As the title really. Speaking to someone the other day and they thought me a bit odd that I had got to this point in my life and never voted in either a Local or general election.
Am I the only one, or are others as unconcerned as me to what colour tie the governing party wear ?

re others as unconcerned as me to what colour tie the governing party wear ?

Yeah it’s all down to that.

have only voted once when i was 18. haven’t voted since (39 now).i just cannot bring myself to vote for any of them.

The way I see it, and I’m not terribly politically motivated in general, there are a couple of good reasons to vote.

1. It’s my voice. If I don’t vote I have NO right to complain about anything; I’m essentially giving away any input I have into the running of the country, thus making a mockery of the democracy that we really, really shouldn’t take for granted.

2. It makes a difference. Voting figures are low; in lower margin examples, it doesn’t take *that* many votes to sway it.

3. I’d rather have one of the middle of the road parties (LibLabCon) than UKIP. By a long way. If everyone who thought like you (“they’re all as bad as each other”) didn’t bother voting, the right wing parties would be much closer to power. So vote for the lesser of a number of evils. (I’ll probably vote Green, ‘cos I’m a tree hugging hippy and they usually do quite well here).

Compulsary in Australia otherwise a $55.00 fine. ouch.

I’m 38, and have voted in every election I could. But, because I have always lived in either a conservative or Labour strong hold and have never voted for either of them the current voting system means my votes have never meant a thing.

I’m very bored with it now and will struggle to vote at the next general elections!

@marcus – why don’t you visit a war cemetery and take a look at all the people who are buried there. They died protecting your right to vote.

I do postal votes as it means I vote in every election be it local, European or general.

I have voted and i’m 43… i must be confused.. 🙂

All politicians are cheating, self serving short termist scum.

However, and this year is a good year to remember the fact, millions of our forebears gave their lives to ensure that we can enjoy the right to vote for whichever of the cheating self serving short termist scum we feel is the lesser of the evils.

I’m in favour of making voting compulsory, provided there was a “none of the above” option.

@jambalaya – I think they fought for the right to choose, not the right to vote – so his choice to do whatever he wants to do with his vote.

Our elected leaders act like gilded princlings because they know a lot of people don’t vote. So they’re not being held to democratic account as they should be.

So they’re faced with 2 interest groups

1. The electorate. But they don’t vote in large numbers, so **** ’em!
2. Big business. Who rabidly and relentlessly promote their interests by any means possible. Endlesly lobbying them to change laws/regulations in their favour, offer them well paid directorships, and treat them to glamorous ‘research trips’ and big slap up feeds at the Ritz

So we’ve ended up with the completely unrepresentative mess we have because instead of hoofing them out of power, people shrug, tut, and don’t bother voting. Thus, they go on the self-interested with business as usual.

So…. to summarise. You see this…..

Well its all your ****ing fault! About 30% of the population voted for these ****s! And just look at the way they’re carrying on! Like its their own personal fiefdom!

Its not a ‘hatred’ for our politicians, which stops me voting. – I don’t any of them are THAT bad compared to those in other countries.
I think its because I have seen and would expect very little change in much, regardless of who is in power. (Yeah there would be some tinkering around the edges, but BIG changes ??) I don’t really complain about much – I would rather use my time to look for the positives in situations ??
And yes, I’m aware people were sent to war to die to protect a political system.
Maybe, I’m just far too superficial ?

My problem is that I see Cameron and I want to slap him, I see Clegg and have the same violent reaction, then I see Milliband and I want to shake him, then slap him, don’t get me started on UKIP…who do i vote for??

But, because I have always lived in either a conservative or Labour strong hold and have never voted for either of them the current voting system means my votes have never meant a thing.

You don’t have to back the winner for your vote to count and a vote isn’t wasted even in a stronghold where a change of political colour is unlikely. The committee your constituency elects (a ‘committee’ as in person entrusted with the charge of another person or another person’s property or interests) represents, and works for and on behalf of all of you, not just they ones who ticked their box. (and they’re paid by all of you too). Its important for it to be known exactly what mandate they have.

