Would it be unfair to allow the utter incompetence of this coalition government to affect our voting decisions in May?

Probably.  But I for one can't bring myself to vote for a party which elected a leader who 'forgets' he's supposed to be on duty in the middle of one of the worst international crises for decades and goes skiing with the kids while his Tory boss shoots off on a tour (you really couldn't make it up) to sell weapons to Middle Eastern depots.

http://www.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/6730105/carry-on-up-the-maghreb.thtml

I admit I voted Libdem last May, suckered by Clegg's 'a promise is a promise' lie.  Won't make that mistake again. Clearly a vote for Labour is wasted around here, and they got us into this mess, and the Conservatives' main priorities are sucking up to the bankers while instructing the rest of us to run the public services they're demolishing.  So what's left?  Should we all occupy the market place and demand that someone is put in power who has some sort of idea which way is up?

Politicians lie, and the electorate don't want to hear the truth, so this is what we have.

You may be right, Greenham, but on reflection perhaps they're just - as Simon Hoggart points out - completely incompetent:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2011/feb/25/simon-hoggart-week-comment?INTCMP=SRCH

I know I've been banging on about this before but I can see no reason why local politics should be allied to a political party. Every local councillor should be elected on his own merit and not that of a political party. We could easily reduce the number of councillors. They do more or less what the full time officers tell them anyway. I'm just a bit fed up with their continual bickering and totally losing the plot in order to win one over the opposition and if it goes pear shaped, blame it on the previous lot.

Prime current example is the permanent closure of the Parkway bridge to please a developer in the short term and going back in time only building a single width bridge and not sorting out the access from the wharf at the same time, but of course that was down to the previous lot and it's too late now.

Quoted from noobree

You may be right, Greenham, but on reflection perhaps they're just - as Simon Hoggart points out - completely incompetent:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2011/feb/25/simon-hoggart-week-comment?INTCMP=SRCH

Reading on further down that article I see that the split infinitive is now acceptable in the English language so we can "Boldly go......"

Quoted from brian

I know I've been banging on about this before but I can see no reason why local politics should be allied to a political party. Every local councillor should be elected on his own merit and not that of a political party. We could easily reduce the number of councillors. They do more or less what the full time officers tell them anyway. I'm just a bit fed up with their continual bickering and totally losing the plot in order to win one over the opposition and if it goes pear shaped, blame it on the previous lot.

Spot on!See this letter http://apoliticalparty.blogspot.com/2011/03/letter-to-editor-of-newbury-weekly-news.html

Quoted from CharlieFarrow

Spot on!See this letter http://apoliticalparty.blogspot.com/2011/03/letter-to-editor-of-newbury-weekly-news.html

Hence my slogan at the General Election "Vote for the person, not the party".

At the last District Council elections, one party in particular was guilty of putting up candidates who were only there to make up numbers. Unfortunately they got elected. They only go the minimal number of meetings to justify their annual payment, and they certainly don't seem to participate in the decision making.

It would be interesting to see who actually got elected if the political affiliation was removed from the ballot form in local council elections.

And quite right too Brian. I think Dave's hit the nail on the head in this letter, but  I would say that wouldn't I?

Kind of misses the point in my view, blaming the political parties for putting up candidates.

If you're looking for someone to blame, look to the people who elect them if you don't like the result.

Quoted from user23.3

Kind of misses the point in my view, blaming the political parties for putting up candidates.  If you're looking for someone to blame, look to the people who elect them if you don't like the result.

Agreed, but we often can only vote for what is in front of us at the ballot box.

Quoted from Greenham Common

Agreed, but we often can only vote for what is in front of us at the ballot box.

Well you've got until Midday on Monday to register as a candidate.

Quoted from user23.3

Well you've got until Midday on Monday to register as a candidate.

Yes I have, but that doesn't affect the point I make.

Quoted from Greenham Common

Yes I could, but that doesn't affect the point I make.

Of course it does. You say we often can only vote for what is in front of us at the ballot box, but you forget we can put our name on the ballot paper.

Fair play to anyone who stands for any election, national or local including BrianB and David Yates but if one were to then moan that the electorate didn't vote for them because their opponents represented a political party would smack of sour grapes.

Quoted from user23.3

Of course it does. You say we often can only vote for what is in front of us at the ballot box, but you forget we can put our name on the ballot paper.

I didn't 'forget'; I might not have the wherewithal or desire for political office for starters.  Not being a good cook shouldn't prevent me from asking for something to eat that I like.  I've paid for it.  Besides, it wouldn't do to have a ballot paper that has hundreds of names on it.

Quoted from user23.3

Fair play to anyone who stands for any election, national or local including BrianB and David Yates but if one were to then moan that the electorate didn't vote for them because their opponents represented a political party would smack of sour grapes.

It would almost certainly be true as well.

Quoted from Greenham Common

I didn't 'forget'; I might not have the wherewithal or desire for political office for starters.  Not being a good cook shouldn't prevent me from asking for something to eat that I like.  I've paid for it.  Besides, it wouldn't do to have a ballot paper that has hundreds of names on it.

Don't complain there are neither enough people like you nor enough who you like, if you're not willing to stand yourself.

Some folk argue that those who have no desire for political office are the best people to lead us.