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Home from Home | UK local elections about as exciting as 2023 ‘patriotic’ Hong Kong election. I voted for the one candidate I’d actually met
- Low turnout in local elections in the UK reflected a lack of passion on the part of candidates whose online manifestos were general and vague
- Ex-Hong Kong District Councillor Andy Ng Siu-hong was among the winners. In my district, my votes went to a local party, and to the one candidate I’d spoken to
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Britain is gearing up for a general election later this year. But the country is not exactly gripped by election fever.
This month saw a dry run with the holding of local council polls. As expected, the ruling Conservative Party took a hammering.
The result provides further evidence that the opposition Labour Party, with a 20-point lead in the opinion polls, is on course to win a landslide in the general election.
But local elections are not always fought on national issues. Those who can be bothered to vote are often more concerned about matters closer to home.
Finding out who was standing in my ward, where three of the 39 seats on the Tunbridge Wells Council in Kent were up for grabs, required time and effort.
There were 13 candidates representing seven parties. Only one, a Conservative, called on us in person.
A journalist for more than 30 years, Cliff Buddle began his career as a court reporter in London and moved to Hong Kong in 1994 to join the Post. He returned to the UK in August 2022. Specialising in court reporting and legal affairs, he has held a variety of editorial positions, including Deputy Editor and Acting Editor-in-Chief. He is a regular columnist.
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