Mandatory Voting

[Ctuchik]

people are lazy fucks who cba gonig to the polling station,

i dont think thats the reason most ppl wont vote, atleast it isnt for me.

its just that neither party are actually worth the time to vote for, so why vote at all.

 

[chipper]

i would have thought it obvious to anyone given the current backlash going on, that MP's are only out for themselves, and a good portion simply do not give a flying fuck about anything other than lining their own pockets. and its nots just labour its all parties whats the point of voting for a party when they are all as corrupt as each other.

nothing ever changes same shit just a different colour suit spewing it out. if its not labour itll be conservatives frankly ive lost all faith in the democratic process.

 

[Jaberwocky]

i dont think thats the reason most ppl wont vote, atleast it isnt for me.

its just that neither party are actually worth the time to vote for, so why vote at all.

Neither party?

There where 7 parties on my voting slip yesterday.

 

[Sparx]

No parties are worth me wasting valuable holiday time with work to go out my way to vote on. If there was one worthy then yes. But i feel my holiday time is more valuable than voting a lesser of two evils

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Um What is so hard about voting? Its one of the easiest most convenient things around. There is usually a polling station a stones throw away from where you live or you can do a postal vote...how hard is that??

Note what I said properly please. I said it is too hard for SOME people. By that I mean the elderly, disabled, or people who suffer from other afflictions. Yes there's postal voting, but again it's something that isn't made clear enough how to do or set up, or when it should be done.

 

[ECA]

Councillors
Party Total
CON 1330
LD 439
LAB 159
OTH 159

30 of 34 councils officially declared.


If labour gets beaten by "other" does gordon go?

 

[Cyradix]

You are all spoiled!! Voting is mandatory over here and on a Sunday!!

 

[Wij]

Councillors
Party Total
CON 1330
LD 439
LAB 159
OTH 159

30 of 34 councils officially declared.


If labour gets beaten by "other" does gordon go?

Nah - he'll not leave til we drag his undead corpse away. Besides the over-represented Scots and Welsh still give him hope.

 

[sayward]

Sorry, haven't read all the posts, but when I lived in Italy they had to vote. They had to go home to do it, can't remember whether it was the place of their birth or just where they were registered. They definitely had to go home if they were on holiday.

 

[Chilly]

No parties are worth me wasting valuable holiday time with work to go out my way to vote on. If there was one worthy then yes. But i feel my holiday time is more valuable than voting a lesser of two evils

Voting in the UK is open from 7am - 10pm at every polling station. I suspect you dont work shifts that long.

 

[Jaberwocky]

Nah - he'll not leave til we drag his undead corpse away. Besides the over-represented Scots and Welsh still give him hope.

It always amuses me how we're always lumped with the Scots on this issue, put it this way "boyo" we don't play the system quite the same as the Scots nor do we have anyway near their level of political power or over representation.

But then we Welsh are mostly happy with the union even through we were originally annexed, unlike the Scots who willingly jumped into the union when the English offered to bail them out of bankruptcy.

The SNP has done a fantastic job or rewriting Scottish history based seemingly on the film Bravehart over the past 10 years.

 

[Kryten]

If anyone spouts the popular bullshit "politics affects everything therefore you should vote" at me, I'll slap the twat. Not because it's incorrect, it is unfortunately true. It is, however, similar to asking an agnostic to be christian, muslim or nothing. Whoever we vote for, we'll still be spoonfed bollocks, still be unhappy about one thing or t'other and will probably wish someone else was in control.

 

[Ch3tan]

If you feel like that waste your vote on an independent with no chance, or spoil your ballot. That will show your dislike of those in charge or with a chance more than simply not voting, that is just apathy. You won't ever change anything with that attitude -not just you kryt, but a lot of people that have written here about not voting.

 

[Kryten]

Good point but it still won't actually change anything for the better. Shame really, as it detracts a lot from the local MP's who in many cases do just fine. Our MP, despite being a professional lookalike for Sven Gollum Erricsson is a damned fine chap and does a very good job. But being labour, about as popular as a dose of the clap.

 

[Wij]

It always amuses me how we're always lumped with the Scots on this issue, put it this way "boyo" we don't play the system quite the same as the Scots nor do we have anyway near their level of political power or over representation.

But then we Welsh are mostly happy with the union even through we were originally annexed, unlike the Scots who willingly jumped into the union when the English offered to bail them out of bankruptcy.

The SNP has done a fantastic job or rewriting Scottish history based seemingly on the film Bravehart over the past 10 years.

The over-represented bit was aimed at the Scots really. Should have made myself clearer. Maybe the Welsh are over-represented, maybe not, who bothers to check what happens west of Bristol ?

/edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mc13fBlhOg

 

[Zenith.UK]

Wales didn't have any county elections last Thursday, only the European election. We get to send 4 MEPs out of the UK's 72, so don't give me that over-represented crap.

The UK as a country is UNDER-represented because of the formula that the EU uses to apportion MEP seats. Because we have one of the highest populations in the EU, each MEP has represents more people... in the case of the UK about 750,000 people per MEP.
Malta on the other hand has a population of 400,000 and they get 5 MEPs (80,000 per MEP).
From: Apportionment in the European Parliament - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Jeros]

I think for me it would go something like this

"Can i have half an hour out so i can go vote?"

