The Polls....

[Tom]

I received my voting form late. I was therefore unable to vote. I am not happy.

 

[JBP|]

Fantastically stupid! You do realise voting in your local elections would be FAR MORE constructive than voting in the generals?

hmmm maybe your the one thats being stupid?


my local authority has been run by labour for many many years (atleast 15)

my vote is hardly going to change that fact

 

[dysfunction]

hmmm maybe your the one thats being stupid?


my local authority has been run by labour for many many years (atleast 15)

my vote is hardly going to change that fact

How do you know if you dont vote??? If everyone voted in your area maybe Labour would no longer be there!

 

[Tom]

hmmm maybe your the one thats being stupid?


my local authority has been run by labour for many many years (atleast 15)

my vote is hardly going to change that fact

Thats what ruling parties rely upon: apathy.

Oh, and a bit of stupidity.

 

[Gumbo]

hmmm maybe your the one thats being stupid?


my local authority has been run by labour for many many years (atleast 15)

my vote is hardly going to change that fact

OK I need to revise my earlier statement about about it needing to be compulsory to vote, some people are clearly far too stupid to be allowed a vote.

I mean how many long standing labour local councils got binned the other day?


And Whipped, I take your point about being forced to vote being un-democratic, however that's why I said there should be a 'none of the above' box on the ballot. In my opinion, 'I couldn't be arsed' is just not a good enough excuse.

 

[SawTooTH]

What choice?

Labour- Start wars & use this to reduce civil liberties
Conservatives- Policies that blow in the wind
Liberals- Want a return to the poll tax disguised badly as local income tax
BNP- racist bastards
Respect- with traitor, Sadam hugging candidate
UKIP- with racist Killroy Silk DOH
Green party ---whoever they are

 

[JBP|]

right here are the results for my local council...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2004/locals/html/3728.stm


as you can see its a council run by labour since 1973 (just how valuable is my 1 vote then with those results huh?)

Gumbo said
I mean how many long standing labour local councils got binned the other day?


the answer is 8

 

[Gumbo]

But how many people think like that, how valuable do you think your vote is when you don't even use it!

People say they want change, then say they don't think their vote would make a difference. Do these people think that because they, in particular, feel that their vote won't make a difference, that they should be given a bunch more. Until they can vote so many times that they can make a difference?

Sheeesh.

 

[Will]

Liberals- Want a return to the poll tax disguised badly as local income tax

A local income tax is the exact opposite of the poll tax.

 

[nath]

And Whipped, I take your point about being forced to vote being un-democratic, however that's why I said there should be a 'none of the above' box on the ballot. In my opinion, 'I couldn't be arsed' is just not a good enough excuse.

Seeing as I'm hearing now about people conciously not voting - i.e. making a point by not voting at all, I think a "none of the above" vote would be fantastic. A way to show your distain with who/what is on offer while stopping the politicians putting it down to apathy. Or at the very least, we would have a clear line between apathy and distain.

 

[Yoni]

I did not vote either and why?

Total no confidence vote in all the candidates standing. Nath I agree with you, it would make things alot better.

 

[Will]

..."none of the above"...

Brewster's Millions

I'm so bored...

 

[nath]

Call me a retard but that's lost on me, explain. (Can't be arsed to google)

 

[Will]

Call me a retard but that's lost on me, explain. (Can't be arsed to google)

Brewster's Millions. He ran for Mayor, but wanted to lose, so ran a "None of the Above" campaign.

 

[Whipped]

Spoiler

Actually he didn't want to win or lose. He just wanted to waste loads of money and was inspired by a news report that told of the two candidates being crap and shoving tons of cash into slick marketing campaigns.

God I've watched that film waaaaaay to many times.










*Goes off to watch it again*

 

[Will]

Spoiler

Was it not that he found out the title of Mayor would be an asset, and had to then throw the campaign?

 

[Ch3tan]

right here are the results for my local council...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2004/locals/html/3728.stm


as you can see its a council run by labour since 1973 (just how valuable is my 1 vote then with those results huh?)

Gumbo said
I mean how many long standing labour local councils got binned the other day?


the answer is 8

And its that attitude that stops your council changing. YOur one vote might not matter on its own, but combined with other votes and epople with the same attitude as you it may.

 

[JBP|]

look at the figures ch3t

it would take half the population of the borough i live in to change thier vote to make a difference

and as i live in a town that was once quite industrial(now full of single mothers and spongers) it just isnt going to happen

 

[Yoni]

And its that attitude that stops your council changing. YOur one vote might not matter on its own, but combined with other votes and epople with the same attitude as you it may.

However Ch3tan the fact that JBP and I (maybe for the same reasons many be not) decide not to vote is actually "our" choice. As I said in the other thread the quality of candidates within the area we live in is such that it wouldn't matter which one if any were voted in.

Calling people "stupid" (I realise this was not you) for not wanting to vote is actually an infringment on the rights of the individuals who choose to make a vote of no confidence in all the candidates and to be honest there needs to be more tolerence of other peoples point of view on this board.

