大象传媒

I have just moved to Wales from Warwickshire, so I am something of an independant observer. I have been involed in local politics for many years, including acting as Agent in the 1992 Gen.Election. The information offered to the voters here in Torfaen has been pitiful. Not one person has knocked on the door, and I was not aware of the voting system until I started watching your programme. What chance does the ordinary voter have?

Query? - a friend of mine got turned away from the polling station (Cardiff Central)with an election card because there was a G marked by his name on the list they had at the polling station meaning he is a EU citizen living inthe UK. However the electoral commission website says that the welsh assembly elections are considered local and EU citizens are allowed to vote in Assembly elections. The polling station was also turning away other EU citizens with ballot card. Who was right?
And why were they sent election voting cards if they could not vote?

There seems to be a theme this evening that the politicians are not doing the traditional door knocking, as a student in cardiff central, it may seem that the libs dems have a safe seat, but only two of my thirteen registered flatmates bothered to vote. not one politician knocked on our door, and we did not recieve any information from plaid cymru, could the results be different if the politicans involved the student community??

I have not had a single person from any of the parties knock on the door. Also the majority of people in Wales are not aware of this voting system.

I'm one of the Wales 60, living in Torfaen (born here and returned 4 years ago). I'm dismayed about this campaign or lack of one. I've had lots of leaflets but haven't seen any of the candidates. I'm a disillusioned Labour member to the extent I didn't vote for them because I have no faith in Rhodri Morgan. I'd rather not have to vote for Assembly members at all - it is irrelevant to this area (still Monmouthshire in my eyes), none of them impress me and I think we're losing out on what is happening in the rest of the UK because of the Assembly's inward looking attitude. The Assembly has failed to be innovative, indeed services seem to have gone backwards! No wonder none of the candidates came around here - they are either confident that Torfaen will remain Labour and can't be bothered, or afraid to face the voters... and so they should be.

I've been watching the election coverage here in Kidwelly and find it hard to believe that in a seat that had a majority of 21 (Llanelli)in the last election, not a single candidate has knocked my door to try to secure my vote, which has led to the two candidates in question losing my vote to a third party. This floating voter could have been persuaded.

I also live in Torfaen. It is traditionally a strong labour seat, the previous majority of 51.9% and majority Labour Council shows this; perhaps the labour party feel that they would be better off using their resources elsewhere.

What I was surprised about when reading the different parties literature was that they did not push to be used as a regional option. For parites other than Labour the proportional vote in my region is the only way in.

I'm sorry but that frustrates me - why do people have to be told everything with a little research you can find it all out. I have had no-one knock my door but as someone who knows how hard some of these AMs work its impossible to get round to everyone. I was impressed by the Lib Dems campaign n Cardiff Central and this is from a current hard working AM.

I have used my postal vote, as did many of my neighbours - here in Swansea we get really fed up with the North moaning about not having any links with Cardiff, so you think we do!!!!!!!

Politicians dont care about the people once they are voted in and getting their annual salaries - come on voters, when did politicians ever do what the voter wants - they live in a DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO lol xx

Fascinating stuff, Betsan - I'm channel hopping from time to time and will doubtless have repetative strain injury by the end of the night. 大象传媒 Wales is well ahead in my estimation, though HTV are giving a lot of prominence to their poll. 大象传媒1 England is treating us with a lack of interest which is irksome - given the attention they are giving Scotland (which also opts out of their coverage). A question, Betsan - the blog - blogger bell briefs - I cant find it through search engines and I must have got the url wrong - can you post it here? Thanks - and godd luck to you & the team on this rather long night! Jeremy (in Cardiff Central)

Living in the Islwyn area I had been open to voting for whoever grabbed my attention. However Plaid's election leaflet was so pitifully childish in its attack of Irene James that I voted labour on both papers out of disgust at Plaids statements and behaviour. Not so long ago I ran student Union elections and any candidate that had attacked another with such negative terms would have been brought into line. Weak canvassing is a sign of a weak canditade!

Again all this negativity is not whats happening on the ground. The Assembly is starting to create a nation tailored to our needs and negativity leads to contempt. WAG have some flagship initiatives which are helping our communities. Quit moaning and actually read about what some of these people are doing. Some actually don't care about how much they receive but how much of difference they can make - find those ones and vote for those them maybe pessimism will be replaced by optimism and drive. For every person who doesn't feel the Assembly is working there is someone such as myself who sees it is!

Well Matt, I don't feel I'm moaning about the Assembly, I'm pointing out the reality of the situation and comparing what I see here with what I've seen elsewhere. I don't subscribe to the notion that if you talk things up, then it'll all be ok - that smacks of old Thatcherism. I deal in realities and the reality is there is currently no ambition or drive coming from the Assembly. They do not govern and couldn't. Your comment 'a nation tailored to our needs' perhaps should be - a nation tailored to it's expectations - in this case a nation tailored to achieve mediocrity. These people are failing us and shouldn't be allowed to carry on.

We can find out the issues without candidates knocking our doors! I based my vote on what I believe to be a true representation of who I voted for. But this belief is based on the coverage given by TV and the press, speaking to a candidate can give you a better understanding of who we are voting for. In a society increasingly distrustful of politicians, some of us need to be reasured before we give our vote.