REASONS NOT TO VOTE.
Smiley. | 15.04.2005 07:48
There is no democratic mandate to govern.
Over many years successive UK governments have lacked a democratic mandate to govern from a majority of the people. Indeed, the present government only had 40% support from voters and 24% support from the electorate as a whole at the last General Election, which had the lowest turn out since 1918. UK government has been described as ‘an elected dictatorship’ or a political system suffering from a ‘democratic deficit’, where MPs can’t speak their mind for fear of deselection. It is said that Governments listen to big business and the financial markets more than their own citizens.
First Past the Post
Under our FPTP system minor parties are unfairly discriminated against. It is perfectly possible for a party to get 25% of the votes but only 3% of the seats in Parliament, as did the Liberal/SDP Alliance in the 1983 election. Also, the funding and media exposure of political parties is unequal and unfair.
Vote rigging.
Postal voting has been shown to be prone to fraud. It is also the custom among major parties not to run a candidate in the Speaker's constituency thus disenfranchising its voters. If they can do it in one constituency they can do it in others. Tactical vote swapping is also taking place on the internet, further skewing the result.
Conspiring political parties.
Under certain circumstances, such as perceived threats to national security or possible war, the two major parties will unite, effectively transforming us into a One Party State, regardless of the will of the people.
What you can’t vote on.
We can’t choose our leaders, they are chosen for us by political parties. You can’t vote on foreign policy such as defence or on the arms trade. As the world's fourth largest economy UK is its second biggest arms producer.
Lack of accountability.
There are American bases, with nuclear weapons on our soil which are unaccountable both to Parliament and the people. Menwith Hill spy base also carries out unlawful telephone and internet surveillance on UK citizens.
Political globalisation.
There is erosion of nation states due to globalisation. Decisions which profoundly affect UK citizens are made abroad by unelected people and organisations. NATO, WTO, UN, WB, G8, NGOs, Multinationals, etc.
"On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford. "It is."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?"
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in."'
-Douglas Adams, 'So Long And Thanks For All The Fish'
-------------------
UK Radical Campaigns
www.zing.icom43.net
Don't vote, it only encourages them.
If voting changed anything they'd make it illegal.
Over many years successive UK governments have lacked a democratic mandate to govern from a majority of the people. Indeed, the present government only had 40% support from voters and 24% support from the electorate as a whole at the last General Election, which had the lowest turn out since 1918. UK government has been described as ‘an elected dictatorship’ or a political system suffering from a ‘democratic deficit’, where MPs can’t speak their mind for fear of deselection. It is said that Governments listen to big business and the financial markets more than their own citizens.
First Past the Post
Under our FPTP system minor parties are unfairly discriminated against. It is perfectly possible for a party to get 25% of the votes but only 3% of the seats in Parliament, as did the Liberal/SDP Alliance in the 1983 election. Also, the funding and media exposure of political parties is unequal and unfair.
Vote rigging.
Postal voting has been shown to be prone to fraud. It is also the custom among major parties not to run a candidate in the Speaker's constituency thus disenfranchising its voters. If they can do it in one constituency they can do it in others. Tactical vote swapping is also taking place on the internet, further skewing the result.
Conspiring political parties.
Under certain circumstances, such as perceived threats to national security or possible war, the two major parties will unite, effectively transforming us into a One Party State, regardless of the will of the people.
What you can’t vote on.
We can’t choose our leaders, they are chosen for us by political parties. You can’t vote on foreign policy such as defence or on the arms trade. As the world's fourth largest economy UK is its second biggest arms producer.
Lack of accountability.
There are American bases, with nuclear weapons on our soil which are unaccountable both to Parliament and the people. Menwith Hill spy base also carries out unlawful telephone and internet surveillance on UK citizens.
Political globalisation.
There is erosion of nation states due to globalisation. Decisions which profoundly affect UK citizens are made abroad by unelected people and organisations. NATO, WTO, UN, WB, G8, NGOs, Multinationals, etc.
