My analysis of by-elections from 1/2/18 and how a more open society can improve mental health

The results of yesterday's British local by-elections were as follows:

Cornwall UA, Falmouth Smithick: Labour 643 (60.2%, +19.9%), Conservative 184 (17.2%, -7.2%), Liberal Democrats 184 (17.2%, -1.7%), Green 57 (5.3%, -11.3%).

Sunderland MBC, Pallion: Liberal Democrats 1251 (53.9%, +50.9%), Labour 807 (34.8%, -13.0%), Conservative 126 (5.4%, -8.9%), UKIP 97 (4.2%, -25.9%), Green 39 (1.7%, -3.1%). Liberal Democrat gain from Labour; all changes are since 2014.

The sharp swing to Labour in Falmouth Smithick was expected given the rapidly increasing student population of Falmouth, whose university is renowned for its arts specialism. On the downside, however, this is in turn leading to rapid gentrification of parts of Falmouth and house price rises shutting out many locals looking for housing, as I have explored earlier.

Meanwhile in Sunderland, the Liberal Democrat gain was part of a backlash against Labour in Sunderland, who are perceived by some as lazy and corrupt, although that can be said of many solidly Labour councils. A lack of proportional representation and continual one party dominance (not just by Labour either, for the record), as exposed in a recent report by the Electoral Reform Society, are breeding grounds for corruption, rigged tenders etc.

A recent survey by Time to Change: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42903914?SThisFB showed that two-thirds of adults in the UK have no one to talk to about mental health problems, money, or relationship issues. This in turn leads to increases in all of these problems occurring, as interpersonal cooperation is needed to solve many of them. A lack of openness in British social discourse exacerbates these issues, as is pressure to focus more on politeness than honesty; we need to become a more open society in general and become less dependent on social media and take occasional breaks from the world wide web. And we need to be more honest in person about problems to people we trust-social media lacks the proximity factor needed to strike home at the cause of the problems and the solution to them.













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