Election

2005

You can't avoid it, everywhere you go at the moment there is a reminder that the May 5th Election is creeping up. This weekend we spotted some very clever graffiti on a local bill board. The Conservatives have a slogan at the bottom of their adverts reading, Are You Think What We're Thinking? Some clever Dick had written, 'Yes, Vote Liberal!'. Of course we can't persuade our readers to vote for any one party, the media have been given guidelines that they must give equal attention to the three mayor parties, which of course are, Conservative, Labour and the other one which has as much chance to winning than Camilla looking good in a wedding dress! But it is important to vote, everybody has a right and that includes those with learning difficulties. To help these folks a mock interview was recently carried out in the South West.

Election time can be confusing for anyone, trying to decide which idiot to put in charge of the country isn't easy. Do you let Blair carry on screwing up the country, give Howard a go and watch him mess things up or just for a laugh stick a cross in the Liberal Democrat box and see Kennedy turn the country upside down? If you have a learning problem things can become more complicated, even people with high IQs still can't comprehend how Prescott still has his job! Help was at hand though down in Torbay, the small quiet town in South Devon where old people who can't afford to retire in Bournemouth go and live until they die.

Torbay has a support group for people with disabilities called Spot which stands for Speaking Out In Torbay. Although not the most well known disabled group on the planet they managed to organisae a mock interview for 58 people who have learning difficulties. The chairman of Spot, John Goldworthy explained why the organisation was so important,

"Everyone is entitled to vote and can have their say as a British citizen. That's why we started Spot, so people could speak out and not miss out."

The volunteers listened to debates from Labour,Conservative, UKIP and even the Liberal Democrats (they probably thought that the slow thinking voters would vote for them!) The politicians tried to sell their parties by covering various issues including transport, care, taxation and employment and spoke in 'plain English'. If only they could talk simply all the time!

Only one voter managed to make a cock up when voting (he voted Liberal!*) and the organisers said that the activity was a huge success and believe that on Election day the 400 registered disabled people on the election roll in the area will know exactly what to do.

*This isn't 'exactly' true!