Spoiling your ballot is the stupidest thing

I think, given the small numbers that do this right now, sure, it's ignorable; but if those who currently abstain did this, they would be a huge number, likely liable to outnumber many candidates or even come top of the poll!

Formally, it would make no difference, but politically such a thing would be an enormously powerful message and it would put considerable pressure on Parliament to do something about it.

Why would that encourage them to change things? They won because all of these people didn't vote for a party. It gives them every reason not to change things, the current system works perfectly for them.

because the more obvious that it is that the prime minister of a nation isn't supported by a majority of the people, the more likely, over time, it will be that electoral reform will be brought in. and that's bearing in mind that the support for the governing party will perpetually decrease (as this is generally the trend in our nation's politics; supportt for onee of the two biggest parties in the 50s, for exam, would usually be 55-60%, now it's 35-40%) and the more illegitimacy that a government receives from the voters, the more pressure will be put on them to change the system imo

Sure, but then the opposition sees the massive number of people who didn't pick a candidate and then by the next election changes their policies to appeal to that massive number of people.
The winning party would too, to avoid losing their power to the opposition. More representation for the people is the outcome.

I'd spoil my ballot because I feel I haven't got a voice. In my opinion the government are falling short on so many things, and I just don't have any faith in our electoral system because it'll always be either Labour or Conservatives in power. I don't feel any of the parties represent me, especially the two main ones. If I was to vote for the party with policies closest to what I want, they still wont come into power so what's the point? Spoiling my ballot would act as a small rebellion because the system just doesn't work and it'll show my discontent to it. I hope more and more young people will do the same, and so if more and more of us spoil our ballots, it'll say something quite significant. I know spoiling my ballot wont change things now, but it may change things in the future as more people die and we become the significant chunk of voters. I'd like to see a candidate in a general election who didn't go to Eton and Oxford, who isn't some stuck up posh boy who has been groomed to be PM. Once that happens, and they have decent ideas, then I'll vote properly.

It'll always be Labour or Conservatives in power if you spoil your ballot instead of voting for the party that you want to win. If everyone with this attitude just took responsibility for themselves and voted, we'd have a very different system.

As for your last statement, Natalie Bennett, Tim Farron, Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage aren't posh and didn't go to Eton or Oxford. Between them their ideas cover most of the political spectrum.

Okay fine but my point is that there is no party that I want to win, I'm not going to vote for the party that I least dislike it's just stupid.

How is that stupid? If you don't vote for the party you least dislike, you're giving the ones you most dislike the chance to win.

There will NEVER be a party that you support 100% unless you start your own. What solution would you propose?

That sounds like a good thing, doesn't it?

surely it would be a sign of major disbelief in the electoral system and humiliate politicians if their party only just won in an area over the "none of the above" option? surely that would encourage them to do better or to change things?

Electoral reform has to be brought in by the government. If the government benefits from the current system, they wouldn't reform it. They don't care how you feel, they only care that they win the election. If everyone that dislikes them stops voting, they're going to win the election.

Why do people do this? Do you think the winner of the election is going to say "damn, look at all those spoiled ballots - I guess people are unhappy! I'll stand down and we'll have another election"? Or what? What's the point?

You're worse than people who don't vote, because you're actually taking the time and effort to go to the polling station and say "I'M NOT VOTING".

For me, I'd spoil my ballot if I didn't at all approve of any of the candidates. It shows that you are a voter, you aren't apathetic but you are disgruntled with the choices available - it gives potential future candidate more of an incentive to canvass your support if you clearly will bother voting if there's a good option on the table.

Spoiling a ballot is childish.

Pick a candidate or stand yourself, no excuse.