Democracy ??

Today is polling day when we decide who our Councillors will be, but I suspect that the turnout will be low, and "apathy " will be blamed as if its the peoples fault. "Apathy" is just a form of frozen anger and a symptom of frustration and a sense of powerlessness. Local Government is important to people it means schools, bins, care, libraries sports centres youth work street lighting and housing Services being reduced in the name of efficiency and Councils being dictated to by a Westminster Government that seems to work for the shareholder class , everything has a cost but no one thinks about the value of a service. We see the public sector derided in the press leaving it open to more reduction , we ignore the trillion pounds of waste that the private sector banks created with the collapse of our economy. Its easier to attack the nurse or the rent collector or bin man reduce the wages of these people and keep quiet about the obscene pay rises in the private sector awarded to the highest paid and the perverse bonus culture. I feel for the Councillors they are closer to the people and they want to do their best but are working blindfolded and hands tied behind their back by the limited budgets they have to operate with.
Sorry about this rant but I have heard some silly things said that trivialise today's electoral exercise. People made sacrifices , fought and died for the right to have our say so I believe that casting the vote is an almost sacred act. I also believe its just the tip of an ice berg in terms of our own social responsibility and the very least we can do to make things better. Its been a busy old day and I took a lot of pictures of my son but he asked for them not to be put on Blip, so this shot was the one that appealed most. Its not the most technically brilliant shot but it appeals to me. Again sorry for the rant