Am considering it, as I don’t like any of them or their policy’s lies but don’t not want to vote, as I still want my opinion* heard..

Completely daft.. am I on my own?

http://www.votenone.org.uk/none_of_the_above.html

*Their all lying bastards, who I wouldn’t trust as far as I could throw

Your opinion isn’t heard if you spoil your ballot paper.

I decided not to vote for the Beer, Backy and Scratchings party

Pick one, how hard can it be really ? 😉

scotroutes – Member

Your opinion isn’t heard if you spoil your ballot paper.

Even spoiled ballot paper are counted.. “Protest votes will count when the number increases significantly to make them newsworthy.”

I agree there should be a “None of the Above” option on ballot papers – as it means politicians can’t dismiss protest votes as “spoilt”.

BUT…

I’m not convinced I want to “waste” my vote to try to push for that option.

None of the above, compulsory to vote and PR for one of the chambers. I’d support that.

Don’t worry about it…… you can always change your vote for the next election …… in a few weeks time !

None of the above, compulsory to vote and PR for one of the chambers. I’d support that.

+1

My problem is I haven’t really got a choice this time. We are in John Bercow’s constituency and due to ‘tradition’ the 3 main parties don’t campaign against him. So we’re left with him, UKIP and Green (IIRC)

Such an out of date, out of touch policy. The speaker then get’s chosen on a the first day of the new parliament anyway!! So his seat is secured and he doesn’t have to do a thing. 👿

So yes, I’ll be spoiling my paper out of protest to a number of things, the above being the main reason. Spoiling is better then no voting IMO.

Always believed in this as spoiling a ballot paper can just be brushed off by the politician. However if you go to the bother of actually voting specifically in that manner then you become an untapped market for them and they are way less likely to ignore it.
Totally agree that if something like this gets implemented then voting should be compulsory and there should be PR of some description.
Basically people around the world are willing to die for this privilege so the least you can do is use your vote but I acknowledge that voting system must be inclusive enough that peoples choices are counted.

I do have a party to vote for btw. Always have.

None of the above, compulsory to vote and PR for one of the chambers.

Been advocating this for years.

Have sometimes wondered about whether it would be worth setting up a party with that as its one manifesto promise, with the resolution that once the bill had been passed all of the parties MPs would resign and a new general election would be held under the new system.

I suspect though, that with all the scaremongering that goes on, most people would be too worried about Tory/Labour/etc getting in that they wouldn’t want to vote for that party to get the ball rolling.

I think the general populace don’t really appreciate that we don’t really have a democracy or how we could benefit from constitutional reform.

Yes, spoiled ballot papers are counted. The number of them is largely irrelevant. You are bundled into the hopeless, incoherent and illiterate category.

“irrelevent” until they are a large enough number than it newsworthy or become a enough of a “target” for political parties as mentioned above.. so I disagree (hense my post)

Until they make the manifesto a legally binding document I wont vote – whats the point?
They can get into power on what they want you to hear then do whatever the f they want after.

Yes, spoiled ballot papers are counted. The number of them is largely irrelevant. You are bundled into the hopeless, incoherent and illiterate category.

However your demographic will be considered for policy making in future, if you vote. The check against the roll ensures this not your spoiled ballot paper.

I am in the privileged postion where my vote counts (there is 1% between red and blue in the opinion polls). They are desperate to know how I’m going to vote.

Until they make the manifesto a legally binding document I wont vote – whats the point?
They can get into power on what they want you to hear then do whatever the f they want after

Because you’re supposed to vote for a local MP who will reprisent your views in parliment. You (and they) don’t know what’s arround the corner. Otherwise we’d have to have a referendum on everything that wasn’t in the manifesto.

For example, hypotheticaly if Russia invaded us, no doubt some people would see this as a good thing, and some as a bad thing, but you’ve voted for an MP so now he get’s a say in whether we fight back based on his authority to make those decisions on your behalf.

The downside of PR is that you lose that accountability and just end up with 5 years of one party full of yes men to their leader voting as a block as they no longer have to be individualy electable. So a Tory or Labour majority could fill their seats with really right/left wing fringes to gaurentee their votes in the commons. PR can only work well with an equally matched opposition and a strong center party to hold the others there.

Even spoiled ballot paper are counted.

not always

not always

They have to count votes cast so surely it’s simple maths (suppose it depends how mnay postal votes there were and whether they were opened).

It’s the word ‘spoiled’ I object to – our system should respect a voter’s right to demand better representation than that put before him/her better than that.

I’m not ‘spoiling’ mine this time, because it makes no difference so I might as well stay home… or vote Green.

z1ppy – Member
scotroutes – Member
Your opinion isn’t heard if you spoil your ballot paper.

Even spoiled ballot paper are counted.. “Protest votes will count when the number increases significantly to make them newsworthy.”If people are classing spoiling papers as a counted vote, then non votes are counted too,(until there is a distinction between them legally, and there is a none of the above option that carries enough weight to trigger a new election then spoiling your paper and not voting are the same thing.)

scotroutes – Member
Your opinion isn’t heard if you spoil your ballot paper.

