Voting Today

Labour won 35.3% of the votes in the 2005 general election. So even if we ignore those who, for whatever reason, did not vote, they only represent a third of the population. To have one third of a voting population choose the policy-makers (rulers) of the other two-thirds of the population seems a little flawed to me.

Thats what happens when you have lots of political parties in a democracy. If you voted labour, and had the largest share, but someone else was prime minister how would that make more sense?

Yes there is. we have the freedom to be on the ballot paper in the negative freedom sense of the word, nothign is stopping us (bar the £2000 or whatever it is), but surely the multi millions spent in the American elections, and the soaring spending of the british parties on election campaigns and canvassing, coupled with the massivly flawed system of first past the post we have means that whislt you can eb on the ballot paper, it aint gonna do shit, even if people vote for you

Negative Freedom?

This is all very defeatist. Why bother anyway then? If you cared enough you could find a way, but maybe other things are more important to you. fair enough. But you have a chance.

Negative Freedom?

Negative freedom: you are allowed to enter your name ont he ballot, there is nothign legally stopping you, you don't actually have the ability to enter the running competitivley

Negative freedom: you are allowed to enter your name ont he ballot, there is nothign legally stopping you, you don't actually have the ability to enter the running competitivley

If you found some people to support you you'd be fine. If nobody would support you, you'd get no votes anyway. That sounds democratic to me. I personally think a local election wouldn't be too hard to win with enough canvassing, and that would be a start.

Great discussion.

Can I just clarify that I didn't abstain, or spoil, just that I respect people's right to be apathetic about encouraging (by expressing their support as a mandate) what is essentially a sewn-up, turgid and impenetrable 'system' made up, primarily, of money grabbing, self-serving, Old Boy Net-rinsing, lazy, rich, arms-dealing, tobacco-owning, Camelot-board member, law-partner bastards i.e. Parliament.

I voted Green.

Only the second time in my life that I haven't voted Labour. And I have a certain uneasiness about that. But only on ballots where the system is a kind of PR.

Wooo bikes.

Despite the flawed nature of British governance, the electoral system, the media glamour-show of modern party politics and the inability to tell apathy from a political withheld vote, I think we can all agree that the BNP are shitehawks and really need to be blocked out.

There arn't enough flaws in British society to fuel the fire of mass revolution, and I don't think it's in our nature any more, and whilst any man (or woman) should be perfectly capable of running for office, even with funding and a support network, I'd presume that most people voting will simply vote for a party rather than local issues. The vast majority of MP's have been in the political system, working with their party of choice for years. My friend Luke is basically on route to be a perfect Tory, he's been canvassing since he was about 15, it's almost unthinking brand loyalty for the politically minded.

A case in point is this "Go Gordon Go" campaign, using Gordon Brown as a figurehead for people current dislike of the political system. Is he to blame? No, not really. Could he have done anything about it? No, not really. Is it more of a offering to the media after the expenses scandle has broken? Yes. The labour ministers who are trying to oust him are just scrambling for a chance in the next election, and not even subtly.

There isn't a fix for this, until enough people get clued up or aggrevated enough to do something about it. So for now I'll vote tactically or left-wing when possible, and sow a little dissent where-ever possible.

The only solution - crank revolution, lol.

23.48: BNP take a seat in Yorkshire and Humber (sp?)

BNP won a seat in the NW, too :-(

I blame nes...

i blame the immigrants

I blame the cyclists.

There's an anti-BNP March starting in Piccadilly gardens this afternoon at 5.30.

There's a 'Not in my Name' petition here http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/page/s/notinmyname as well.

Not sure I see the point in these things. As ugly and horrid as it is, the BNP played the game and won their places fair and square. This is how democracy works. To protest against the BNP's success would basically be to protest the working of democracy. Sure, it's shit that they got a couple of seats, but what's protesting about this going to do? Are they claiming foul play, or do they just want to prove 'I'm not a racist! Look at me being angry!'?

If the people signing the petition and going out on protest marches had expended this energy in going out and educating others about the BNP, or even just suggesting to friends that they go vote, perhaps the fascists wouldn't have won their seats...

Did anyone go to the Piccadilly Gardens protest? I'd have really loved to go but I got stoned instead.

Sadly you're right .ptn., we can't really complain in the current democratic climate. Better to let them makes fools of themselves. I'm waiting for Nick Griffins first meeting with the Polish or Turkish MEP's. It'll certainly be a lol.

Did anyone go to the Piccadilly Gardens protest? I'd have really loved to go but I got stoned instead.

Sadly you're right .ptn., we can't really complain in the current democratic climate. Better to let them makes fools of themselves. I'm waiting for Nick Griffins first meeting with the Polish or Turkish MEP's. It'll certainly be a lol.

Polish MEPs backed by the Polish leaders, those evil weird twins? im sure their gonna get on fine, just like he will with Kurt Wielder or whatever the Dutch guys name is. there is a scarily high number of these mentalists in this years Eurpean parlaiament, especially the albanian (possibly) anti-gypsy party who wear matching dark shirts with armbands and a geometric design on them

There was some canvassing done around town to encourage votes and didn't appear to be biased towards any party, just anti-bnp. If having a couple of BNP MEPs stimulates interest in Europe and also voting then it could turn out to be a good thing overall. I think they'll make asses of themselves though!

yeha i think, hopefully, we will have a backlash and awakening in the general election similar to what happend in France when Le Pennes Front Nationale won the first rround of voting because of low turnout and protest votes, in the next round everyone got their arsses into gear!