Feeling responsible for things you can’t control

I feel I have a duty to be informed and to keep up with developments at home and abroad. It is a huge responsibility not to be ignorant of the things that are behind certain political shifts and swings so that I can make informed and conscientious voting decisions. This weighs heavily on me especially approaching election time, and is complicated by decisions regarding whether or not to vote tactically.

Emmalephant said:

Does anyone else sometimes feel responsible for things that are rationally far too big for one person to carry?

Often I am grateful that someone else is making the huge decisions that will affect every person in the country and have repercussions for the rest of the world. You too know that it is not your responsibility alone to change the course of politics, yet you feel the burden of making the right and moral decision when voting. I keep reminding myself that it is not my responsibility - it’s easy to know - but not easy to really know. 

Nobody can ask any more of you than for you to make an informed decision, and from what you have said, you are conscientious and doing your best. These are worrying times, and there is much debate about us entering a new world order. I struggle with disinformation/lies/untruths that seems to permeate some political decisions, but I have no option but to try to remain detached. Not easy and not always successful.

ArchaeC said:

so that I can make informed and conscientious voting decisions

When and how often will you vote?

I'm genuinely curious as to to cost/reward basis this effort/stress produces.

I applaud you for taking such diligence in your responsibilities as a voter.

ArchaeC said:

I struggle with disinformation/lies/untruths that seems to permeate some political decisions,

Have you considered the legitimacy of the party actually in power?

A few facts from Wikipedia or the governments election stats on their own websites:

population of the UK 66 million approx (from 2022 - the most accurate currently)

registered voters = 48.2 million

people who actually voted (at 60% turnout) = 28.92 million

percentage who voted labour in total = 34%

so 20% of the electorate voted labour or only 15% of the population.

Hardly a strong mandate and certainly a damning statistic about how effective the electoral is at present.

I’m in N. Ireland so I vote in three types of election. Firstly the N. Ireland Assembly election is meant to happen every five years, but has happened more often from 2016 which was followed by 2017, 2019 and 2024. We have power sharing and politicians tend to be Nationalist - largely in favour of a United Ireland or Unionist - largely in favour of remaining part of the UK. Then there is the Alliance Party which attracts both Unionist and Nationalist voters because they say they are concerned firstly with the good of our province. There are usually a few independent assembly candidates who may be Unionist or Nationalist,  plus we have the Green Party. Each party would have elements  loosely similar to the UK left, centre or right leanings, but that isn’t always the case. We use a form of PR (proportional representation) called STV (single transferable vote). 

Secondly, there are the UK Parliamentary elections every five years. each area votes for one candidate only. We do not have Conservative/Labour/Liberal/Reform politics here (yet!). The Council elections are every four years and voting is by STV. 

We also have to balance the dynamics peacekeeping following the relatively recent ‘troubles’ that affected every single person of my generation. Brexit and the Irish Sea border means that some suppliers in Great Britain do not want to send food products to us because of the extra customs paperwork and resulting costs. I can no longer buy my dog’s favourite treat that I used to get directly from the manufacturer in England. 

Iain said:

Have you considered the legitimacy of the party actually in power?

Every party currently in the N. Ireland Assembly has been democratically elected by a turnout of 63.6%. I take your point and would agree.  I would like to see an official option for non voters to record ‘No vote’. It would give non voters a chance to enter the political debate and distinguish them from the ‘I can’t be bothered/I don’t care’ voter. 

Iain said:

curious as to to cost/reward basis this effort/stress produces

I don’t think about balancing cost/reward and effort/stress as I would not be who I am if I started thinking about that. Perhaps I am coming across as spending more time than I am on analysing the political situation here and around the world. I know I am consuming too much news for the good of my mental health, and I have already begun to cut down, but the dynamics of politics in N. Ireland means that my vote is firstly a vote saying yes I want an elected representative in a N. Ireland Assembly, rather than be ruled directly from Westminster. Local politicians make local decisions. This is a priority for most of the voting public here, whether Unionist, `nationalist or whatever, because for too long, we didn’t have an Assembly because one political party walked out, and the rules say the assembly can’t continue without the party that happened to have the majority vote. Peace requires give and take here, so I will vote for people who are solution driven, rather than those who say no .. 

If I lived in GB, I don’t know how I would vote. I probably would be centre left politically, but for sure I would struggle as the politicians on the left appear to me ineffective in all manner of decision making, and that is giving ammunition to countries elsewhere. 

I could go on much longer but you get the idea. I want a peaceful society for all, Unionist, Nationalist or whatever. A fairer society for those with little and who do not see any way out, wealth to increase equitably. Good relationships with neighbouring countries….  Idealistic yes, but worth voting. 

I’m in N. Ireland so I vote in three types of election. Firstly the N. Ireland Assembly election is meant to happen every five years, but has happened more often from 2016 which was followed by 2017, 2019 and 2024. We have power sharing and politicians tend to be Nationalist - largely in favour of a United Ireland or Unionist - largely in favour of remaining part of the UK. Then there is the Alliance Party which attracts both Unionist and Nationalist voters because they say they are concerned firstly with the good of our province. There are usually a few independent assembly candidates who may be Unionist or Nationalist,  plus we have the Green Party. Each party would have elements  loosely similar to the UK left, centre or right leanings, but that isn’t always the case. We use a form of PR (proportional representation) called STV (single transferable vote). 

Secondly, there are the UK Parliamentary elections every five years. each area votes for one candidate only. We do not have Conservative/Labour/Liberal/Reform politics here (yet!). The Council elections are every four years and voting is by STV. 

We also have to balance the dynamics peacekeeping following the relatively recent ‘troubles’ that affected every single person of my generation. Brexit and the Irish Sea border means that some suppliers in Great Britain do not want to send food products to us because of the extra customs paperwork and resulting costs. I can no longer buy my dog’s favourite treat that I used to get directly from the manufacturer in England. 

Iain said:

Have you considered the legitimacy of the party actually in power?

Every party currently in the N. Ireland Assembly has been democratically elected by a turnout of 63.6%. I take your point and would agree.  I would like to see an official option for non voters to record ‘No vote’. It would give non voters a chance to enter the political debate and distinguish them from the ‘I can’t be bothered/I don’t care’ voter. 

Iain said:

curious as to to cost/reward basis this effort/stress produces

I don’t think about balancing cost/reward and effort/stress as I would not be who I am if I started thinking about that. Perhaps I am coming across as spending more time than I am on analysing the political situation here and around the world. I know I am consuming too much news for the good of my mental health, and I have already begun to cut down, but the dynamics of politics in N. Ireland means that my vote is firstly a vote saying yes I want an elected representative in a N. Ireland Assembly, rather than be ruled directly from Westminster. Local politicians make local decisions. This is a priority for most of the voting public here, whether Unionist, `nationalist or whatever, because for too long, we didn’t have an Assembly because one political party walked out, and the rules say the assembly can’t continue without the party that happened to have the majority vote. Peace requires give and take here, so I will vote for people who are solution driven, rather than those who say no .. 

If I lived in GB, I don’t know how I would vote. I probably would be centre left politically, but for sure I would struggle as the politicians on the left appear to me ineffective in all manner of decision making, and that is giving ammunition to countries elsewhere. 

I could go on much longer but you get the idea. I want a peaceful society for all, Unionist, Nationalist or whatever. A fairer society for those with little and who do not see any way out, wealth to increase equitably. Good relationships with neighbouring countries….  Idealistic yes, but worth voting.