All politicians are cheating, self serving short termist scum.

Our apathy puts them there.

Yeah there would be some tinkering around the edges, but BIG changes ??

You need to get out more. If everything is fine and dandy for you then good for you. If you’re not aware of BIG changes happening right, right, now then you’re just the kind of voter our current government dream of. The people i know with mental and physical disabilities are having their lives royally xxxxed, the young carers who have sacrificed their childhood to care for their parents – having their lives royally xxxxed. And the people who do know, and do care, and do everything in their power to try and soften these blows – their lives and work royally xxxxed. Proper fear, proper harm, proper despair. And we should all be properly angry that a minority government is doing it in all our names – yours included.

It is indeed a shame folk feel like this and without winding the lefty boys up with more UKIP rhetoric it’s precisely why they’re growing.

I’d go the green route, as somebody said back there a lot of people died keeping the option to vote available to you and the greens generally have our best interests at heart even if they’re not very good at broadcasting the fact.

binners – Member
So they’re faced with 2 interest groups

1. The electorate. But they don’t vote in large numbers, so **** ’em!
2. Big business. Who rabidly and relentlessly promote their interests by any means possible….

….So we’ve ended up with the completely unrepresentative mess we have because instead of hoofing them out of power, people shrug, tut, and don’t bother voting.

So whose fault is that.

With the European elections dont we have the charade of ranking all the candidates. I upset the teller last time by asking if I could rank then alphabetically. Its bad enough chosing one, let alone ranking a whole bunch of them – need a new collective known for MEP candidates….a bureaucracy, a gravy train, a confusion….?

What do the war dead have to do with the right to vote? They didn’t willingly die for some notion of democracy, they were conscripted sacrifices for the greater gains of the political class that controlled them.

I’ve voted in most elections over the last thirty years. The more I see of the political process, the more I’m convinced that the only solution involves certain heads being skewered on poles.

it’s a classically difficult question, as it invokes historic and historical context and then tries to continue to apply it to every opportunity to vote.

If we accept the principle of general emancipation, then we need to accept a sort of Sartre influenced right to choose not to vote as part of that wider freedom.

As it is, I’ve reconciled that by casting a spoiled ballot paper where, for example, I have an objection to all of the candidates or dislike the election process for that campaign. I take part in the wider voting process, and form a view on the merits of each election without resorting to the rather childish suggestion that all politicians are self-serving, corrupt or short termist.

Mac _ You’re right, I’m probably not as ‘current affair savvy’ as I should be. But would a government from a different political party channel money and expense into the sort of minorities you cite at the expense of the middle ground ? I honestly don’t know, but would be surprised if they did.

need a new collective known for MEP candidates….a bureaucracy, a gravy train, a confusion….?

This list deals with MPs rather than MEPs but perhaps you can add you suggestions

Someone helpfully suggested the collective noun ‘group’

I think they fought for the right to choose, not the right to vote – so his choice to do whatever he wants to do with his vote.

Whilst I respect that point of view, for me it’s still saying that “my choice is the democracy they fought and shed blood for is not worth my time and energy engaging with”.

You’re right, I’m probably not as ‘current affair savvy’ as I should be

its not a current affairs thing – go out of the house and meet people.

But would a government from a different political party channel money and expense into the sort of minorities you cite at the expense of the middle ground ?

the situation we’re arriving at has been achieved through cuts…. so that question answers itself really. You talked about changes and change is definitely happening – difficult experiences are being changed into dreadful ones. And the people effected are more significant in number than would be reflected in the word minority.

With the European elections dont we have the charade of ranking all the candidates. I upset the teller last time by asking if I could rank then alphabetically.

Isn’t that the Alternative Vote? 😉

If I don’t vote I have NO right to complain about anything; I’m essentially giving away any input I have into the running of the country, thus making a mockery of the democracy that we really, really shouldn’t take for granted.