"we need you on till"

"but its my right to vote if i want to"

"its also your right to set hours and pay, but that does not happen does it olol"

>_<

 

[DaGaffer]

I think for me it would go something like this

"Can i have half an hour out so i can go vote?"

"we need you on till"

"but its my right to vote if i want to"

"its also your right to set hours and pay, but that does not happen does it olol"

>_<

The polling booths open at six and close at 9 (or 10?) PM, so unless you have a 16 hour working day, claiming lack of time is feeble.

 

[Sparx]

The polling booths open at six and close at 9 (or 10?) PM, so unless you have a 16 hour working day, claiming lack of time is feeble.

What if you are at work at 7 and dont finish till 6? last thing you want to do is go 45 mins out your way to stand in a cue to vote for something you
a) have no real knowledge about
b) dont like any of the parties standing
c) on 24 hour call from work
d) early start the next morning again
e) the only chance you get to do important things in the evenings

There are alot more important things to be doing with what very little spare time in my opinion.

Doesnt matter who you vote for, brussels will still decide whats best for UK without taking advice from anyone else

 

[JingleBells]

What if you are at work at 7 and dont finish till 6?

You get a better job

 

[DaGaffer]

What if you are at work at 7 and dont finish till 6? last thing you want to do is go 45 mins out your way to stand in a cue to vote for something you
a) have no real knowledge about
b) dont like any of the parties standing
c) on 24 hour call from work
d) early start the next morning again
e) the only chance you get to do important things in the evenings

There are alot more important things to be doing with what very little spare time in my opinion.

Doesnt matter who you vote for, brussels will still decide whats best for UK without taking advice from anyone else

That wasn't the argument; lack of time was, and sorry, that's bogus. If you want to vote, its not difficult for anyone other than a trainee doctor to find the time.

 

[Sparx]

That wasn't the argument; lack of time was, and sorry, that's bogus. If you want to vote, its not difficult for anyone other than a trainee doctor to find the time.

But thats the problem most dont want to vote, there isnt enough incentive to vote, merely cause you should isnt enough. Most people right now see the political system as a complete failure things like steal policies to Brussles telling us whats good for us and everything else thats gone wrong lately, people just dont see the point. All that and the fact people have to go out their way to vote then fuck it.

Now if we had someone like Obama standing then i'm sure people would be out in the booths voting

 

[dysfunction]

What if you are at work at 7 and dont finish till 6? last thing you want to do is go 45 mins out your way to stand in a cue to vote for something you
a) have no real knowledge about
b) dont like any of the parties standing
c) on 24 hour call from work
d) early start the next morning again
e) the only chance you get to do important things in the evenings

There are alot more important things to be doing with what very little spare time in my opinion.

Doesnt matter who you vote for, brussels will still decide whats best for UK without taking advice from anyone else

Postal vote?

 

[Ch3tan]

But thats the problem most dont want to vote, there isnt enough incentive to vote, merely cause you should isnt enough. Most people right now see the political system as a complete failure things like steal policies to Brussles telling us whats good for us and everything else thats gone wrong lately, people just dont see the point. All that and the fact people have to go out their way to vote then fuck it.

Now if we had someone like Obama standing then i'm sure people would be out in the booths voting

And if you do not vote, then you just make things worse by having people in control that are not representative of the countries needs/ wants. You either vote with the party that you disagree with least, or become a politician and stand yourself.

 

[Sparx]

And if you do not vote, then you just make things worse by having people in control that are not representative of the countries needs/ wants. You either vote with the party that you disagree with least, or become a politician and stand yourself.

Dont you think thats an awful reason to vote? because you hated them the least?

 

[Ch3tan]

It is, but it is still better than apathy.

and like I have said before, you could always spoil your ballot in protest, or vote for a non -extremist independent as a protest vote.

It is a shame we do not have a "none of the above" option though.

 

[Sparx]

It is, but it is still better than apathy.

and like I have said before, you could always spoil your ballot in protest, or vote for a non -extremist independent as a protest vote.

It is a shame we do not have a "none of the above" option though.

I dont see how spoiling your ballot or none of the above is any different to not voting

 

[DaGaffer]

I dont see how spoiling your ballot or none of the above is any different to not voting

Because its direct evidence of your dissatisfaction. It shows you want to be part of the political process but you object to the candidates. Don't show up and you're simply part of the apathetic mass.

 

[Sparx]

Because its direct evidence of your dissatisfaction. It shows you want to be part of the political process but you object to the candidates. Don't show up and you're simply part of the apathetic mass.

But the outcome is still the same, they arent going to reform things just because there are alot of spoiled votes imo.

EDIT: I do find it funny tho that more people vote for big brother than for the elections

 

[russell]

Mr R does not ever vote and it drives me to distraction. He says that if he were 'forced' to vote he would vote BNP just because he would be pissed off with having to do it. And he reckons it could be to the detriment of the country as all the other ignorant fuckers would do the same!