I believe in Australia if you don't vote, and you were eligible, you're fined. The correct approach.

Don't agree with the candidates? Write an essay on the back of the poll card and hand that in instead. In my mind, not voting because they're "all shyte" is shorthand for "I'm a lazy **** who can't be arsed."

Write an essay on the back of the poll card and hand that in instead.

Why would one of the monkeys counting the cards want to read that?

You've got a fair point on the **** thing. I can be arsed though, I just need something decent, honest and good to vote for, and I'm not seeing it.

yup as alrady said , people have died so i can , still not sure, still want to know what they think / say about immigration etc, not the bull shit about tax rebaits etc that the country cannot afford to pay out ,

Read Seeing by Jose Saramago.

I have always exercised my vote as the above novel describes – I submit a blank ballot paper. It's the closest I have to hedging my bets.

If you're not sure who to vote for, try this site. I'm not 100% convinced how independent it really is, but it lets you compare a set of policies without attributing them to their owning party before revealing how you'd actually vote for to get those policies implemented. I guess the problem is that any party actually stands for a set of policies that (they claim) work together, so by cherry picking policies you'd end up with a flawed system and a failing economy – hmmm…

OR for the cynincs – sing along to this

I'm waiting to see the candidates pictures then I'm going to vote for the prettiest lad. If the're no ladies, I'll vote for the ginger one with a beard.

I'll vote for the ginger one with a beard.

I hate to have to break it to you like this, but Robin Cook is dead.

I believe in Australia if you don't vote, and you were eligible, you're fined. The correct approach.

While I agree that people should vote, I'm not sure forced voting makes any sense at all.

people died so that we , th eplebs, could have a say in who our masters were. People fight wars still for this right. If you see no need in using yours , the powerful, have again won the war.
It is shame so few people vote and yet so many moan about politicians

A vote for any other party is one less vote for those BNP scumbags, who are currently 4th in the polls. I will be voting purely to keep them out of power. Fascist Scum who base their policies on race have no place in British politics, many fought and died to make that so!

How many times a day do you masturbate?

A. 5
B. 10
C. 15

You *must* answer.

It is a foregone conclusion that Gary Streeter (cons.) will win here, though the way usually fond way people seem to talk about him locally, I wonder how much that has to do with his own popularity rather than the conservative party he represents. Nevertheless I will be voting for the next most popular candiate (irrespective of my leftist views) because that is all you can do in a constituency in this one with the silly system we have over here.

politics = Toss.

While I agree that people should vote, I'm not sure forced voting makes any sense at all.

how can you force someone to vote ?

I don't actually have to do anything if I don't want to.

well labservative economic policy has had its day imho, although castirondaves bias towards helping the rich at the expense of the poor, really puts me off him them, not to mention the thought of osborne and the economy

im still in a sulk about the iraq war which both parties voted for

so ill have to vote limp dem, hopefully they will get enough power in a hung parliament to force through PR

although i suspect their overall financial policy will be more of the same, despite the wise words of the 'prescient' vince cable

I'll be voting Green, like I always have done.

And I always make sure that I vote. I know that the Green Party aren't going to beat everyone else, but that doesn't mean my vote doesn't count.

i too would vote green, if it wasnt for their attitude toward scientific research

how can you force someone to vote ?

I don't actually have to do anything if I don't want to.

Please read the rest of the thread.

I know that the Green Party aren't going to beat everyone else, but that doesn't mean my vote doesn't count.

But it does mean it effectively counts for nothing.

Right, I've been on the beeb site to find out who the PPC are. I have the choice of –

Oli de Botton (lab)

No bloke with a name that sounds like french for 'oil the bottom' is getting my vote.

Next up
Peter Lilley (con)

Famous for singing at one Tory conference –
I've got a little list
Of benefit offenders who I'll soon be rooting out
And who never would be missed
They never would be missed

There's those who make up bogus claims
In half a dozen names
And councillors who draw the dole
To run left-wing campaigns
They never would be missed
They never would be missed

Young ladies who get pregnant just to jump the housing list
And dads who won't support the kids of ladies they have … kissed
And I haven't even mentioned all those sponging socialists
I've got them on my list
And there's none of them be missed
There's none of them be missed.

Next.

Nigel Quinton (libdem)

Don't know anything about him, but I hate Nigels and adding the last name Quinton makes things worse. Plus he looks like Napoleon Dynamite 40 years on.

Last
Richard Wise (green)

Hasn't even got a ginger beard! Though I guess it might have been once.

It's like peering into a tin of quality street and finding all that's left are some coffee creams, crap toffees and some empty wrappers.

Mmmmmmm, coffee creams. Yum.

