It annoys me when people don't vote

I didn't vote. I don't even know who the people are that you vote for (I know some party names but not the actual peoples names). I don't see the point, nothing really changes after the local election so why should I bother.

Reply 41

Over The Rainbow X

12

Original post by Dpdr

All the people who are pleading emotive responses above about why they are justified not to vote for 'terrible' and 'corrupt' parties - go spend a weekend in North Korea or Syria. Then come back and explain how terrible our major parties are.

All the tell-tail signs of people who have spent their lives being a bit too sheltered to understand how lucky we really are here.

Our system is not perfect, definitely not. Far from it. But investing your utopian visions and idealistic expectations is pretty naive. No Government will ever be perfect because nobody has a total form of omniscience.

This to be honest.

I know people who complain to no end, but just have this mind set that anarchy is the best solution. You don't have to vote if you don't want to, but I think that if you are somebody who is like 'I don't care about politics, I'm not interested', then you have no right to complain. If you don't like any of the parties, then that is a little different.

Reply 42

billyb750

Original post by Markg125

I am a complete liberal, but it infuriates me, and I mean REALLY annoys me when people don't vote. You can't really complain if you don't and I just think it is so important. Am I wrong or right? (it's council elections in my area only 36 are holding them) :biggrin:

Your opinion is based on the presumption that people who don't vote are the one's who are complaining about their councillors / MP. Have you any proof to support this presumption? If not, the fact it all 'infuriates' you seems to me like you are getting worked up over nothing!

Incidentally, a key part of democracy and universal suffrage is that everyone has the right to vote, not that everyone has to vote. There is big a difference between these concepts.

Reply 43

tazarooni89

20

Original post by Zabaar

Bloody hell are you stupid?

Of course people can think what they want and discuss it but continuously complaining about it to others isn't going to do anything.

Point is we are a democracy so, ordinary citizens control who they want in power and if you want change in society, you can campaign for that change by going into politics- it's not that difficult- or by lobbying your MPs. Either way, if the people in charge know what we want and we annoy them enough to make them do it then, politicians gain popularity and people get what they want- everyone's the winner.

You're the one who said that if I don't like politicians I should either "become one or shut up" :s-smilie:

Now you're saying I can think what I want, and discuss it (which is quite different from 'shut up'). Now you're saying I should become a politician if I want to create change in society (as opposed to if I merely think the current politicians aren't very good). I agree with this post. I just don't agree with your earlier one.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 44

LinzyLoo

17

Would you prefer people who don't know anything about politics to go along and just tick any random box? Personally, I would rather those people stayed away from voting.

I don't know anything about politics. It bores me and I actually find it quite depressing. I know I should be making an effort to learn more about it, but with my non-existent knowledge at the moment, if I voted it would be a wasted vote. I wouldn't fully understand what I was voting for, and if I was MADE to vote, I'd have to just pick the guy with the friendliest name or try to think who I'd seen on tv who seemed decent. I honestly don't believe that I am entitled to a vote. People shouldn't be allowed to influence things they don't know anything about. It's like GM crops. A great thing, it could potentially cure all the world's hunger problems, but people are generally against it because they don't understand it. I don't want average people off the street being able to vote on whether GM crops should be allowed or not. Leave it to the people who actually know what they're talking about. In the case of politics, I'd rather leave it to people who actually know a bit about it and who actually know what they want. My random vote would be polluting and diluting the true votes. Being annoyed with people not wanting to pollute the voting with their random and uninformed vote makes no sense - they are doing the best thing.

Reply 45

I'veGotAHadron

2

Original post by Markg125

I am a complete liberal, but it infuriates me, and I mean REALLY annoys me when people don't vote. You can't really complain if you don't and I just think it is so important. Am I wrong or right? (it's council elections in my area only 36 are holding them) :biggrin:

Wrong.

Reply 46

aspirinpharmacist

20

Original post by Markg125

I am a complete liberal, but it infuriates me, and I mean REALLY annoys me when people don't vote. You can't really complain if you don't and I just think it is so important. Am I wrong or right? (it's council elections in my area only 36 are holding them) :biggrin:

I wanted to vote, only nobody f***ing told me you need to register in two places! So I was a day late doing it and so I couldn't vote today. Grrrr. I was 17 when I started uni so I think that's why I wasn't automatically registered like everyone else in halls, I've got a postal vote for home (I live in Scotland) but I haven't got anything for voting for this year, there doesn't seem to be any info about it. I know they had local elections this time last year back home, but I don't think they're having them this year, does that even happen? Either way, eugh! Everyone else got polling cards. -_-

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 47

Zabaar

5

Original post by tazarooni89

You're the one who said that if I don't like politicians I should either "become one or shut up" :s-smilie:

Now you're saying I can think what I want, and discuss it (which is quite different from 'shut up'). Now you're saying I should become a politician if I want to create change in society (as opposed to if I merely think the current politicians aren't very good). I agree with this post. I just don't agree with your earlier one.

