Firstly, they turn their backs...

The Hartcliffe and Withywood ward in the south of Bristol where 85.76% of the electorate chose to not vote in the local elections.

The elections for Bristol City Council are done and dusted. If you're interested, here are the results in full for every ward that was contested: Bristol City Council local election results in full for every ward - Alex Seabrook - Local democracy reporter | Bristol Post | 3.5.24. According the the local media, mainstream and 'independent' alike, the big story is the number of seats the Greens gained have and how they'll be playing a big part in how the city will be run: Bristol City Council elections: Green Party storm to victory but just fall short of majority - Adam Postans - Local democracy reporter & Alex Seabrook - Local democracy reporter | Bristol Post | 3.5.24 and: BREAKING: Greens surge secures historic victory at Bristol council elections - Matty Edwards | The Bristol Cable | 3.5.24 and finally: Great day for Greens with Bristol Central seat now in sights - Martin Booth | B24/7 | 4.5.24.

I'm pretty sure there will be a lot of coverage over the next few days as to how the new administration at City Hall will shape up and how the Greens intend to make their mark on the city. Because this is the 'big story' that's exciting a lot of people across the city if you believe what the media says. The truth is somewhat different and also, somewhat embarrassing and inconvenient for the political establishment (which includes the Greens), as you will gather from the turnout figures for each ward that was contested:

Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze

Eligible electorate – 15,278 | Votes cast – 7,894 | Turnout – 51.67%

Bishopston and Ashley Down

Eligible electorate – 8,954 | Votes cast – 4,368 | Turnout – 48.78%

Redland

Eligible electorate – 9,963 | Votes cast – 4,810 | Turnout – 48.28%

Windmill Hill

Eligible electorate – 10,302 | Votes cast – 4,590 | Turnout – 44.56%

Ashley

Eligible electorate – 14,256 | Votes cast – 6,234 | Turnout – 43.73%

St George West

Eligible electorate – 5,265 | Votes cast – 2,248 | Turnout – 42.70%

Cotham

Eligible electorate – 7,870 | Votes cast – 3,329 | Turnout – 42.30%

Easton

Eligible electorate – 10,124 | Votes cast – 4,239 | Turnout – 41.87%

Southville

Eligible electorate – 9,684 | Votes cast – 4,054 | Turnout – 41.86%

Bedminster

Eligible electorate – 10,052 | Votes cast – 4,187 | Turnout – 41.65%

Clifton Down

Eligible electorate – 7,695 | Votes cast – 3,183 | Turnout – 41.36%

Knowle

Eligible electorate – 10,076 | Votes cast – 4,117 | Turnout – 40.86%

Stoke Bishop

Eligible electorate – 8,316 | Votes cast – 3,391 | Turnout – 40.78%

Hotwells and Harbourside

Eligible electorate – 3,869 | Votes cast – 1,538 | Turnout – 39.75%

Clifton

Eligible electorate – 8,883 | Votes cast – 3,493 | Turnout – 39.32%

Brislington West

Eligible electorate – 8,985 | Votes cast – 3,528 | Turnout – 39.27%

Eastville

Eligible electorate – 10,721 | Votes cast – 3,916 | Turnout – 36.53%

St George Central

Eligible electorate – 9,913 | Votes cast – 3,284 | Turnout – 33.13%

Horfield

Eligible electorate – 9,259 | Votes cast – 3,059 | Turnout – 33.04%

Lockleaze

Eligible electorate – 9,396 | Votes cast – 3,091 | Turnout – 32.90%

Henbury and Brentry

Eligible electorate – 9,601 | Votes cast – 3,068 | Turnout – 31.96%

St George Troopers Hill

Eligible electorate – 4,663 | Votes cast – 1,479 | Turnout – 31.72%

Frome Vale

Eligible electorate – 9,958 | Votes cast – 3,105 | Turnout – 31.18%

Central

Eligible electorate – 8,958 | Votes cast – 2,741 | Turnout – 30.60%

Brislington East

Eligible electorate – 8,890 | Votes cast – 2,690 | Turnout – 30.26%

Lawrence Hill

Eligible electorate – 11,667 | Votes cast – 3,515 | Turnout – 30.13%

Bishopsworth

Eligible electorate – 9,337 | Votes cast – 2,614 | Turnout – 28.00%

Stockwood

Eligible electorate – 8,956 | Votes cast – 2,475 | Turnout – 27.64%

Southmead

Eligible electorate – 9,181 | Votes cast – 2,424 | Turnout – 26.40%

Hillfields

Eligible electorate – 9,226 | Votes cast – 2,382 | Turnout – 25.82%

Avonmouth and Lawrence Weston

Eligible electorate – 15,909 | Votes cast – 4,099 | Turnout – 25.77%

Hengrove and Whitchurch Park

Eligible electorate – 14,789 | Votes cast – 3,689 | Turnout – 24.94%

Filwood

Eligible electorate – 10,084 | Votes cast – 2,130 | Turnout – 21.12%

Hartcliffe and Withywood

Eligible electorate – 12,951 | Votes cast – 1,844 | Turnout – 14.24%

The above figures are based on the information supplied here by Bristol City Council. I was just going to link to this page but, after a couple of major errors on the turnout percentages leapt out at me, I went through every ward checking and amending them. I've seen further anecdotal comments suggesting that there are other errors with the voting figures. So, I can't say for certain that the above is entirely accurate:(

Apart from the very bourgeoisie ward of Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze which just about scraped a turnout of over 50%, in every other ward, the real winner across the city was None Of The Above (NOTA). Despite all of the hype relating to the way Bristol will be run changing from having a directly elected mayor to a committee system, in every ward bar one, less than half the eligible voters turned out to fill in a ballot paper. For those of you who know the city of Bristol, you will note that as you read the turnout rankings above, the lower down the list you go, the more working class the ward is. For anyone who cares to look at these rankings and do some critical thinking, it's as clear as daylight that working class people are disengaging from a political process they feel does nothing for them.

This is something I wrote about at length in this recent post: Some brief thoughts on local elections and disengagement 27.4.24. This is how I concluded that piece:

All of this begs the question - who is going to fill the political vacuum in working class areas? At the very least, the thinking behind the old IWCA slogan - working class rule in working class areas - needs to be given some serious consideration. What also needs to be given some serious thought is whether that aim can be achieved within a system that's blatantly rigged, or whether more radical action is required. The thing is, when the working class have taken to the streets in their own right, the established left and so called radicals have at best been sceptical and at worst, sought to denigrate them. The doubts that were cast on the Gilets Jaunes movement over in France is one example of this scepticism verging on hostility. The anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine mandate protests that had a large working class component are a classic example of the left and so called radicals finding a perfect excuse to vent their scorn and hostility. We have to accept the fact that any efforts by our class to find our voice will be met with hostility. That should not in any way deter us from striving to do just that...

So, what happens next? I'm not talking about how the next administration at City Hall will be formed because for a lot of people in the marginalised and all too often deprived estates out towards the fringes of the city, it's irrelevant. From long waiting lists for social housing, piss poor maintenance of the aforementioned housing to public transport links that feel like they've been designed to stop them travelling into the city centre, the people on these estates are only too well aware that City Hall doesn't care about them. The 85.76% of the electorate in the massive Hartcliffe and Withywood ward eloquently made their feelings about Bristol City Council known by refusing to participate in the charade of voting in the local elections. That for me is the big story of the election.

Will the new councillors who will be taking their seats at City Hall for the first time pause to think about the low turnout in many of the peripheral areas of the city and resolve to find ways to bring the people there back in from the bleak margins? I'd like to think they would but somehow, I get the feeling that will not happen. Change will only happen when a tipping point is reached and things blow up. The people in the marginalised, peripheral estates have already turned their backs on the political process. What happens next is down to them. Suffice to say, a breaking point will eventually be reached, manifesting itself in a way that will shock a lot of people. I and a fair few others have been warning people about this for sometime. Let's just say that things have the potential to get 'interesting'.