Sit down, Lib Dems. Battle for European popularity far from over

Polling station sign (Image: Telegraph.co.uk)

I'm sick of most of our British politicians. I really have lost my patience. If you felt my previous posts haven't indicated this already, then at least now I've made it crystal clear here. What triggered this angst is the reaction to the latest English council election results. It saw the Conservatives lose a lot of councillors, Labour lost a handful while the Liberal Democrats made the most gains.

I'd have hoped the results briefly stated above were analysed for what they were. Politically, the Liberal Democrats lost so much ground, up-and-down the country, in recent years, they had to gain some lost ground suffered previously. The Party in yellow went through a horrendous patch after making the unpopular decision to form a coalition with the Conservatives between 2010 and 2015. They needed a good campaign in order to avoid being seen as completely irrelevant.

In that, the Tories having a bad night was inevitable. In Westminster, the Party is splitting, which is bound to have an impact on councils they control. Surrey and Northamptonshire councils are among those who have cut so much, yet receiving little support or sympathy from the government. The European Union debate is consuming so much of important people's time and energy, local matters are ignored. As a consequence, Theresa May was always going to hide behind her sofa when hearing the results.

Sir Vince Cable (Image: The Independent)

The reality is this - lack of investment and attention towards improving public transport, filling potholes, residents accessing their nearest GP, local agriculture, property maintenance, as well as effective support for young people and the elderly are why people went to the polling station pledging their support to the Liberal Democrats, in hope they can fight for their needs. Labour, in all fairness to their frontbench, often announce plans to sort local issues, should they be elected to lead Parliament - otherwise their night would have been as calamitous as the Conservatives.

Unfortunately, the core reasons for the vote just past isn't being fed to the public. I am sure the vast majority voted against the Tories because spending on local services are at dire levels, and people are disengaged with the current crop of councillors. But if you believe the hype on social media, we're all rebelling against how the Conservatives and Labour are approaching the EU exit. This, I'm afraid to say, is a load of absolute nonsense.

Don't get me wrong, I am aware that people voted, or spoilt their ballots, based on how the government and their opposition are handling European affairs. But I'm almost certain this constitutes a very small percentage of people. This didn't, however, stop Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable say this was the driving force for their good night. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May, took a completely different view and said the results meant people wanted her to "get on with Brexit", as if she was watching a re-run of the EU referendum of three years ago.

At present, as I write this, it is truly impossible to determine how much revolt there is against the Tories as a result of their EU exit approach. Unless any other obstacles suggest otherwise, between now and the 23rd May, there are the EU elections to contend with, determining who would represent the UK in Brussels. The election may sound pointless today, because the MEPs we're voting for could be out of the job by autumn, but the outcomes of this I'd be taking seriously, in terms of how the nation is feeling around Britain leaving the European Union.

While I support the European election taking place in the UK as planned, the campaigns have turned into an absolute farce. It is hijacked by high profile individuals who only want to aggravate a meaningful process. The media is dubbing it as Change UK versus the Brexit Party. Ann Widdecombe, former Tory minister and avid Leave campaigner, goes face-to-face with avid Remainer Rachel Johnson, sister of Boris - both women are among dozens of personalities who have dropped their allegiances to Parties they were formally loyal towards, and join organisations that may become irrelevant by the start of 2020.

Rachel Johnson with Widdecombe (Image: Daily Star)

Now, I don't want to dismiss these two organisations I mentioned above - the polls suggest it's looking good for them, particularly for the Brexit Party, which would totally confuse the Lib Dem supporters who only days ago thought their 'good night' at the council elections was due to voters not wanting the EU exit to happen. But when I see a candidate from either Change UK or the Brexit Party in my ballot paper, I will not be putting an 'X' next to any of them. I'd rather not even look at who the candidates are. Please don't look beyond the fact that they're not competing to benefit the European community.

I'll be putting my 'X' next to Labour in the forthcoming EU election. I did actually anticipate waiting and analysing further than this point, because I wasn't sure who to vote for quite honestly. Yet, the more I listen to their approach, the more I'm convinced by it - even if I appear to be the only person who is genuinely satisfied with it. Critics may complain their Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is "on the fence", but if you're asking me, that is the only way forward. With negotiations still taking place and now Labour entering the heart of it, keeping a level head publicly is vital. And by both government and opposition working together, and an agreement being potentially reached, a deal will likely go through Parliament if Corbyn's team is happy with it.

Leaving the European Union will be tough and I must emphasise, as I've done in the past, I'd rather Britain remain a member. But now we find ourselves in a situation where a Leave is relatively soft, and a situation where Northern Ireland could have some stability by re-forming their government before any Exit takes place (fingers crossed), any damages we expected to see would be limited somewhat. At least Labour want to keep options open. They may still endorse another European referendum in the future. And when it comes to negotiating anything, you're in safe hands when shadow 'Brexit' Secretary, Sir Keir Starmer, is involved.

Of course, I'm ranting about Europe because this is now the next election to focus on now. In the meantime, it may frustrate those attention seeking politicians that spew out 'Brexit' at every opportunity, but there is more to life than how Britain leaves the European Union. If you asked me, I'd rather the government "got on" with sorting out potholes and pedestrian safety, and fast.