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I am NOT not going to vote, instead i will be voting for the BNP!
By NOT voting you're giving the criminals, 'the people who vote Labour' another chance to win.
This is a discussion on Boycott the Vote! within the Introduce Yourself forums, part of the The House of Commons category; Like most people, I am disgusted by the latest revelations of MPs enriching themselves through their expenses system. And, again ...
Like most people, I am disgusted by the latest revelations of MPs enriching themselves through their expenses system. And, again like most people, I despair of finding a solution to their behaviour. Perhaps the easiest way to start is by letting them know exactly what we think of them - but how? By writing to our constituency MP? By writing to No 10? By writing to the chair of whatever political party we support?
An easier solution, in the short term at least, is simply not to vote, though this might not get the message across. What I suggest is that each of us goes to to our polling station in June and writes across the top of the ballot paper: None of the below, due to the potential for greed.
We would be showing that we are prepared to vote, but not until we have confidence that the elected MP won't think it more important to stick his or her nose in the trough than to represent the needs of his or her constituents.
Comments?
Cheers
Tor.Duff
Senior MP
I am NOT not going to vote, instead i will be voting for the BNP!
By NOT voting you're giving the criminals, 'the people who vote Labour' another chance to win.
Senior MP
This is exactly why we need to vote. To make sure fringe parties do not get a disproportionate amount of seats.Originally Posted by Trevortt
So unproductive has conservatism been in producing a general conception of how a social order is maintained that its modern votaries, in trying to construct a theoretical foundation, invariably find themselves appealing almost exclusively to authors who regarded themselves as liberal. - F.A. Hayek
Economic Left/Right: 4.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.74
either do it or don't. But I got places to be
Sorry, but that seems a pretty nonsensical exercise to me. If there's one way to ensure all the politicians you mention keep their jobs, its to not vote. A protest ballot is all well and good in principal, but in practice they'll just get thrown in the bin.
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time.
E. B. White
"To be honest, you think a/c jump the fence, I say the whole college jump the fence"
The wonder that is Angelcountry
"If we're going to have a police state, at least orgainise it properly!"
Guy Outside the Chilcott Enquiry as he was led away by police for causing a 'disturbance' (thanks to LA I now know his name is Michael Culver)
Chancellor
I've just emailed the Electoral Reform Society to ask whether there's any likelihood of a 'None Of The Above' option being printed on ballot papers in the future. I'll post their reply here when (if!) if arrives.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised 'for the good of its victims' may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us 'for our own good' will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -- C.S. Lewis
Conservative Member
Not voting does nothing. It makes your voice unheard, unimportant.
Vote!
Vote Blue go Green!
It's time for change!
Conservative Member
On the European Parliament Ballot
"Conservative
Labour
Liberal Democrat
UKIP
BNP
none of the above"
BREAKING NEWS
None of the above got 70 seats in the European Parliament!
This is truly a fantastic day for the none of the above party.
either do it or don't. But I got places to be
If I was one of those parties I'd request to get my name printed below the words "none of the above". Its bulletproof.
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time.
E. B. White
"To be honest, you think a/c jump the fence, I say the whole college jump the fence"
The wonder that is Angelcountry
"If we're going to have a police state, at least orgainise it properly!"
Guy Outside the Chilcott Enquiry as he was led away by police for causing a 'disturbance' (thanks to LA I now know his name is Michael Culver)
Conservative Member
You fail
I already made that joke - look above
either do it or don't. But I got places to be
I fail? Are you an American 10 year old? And suprise suprise, the conservative musunderstands any attempt at humour. Its like the Brass Eye peadophile special all over again.
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time.
E. B. White
"To be honest, you think a/c jump the fence, I say the whole college jump the fence"
The wonder that is Angelcountry
"If we're going to have a police state, at least orgainise it properly!"
Guy Outside the Chilcott Enquiry as he was led away by police for causing a 'disturbance' (thanks to LA I now know his name is Michael Culver)
accidental genius!
Small amount of reasearch on my part (ie dug out a couple of dvds) shows that this joke was used by Blackadder in "dish and dishonesty" from series three. Still, if your going to plagiarise I guess it's one of the best!
Sadly, since 2005 (Statutory Instrument 2005 No. 147
Registration of Political Parties (Prohibited Words and Expressions) Amendment) Order, it is prohibited to stand for election under the NOTB banner! Sad day for democracy.
"The object of universities is not to make skilful lawyers, physicians or engineers. It is to make capable and cultivated human beings." John Stewart Mill
Conservative Member
dang - there is a good reason for it, but still
Junior Member
NOTA (one of the above) will not make the Euro elections but the facility will be there for the general election. But don't expect this proposal to be advocated by the politcal class; turkeys don't vote for Christmas. The balance of power between the political class and the electorate is in favour of the politicians and we need to redress that imbalance. Without the ,'None of the above facility' the cosy political cartel will persist. NOTA has registered as a political party to faciliate the 'None of the above option'. Shoud a NOTA candidate gain most votes then they would resign the seat invoking a by-election. The expense of a by-election is cheaper than having an unsuitable and unwanted representative.
NOTA is about giving back the power to the voter. It is a fledgling organisation and needs all kinds of support. If you are sympathetic to the cause please get involved. vvvvvv.nota.org.uk
Chancellor
How do you plan to do this, bearing in mind the comment made by O74 a couple of posts back in this same thread where she pointed out that the
Registration of Political Parties (Prohibited Words and Expressions) (Amendment) Order 2005 specifies the use of the words "None of the Above" as a prohibited expression in terms of a political party?
In general terms I quite agree that we should be given a NOTA option to express our disapproval of the present political parties and/or system, but it doesn't look likely. I've contacted the Electoral Reform Society about this twice now and not even had the courtesy of a reply.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised 'for the good of its victims' may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us 'for our own good' will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -- C.S. Lewis
Conservative Member
I too contacted them after O74 mentioned it. I too got no reply
They will probably take weeks to reply. Most organisations like that do.
Junior Member
NOTA has been registered as a political party with the 'Independent' Electoral Commission. Initially they invited the applicants to change the name since it was an acynom of a prohibited expression; namely, 'None of the above'. Representation was made and the EC subsequently relented. Therefore in the next General Election and interim by-elections the electorate will be able to vote for NOTA. In a meaningful way it will be a means by which we the electorate can redress the imbalance of power between ourselves and those politicians who claim to serve us.
As an aside when investigating the Electoral commission I discovered that they pay an aggregate sum of £2,000,000 to the Westminster political parties excluding Sinn Fein. More tax payers money going in the wrong direction.
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