As usual not much can be read into the
Wythenshawe and Sale East by-election; UKIP did come second as most were predicting and are set to make many more headlines in the Euro elections in May...but what is so shocking and a dire reflection of the state of
hoi polloi is their almost total lack of participation in how and who runs the country: it is woeful when you read the figures: yes turnout is low at by-elections but here less than 2 in 10 people turned up to vote (1.63).
Total turnout was a little over 28%, around 24,000 votes BUT postal votes accounted for over 10,000. 72% didn't vote: the winner got about 15% of the electorate. Classy.
Now, 42% of votes in this by-election being postal votes is nowhere near a record (
58%!) but it does increase the worry:
seven years ago it had already been going on too long (yet another New Labour shit-fest we are stuck with for over a decade) but was largely deemed to be a problem in certain cities and certain 'communities'; however, political campaigns and improving situations and 'events, dear boy, events' mean nothing if half the electorate are already hard-wired in having already voted. Corruption, 'Banana Republic', 'inherently unsatisfactory', gross manipulation, abuse of the system...end it now!
