General Election?

[garinda]

I would never not use my vote.

It's too hard earned.

Nevermind female sufferage.

It's not that long ago that the working classes, regardless of gender, didn't have the right to vote.

The least you should do is go and spoil your paper, because those are counted as well.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by garinda

I would never not use my vote.

It's too hard earned.

Nevermind female sufferage.

It's not that long ago that the working classes, regardless of gender, didn't have the right to vote.

The least you should do is go and spoil your paper, because those are counted as well.

Spot on Rindi, if you don't vote you have no say, and in my experience its usually those who don't vote do the most moaning

[Acrylic-bob]

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

if you don't vote, you have no right to complain.

I do not see that as a resident British Subject and Taxpayer my moral right to criticise or commend the actions of government is in any way impaired. Irrespective of whether I cast my vote, or not.

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

There are local elections every year, tempered by periodical general elections to keep things really interesting.

I assume that was meant in a tongue-in-cheek sense.

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

This is your chance to say how you feel so get out there and use it.

Perhaps if there was more of a general feeling that 'how you feel' was taken any notice of whatsoever, there might be an increase in voter participation.
Perhaps if our current MP had voted for his constituents instead of the party in the referendum debate. Perhaps if Local councilors paid more attention to local issues instead of pontificating on issues they know nothing about like, oh...I don't know... say... Kashmiri terrorists and then going into purdah for two months.

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

'I don't vote' is leaving the doors wide open for idle chancers who just happen to be wearing the right badge.

Since the thread concerns Parliamentary Elections, could you possibly be referring to the current 'idle chancer'?

[Ken Moss]

Another grade-A post, Bob.

Sometimes I wonder if world is small enough for your vitriol.

What problem would you like me to solve this morning?

[MargaretR]

I have voted at every general election until the last one.

I withdrew from the practice when I realised that democracy has failed the 99%.

Whether you believe it or not - politicians are puppets of the bankers, and so all parties work towards the same outcome, which benefits the 99% hardly at all, and the working masses pay.

When you vote you decide which party you are going to permit to turn the screw,
....and your vote gives your consent to be screwed.

[Acrylic-bob]

Just answering the questions posed will do Ken.

[Margaret Pilkington]

I am one of those disillusioned voters, and while I vote in the local elections(because at those elections you have some kind of knowledge of the candidates) the general elections are another matter. I would like to vote for a party which reflects my core values.....but it doesn't seem that such a party exists. At the last election, I went to vote and spoiled my paper.

The parties(All of them) promise so much and deliver so little. They take absolutely no notice of the concerns of the electorate.......and until that changes I will be spoiling ballot papers at each general election......because my vote changes nothing no matter who I vote for.

[Acrylic-bob]

I get the very strong impression that most people distrust politicians. Indeed, most of the people I have spoken to on the matter equate them, in the honesty and transparency stakes, with Bankers.

And given the shenanigins over the weekend in Westminster who can blame them? Honorable Members who behave like the binge-drinkers they purport to so abhor.
Honorable Members who do not know that when you have paid your mortgage it is wrong to carry on claiming for the payments.
Honorable Members who think it is perfectly acceptable to spend most of their time on the public speaking circuit, earning vast amounts of money, rather than sitting in Parliament which is what their constituants expect and pay them to do.
Honorable Members who claim to support the public right to a referendum until the party waves preferrment under their noses and then change their tune dramatically.

Liars, Cheats, Thieves, Fraudsters, Convicted Criminals. Ahhh The Palace of Westminster; like the News of the World used to claim, "All human life is there".

And, as if that malignant cess pit were not scandal enough; there is local politics.

That enough vitriol for you Ken? Because if it isn't, there is plenty more where that came from.

[Margaret Pilkington]

You have hit the nail on the head.
These people do not seem to think they should live by the rules of general decency, moral or ethics...yet they believe we should.
How is it different to defraud the tax payer by claiming money for a mortgage which is fully paid....or claiming allowances for a home owned by a family member, or being a benefit cheat??
Both are ways of stealing money from the tax payer......not paying full taxes by exploiting loopholes may not be illegal, but the people doing this are taking money from the system which could be paying for services which are being axed.

[Acrylic-bob]

And then there is the case of that well known wag Liam Byrne who, as Labour's retiring Chief Secretary to the Treasury, left a jokey one line note for his successor;

“Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid to tell you there’s no money left”.

My, how we all split our sides at that one.

.

[accyman]

i have never got my head around how anyone convicted of a crime or even given a caution by the police is able to return to a job in the house of commons.They certainly wouldnt be allowed to teach in schools or work for teh police yet they can work in a place that demands honesty and the consequences of having a crook in the mix could prove disasterous as seems to have been proven by the mess this country is now in no doubt to some extent to a few backhanders and under the table deals.

[accyman]

also lets not forget that if you are but a mere citizen and fall foul of the tax man you can face financial ruin and possible prison if you cant afford to pay your tax bill but if you owe the tax man millions and have billions in the bank you get taken to lunch and offered a low rate repayment plan while your debt to the tax man increases

yes those in power do have 1 rule for them and their pals infact they have many different rules for their pals and none of them put their pals out of their comfort zone yet woe betide any citizen that falls short of the different set of standards set out for them.

[Acrylic-bob]

And poor sweet naieve Ken firmly believes that casting a vote will change things.
I don't know whether to pity him or chuck a brick at him.

[accyman]

Originally Posted by Acrylic-bob

And poor sweet naieve Ken firmly believes that casting a vote will change things.
I don't know whether to pity him or chuck a brick at him.

do that and we will end up having to call you Asbo Bob

[Acrylic-bob]

Humpffff, Politicians; can't live with them, can't shoot them.