I try hard not to let politics get too into this blog as I never want to be accused of biased writing. Today however I'm going to openly talk politics. Not Yes or No but your right to VOTE. If you dismiss this because 'you don't do politics' I feel sad. Politics are in everything we do: pay rates, public services, how clean are streets are, our monthly bills, our schools. Whether you like it or not, NOT voting is a vote in itself and is therefore a political choice.
Today the British public vote on electoral reform, a rolling debate that gathered momentum when faced with a Tory stranglehold or a vote for a Labour party no one believed in anymore, the public threw the vote and voted in a coalition. I'm not going to comment on my strong gut reaction to why this happened as I would then enter into yes or no terrority. I'm simply pointing out why I am urging you to vote today.
I just had a reply to a link I placed on my facebook page that stated 'It's all too confusing and I'm not voting'. I was stunned. I went to university with this thoughtful and intelligent man. Is he actually saying that he is too stupid to follow a voting system? Both systems are ALREADY in place. Nationally we run the 'first past the post' system of voting; in London and within political parties, we run the AV system offering more seats and less strangleholds. So both are currently being used and understood.
By not voting we are still making a political choice. Those in the 'No campaign' will see it as proof that we're too stupid to understand and therefore want first past the post. So you've voted whether you meant to or not.
Please, if you do nothing else today, look at this website that shows you what you're vote is worth and VOTE. I won't enter into debate here but if you have any questions and would like to ask about the two systems, please feel free to email me.
Speak freely and loudly people.
6 comments:
I too have faced people saying "I'm not going to bother voting" and I just can't believe people would actually be that dumb. Even after I explained the very good reasons why he should vote, he said to me "I understand what you're saying, but I still don't think I'm going to bother..."
The mind boggles.
I have had well educated, professional women say to me that they couldn't be bothered to vote. This is so frustrating & mind boggling when less than one hundred years ago, women in the UK were fighting for the right to vote.
Sadly, apathy and ignorance are what the politicians rely on. I have tried discussing the referendum with people in my office but I am very dismayed because most don't care or understand and more worryingly many cannot see that we are being conned by the government with this referendum. This is the analogy I use: "We need more fruit!!" ..."ok, you can have a referendum... you can vote for A. More potatoes or B. More carrots"
I want to quote you all over the world ladies.
Brilliant analogy too
I'm a South African. Within my (relatively short!) lifetime, people were killing and dying for the right to vote. When they won it, they queued for HOURS in all weather to use that vote. Jumped all kinds of bureaucratic hurdles to ensure they could use it. Now I come to the UK where voting is so ridiculously easy, it takes less than 10 minutes of my day (admittedly I live right next to the polling station, but there are *so many stations*!), I don't have to carry proof of ID, I could even vote by post if I chose to... and yet people still can't be bothered? It passeth understanding.
(And yes, Mezzamay, I totally agree. But that's a whole other rant.)
I completely agree with you, I am always stunned when people don't vote, because basically they can't be bothered to find out about the issues (not hard these days!!), yet these are often the same people who complain about everything. Baffling!!!
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