Just because some have an opposing view it does not necessarilty mean it is right or wrong, it is just different.

As Nath said in the other thread maybe there should be a box to tick which gives none of the above as it would highlight issues much more.

 

[nath]

Just so I'm not accused of anything, it was actually Gumbo who said it first, I just agreed with him

 

[Gumbo]

I did try and say 'in my opinion' when I called people stupid for not bothering to vote. I believe it is my democratic right to hold the view, that people who simply can not be bothered to vote, can and should be considered stupid.

I believe deciding not to vote, because none of the candidates appeals to you is a perfectly legitimate reason to not vote for any of them. However it is stupid, idiotic and a threat to democracy to not vote because you are down the pub, or watching Eastenders, or for the most ridiculously moronic of reasons that 'my vote will not make a difference'.

Thanks nath. Maybe with the abscence of 'the none of the above option', there should be a 'spoil your ballot' campaign, at least then it still gets counted as a vote, and the downward spiralling turnout figures could be arrested.

 

[Tom]

How those people in countries where you can't vote would laugh if you told them you 'couldn't be bothered to vote'.

People in this country are too party politically biased. Perhaps if people realised that more than just party representatives stood for election, you might see a higher turnout.

 

[dysfunction]

However Ch3tan the fact that JBP and I (maybe for the same reasons many be not) decide not to vote is actually "our" choice. As I said in the other thread the quality of candidates within the area we live in is such that it wouldn't matter which one if any were voted in.

So why not do a "spoilt" vote????

Then you have at least bothered to show that you are interested in voting but have no interest in any of the candidates?

Just think of the scenario: Your town 100 People. 35% vote all for party x. Everyone else wants party y but does not vote as they think there is no point cos party x always wins. Now if everyone voted then party y would win.

There is NO EXCUSE for not voting no matter what your reasons are. (Unless of course you are not allowed to vote for whatever reason.)

 

[Wazzerphuk]

People once believed so strongly in the right to vote they laid their life on the line.

Nowadays, people struggle to make the decision between voting or being a fat lazy arse and watching Big Brother.

 

[Yoni]

Interesting - Please do not assume that all of us who do not vote are fat lazy and watch big brother.

Dys yes maybe doing a spoilt vote is the solution however I would still prefer to tick something that says none of the above. People like me may get off their backsides and go to the polling station if they did this for those of us who feel so strongly about the candidates they do not want to use their voting rights.

Everyone has a right to vote or not to vote, just because some choose not to for various reasons does not give others the right to reprimand them for it. It is just a point of view, which differs from your own. Please respect that.

 

[JBP|]

a] im not fat
b] im not lazy
c] i dont watch big brother


so thats your theory out the window monkey boy


tbh if your going to spoil your vote why bother turning up in the first place?

you could actually be doing something constructive with your time

 

[Catsby]

Nothing presents such an affront to Catsby's sensibilities as electoral apathy.

Catsby believes those that say "it makes no difference" are blind to the very clear effect of public spending on items such as childerens playgrounds, quality of roads, and public transport. Catsby has seen the differences between the parties.
Catsby points out that soon the local government will have the right to allow later licencing times. Or not. Catsby points out that the choice is in part yours. Catsby asks if you have a right to complain when you and 60 odd % of the population did not cast their vote.

Catsby looks at the great price that has been paid in order for us to even have the ability to chose to vote, and is ashamed that people feel they can justify not doing so.
Catsby suspects these are the same people that will let Brussles run the UK, simply because they cba to vote.

Catsby thinks this is for shame.

 

[dysfunction]

Fair enough if you dont want to vote...but then you should also have no right to complain about anything political....



The European Election was a bit of a surprise....

I can't believe that people actually voted for UKIP.
They really sound like a bunch of lunatics! They said they are going to wreck the European Parliament....I dont know why anyone would want to vote for such an irresponsible group of people. They want out of Europe completely.

Can't they see that its essential to be involved in Europe?? Even if its as involved as the Tories want...

Its crazy I tell you...crazy!

 

[Louster]

Yeah because, uh, taking away rights is definitely a good thing. It seems pretty unreasonable to assume that the single only reason for people not wanting to vote is laziness/apathy. I would think that, being unable to make a meaningful vote, due to, say, feeling that no single existing party truly represents you or your interests (or not necessarily "your interests" as such - rather, a party you'd consider to be a positive force for the country at large, or whatever), gives you EVERY right to "complain about anything political".

Obviously, our system of democracy isn't perfect, and saying shit like "by not voting, you have no right to complain about political issues" implies that it is. And besides, why do we want the country run by the majority in the first place? Considering the majority is largely un/misinformed (I know, I am). And isn't that the ideal of what democracy is? And the representative system we have, or whatever it's called, isn't even "true" democracy anyhow, considering that'd be impossible with even a small country.

Dammit. Someone come up with AI robot overlords fast, please, so we can cease all this ridiculous crap and get on with life and progress and stuff.

 

[Paradroid]

With Proportional Representation people wouldn't feel their vote is lost.
Also, I think a NONE OF THE ABOVE! option would be a good thing.