Hello. I feel the tragic events that happened in Poland with their leader being killed is something that got me thinking. Would this country mourn in the same way for Brown, Cameron or any of the others? Probably not.

We haven't had a leader in decades, someone to take the country by the scruff of the neck and sort out all the problems in a fair manner and give people back the belief we all need.

Unfortunately, most people vote for a party that suits their needs not the needs of the country and the politicians play on this.

I will vote (probably Lib-Dem), but this country needs serious change for it to be a better place.

Anyway, rant over and hope you have an enjoyable week.

I'm sure no one would miss Brown period!

We should all vote, its our right as been said before people died to make that so.

Please no one vote the vile baffon Brown and his henchman Mandleson back in, libdem, green, conservative whatever.. just no more BROWN!

I would vote but my polling both is nearly 8 miles away. If everyone else has the same booth as me the queue in oxford will be horrendous. Last time it was 5 minutes walk away.

I don't get it and think it must be an error. Anyone else found this?

khewett i suspect his wife and kids might

I shall vote. Because I CAN. People have died to give me that right and whoever is in government, no matter how bad they may be, has been elected by a democratic vote. If you don't vote, you have no place moaning about them either.

People died for the right not to vote, I think you mean.

In other words, for freedom of choice, the right to protest, the right not to vote if there is not a valid choice.

I probably will just because I feel I ought to but there's really sod all point, the Tories got over 50% last time and a mahooosive majority, so a bnit of a wasted vote. Some kind of proportional/transferable vote (ha just realised that wouldn't matter in my constituency anyway) system can't come soon enought imo.

I will vote as I feel I have no right o whinge about them being unfair if I didn't have my say in electing them when I had the chance. Plus they pay my wages as a teacher although their being ominously quite on the revolutionizing education front so far.. It can't last.

2 reasons for me to vote:

1. The polling station is my local pub
2. They do take away curries

Oh and I'd hate it if the tories got in

The European Union as it has turned out to be was the Nazis idea originally, read The Tainted Source by John Laughland for the real history of Europe.

Utter balls. If you think the first attempt at political and economic union in Europe came after 1933, you don't know much history.

Politics has got to change – so make sure you vote for someone other than labour / conservative. I'm in Scotland so its simple to choose SNP just to keep the other twunts out!

"[Don't vote; it just encourages them]"

Billy Connolly

Also from same

"[The desire to be a politician should get you banned for life from ever being one]"

If you think the first attempt at political and economic union in Europe came after 1933, you don't know much history.

Indeed. That little guy who invented those very useful pockets which some cycling jackets have,
had a go at it a few years earlier.

Indeed. That little guy who invented those very useful pockets which some cycling jackets have,
had a go at it a few years earlier.

Julius Ceasar?

Can't remember, might have been. How tall was Julius Caesar ?

Anyone who thinks that the system of government that would arise if voting in free elections ceased to legitimate the government would be better than the current system is almost unbelievably optimistic.

Also, a lot of the stuff about how "there's no difference between the parties" etc is a very simple commentary on a nuanced set of ideas about how something inordinately complex might be best done. If you reckon you can't perceive the difference between Labour and Conservative approaches to the management of the national system of education, that implies that (at the very least) you are pretty familiar with quite a lot of material relating to both sets of ideas, and are also au fait with the system of education as it exists at present. If that isn't true, then you've got 2 choices. You can either spend some time educating yourself until you know for sure that "there's no difference", or you can not bother and just have a lazy and ignorant opinion. Either option is fine, but if you think having a lazy and ignorant opinion about something you don't understand means that you shouldn't vote "because it isn't worth it" then it isn't politics, it's you, frankly. 🙂

People died for the right not to vote, I think you mean.

not if you're female, no that's not what you mean.

a lot of the stuff about how "there's no difference between the parties"

That is because the reality is, that there is almost no difference between Labour, Conservatives, and the LibDems. On all the important issues their policies are almost indistinguishable. None of them say black, whilst the others say white. They all agree that grey is what the electorate should be offered. The only thing in dispute is which shade of grey.

In fact, the three parties main objective this election, will be to find cunning ways to fabricate differences between themselves. Differences which can then be sold to the electorate.

The irony of it all is, that the reason they all share almost identical policies, is that those policies have been identified as the ones which appeal most to the electorate.

Of course that isn't to say there isn't a choice this election. There are obviously other parties apart from the ones which most people vote for.

To make the election more relevant, perhaps we should bring it down to bikes.

Would you buy a bike of Gordon Brown,mature, and a good rider, hanles downhills and up hills well, shows no signs of tireing,

David camera-ooooon,rides a bike but concerned wearing a helmet makes him look silly, has a car following him incase he has a puncture,

Or
whatever the other chap is called,hasnt ever ridden a bike,and hasnt shown any potential to even know what a bike is.