahead, winning the most votes, as they did in last year's elections."

However, taking your POV on board, in context of your preferred semantics, would you be happier with any of the following, alternative descriptions?
1) Reform are winning the most number of council seats so far
2) Reform has the "biggest gain" so far.

You need to take Chris Mason to task in addition 😉

Maremia

The timing is in the nation's favour.
Two years, in which Reform may demonstrate that they are genuinely worth supporting, by improving the lives of their local voters...or not.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating thereof.

Absolutely.

I cant get worked up about it all, either way.
Unless a General Election is called early.

Though a lot of people wont like more Reform Councilors, even at local level.

repair potholes

Are any?

I think the majority of people have got fed up of the two main parties. Locally or nationally.

I reached that point nationally in 2014.
Locally, as I have said, doesnt seem to matter much who runs things.

Regarding the government pushing for house building. The local council here is Labour and it's private housing that is being built. It's not necessary social housing. The labour government and local labour council are hypocrites.

MT62

Pity Sarnia you couldn’t have voted for ‘Larry the cat’. I feel it would probably do a better job 🤣

If only he could talk.