Electioneering

[aclivity]

The news papers and radio have been on about the upcoming election for weeks now, although it seems like a lot longer. This morning the Labour and Conservative parties released posters attacking the personalities of the other side.

It's just about a week to the election, I'm wondering if all this electioneering is worthwhile. Have you already decided who to vote? If not, will you decide over the next week, or will it be a last minute thing, on the day of the election?

I'm not interested in responses saying "I'm not going to vote".

[Clare Gledhill]

[Helen F H]

It really annoys me when people dont vote. When i was at university i used to get the bus back home occasionally - it used to go past the church where Emily Davison, the suffragette famous for throwing herself in front of the kings horse, is buried.


Link - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/histori...on_emily.shtml

People have died to simply get the right to vote, and continue to do so in countries where they do not get the liberties we take for granted.

[Conor]

But I'd rather people didn't vote than use their vote without thinking about which party is the most suitable. I hate the idea of people who will vote for the same party everytime without thinking through the issues and deciding which party best represents them........oops sorry, end of rant

[Mr T.]

[Fiji Dave]

I haven't decided who I'll vote for yet, but I have decided who I WON'T vote for and that's TB. I cannot stand the man and I don't believe a single word that comes out of his mouth. I would possibly have considered voting for Labour had he not been at the helm, but I could not possibly give them my vote while he remains at the top.

Conservatives? Lib Dems? Other? I don't know. I'm not sure that any of them are ready to govern. But I'd rather they had the chance than another term of Tony Blair. I think I live in one of the safest Conservative seats in the country, there hasn't been a single leaflet through the door other than 1 conservative one, so I don't expect my vote will change that. But I will still vote as I'm firmly of the opinion that if you don't vote you can't complain when the ones you don't like make it into power.

[ahar]

There's been so much about this for the last few months that I decided weeks ago

[nigelH]

Originally Posted by Porg

It really annoys me when people dont vote.

It is a pity but do we want everybody to vote? Half the population is below average. Conversely we have the freedom to vote secretly or to abstain and that is valuable too.

I was never very impressed by the old Iron Curtain countries free vote where you were given the form, if you placed it directly in the box it constitute a vote for the *default* (ie: official) candidates but you were free to go to the booth and make whatever amendments you wished.

Plus not voting carried a serious fine.

It was like the 45 minute standing ovations at the Party Congress where nobody dared risk being the first to stop and sit down.

[aclivity]

Originally Posted by Conor

But I'd rather people didn't vote than use their vote without thinking about which party is the most suitable. I hate the idea of people who will vote for the same party everytime without thinking through the issues and deciding which party best represents them........oops sorry, end of rant

I agree with your point, but my view is that by not voting you lose the right to complain about the government that is subsequently elected.

I would rather we had an electoral system that would allow "none of the above" in ward elections, if that was the winner then the election would be re-fought with none of the original candidates allowed to stand.

[Garf]

Half the population is below average

whatever trait or characteristic you are referring to, half will also be above it. that's why it's called an average