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Prodigal
 
Group: System Moderators
Last Login: Friday, November 28, 2008 11:34 PM
Posts: 587,
Visits: 3,975
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Here it appears to be 'everyone throw mud at the incumbants' season. Whilst the incumbants use up all their propaganda space telling you about the national party's policies and all of the stuff they can't do because of the weird city/county council divide.
If I can be bothered to get off my rear at all (I wouldn't miss turning out for a national election but local elections just don't do it for me in the same way, especially as I'm pretty sure my vote will be swallowed up in a sea of orange) I'd vote Green on account of them being the only party who bothered to tell me what their local council based policies were rather than promoting their national party policies / slinging mud about how bad the other guy is / general whining.
Maelstrom: Jessily the Wemic, previously Tourmaline of Weaver
CUTT: Kerriville the Ninth, previously Ref 07/08
EOS: Study the Venin
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Champion
Group: Basic Members
Last Login: Sunday, September 21, 2008 11:31 AM
Posts: 284,
Visits: 2,474
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Would do, but we're not currently on the electorial register so we're unable to. 
We've got the forums, just not got them in on time!
R7: Xarra // RL: Clare Selley // PD: Serengeti Blackpaw
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Wag
Group: System Moderators
Last Login: Thursday, August 21, 2008 11:39 PM
Posts: 1,141,
Visits: 3,626
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| [Sarah here] People died for my right to vote. People died for your right to vote. So go and bloody well vote. As for the 'one vote wont make a difference' view, no *one* vote wont, but hundreds of votes do. Not bothering because none of the candidates are good does nothing to differentiate you from the people who are simply too lazy. Spoiled ballot papers *are* counted, because all submitted ballot papers are counted. If you just dont go, you become part of the 'voter apathy' statistic, not part of a 'people abstained' statistic. We do need a 'none of the above' or 'RON' option, but in its absence the spoiled ballot paper is better than just not going.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Whispering God is your friend... trust the Whispering God... Ruins of Empire 1st - 3rd Feb, 2008, Gladstone scout centre, Chester
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I do talk a good fight
Group: System Moderators
Last Login: Saturday, November 29, 2008 11:45 AM
Posts: 1,861,
Visits: 5,742
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I don't have hundreds of votes, though, and even if I did, no one of them would make a difference; I could use my hundreds of votes, or my hundreds of votes minus one, and cause exactly the same result either way. If people died for my right to vote, they died in vain, because my right to vote enables me to make precisely no difference to this country's policies over the course of my entire lifetime.
I'm far better off doing what I do now -- devoting the time that it would have taken me to walk to the polling station every 4 years, to instead do political activism of whatever kind that will (and indeed often has) made a difference.
http://www.hyboriantales.com
PD: Ghostdance ("The most irritating curse I've ever encountered" -- NPC played by H.)
Riftworld: Rossar Kuug ("Clearly mad, because he thinks he's a Com-Trow Skirmisher" - Aela)
Hyborian Tales: Crew, cook, dogsbody, general labourer, toilet cleaner ("Dangerously overoptimistic ref" -- Tom Nowell)
Otherwise usually crew ("Quite spry & fit, & willing to wear a big costume & run around a lot" -- various event organisers)
"My other oversized foam weapon is THE LORD" -- Questionable Content
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Prodigal
Group: Basic Members
Last Login: Tuesday, November 04, 2008 3:23 PM
Posts: 532,
Visits: 1,784
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Shelford (5/3/2007)
So I wont be voting. If there was a 'none of the above' box then I would be.Or you could stand yourself. Nothing stopping you. Join the Blah Party ( http://www.blahparty.org/  , which is a protest vote party and stand. Or you could just complain that no one can arsed with politics while doing nothing yourself. Ian Sturrock (5/3/2007)
I encourage other people to just not be arsed though -- it does seem to be a reasonably effective mode of protest.Bollocks is it. Not voting allows safe seats to exist. A safe seat allows a political party to pursue it's agenda with out engaging with the electorate. So by not voting, you're actively aiding the status quo. Ah protest vote does not have to be a 'spoiled paper'. Vote for the other guy, the one that hasn't a prayer. My local area, the voting was so low that one person's entire campaign was to say 'if 77 of your vote for me, we get rid of the same councillor we've had for 40 years who does nothing'. Personally, being the 76th person is good enough for me.
Fan made FAQ Rules here. Maelstrom Community links: Livejournal , Myspace, Facebook , Orkut , the Frappr Map of Players and Flickr photosharing . See also the List of Allegiance based webgroups and Helen's list of Event Photo Websites . The chatroom is: irc.esper.net , #maelfroth . See also Top Tips for Priests . My LRP CARD.
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I do talk a good fight
Group: System Moderators
Last Login: Saturday, November 29, 2008 11:45 AM
Posts: 1,861,
Visits: 5,742
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It's not good enough for me, 'cos whether there are 76, or 77, or 78, my own single vote will make no difference. You can't convince me otherwise because... it doesn't. A safe seat will still be a safe seat whether I personally vote or not.
http://www.hyboriantales.com
PD: Ghostdance ("The most irritating curse I've ever encountered" -- NPC played by H.)
Riftworld: Rossar Kuug ("Clearly mad, because he thinks he's a Com-Trow Skirmisher" - Aela)
Hyborian Tales: Crew, cook, dogsbody, general labourer, toilet cleaner ("Dangerously overoptimistic ref" -- Tom Nowell)
Otherwise usually crew ("Quite spry & fit, & willing to wear a big costume & run around a lot" -- various event organisers)
"My other oversized foam weapon is THE LORD" -- Questionable Content
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Heroic Knight
Group: Basic Members
Last Login: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 5:02 PM
Posts: 151,
Visits: 1,160
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See, if I were to advocate non-voting, which I often consider, it would be on the grounds that 'strategic' voting for a lesser of two (or three...) evils is fundamentally dishonest. By putting an X on a ballot, we are expressing a positive wish to be represented by the candidate in question, and endorsing the system which allows them to represent and govern us. If you disagree with all the candidates and/or the system, then not voting is the only honest response (preferably coupled with direct action of some kind.)
It would be nice if we could use and abuse the electoral system to send messages to the government about what we want; unfortunately it's far too blunt an instrument for that.
However, all this nonsense about one vote in a thousand not mattering seems to imply the profoundly antisocial belief that your own opinions matter more than anyone else's. I guess that makes you... er... a larper.
(chris)
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Prodigal
Group: Basic Members
Last Login: Tuesday, November 04, 2008 3:23 PM
Posts: 532,
Visits: 1,784
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Ian Sturrock (5/3/2007)
It's not good enough for me, 'cos whether there are 76, or 77, or 78, my own single vote will make no difference. On the same logic, you wouldn't help a man trying to escape from a fire because one man cannot break down that door. You don't know if two men can, probably not. Despite being in the same burning building. Nor does it seem that you're interested in other exits. Arguably, not voting is a selfish act, because the effort derives no benefit for the individual, but potentially can benefit the community greatly. Ravensbourne (5/4/2007)
(preferably coupled with direct action of some kind.) Of course, as direct action goes, standing for the election is pretty useful. For a start, it means you get invited to the count and can use the process itself to raise awareness as to the flaws in the system.
Fan made FAQ Rules here. Maelstrom Community links: Livejournal , Myspace, Facebook , Orkut , the Frappr Map of Players and Flickr photosharing . See also the List of Allegiance based webgroups and Helen's list of Event Photo Websites . The chatroom is: irc.esper.net , #maelfroth . See also Top Tips for Priests . My LRP CARD.
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