Chip

Will you be voting in the next General election. Gov wants to make it compulsory for all to vote from 2008.

If you do vote who will you vote for?

OllyK

I always vote, at least that gives me the right to moan and bitch if the party I voted for don't get in and the other mob do things I don't like If you don't vote, don't bitch about the situation.

Interesting that 2 would vote and 1 wouldn't and all 3 would vote conservative

Dracoro

That old chesnut. So you are suggesting that people can only moan if they vote, even if that means voting for someone they don't believe in? Until there is a 'none of the above' option, then I don't believe in what you say. You could apply the same logic to say anyone who voted labour can't moan either as it's their fault labour are in power.

What's worse, not voting for someone or voting for the wrong person because you have to vote for someone? Protest votes are daft as all they mean is someone else getting the vote. It's how scum like the BNP get votes (and elected!).

Last time round I felt the tories did not deserve my vote.
Last time round I felt labour did not deserve my vote.
Last time round I felt the lib dems did not deserve my vote.
Last time round I felt the greend did not deserve my vote.
Last time round I felt the national independance party did not deserve my vote.
Last time round I felt the bnp did not deserve my vote.
Last time round I felt the monster raving loony party did not deserve my vote (although I had to think long and hard about them .

So, Olly, who should I have voted for? If it was any of the above then that would have been wrong as I disagreed on principle that I should help them gain any power.

However, next time round I may or may vote and I'll evaluate my decision nearer the time depending on policies etc. Don't forget, most people vote X, Y or Z because they've always done/parents did/peer pressure etc. which is just as 'wrong' but I wouldn't take away their right to vote, however misplaced or not their vote may be. This is an accepted consequence of having a democracy.

phew.

OllyK

Dracoro

If you are looking for your "perfect" politcal party I think you are going to be sadly dissapointed, unless you plan to stand as an independant and vote for yourself, but still no guarentee

Yes I agree they are all a pretty bad bunch, but in some cases you have to go with the best of a bad bunch. This is a democratic vote not a beauty contest, so claiming that a political party hasn't "earnt" your vote strikes me as odd. It is about you choosing who you feel is in the best position to govern the country in the way that you think will be best for the country and for your personal situation. If you feel that none of the parties are in anyway shape or form fit to govern the country, then do something about it:
1) Start your own party
2) Leave the country
But again I still don't see that anybody who chooses not to vote has a right to bitch. Claiming that not voting is a protest vote is a nonsense as well, taking a vote away from a party and giving it to another has a double effect, just taking it away is a cop out.

Nope - everybody has the right to be stupid, if you voted Labour and are now realising that they are making a right mess of things then fine, you have the right to say you got it wrong and change your mind about them and bitch with the rest of us.

Dracoro

I don't expect any party to be perfect, far from it. I may be only taking a vote away from a party, but to give it to another gives them a stronger mandate and more power. Just imagine if labours majority was even bigger than it is now!!!

Anyway, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Hmmmm, <dreams about forming the Drac party>

OllyK

I agree it gives more power to the party you gave it to, but that means it has further reduced the power of the one you took it away from. So if you want to reduce Labour's majority is the best way to do it:
1) Anybody who isn't voting Labour don't vote at all - Labout win every seat
2) Vote for somebody else to try and keep them out - Labour get a majority but not all the seats.
Not voting increases the power of the party with the larger number of votes, not decreases it

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

and whats wrong with BNP???

Remember that all the critcisation of their policies have come from other political parties

OllyK

BNP is not my cuppa tea I have to admit, but this is supposed to be a democracy, the fact that they get votes suggest they are meeting a need, even if they are a minority. I suppose it is a case of is it better to have these people out in the open or to try and ban them and drive them underground?

Dracoro

or 3) the tories get in
or even worse the lib dems.

I do normally vote and have done in most elections. Last time was different for my reasons above.

Incidentally, general voter 'apathy' is not a bad thing. People usually go and vote when things are wrong in the country and they want change. When things are kinda OK then voting doesn't really make much of a difference in the whole scheme of things. Just a sign of how close Labour and the Tories really are. both getting closer and closer in the middle ground. People don't really mind too much which are in power as neither are really that left or right wing anymore. Having said that, people are now feeling like a change so I'm guessing the tories might get in next time if they play their cards right (which they probably won't )

TelBoy

Are paulr and wossisname still around?? I want my £100!!

