Hidden politically controlled community Facebook groups are an affront to local democracy
Ink Politics Focus - The importance of a clean local council election on 2 May in Swindon
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We all need to get out and vote in this election
2024 was always going to be a never-ending bombardment of politics, especially with a General Election in the offing later this year.
And with the Swindon Borough Council elections taking place on Thursday 2 May, we are already seeing a flood of political fliers and every other knock on the door is a politician asking us if we can count on their support.
It’s going to get tiresome very quickly but the one thing that we do ask, as Swindonians, is that the politicians keep it clean and make it about policies and not personalities.
In our opinion at The Ink, there is one major thing that needs to change and that is that the political parties are open about the hidden politically controlled community Facebook groups, and it is disgraceful that they’re not doing this already.
By Jamie Hill
Back in December we wrote an investigative article about the amount of hidden politically controlled community Facebook groups that are rife in Swindon.
You can read the original piece here
These groups have been created, in the main, by Conservative councillors (but there are also Labour created ones) and sit there as if they are groups for that entire community.
What the casual observer won’t realise is that opposition party members are blocked and banned in a lot of cases from these groups.
This means that as a normal Facebook user you might think that your local community Facebook group is a lovely innocent tool to find out what is happening in your local community - lost cats, when to put the bins out, and asking what that loud bang was that you just heard emanating from down the street.
But in fact you might be living in an echo chamber, with the only voices you’re hearing pushing a certain political agenda.
After our last article, you might have thought that the politicians concerned might have thought maybe this isn’t such a good idea, but they’re still at it to the detriment of the entire town.
A few days ago, one Labour candidate reported once again that she is being silenced on a community group for the ward she is hoping to represent.
It sounds like something that could happen in some authoritarian country where opposition voices are never heard.
But this isn’t Putin’s Russia. This is Swindon.
We are meant to be living in a democracy and the fact that certain community Facebook groups are a tool for a singular political party to push their political agenda through subterfuge is an absolute affront to everything this country stands for.
It is disgusting behaviour and an affront to democracy.
The main thing is the subterfuge. The not having it clearly labelled on the group that this has been the creation of a certain political party. If the labelling was present and correct there would be no problem as it would then be up to the individual whether they want to be a part of the group or not.
At the moment there are no laws that stop this. People are free to create whatever groups they like but our politics should be above this.
And our politics should definitely be above curtailing opposition voices.
These groups should be representative of every person in the community and the voices contained therein should be representative of the myriad different political opinions contained within that community.
Obviously, every group will have their own community standards and individuals have to adhere to those rules when it comes to offensive language etc. but they should never be silenced just because they are members of a different political party from the admins.
In the run-up to elections, things do get divisive. But we all need to be able to see the entire picture to make our minds up and not just a doctored part of the picture that fits a Facebook admin’s own narrative bias.
The Ink’s message to the politicians who do this is ‘please stop’.
Either properly label your group so people know that you are politically affiliated or actually allow proper debate by not banning people who might be on the other side of the political spectrum.
Let’s just act with dignity and any politician who is party to this behaviour should hang their heads in shame and take a long hard look at themselves in the mirror.
In the main though, our message to every candidate in this election is to keep it clean. It’s what Swindon deserves.
The make-up of the forthcoming election on Thursday 2 May
The Borough and Police and Crime Commissioner elections
Elections are scheduled for each Swindon Borough Council ward except Chiseldon and Lawn.
There are 19 seats up for grabs and you can see a list of candidates by visiting the council’s website here.
On the website you can also find out where your nearest polling booth is and what you need to do.
Out of interest Swindon Borough Council unanimously decided last October to move to whole council elections from May 2026.
Are you ready to vote?
Anyone who is registered to vote in Swindon will soon receive a poll card letter which provides details of their closest polling station as well as the photo ID requirements for the local Borough and Police and Crime Commissioner elections taking place on Thursday, 2 May.
It is important to make sure that you’re registered to vote. It takes five minutes to register on the Government’s website – just search ‘register to vote’ online and register before 11.59pm on 16 April.
Anyone who wants to use a postal vote at this year’s elections will need to register by 5pm on 17 April 2024. And for a proxy vote, applications must be submitted by 5pm on 24 April 2024. More details can be found at https://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20073/elections_and_voting/448/different_ways_you_can_vote.
Anyone voting at a polling station will need to bring an accepted form of photo ID, which could be a UK passport, a driving licence (either full or provisional), an older person’s bus pass or a PASS card. A full list of acceptable forms of photo ID is available at www.swindon.gov.uk/voterID.
Voters can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate if they do not have acceptable photo ID and would need to apply before 5pm on Wednesday, 24 April 2024. To apply, voters can either:
- Visit the Council’s website: www.swindon.gov.uk/voterID
- Call Swindon Borough Council on 01793 445500 to request a postal application form
- Apply in person on any working day between 9.30am and 4pm at Civic Reception, Civic Offices, Euclid Street, Swindon, SN1 2JH
Everything voters need to know about the elections is available on Swindon Borough Council’s website: www.swindon.gov.uk/voterID
The Swindon Link Magazine Archive
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The worst part about this is being blocked from Priory Vale Facebook group which is administered by a candidate for the borough elections and the current MP. On this group they mention the lack of community participation.