STEPHEN FRY

I think your non-vote was a positive abstention rather than a negative vote. You determined that no party or candidate was worth your vote, so you refused to give it. I don't think Stephen was on about people like you, who thought it through.

Every vote does count though, because you just never know. One polling day in 1996 I cast my vote, thinking that it would have made little difference anyway, in this safe Labour seat. BUT, a racist populist woman was standing, and she pushed all the scary buttons in people who are not very politically savvy. and got elected. I was horrified, but felt good that my Labour vote had proven to myself at least, that I did not support racist policies.

(Three years later the seat reverted to Labour and she never got back in. I had been part of the anti-racist movement that ousted her)

We have preferential voting here in Australia and it works very well. You just put numbers in the boxes instead of X for the one you want. So mine would be Labour candidate 1. Greens 2, Democrats 3 and Tory 4 etc etc. If Labour or Tories, for example, got over 50% of the votes, preferences would be ignored, but if there was no clear winner, second preferences would be counted as full votes, and a winner would emerge.

We also have compulsory voting - you have to turn up at the polling booth and get your voting slip. Of course, you can drop it into the box blank if you want. Many do, many more put Micky Mouse, Donald Duck, Jesus Christ, or any daft name they can come up with. I've often been a scrutineer at elections, and we usually have informal bets about how many votes Micky Mouse will get.

Because it is compulsory, polling booths are everywhere - very handy - and postal votes are easy.

My vote (if I was old enough) has very little impact. Where I live, because of the large lib dem/ tory percentage of vote and the 9% labour and the rediculous ways of FPTP, I have five times less of a vote than average. So my vote would count for relatively little. Hence why I am in favour of some sort of PR system, though I think the referendum the tories are promising is a cop out and will still let them play to their advantage of rural sparsely populated tory voting areas. I am medium left wing libertarian, and out of the three main parties would vote for labour. I would never vote tory. Ever. So that leaves me with a middle ground of 'acceptable' lib dems, who usually win my constituency (though them ConDemming me has made them a far less attractive option). I would want to vote labour, but where I live this is just basically making it one vote easier for the tories so to keep them out I'd have to vote Lib Dem or else my vote would be 'wasted'. This is rediculous. I am voting for who I want to control my country and my future and I am not being allowed to do so. I shouldn't have to comprimise my ideals. FPTP is a disgrace. However, I would never not vote. I can understand why you didnt though, and I know quite a few people who spoiled their paper in protest writing things such as 'FPTP sucks' and one drew a stick man being hung with 'democracy' written in his head. I think the people he is calling cowards are those who didnt even think about it.

Some people say that PR will allow extremist parties in and dont get me wrong I want Nick Griffin in parliament like I want hole in the head, however, I do want democracy and if anyone votes for him, they deserve to be reprisented, no matter who they voted for. I disagree with them but they should be able to say it and if people fall for that, well then democracy, what I believe in, says that they should be reprisented. Besides, it would be a very small amount comparitivily speaking. The only reason governments havent brought it in thus far is that it would dramatically increase lib dem seats and decrease, particularly, the tory seats. Though I am predicting lib dem votes to go down next time as many people have been annoyed by the alliance made with the tories.

Gadgetgirl, are you in England? Because that would be a spoiled ballot as it has written on it anything but a cross in the box I think.

Anyway, I just realised that this turned into a PR rant, sorry But it is in the ranting section

I agree, Nick Griffin makes me feel sick. However, as much as I dislike that people vote for them, they deserve to have their vote reprisented as much as you or I. What we must concentrate on is, like you have, showing their true colours and convincing people not to vote for them. I find that if they get anywhere near power, they end up showing who they really are and they end up loosing votes.

Did you see when an egg was thrown at the BNP leader here in England? As much as I disagree with 'violence', it made me laugh. Especially the stills later shown of his smug face.

fluffy morals said:
i think voting is like wearing a poppy for remembrance sunday, i may not have been there and i dislike the modern military( that point i'll have to expand on in another post, still working on articulating it) but in spite of that i contribute to the ceremony of war. I neither like or dislike politicians, i do think they're spoiled, i think the parliamentary process is laced with conspiracy...
everyone and every demographic has its issues but here my point when you consider the fights and the sacrifices made by generations for todays generation (and the next) not go through in the inequities of their experience on the planet, i think the least a person who enjoys the trappings of a democracy could take part for one hour every four years.

That's how I feel. People died so future generations could have a fair and anonymous vote. I am thankful that I live in a time and place where I can vote. Even if FPTP is unfair and all the main parties seem to be becoming more and more centred I still believe in exercising my right to vote, to have the opportunity to make a choice. The thought of any of us (whether specific groups of people or a whole nation) losing the right to vote is a terrifying one. I am for proportional representation but will be happy if alternative vote get's in as a first step.

Yes it's true. Every vote counts and every count votes. If you don't vote don't complain about the government, there, see. It's alright pet, after the first time you get quite fearless about it, and could even try voting twice. I did once. Do it for your country otherwise your country will do it to you. Fry is bang on the money.

LeJeunesse said:
I agree, Nick Griffin makes me feel sick.

I actually quite like the guy. The man's so slimy, so laughable, so idiotic, so inarticulate, and so unable to hide the disgusting policies of his party that they failed dismally to make any progress at the last election. On that basis I hope he remains as BNP leader for a very, very long time.