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Political Participation
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,721 Bot
I was watching a news article on BBc's Look North the other night, and it was talking about how people aren't voting, even though they've tried all these gimmicks, like postal voting and text message voting reminders, to try to get them to vote. And it struck me straight away what is wrong with politics in this country at the minute- it isn't that people are apathetic about voting, it is that they are disenfranchised.
There is no choice at the polls any more- the biggest controversy this political year ahs been the war in Iraq, and the two main political parties thought it was wonderful. Labour got in on an anti-sleaze ticket against the Tories, and have made the Tories look pure; Labour now are no more than a Thatcherite party dressed in red. With a choice like that, people are not voting- not because they don't want to, but because they know it is a waste of time and effort to do so.
The old saying is so true- whoever you vote for, you get the Government. If only they could invent a politician who wasn't in it for themselves, maybe politics in this country will be respected once again.
There is no choice at the polls any more- the biggest controversy this political year ahs been the war in Iraq, and the two main political parties thought it was wonderful. Labour got in on an anti-sleaze ticket against the Tories, and have made the Tories look pure; Labour now are no more than a Thatcherite party dressed in red. With a choice like that, people are not voting- not because they don't want to, but because they know it is a waste of time and effort to do so.
The old saying is so true- whoever you vote for, you get the Government. If only they could invent a politician who wasn't in it for themselves, maybe politics in this country will be respected once again.
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
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Anyway, in reality the party I vote for (I think we can all work it out!) isn't really "the party for me". There is not one political party that represents my views. Fair enough, sometimes you have to compromise on a few minor issues, but it is the major issues that I am worried about.
Tories - abolish tuition fees, anti-Europe, but they're the Tories and I could go on all day about why I won't vote for them.
Lib Dem - abolish tutition fees and some other fab policies but pro Euro.
Meh.
People in the US on the other hand, especially in Florida during both the Presidential as well as subsequent gubernatorial elections (which surprise surprise saw baby bro Bush reelected), serious disenfranchisement was conducted, especially within Black (largely democratic) districts wherein many people were wrongly denied the right to vote on the basis of claims that they had prior felony records.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A99749-2001May30
Many innocent people with no criminal record whatsoever were simply added to the exclusion lists without notification nor redress of the error (they simply found out when they turned up to vote). Without this shifty business undertaken by Jeb Bush's staff, Dubyah would not have eeked out with the approximately 600 extra votes that gave him the state and the presidency.
That is a prime example of "disenfranchisement" in action.
Perchance its time another revolution swept through Western nations and cleared the way of the elitest self interest that's left all but the richest amongst complete fed up with the system.
Where's Cromwell when you need him!