If I think all the parties are worthless, voting for one of them isn’t expressing my opinion.

pretty daft to throw away your right vote IMO

all it will do is give the hardcore brainwashed voters the power to decide for you who is going to carry on making a mess and screwing everything up next.

the election is as much won on account of the people who choose not to vote as choose to vote.

60% turnout decided last election, pretty sure none of the parties had 40% of that 60, think about it, the actual majority does not want any of them!! 😉

vote. even if you think it is pointless, it is not 🙂

the actual majority does not want any of them!!

you can’t actually know if there’s is a distinction between don’t wants and know cares until there is a none of the above option that has the power to trigger a re-run of the election.

It’s the obvious big massive hole in our democracy, well that and some kind of PR system.

fair point but unlikely to change I think, so still worth using the choice we have and maybe one day get the choice you want,no?

ffoverload – Member
fair point but unlikely to change I think, so still worth using the choice we have and maybe one day get the choice you want,no?

No, if I don’t think I have an option that will endorse my view, I won’t vote. I don’t understand why I should endorse something I disagree with?

I haven’t voted in a few elections. and it’s not for lack of thinking about it. Or apathy.

if you do not vote, you still have the right to complain 🙂

iffoverload – Member
if you do not vote, you still have the right to complain

Absolutely, I do.

60% turnout decided last election, pretty sure none of the parties had 40% of that 60, think about it, the actual majority does not want any of them!!

It’s been shown that the proportion of the population that doesn’t vote generaly reflects the people that do fairly closely. It’s never been enough to change the result IIRC (from a radio 4 discussion).

Same way as the scottish indepencance vote was almost exaclty the same result as the oppinion polls, despite the prevailing oppinion that the silent majority would vote no (or more likely not vote) and proportional ammount of yes voters also stayed home.

yes complain but it will probably make no difference, why not endorse the one you disagree least with? I agree it is far from ideal, but asking for a new system to be put in place by the people who are put in place by that system just seem a touch optimistic.

thisisnotaspoon – Member
60% turnout decided last election, pretty sure none of the parties had 40% of that 60, think about it, the actual majority does not want any of them!!
It’s been shown that the proportion of the population that doesn’t vote generaly reflects the people that do fairly closely. It’s never been enouch to change the result IIRC (from a radio 4 discussion).

Same way as the scottish indepencance vote was almost exaclty the same result as the oppinion polls, despite the prevailing oppinion that the silent majority would vote no (or more likely not vote) and proportional ammount of yes voters also stayed home.

Any stats on the number of people that would use a none of the above option, if it had the power to trigger a re-run?

I’d guess, that would significantly change the voting pattern dynamic.

iffoverload – Member
why not endorse the one you disagree least with?

Because that makes for a shit democratic system, and things won’t change if people follow the rules.

yes complain but it will probably make no difference, why not endorse the one you disagree least with? I agree it is far from ideal, but asking for a new system to be put in place by the people who are put in place by that system just seem a touch optimistic.

Or revolt! Smash the pillars of the party system and bring the roof of our pathetic democracy down!

* I may not be serious *

It’s never been enough to change the result IIRC (from a radio 4 discussion).

this may or may not be true, but it is no good to have such a low turnout either way. maybe many who abstain would vote for a ‘fringe’ candidate but feel there is no point as the media coverage hype etc makes it look like a 2 horse race?

can i vote for the party who will instigate a ‘None of the above’ checkbox for the next time?

Thought not.

ti_pin_man – Member
can i vote for the party who will instigate a ‘None of the above’ checkbox for the next time?

Thought not.Turkey’s don’t often vote for christmas. plus tbh, I doubt that it would be actived often, if ever, but it should be there, so that you can differentiate between don’t want’s and don’t cares.

I’d opt for a PR system first if it was a choice of the 2 mind you. I believe that’s a more important change to our democracy.

Or revolt! Smash the pillars of the party system and bring the roof of our pathetic democracy down!

* I may not be serious * 😆

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWVxI6XZAuE[/video]

Any stats on the number of people that would use a none of the above option, if it had the power to trigger a re-run?

I’d guess, that would significantly change the voting pattern dynamic.

Your google-fu is as good as mine, go search them out. The whole topic was done to death arround the refernedum.

I doubt it though, you’re never going to find a candiate that shares 100% of your views. The winner will always be the least objectionable to the most people. PR, compulsary voting or the addition of a “none of the above” option won’t change that. The majority will still vote for the big party they most agree with. If you genuinely believe your view is the most sensible and really would appeal to some silent majority who aren’t voting because they agree with you, then stand for elelction, you’ll win by a landslide!

If you genuinely believe your view is the most sensible and really would appeal to some silent majority who aren’t voting because they agree with you, then stand for elelction, you’ll win by a landslide!

I’d probably give stalin a run for his money, so best not to! 😆

As I say, i’m not overly fussed about it, and I do say I don’t think it’ll make a massive differece.

PR on the other hand would make a difference.

Interesting posts/views, cheers all, had wondered if this was another of my threads that would die on it’s arse 😀

I postal voted for the one I disagree the least with. Was swithering on spoling mine. Kind of wish I had. I see nothing wrong with it.
Not a fan of tactical voting either. Never been keen to vote for a party just to keep another party out.