Published on 12, July, 2020
I use to be a brittish conservative just so the yanks on here don't get confused but now I don't vote at all. I'm not even sure politics makes sense to me and see it more as a modern day religion or cult. When you watch people debate in parliament you have to question why do we allow these people to run the country at times. But voting genuinely seems pointless and doesn't seem to mean anything to me personally. Just find it odd how people get so wrild up about or defensive about if politics is like there life or something it's kind of sad really cause SDK yourself what do the government do for you besides raise taxes and make life more difuclt. By that I mean they claim to give us a pay rise then the next year they increase taxes which completely defetes the objective of a pay raise as even if your pay does increase by a small amount if taxes rise then your money still doesn't go far due to tax inflation canceling it out. It's as if they take us for fools.
The trouble with voter apathy is it tends to give the green light to political parties to do what they want, knowing that it won't affect them so much at the next election as there are a few groups they can always rely on.
The current system is also very flawed and not fit for purpose. Much like in America, the elections are often decided by a minority of people in marginal constituencies and loads don't go out to vote since they live in 'safe' seats and it's unlikely to make a difference. That said, our PM's behavior may have changed a few minds recently.
I think it's a bit of a shame that people don't exercise this important democratic right (though I do understand why people feel it's devalued) and then complain about the government that they get
I agree. As far as I'm concerned if you don't vote you forfeit the right to complain about the government and the country. I have also noticed a very strong positive correlation between the non-voters and the me-ism of 'what do I get', emphasis on I. What's that famous JFK quote... ;)
The relationship between us and our "leaders" is an abusive one. Voting for more of the same, to some of us appears to be a form of stockholm syndrome.
Walking away is the only sensible option. I'll vote when a party arises that represents and implements my core values, until then the old hippie maxim holds true. "No matter who you vote for the government always wins".
Those of you who still vote are persisting in an activity that is proven to not work, which is the very definition of insanity, according to Einstein.
On the other hand, I can admire people for "doing their civic duty" and for the few people I know for whom the system seems less adversarial, or are able to make it work for them, I can see why they do it.
To be fair, I've been actively trying to develop a better form of government since 2001, and have not succeeded yet.
And the concept of "what do I get" becomes very real to those who are seen to have nothing to give, and therefore "get" nothing but aggravation from this "society"...
There are THREE main societal groups, the "Authorities" the "criminals" and the rest of us who wish the other two groups would sod off and stop robbing us blind, and just leave us be.
It’s ironic that in proudly holding an Irish passport as an Irish gay man in the 21 years that I’ve lived in the U.K., I lost Irish voting rights after living 5 years outside Ireland, but gained U.K. voting rights on an Irish passport after only a year living in the U.K. - in recent years, the Irish government makes it ever more difficult for me to renew my Irish passport even though I still have extended family living in Rural Ireland and this happened long before Brexit was even thought of - as long as I’ve lived in the U.K. Ireland will always be my real home, as my Irish identity is very important to me, as much as my Catholic faith is