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I wonder how long before a political party is born from Facebook. Okay it might not be for you, but I am just thinking of that Rage Against the Machine ordeal back when people felt like 'taking control' of the Christmas number 1. Although I'd probably fear such party just as much as any of the current ones.Quote:
Originally Posted by Saracen
As mentioned above, there is an option for the "none of the above" its called spoiling your paper. You have taken the time and effort to go to the polling station to say they are all useless. Imagine an election where a significant portion (i.e proportional to the amount of people who have lost faith in our political system) of the voters spoilt their paper, the governments "mandate of the people" would be in tatters.
It's what I did at the last election and I intend to do the same again.
Politics... garbage in, garbage out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIraCchPDhk.
He might be a comedian, but he hits the nail on the head.
It isn't a 'none of the above' vote, though. It's as close as we get, or probably ever will get, but it isn't the same thing. The reason is that ballots can be spoiled for a variety of reasons, including mistake, confusion and accident.Quote:
Originally Posted by [DW]Cougho
A classic example is where there are two elections running concurrently (as will be the case if May 6th is the election date as expected) and where one is a first past the post and the other a single transferable vote (which is not the case in May. On one paper, you mark with a tick or X or whatever, but on the other, you rank candidates in order of preference, to give the "transfer" bit of the system. If people get confused between the two, or don\'t understand the difference, the result is likely to be a spoiled ballot.
A "none of the above" option, on the other hand, gives an explicit and deliberate choice, on a valid paper, rejecting giving your mandate to any of the options.
And because a spoiled paper can be for all sorts of reasons, nobody pays any attention to spoiled ballots, except possibly where there are unusually large numbers of them when it might become an issue.
Finally, the other difference is that most people won\'t spoil their ballot, but given an explicit option to poke their finger in the eye of the system with a "none of the above" option on the paper, they just might take it in numbers too large to ignore. And that\'s why we\'re never likely to get it. The only people that could make it happen are the politicians in the major parties, who are, of course, precisely the people such an option would be aimed at, and who therefore have an very clear vested interest in making sure it never happens. They can ignore spoiled papers and non-voters, but ignoring an explicit rejection would be a lot harder.
Maybe. But bear in mind that posh people tend to wear pointier shoes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Saracen
as long as labour don't get back in due to voter apathy I'll be happy.
I would disagree that there's no one worth voting for: Anyone who's simply NOT Gordon Brown has a lot to recommend them, in my opinion.
Don't all working class types wear steel toe-capped boots?Quote:
Originally Posted by Fraz
Point or steel toe-cap? Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions. :D
This is the first general election I've really given serious consideration to not voting at all.
That said, it feels wrong not to. Very, very undecided. I may go Tory. I'd vote Pirate Party if they were standing in my neck of the woods. It's probably going to be an on the day decision when I go.
Not many people know Saracen has his shoes hand made from the tanned skins of his vanquished foes... well the people who died of old age/boredom/brain edema whilst valiantly trying to read one of his more epic and convoluted posts in it's minutiae.Quote:
Originally Posted by Saracen
True story :)
That won't be a problem then, unless you live in the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shooty*
Touche.
OK, I meant to say "Anyone who doesn't belong to the same party as Gordon Brown" etc etc etc.
But well pedanted.
Oi!Quote:
Originally Posted by 0iD
I've 'ave yer know, mate, I 'ave steel toecaps, 'igh-vis an a 'ard 'at and 'ave to use 'em on-site.
This time round for me it has to be the Lib Dems, just because of what they are saying about unfair taxes (council taxes etc). If they can put into practice what they have been talking about things could actually be better for the common type person.
Labour or Conservative we've had many times in the past and have proven time and time again that they are incompetent and greedy. Time to give someone else a go, as long as its not one of these 2 I'll be happy
I was being flippant, but there was a point behind it ;) If the concern is with an individual then you can always ask your MP to represent your views. There might well be plenty of labour candidates who would happily do that, some of them might even not be willing to sell out to the highest bidder. We have a fairly locally representative system here, and it's worth using it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shooty*
Trouble with the LibDems is that they seem to say one thing in one place and another somewhere else. Their strongest point is Vince cable, for whom, like many, I have considerable respect. Unfortunately, the package comes with Nick Clegg too and after his highly unconvincing performance on the daily Politics, on which in my view he came across as vacillating and evasive to a degree far more than even Brown, I just can't see me voting for him or his party because I want them. On the other hand, I can't think of anyone I do want, at least, based on their performance so far.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ferral
Right now, I'm pretty much in agreement with shooty, and round here, that means voting Tory to (try to) get the Labour incumbent out. If the LibDems were the second party, I'd vote for then for the same reason - not to endorse or support the LibDems but in the hope of getting Labour out. But round here, until this time, it's pretty much been a Labour sure thing, with the Tories being the only ones with a prayer of taking it away from them.