Taking the election seriously

I found myself getting a little weary recently - weary of the election dominating the news. "But wait", I thought, "this is really important, I should understand what the parties stand for and take my vote seriously". So I decided to read the manifestos of the main parties to understand the national debate and talk to candidates to understand the local. I also decided to pay more attention to what the party leaders were saying on TV. On first glance, the Conservative and Labour manifestos look very similar - same look, big photos of people, pages of text and lots of promises. The content and feel however is very different. The Lib Dem manifesto is different and much longer at 158 pages. Speaking to the local candidates, has also proved to be revealing. A clearer picture for me is forming. What I had not anticipated was being asked myself to represent one of the parties on Newbury Town Council !