EVERYONE enjoys having a moan about "what's wrong with Bolton". Everyone knows how to fix it, and everyone confidently claims that the blame lies firmly with "the Council".

But, when it comes to influencing exactly who is going to run our town, thousands of people simply don't bother to have their say. They don't vote.

No doubt, today's local elections will be no different than previous years' although, if predictions are correct, the turn-out may be even lower.

This kind of apathy makes no sense. Local councils take decisions which can directly affect all our lives. Yet many people simply cannot be bothered to pop down the road to the local polling station to undertake the physically draining task of putting a cross on a piece of paper.

The system alone deserves better respect. Men and women who put themselves on the line as potential local councillors deserve more respect. And democracy deserves much more than just lip service, too.

Voting is not just an intrinsic right in this country. It is a practical method of allowing the ordinary man and woman to have a say in how money from the public purse is spent.

Local elections may not be as glamorous or as high profile as a General Election, but, on a day-to-day basis, in many ways they are more relevant to how we will conduct our daily lives.

If you're reading this and you haven't voted yet, please do it now. Otherwise, don't moan about what Bolton Council do - you simply haven't earned the right.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.