No offence but you are being taken for a mug IMO. Those in charge are giving you the illusion that you can effect change but all they are really doing is trying to prevent a reform of the entire system (which is what is really required for change).

as somebody said back there a lot of people died keeping the option to vote available to you

this is a tired old argument as well but even so having a “none of the above” option on the ballot would enable one to exercise the right to vote whilst refusing to endorse any of the candidates.

What do the war dead have to do with the right to vote? They didn’t willingly die for some notion of democracy, they were conscripted sacrifices for the greater gains of the political class that controlled them

A lot of them were volunteers, not conscripts.

I always vote in the local elections here in Spain, although I’m not allowed to vote in the national elections. And because I haven’t lived in the UK for the past 15 years I don’t seem to have a right to vote there, either.

this is a tired old argument as well but even so having a “none of the above” option on the ballot would enable one to exercise the right to vote whilst refusing to endorse any of the candidate

Compulsory voting with this option would be my preference.

Nice link mac!!

I’ve voted in every general, local and European election since I turned 18; my first was the 1997 general election.

If I couldn’t bring myself to vote for any candidate, I’d spoil my paper rather than not voting. If Alan Milburn was still my MP, this would probably have happened at the next general election as I can no longer vote for the Lib Dems and we never have a Green candidate, but we now have a good, local Labour candidate who’ll be getting my vote.

I think it’s sad that some people don’t take the time to find out what’s happening and take an active part in the process. If your MP and councillor don’t recognise you in the street you’re not taking enough of an interest in what’s going on.

What do the war dead have to do with the right to vote? They didn’t willingly die for some notion of democracy, they were conscripted sacrifices for the greater gains of the political class that controlled them.

Many many signed up voluntarily to protect our nation, our right to govern ourselves. That’s why my Grandad signed up, he was killed at age 21.

@captaincarbon – point taken.

@binners – you need to add Clegg and Cable into that picture, in fairness I think the coalition is the most representative government we’ve had in a long time in relation to how many people voted for the LibDems and Tories combined.

No offence but you are being taken for a mug IMO. Those in charge are giving you the illusion that you can effect change but all they are really doing is trying to prevent a reform of the entire system (which is what is really required for change).

So stand for election. Get other people to stand who agree with you. Win an election. Effect change.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0679179/

41 and never voted and never will.

I was thinking about this today, and how it seems that whoever we vote in, it’s a case of “meet the new boss, same as the old boss”.

I propose a weighted voting system, where each person’s vote is scored 0-10 based on their understanding of the policies of the party they’re voting for.

0 = no show
1 = under 25 and reasoning involves vague ramblings about Margaret Thatcher
2 = “dunno really, I guess I’ve just always voted for Party X”
3 = tenuous grasp of a single issue

and so on, up to

10 = clear understanding of party policy and likely changes to society that will result from them being enacted from policy into law

Entirely impossible that this might ever happen, given that anything that could encourage the majority of opinions to be formed from research rather than from tabloid ministerial sleaze exposes and smear campaigns must be heartily discouraged.

Mac – Obviously I get out of the house and talk to people and use my local services. I have seen winners and losers, regardless of which political party is in power.

Mike – or let the Whitehall charade continue, giving time to charity and looking after family and friends, etc. ??

39. Done it once.

I’d be much happier to vote if there was a “none of the above” option too.

It may not make a difference in your constituency, and you may think that it’s only the tie colour that changes (and you may be right). But it DOES make a difference in the long run.

You may only be choosing between the same 3 parties, but the policies those parties adopt can be flexible, and will respond to the mood of the electorate. And by placing your vote, even if your candidate doesn’t win, you are registering your position.

However I do think that ‘none of the above’ would be a massive help.

or let the Whitehall charade continue, giving time to charity and looking after family and friends, etc. ??

+1 Life is short and I’d rather not waste it on bullshit. Happy to support anyone who would take a stand though (as long as it doesn’t get in the way of riding bikes 🙂 )

I quite like your idea TheFlyingOx but how would the scores be assigned? Would we have to sit an exam or an interview or can I score everyone at random?