"On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford. "It is."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?"
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in."'
-Douglas Adams, 'So Long And Thanks For All The Fish'
-------------------
UK Radical Campaigns
www.zing.icom43.net
Don't vote, it only encourages them.
If voting changed anything they'd make it illegal.
Smiley.
Comments
Hide the following 5 comments
we fully endorse this campaign
15.04.2005 16:43
Tony Blair and Michael Howard
I'll agree this newswire has gone haywire
15.04.2005 23:18
Still a One Party State
With one agenda
Reflective totally of the US selection
Whoever you vote for, dont vote for the Big Three
dh
Don't Vote : Organise!
16.04.2005 01:13
Election 2005 is a joke. None of the political parties are fit for
human consumption. All we are offered is a choice of swindlers. A
vote caste is a vote wasted. The only way we can defend ourselves
from the erosion of our public services, the erosion of our civil
liberties and the erosion of our standard of living is by
organising against those that repress and exploit us at a local and
global level.
Withholding our votes is not a choice for apathy. It is a message
to our rulers that we do not consent to be ruled. However, for it
to gain its true significance it needs to be accompanied by action.
Resist the G8 at Gleneagles
July 6th - 8th 2005
Come to Perthshire, Scotland and join the international
mobilisation against international capitalism!
Organise!
www.dissent.org.uk
==================
This is a text of a leaflet and poster being put out. Feel
free to adopt adapt and improve it:
[Side 1]
Don't Vote
Election 2005 is a joke. None of the political
parties are fit for human consumption. All we are offered is a
choice of swindlers. A vote caste is a vote wasted. The only way we
can defend ourselves from the erosion of our public services, the
erosion of our civil liberties and the erosion of our standard of
living is by organising against those that repress and exploit us
at a local and global level. Withholding our votes is not a choice
for apathy. It is a message to our rulers that we do not consent to
be ruled. However, for it to gain its true significance it needs to
be accompanied by action. Resist the G8 at Gleneagles July 6th -
8th 2005 Come to Perthshire, Scotland and join the international
mobilisation against international capitalism!
Organise!
[Side 2]
Link the Local to create the global
The continual attacks on working class people mean that more and
more of us are getting drawn into struggles to defend the little we
have in the way of services, freedom and spending power. Each new
reform turns out to be a way to further control the public while
offering no actual improvement - except to the bureaucrats who run
society. But while our struggles remain isolated it is easier to
pick us off one by one. Political parties and trade unions have
shown themselves incapable of bringing our struggles together -
they just create a new layer of bureaucrats to manage our
struggles. However the mass mobilisation of protestors at the G8
meeting of the world’s top leaders will provide an opportunity to
come together with activists not just from across Britain, but from
across the world. Together we can then prevent the G8 leaders from
meeting to plan our further exploitation.
www.dissent.org.uk
Don't Vote : Organise!
What should we do instead then?
19.04.2005 10:14
But what's the other option. I remember direct action being really effective against the Iraq war...
I'll tell you a secret - if *you* don't vote there will still be politicians in charge of you. You just won't get to choose the ones you want.
And if you don't want any of them what are you going to do instead?
Are you standing for parliament?
Are you (personally) involved in planning a revolution?
And if you aren't doing any of this, are you just pushing the whole issue of who runs our country, how, and on who's behalf, because it's just NOT FAIR.
Will you be staying in your bedroom for the next five years.
Make a difference - vote.
dk
Vote to block those who allowed one million to be massacred in Rwanda
29.04.2005 03:59
If you don't vote, you let those who allowed the Rwandan genocide to happen to get away with it; I don't care about your politics - socialist, communist, anarchist - not voting is not challenging them. You want a better world, do something about it. I don't give a rat's arse if you want autonomous vegan households each ruling their own (equally apportioned) allotment, you can work towards that later. Now, if you work towards that, you're working against those who are trying to save lives and that's against your own principles.
Do what you know you ought to: vote.
HAS