OT: General election

always_tyred

I'm hilarious.

CiB

If anyone is planning not to vote for any reason, please have a think about what a chuffing numpty attitude this is, and then go and do the right thing instead of sitting on your ar$e watching Eastenders, muttering about bleeding politicians.

This election is a straight contest. By tomorrow lunchtime either Brown will still be PM, or Cameron will be. Nobody else is in with a shout - the choice is clear and unambiguous. We either keep Brown, or Cameron takes over. To those who imagine that they're making some big statement by not voting, or by claiming that "they're all the same", dream on. If you think Cameron is the same as Brown you're living in a tree. The expenses thing is a smokescreen - you'll get an MP whatever you do so you may as well vote for one of the candidates. Opting out is cowardice. We need the Australian system where a nominal fine is imposed for those that don’t vote.

If you are committed to one side or the other, you owe it to yourself and the British public to go out and vote for your preferred candidate. If not, it's not rocket science - if you're living in a Labour marginal and you don't want a Labour government, vote for the candidate most likely to beat the incumbent. Same if you're in a Tory marginal and dread the thought of Cameron at the helm - if you don't fancy that option, go and vote for the candidate that can beat the sitting Tory MP. If the winner is already quite obvious, vote anyway. More votes equals more legitimacy, and adds to the growing argument for a change on how we vote. Vote anyway.

I discovered recently that Labour's majority last time round would have been closer to 16 seats rather than 66, if the 25 Tory seats that Labour won thanks to the UKIP vote splitting the opposition had gone the other way. That's what voting on a whim for some no-hope candidate does. Voting for some no-hope single-issue candidate is a wasted vote. This election more than any, everybody should vote, and vote in such a way that when a candidate in your constituency wins or loses by a small margin, you can proudly claim to have been part of that result.

If you don't vote, you're a prat and I'll remove you from the SC Stats board if you admit to it on here. I will. Not voting in my view is a criminal shirking of public responsibility. I cringe when we I see Zimbabwean elections with voters queuing up to vote despite the chance of beatings, murder etc, and then compare & contrast with the snivelling lilly-livered duffers here who can't work it out for themselves.

</rant>

roger_merriman

+1

though have to say neither lib/con/lab apealed and I rode my bike to the polling station and back a whole 100 yards or so....

northstar

We need the Australian system where a nominal fine is imposed for those that don’t vote.

No we don't, if people don't want to vote that's their choice.

jonginge

Too slow AT. Your poll needed an 'already voted' option. I'm therefore going to abstain

CiB

northstar wrote:

We need the Australian system where a nominal fine is imposed for those that don’t vote.

No we don't, if people don't want to vote that's their choice.

Crap. It's a public duty to vote, not an option about whether or not you can be ar$ed. And before anyone raises it, there should be a 'None of the above' option.

MadammeMarie

CiB wrote:

I cringe when we I see Zimbabwean elections with voters queuing up to vote despite the chance of beatings, murder etc, and then compare & contrast with the snivelling lilly-livered duffers here who can't work it out for themselves.

</rant>

+++++++1

northstar

CiB wrote:

northstar wrote:

We need the Australian system where a nominal fine is imposed for those that don’t vote.

No we don't, if people don't want to vote that's their choice.

Crap. It's a public duty to vote, not an option about whether or not you can be ar$ed. And before anyone raises it, there should be a 'None of the above' option.

Not "crap", people have the choice what to do with their vote, if they don't want to then that's their personal choice (Naturally they won't be able to complain if they don't).

CiB

northstar wrote:

CiB wrote:

northstar wrote:

We need the Australian system where a nominal fine is imposed for those that don’t vote.

No we don't, if people don't want to vote that's their choice.

Crap. It's a public duty to vote, not an option about whether or not you can be ar$ed. And before anyone raises it, there should be a 'None of the above' option.

Not "crap", people have the choice what to do with their vote, if they don't want to then that's their personal choice (Naturally they won't be able to complain if they don't).

Utter crap. Good job you're not in the Stats board or you'd be first to be oiked out.

ThreeLionsBrian

northstar wrote:

We need the Australian system where a nominal fine is imposed for those that don’t vote.

No we don't, if people don't want to vote that's their choice.

Well if you don't vote, you have no right to moan at the outcome IMO. If you do vote please use it to change the system. At least future generations can actually vote for who they want to, regardless of what others think of that choice.

northstar

ThreeLionsBrian wrote:

northstar wrote:

We need the Australian system where a nominal fine is imposed for those that don’t vote.

No we don't, if people don't want to vote that's their choice.

Well if you don't vote, you have no right to moan at the outcome IMO. If you do vote please use it to change the system. At least future generations can actually vote for who they want to, regardless of what others think of that choice.

I will be voting, just referring to people that don't. Personally I find it hard to respect someone that doesn't but it's their own free decision to make and live with.

ThreeLionsBrian

A hung parliament where everyone works together to get us out of this mess is what we need, rather than a new majority with their nose back in the trough at our expense!

greg66_tri_v2.0

ThreeLionsBrian wrote:

A hung parliament where everyone works together to get us out of this mess is what we need!

Yeah, and a castle, and horses with wings and laser eyesight, and magical swords. 'Cos that's about as likely.

mroli

Have voted.

Don't really have an opinion on those that don't vote - think that those that don't vote tend not to be those who are politically engaged and if politicians can't engage them - then it is their loss.