OllyK

Personally I think that Labour made a big jump to the right when Blair first got in, they took on a lot of the Tory economic policy and that helped them. A lot of people who would not vote Labour before were persuaded that they would look after the economy and not revert to the old over spend and raise taxes approach of old. They did OK in the first term, but now it is back to the old ways and stealth taxes are being introduced left right and centre, more money is being promised to everybody and there isn't the economy currently to do it so we are borrowing more and more and at some point it will have to be paid back.

One of the biggest issues for me at the moment it the Tory belief that the civil service can be radically streamlined. Looks like Mr Brown picked up on that in the budget and dumped a load of civil servants! Why do I think this is an issue? I am involved in Education and the Education budget is circa £12 billion. Of that half actually makes it to our schools to teach kids, the rest gets lost in the Administration of running the system. That is gross innefficiency if you ask me and that's just in education. There are big saving to be made in sorting the civil service out.

Leslie

There is no excuse for not using your vote. It was hard won in the first place and is the very basis of a democratic country. You can't get away with feeble excuses such as "they are all the same" and "what difference will my vote make" etc. etc. They are just used by lazy people most of the time.

I have never leant in any particular political direction but have supported the party which I think will be best for the country and which is most likely to act on behalf of the people rather than their own selfish benefit. It is a matter of looking to see what the quoted policies are and working out what you think is the best way to go. If it means you have to do a bit of thinking about it-then there is nothing wrong with that! If that party does not deliver or reneges on its mandate, then vote them out next time.

If you follow the apathetic path, the eventually your vote will be lost or totally de-valued and you will lose the right to affect your life and the lives of your descendants. Then you really will have something to moan about. Trouble is, if you do, then you might expect the knock on the door in the early morning.

Les

Chip

Looks like most scoobynetters are Tories then though I wouldnt have thoufght that from the posts that appear here. More liberal I would have thought.

Chip.

Prince Popeye

Tories are a wasted vote too. I'd agree with Chip on the liberal front. Complete twits like Nacro/cosworth/jye etc should be voting for that twit Kennedy. Sigh.

NACRO

Last time round I voted for Bob Dobbs slacker party- remind me who are you again prince popeye, you seem to remember me but I seem to have forgotten about you for the most part. Except of course for the fact you like to drink Chateaubriand-

OllyK

Like to watch you drink one of those!!

Jye

Do you get six votes poopie, for all the times you've changed your name on SN

It's a long time since I've heard twit used as a crushing insult btw

what would scooby do

It's about time they made voting compulsory - even if you just end up spoiling the paper..

OllyK

I would object to that on principal. I don't have an issue with people not voting, just with them complaining about things if they don't vote. This is suuposed to be a democracy. If it was compulsary I would spoil my paper as a matter of principal.

Iraq had compulsary voting and surprise surprise Saddam always got 100% of the vote, why does this not inspire me with confidence?

what would scooby do

Austrialia has compulsory IIRC

BMWhere?

IMHO abstaining is just as important a vote as voting for someone! If we can't abstain then how do we express our dissatisfaction with all parties? 100% voting is OK providing there is a "I do not think any party is competent enough to run the country" box!

Forgive me for being cynical, but does anyone else think that Labours reasoning behind making voting compulsory is more to do with the revenue they can collect in fines from non-voters than any political reasoning!?!

Personally I reckon the Royal Family are more in touch with the public than any of the political parties at the moment. I say we abolish government and go back to a fully fledged Monarchy

AudiMan

I volunteer for the dubious role of a Presiding officer at the Polling stations each year (sad I know), but the best turn out I have had at my station over the last 10 years was 41% (on the general), last year when it was locals only it was down to 25% !!!!!, in general it's the same people who come in, the elderly are always out in force, they fought to retain the freedom and democracy of this country (and max respect for that), but in general people don't bother cos' they can't be ars**d to take a 15 mins detour !!, so to all these people who bleat on about not wanting to vote for any particular party, don't ! just put the ballot paper in the box unmarked it still gets counted, albeit not towards the election but the message gets over that people are willing to voice their opinion.
And if you really can't be bothered to stop at a polling station ring the council and ask for a postal vote, that way you can vote while shouting at the telly at whatever useless party happens to be in power at the time !.

Ian.

OllyK

AudiMan - spot on!

Chip

Yeah, well said Audi Man.

Chip.

Leslie

I think it would be wrong and not in the traditions of this country to make voting compulsory. I don't agree that abstention is the answer, it is likely to let the worst party for the country win by default. I agree that all politicians have lost most of their credibility these days, but they are the only people around to run the country and maybe the best thing we can do is to vote the party in which looks on form to do best for the country.

There is a move afoot to establish postal voting for everyone but many knowledgable people are saying that that system is too easily open to fiddling the result. Bit like Florida perhap's!

Les