Who will be voting in Warminster?

 Who in Warminster will be voting at the fast approaching next General Election?  What percentage of our Westbury constituency will turn out to put their cross on a ballot paper?

 At the 2005 election 67.5 % * of the names on the electoral role cast a vote.  Our current MP, Dr Andrew Murrison (Conservative),  was returned with a majority of 5,349 and out of a total electorate of 82,380 the number of votes cast was 55,604.

 

So why did 26,776 people choose not to commit to paper?  Did they really not mind what party governs or were they disillusioned with the whole parliamentary process? With all the hype that surrounds such a national event, they surely could not possible have forgotten to visit the polling station?

Once the date is announced we expect the media floodgates to open.  We won’t be able to listen to the radio, watch tv - or visit our local websites  - without being bombarded with information intended to persuade us exactly where to place that significant cross.

 

But by giving our vote to a particular individual we indicate some sort of approval and haven’t we been hearing lately about MP’s behaviour that hardly merits our esteem?  Tales of extravagant lifestyles have not exactly earned our admiration.   Young or old, male or female, red, green, yellow or blue, aren’t we all fed up with hearing about their first class rail travel, furnishings from John Lewis and floating homes for ducks? 

 

It sometimes seems that all MPs are liars and tax fiddlers.  Don’t we long to discover a character who can inspire us just one tiny bit?  Surely there must be someone out there with integrity who can arouse some passion for his cutting edge solutions to the financial crisis, his life-saving remedies for our social ills and above all his sparkling visions for the future?

 

It just needs one man – or perhaps a woman? – to show they have the qualities needed to be, what this country desperately needs at this time, a charismatic leader to motivate the population and restore some sort of pride in our country’s and,  in particular, our government’s achievements.

 

Will you be voting this time?

* Figures from http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/elections/results/general_elections/uk-general-election-2006/westbury