Would be interested to see what party loses out through people not voting - have a suspicion it may be the labour party and that this may be exacerbated this election

greg66_tri_v2.0

CiB wrote:

This election is a straight contest. By tomorrow lunchtime either Brown will still be PM, or Cameron will be. Nobody else is in with a shout

Except... if it's not Cameron, I wouldn't bank on Brown still being PM a month from now.More likely Johnson (the alternatives of Mandy, Harperson or Balls-up are too dreadful to contemplate).

There'll be another election in the autumn. Bank on it.

MadammeMarie

CiB wrote:

northstar wrote:

We need the Australian system where a nominal fine is imposed for those that don’t vote.

No we don't, if people don't want to vote that's their choice.

Crap. It's a public duty to vote, not an option about whether or not you can be ar$ed. And before anyone raises it, there should be a 'None of the above' option.

Agree 100%. Where I come from - not Australia - it's also compulsory to vote. Over there, you go into a room, put the ballot paper in an envelope, then you come out of the room and you put your envolope in the box. If you don't agree with any of the candidates, you "vote blank", that is, an empty envelope in the box.

Compulsory voting is a good thing. It does get people involved; the destiny of your country in your hands!

Only one downside; the arguments! Oh my God! 8)

roger_merriman

Greg66 wrote:

CiB wrote:

This election is a straight contest. By tomorrow lunchtime either Brown will still be PM, or Cameron will be. Nobody else is in with a shout

Except... if it's not Cameron, I wouldn't bank on Brown still being PM a month from now.More likely Johnson (the alternatives of Mandy, Harperson or Balls-up are too dreadful to contemplate).

I can't see brown staying even if he wins for long to be honest. which frankly is a good thing as he hasn't impressed.

tailwindhome

CiB wrote:

IIf you don't vote, you're a prat and I'll remove you from the SC Stats board if you admit to it on here. I will. Not voting in my view is a criminal shirking of public responsibility.

I don't vote.

I live in Northern Ireland

I don't get to vote for either Conservative, Labour or Lib Dem but get to live with the consequences

Stick your SC Stats

ThreeLionsBrian

Greg66 wrote:

ThreeLionsBrian wrote:

A hung parliament where everyone works together to get us out of this mess is what we need!

Yeah, and a castle, and horses with wings and laser eyesight, and magical swords. 'Cos that's about as likely.

I said what we need! what we'll get is more DEMOCRACY!

amnezia

CiB wrote:

northstar wrote:

We need the Australian system where a nominal fine is imposed for those that don’t vote.

No we don't, if people don't want to vote that's their choice.

Crap. It's a public duty to vote, not an option about whether or not you can be ar$ed. And before anyone raises it, there should be a 'None of the above' option.

There is an option to vote none of the above, hand the ballot paper in blank.

rjsterry

Interesting factoid on BBC news last night: around 40% of voters were still undecided. This suggests that the polls have a pretty large margin of error.

MonkeyMonster

well said CiB.

rossere

For those who are unhappy with the current electoral system you need to vote labour or Lib Dem because these two parties have promised to reform the system. All the conservatives will do is make all the constituencies the same size which will benefit them no end, so if the conservatives get in we could have them for a long time to come.

Agent57

rossere wrote:

For those who are unhappy with the current electoral system you need to vote labour or Lib Dem because these two parties have promised to reform the system.

Ah, but whether to vote Labour or LibDem may depend on your constituency. If you live in a marginal seat, people who want reform should probably vote whichever way will make a hung parliament most likely.

The http://www.voteforachange.co.uk/ can give an indication of which way one might vote to try and hang parliament.

On the subject of voting and electoral reform, I found this a pretty good argument:

http://www.challengerappears.com/blog/2 ... -a-change/

I've already voted. I made my mind up while looking at the ballot paper, and realising that one of the candidates doesn't even live in my constituency (he's about 50 miles away). My current MP is a very good local MP anyway, and voting for her was also the recommendation of the VoteForAChange site; so win-win.

lost_in_thought

I will be voting, haven't done so yet because I'm a lazy so-and-so who hasn't had her breakfast.

But, much as I think people should vote, if they don't want to for whatever reason, that's their business.

tom101

Thanks for the links Agent57. Interesting stuff. A couple more that might help people in making up their minds who to vote for.

Decide who to vote for based on policies you agree with here. Worth checking even if you have already decided who to vote for. You might be surprised.
http://voteforpolicies.org.uk/

Find out where you are on the political compass
http://www.politicalcompass.org/
and compare with the UK parties here
http://www.politicalcompass.org/ukparties2010 (in case anyone thought any of the political parties in the UK were anything other than extremely right wing, this could be a bit of an eye opener)

CiB

The Telegraph had a good one, which suprisingly got it right for me and Mrs CiB, and we're poles apart politically. Bloody woman - don't know why I married her, cancelling my vote every time an election comes round.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7541285/How-should-I-vote-in-the-General-Election-2010.html

always_tyred

To all those who voted "no"...

... welcome to my irony trap.

soy_sauce

i want to vote but i can't vote.

if i could, i would vote for Lib Dem. its time for a change, a change for a better and more fairness UK.

sick of working my socks off and pay alot of tax so the chavs live 2 street down the road can have their cider for breakfast, lazy people do nothing and stay at home watch daytime TV on their 50" TV everyday with the once a week exercise of walking to the post office to pick up their benefit!!

cjw

I voted last week :shock:

lost_in_thought

Always Tyred wrote:

To all those who voted "no"...

... welcome to my irony trap.

You're a diabolical genius...