I can see people reading this blog. There have been 216 of you this last week and 48 readers so far today! Are you voting, Brent people? Who are you voting for? Why? Why vote at all? Got any comments? After all, it’s Your Council for Your Street and Your Services - Are you having your say?

Me? Of course I’ve voted! I’ve supported Team Yellow in my ward, Mapesbury (Look for the Bird!). When I got to my polling station I spoke to the Team Red vote recorder who was sitting outside - I was the first ‘young person’ through the doors that day… and it’s not like I’m an early riser! Where are the Brent Youth - have the biggest unsigned group in the UK not got their act together? Voting too difficult - i know, i know, making an x in a box…too taxing…..? Anyway - 18-24? Do you care?

Hit the comment button…….

what do I think? I think the Green’s have won it really. I expect them to gain two seats, well, at least one in Queen’s Park. Also, I think that Cameron may have spoken to a lot of people at a local level and Team Blue will make a few gains. Team Yellow (Look for the Bird!) will also make gains, probably bringing them level with the Blues… These gains will be to someones loss: Team Read.

The result is, I hope, consensus driven local politics. And it looks a little like this….

well tomorrow is the day when Brent will select its councillors. I’ve heard many a rumour (and started a few) and seen many a bun thrown. Could I call Mapesbury, Queen’s Park or Brondesbury now? And the others in Brent East? Could I tell you have the council will look by Friday?

If you are into political betting then you’ll have seen the odds offered by one bookmaker. Here’s the Lib Dems story, bouyed as odds on them winning the council are slashed.

I do have a few thoughts - but its probably just subliminal psychic channelling; my prayers.

Want to see what I can do with a spreadsheet program? Coming right up…..

One sure-fire way of demonstrating that you have some skill with a computer is to generate a barchart from some data in a spreadsheet program like Calc (in openoffice) or a program from Microsoft. Both the Lib Dems and the Conservatives have got someone on their team that would pass a European Computer Driving License test no problem.

Both parties have proved that you can prove anything with stats.

Brent last elected its Councillors in 2002: long before the Iraq war, two (three?) Tory leaders ago, pre-Brown/Blue=Green, before Sarah Teather was elected to Brent East in 2003, before she was returned again in 2005 with an increased majority, before a Conservative and a Labour Councillor defected to the Liberal Democrats….
Brent Conservatives point out that in 2002 the Lib Dems came third. They do this as they believe that Team Orange are essentially a vote splitting party and that a Lib Dem vote lets in Labour by the back door. While Labour havn’t got any spreadsheet skills are not publishing pretty graphs (yet), their position is the same: Vote Orange, Get Blue.

yet 2003 and 2005 have shown the people of Brent East that they can Vote Orange and Get Orange. Will Mapesbury, Queen’s Park, Brondesbury and the other wards of Brent do the same on May the 4th?