Who Did You Vote For?

My alternative to voting is not voting, with the intention of speeding the downfall of the current system by removing its pretence of legitimacy and thereby prompting a review. I suppose you could say that a principled abstention is a single issue protest vote. But the issue in question is the most important meta-political issue there is. Without a valid system of representative democracy, voting on any other issue is utterly irrelevant.

I don't like the slight implication there that unless I am campaigning for a named alternative then I have no right to voice a protest against the status-quo - a system which claims to speak for me but singularly fails to do so. If I am campaigning for anything, it is for a public re-examination of the system to determine why it has failed and a return of democracy away from the elite and into the hands of the people. I'm certainly not arrogant enough to think I have any answers. Let's have a little intellectual humility, shall we? Approaching the issue openly is the only way forward.

If you jump on the nearest bandwagon you are not encouraging open debate but rather yelling loudly for dead, failed, and partisan ideologies (such as Marxist socialism which underpins the policies of Respect). I am in favour of questioning and thinking rather than fully-formed ideological belief-systems. I think the two are opposites. I am in favour of consensus and consructive debate rather than the black-and-white battling, class-struggle and sloganeering which so characterises every aspect of our politics.

 

Ooops. Voter turn-out significantly up!

 

Yep, because of the postal ballots. A last ditch attempt to prop up a failing system - by introducing something so very open to abuse! Send someone a polling card for a nonexistent person and they probably won't try turning up and voting twice. Send them an extra postal ballot or two and they'll send them all back...

A blip in a downward trend. What was the turnout, something like 40%? Meaning that those who voted are vastly outnumbered by those who didn't. Apathy, protest and anarchy wins by a landslide!

 

Yay! A victory for apathy! The hippies truly will inherit the earth!

 

Thanks for a complete honest answer ...very rare . I don't have a lust for war and don't revel in it . The sad truth is that there will always will be conflict . The thing that grinds me is that i get the impression anti war people think every conflict is avoidable and useless...but to argue this point is futile. I just have to agree to disagree.

So you put together the words and images ... its very well done . I don't agree with but can see the reasoning behind the images you chose. No offence but its the usual kinda stuff that anti war people use to make peoples heart bleed , most of the time it works. Not with me though. I am appaled at the images i see and stories i read , and i can quite imagine the stuff you came across. I have seen things that have upset me too. I think i am not a sentimental or empathic person because it does not affect me in a great way realy. I understand its terrible , but its reality . I know western societies are capable and do inflict terrible damage to others ... but i don't know , i can't see its in the same ball park as the horror that S.H and his ilk have done. It is a paradox within me maybe even its hypocritical but thats just the way i am.

I am a positive person and for every horrible image , there is 3 other images that i can find that tell the good that is being done. This is what helps me sleep at night.

The reason i did not vote for respect : I am not anti war not anti E.U and the fact George .G is involved..after that i could not find anything more they had to say on anything..

Its all about egos with a lot of these partys ... why not find common ground with smaller paries and unite .. that would make a more robust and more dynamic alternative . Thats never going to happen they all have there own self image and reason-detre .

Do you think Respect will be around and as eager in 5-10 years time????


Good news
http://www.operationiraqichildren.org/stories.html

 

Except that as it stands, the elite and the powerful will claim their 10% majorities as an unquestionable mandate to do whatever the fuck they want. How can that be a legitimate process? By voting, those four in every ten people are giving the ruling class explicit permission to continue pissing all over everyone for a few more years.

*sigh* I did tell you all...

 

i voted green in the Euro elections, i didnt vote for the council elections.

i do know someone who voted BNP needless to say that i now dont talk to him because he is a racist, sexist dickhead!

 

ooooooh .. you actually make your own vaseline? ... can`t you just buy some or is someone feeling tight?






i notice that the poll on this board doesn`t reflect the actual results in any way .. i think we all need to conform more!

 

I voted Respect and Greens

 

The world would be a better place if we ran it!

Actually there's a flaw in the voting system - if you didn't vote in the election because you couldn't be bothered, would you really be bothered to vote in this poll to say so?

 

Or be a complete living nightmare..

 

I voted for the Scottish Socialist Party.

 

No, that's the way things are already ...

 

Were are you living...

We don't live in a perfect world i realise that...but its not all bad. Be positive rather then negative ...why don't you.

Idealism along with populist ideals would become a living nightmare.

Name 5 things that you would change and then think of the ramifications.

Oh its nice too see someone else voted for labour (according to the poll) Glad they did not waste their vote ..

 

You sound like a pessimist matthew, and that's OK. But without idealism you would never change anything. We might still have slavery, women might not have the vote if people hadn't fought passionately for their ideals.

To be honest I don't think people like Respect or the Greens realistically think they will ever be in a position of real power. I certainly don't. What they aim for is to be a voice of idealism and passion in a bad system. That if nothing else, gets my respect.

 

i never voted as i away from 8 in the morning till 4 the next morning. i would have voted greens in the european most definately. and sal whats so wrong about lib dem? granted they aren't the best but a hell of a lot better than labour!one example for you-was in the scottish parliament yesterday for the cross party tibet support group, we had two lib dem msp's and four green msps and guess what......NO LABOUR!!! that does not surprise me to be honest....just makes me slightly mad.....grrrrrrrr

was exceptianally disappointeted with the 12 frelling UKip meps......bloody facisists! although i think people are only voting them as they don't know who else to vote for and are annoyed a tthe whole system....or at least heres hoping!

namaste

x x x

 

Eek! Look at the poll!

Who was it? Who was it?

 

I am not a pessimist , just a little fed up with fringe partys .. promising the earth and never changing ever.

It was an inevitability these would change in 'our' society...

compromise and mutual benefits had a hand in it as well. This is what should be fought for all around the world..even if that is a conflict (war , whatever)



I think the green party and respect are pompouse humourless idiots myself ... what they 'believe' in is still scare tactics designed to win you over

'pressure groups' are only trying to rush change that is already being done anyway ... they just want the kudos.

Greens: GM food is bad
Respect : The war is wrong

They have every right to say this (and other things) .Does not make them right though. They will never get any real power because most of what the bleat on about is being done anyway...and all the things they appose , well they will never change there stance so whats the point argueing with them about it..

Rationality and realism is better than idealism

Talking dirty to win voters..
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1239833,00.html

 

Right, so ... there's no need for idealism, then? Thank god for that, I was just starting to care about global injustice!

 

Indeed. Because only pompouse (sic), humourless idiots could possibly care about saving the planet, right?