I think you misunderstood my earlier post, maybe it wasn't worded very well. I meant stop complaining if you're not trying to change anything- i.e. "shutup".

Reply 48

DeathGuardElite

13

I Wanted to state my opinion but realized George Carlin says it better

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxsQ7jJJcEA

Reply 49

MagicNMedicine

20

Whats it to you whether people vote or not....they have the democratic right to vote or not to vote, the state shouldn't force people to participate. The fewer people that vote the more power for each vote for those that do.

Reply 50

beccagood95

20

I'm not sure why you would care about what other people do...
If you have an opinion and know who you want to vote for, then go and vote and you'll have contributed.
But I don't think there's any point in complaining about those that don't vote, because it's their problem if they didn't get what they wanted (if they even cared at all).

Reply 51

Rob da Mop

15

I didn't vote by my postal vote because I won't be living in my home town after this summer so I don't see why I should have a say. I didn't vote in my local elections at uni because everybody promised near-enough exactly the same things - a lot of them ones I'm interested in, but the only reason I'd be choosing between them is my relation to the ideologies of their parties - an awful reason to choose someone.

I'm rather disillusioned with voting in general - parties in opposition say they'd do everything differently but with no actual plan for how this would work as a cohesive policy until election time at which point they produce a manifesto that beneath the surface is very similar to that of the other major party(s). They then go on to do whatever they want for 5 years.

Reply 52

SnoochToTheBooch

17

Original post by Dpdr

All the people who are pleading emotive responses above about why they are justified not to vote for 'terrible' and 'corrupt' parties - go spend a weekend in North Korea or Syria. Then come back and explain how terrible our major parties are.

All the tell-tail signs of people who have spent their lives being a bit too sheltered to understand how lucky we really are here.

Our system is not perfect, definitely not. Far from it. But investing your utopian visions and idealistic expectations is pretty naive. No Government will ever be perfect because nobody has a total form of omniscience.

It's no good pointing at other countries and saying they're worse than us, so what? No one is demanding perfection, we want honesty and to suggest that we're supposed to be content with what we currently have... sod that. Public scrutiny is the only thing keeping them in check. Politicians earn enough money to expect a high standard of integrity from them, if they think they're capable of leading us they can ****ing well start acting like it.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 53

lornarose

I'm only 18, and if I don't know who to vote for, then I spoil by ballot, because people died to get me a fair and equal vote, so I feel it is my duty to use it.

Reply 54

deedee123

16

after learning about the women that dedicated their lives to let me have the vote i would feel really ashamed not to vote.

Reply 55

alexh42

12

I feel that exact way. People have died for the right to vote. I think it should be law for people to vote like it is in Australia.

Reply 56

besomebody

8

It annoys me when people don't vote and then complain about the current government. And I don't mean when people can't vote, or even when people can't decide who to vote for, so end up not voting. People who claim not to give a **** during elections, and then complain annoy me.

Reply 57

sevchenko

15

Original post by MagicNMedicine

Whats it to you whether people vote or not....they have the democratic right to vote or not to vote, the state shouldn't force people to participate. The fewer people that vote the more power for each vote for those that do.

What are you talking about, the less people vote leads to more extreme parties like UKIP OR the BNP could gaining power, I'm positive that the policy of UKIP don't not reflect majority of the nation. If more people vote we can give a proper mandate to the winning party because that government has received popular support from the nation as a whole not just 50% of it

Reply 58

ohdearinsanityy

1

Original post by SnoochToTheBooch

It's no good pointing at other countries and saying they're worse than us, so what? No one is demanding perfection, we want honesty and to suggest that we're supposed to be content with what we currently have... sod that. Public scrutiny is the only thing keeping them in check. Politicians earn enough money to expect a high standard of integrity from them, if they think they're capable of leading us they can ****ing well start acting like it.

You clearly missed his point that everyone else has got. 'So what?' So you've lived a cushioned life here in comparison to other countries, yet complain far more than residents of North Korea or Syria even have the chance to.

They don't even have the opportunity to complain and express their views, you do. Their Governments will kill them if they do, yours won't. You're able to walk out your front door and express discontent at your Government everyday. They can't.

You have the opportunity to express 'public scrutiny' because our politicians aren't mass-murderers. Seriously, get real. You complain and complain and offer no viable alternative.

You are the perfect example of an ignorant citizen who takes it for granted and demands more, more, more. Living in a dream world.

Reply 59

jamie092

11

I don't vote because I don't know enough about politics. I'm not saying I know nothing, there's people who are worse informed than I am who do vote, but I choose not to because it would be the equivalent of voting for a candidate at random.

Also why do I lose the right to complain if I don't vote? Do people who voted for the Lib Dem's last election have no right to complain about Clegg too?

It annoys me when people don't vote

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