Whaaattt?

We began doing postal voting during lockdown. I had been diagnosed as “clinically vulnerable” before then and so lockdown just continued my vigilance. I was told that it was particularly important that I avoided gatherings. I haven’t been to a cafe or a pub or a restaurant or a theatre or a cinema since 2020. However, I do still have to walk to the post box to post my postal vote and I do “get off my backside” in other, crowd free ways.

 

We haven't voted for over 10 years, i also haven't been to a restaurant,theatre,cinema, pub, even a big city/town and more for over 45years the only time we go out is for shopping or to sort something out or for a breck down

 

The boys in blue are dressed all in black now, didn't it used to be black and white

 

My remarks were not aimed at you @Tidemark, it was only when I pushed post reply your post appeared, we posted almost simultaneously.

 

We started having postal votes when we were both ting a lot for work, sometimes at short notice, and therefore not always in the area on polling day. We still find it convenient so we'll continue to do it for as long as we can. If I remember rightly we both had to re-apply and provide new signatures fairly recently. We do discuss the various candidates and who we might vote for, and it's often (but not always) the same.
There's a distinct difference between a couple or family who share similar views voting the same way, and one where one person imposes their views on the other(s) - in that case polling stations should (if run properly) give people more privacy to vote how they really want to, but I don't think there's a completely infallible way of ensuring that people who are unable to cast their vote without help, actually get to vote the way they want to. There is a procedure for voting by proxy, but as far as I can tell it relies on the nominated proxy actually voting the way they are told to.

 

I was also diagnosed as clinically vulnerable, my least favourite manager used that to send me home and do paperwork for the duration of the Covid.
I had all the vaccines as available and since Covid became an ex pandemic I've been to the theatre, cinema, restaurants, plant sales and such like; just as before Covid: mainly on the grounds that I have to die at some point so I may as well enjoy myself along the way.
As for postal voting I took that up when they said you has to produce ID at the polling station; at the time that meant producing my passport and that ain't happening.

 

@ViewAhead they also failed to motivate their supporters to vote. Biden's dithering didn't help sp Kamala started her campaign on the back foot but she did predict everything Trump is doing re medicare, jobs, tariffs etc. Among those who voted for him and are now suffering are farmers and others who believed tariffs would be paid by someone else and people who are themselves immigrants, or 2nd generation or have immigrant partners who believed he would only expel criminals. Naive doesn't begin to describe it.

As for "cultural guidelines" at polling stations and elections, there shouldn't be any other than how to mark your voting slip. Anyone moving to a country for life/secuirty/refuge/work should accept that culture and its rules and not try to live under the rules and customs of the country they have fled.

 

Quite right, the problem is that some (mainly the men) still want to live as their grandfathers did back home.
It is slowly changing with the younger generations born over here refusing to live as their ancestors did, but it is slow.
My father, sadly, was of a generation where in a family it was "what's mine's mine and what's yours is mine as well".

 

@Fat Controller I hadn't realised until hearing a report on the radio last night that there have been several instances of family members accompanying a person into the Polling booth. If that had been noted but not acted upon, it doesn't say a lot for our voting system in the UK.
I can remember coming out of a Polling station in the late 1980's and once outside I happened to say to my OH "It's getting harder to find someone worth voting for ". This was outside on the street after we had both voted and the chap on the door told me I shouldn't be expressing such a view. There was no one else around to hear my comment or be influenced by it. I thought it rather OTT at the time but now it seems we have gone from one extreme to the other.

 

I do confess to teaching the Belgians and French about British cuisine, especially cakes, but they are usually delighted and ask for the recipe.

 

Cuisine, music and art are obviously excluded from cultural guidelines.
These should be freely exchanged between all cultures.

 

If it was just a few families I would agree with you. From what I've been seeing it's large parts of certain ethnic groupings, many with limited English, who are being told what to do without any understanding of the actual legal process.

 

Heavens! I feel like a brute compared to others here. I am supposed to be vulnerable simply because I am a senior but I went everywhere during lockdown. At least everywhere that was open and that interested me or had supplies I needed.

The only thing I did and still do mostly by "remote control", is my doctor's visits. We did pretty much everything by telephone other than me getting my prolia/anti-osteoporosis shot. And now that I don't need that anymore, all of our visits have been through telephone conversations. Who wants to go where the odds of having sick people in the room with you are close to 100% !

 

I assume

The worrying part is this is probably common practice where they come from, they don't see anything wrong in it.