that would still be "spoiling" your ballot paper

Your idea is no different to not voting. Stand for election yourself if you don't like the candidates.

Please note typo:

E-Mail should be  info@iniref.org

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KIA, thanx and SHHHHHHUSH

"Democracy DOES work, but only when you bother to engage in it."

Millions engage with it, and we had 17 years of Tory Rule followed by 13 years of Nu-Labour.

If you think thats working, then your criteria are probably not those that are useful here.

@AH ' Your idea is no different to not voting.'

It differs in that you are showing that you are interested in democracy, but do not feel that any candidates truly represent your views. Merely not voting will be construed as you being happy with the existing system.

If millions of us 'spoiled' our ballot papers (ie wrote none of the above etc) it would question the legitimacy of the existing system of representation.

You miss my point, deliberately or otherwise. If you feel you can support "none of the above", stand yourself. If you think spoiling your ballot paper is productive, then you really are very stupid.

Although it may be nice to think that they are all conscientious abstainers, the reason for most of the electorate who don't vote is that they can't be bothered or are too busy doing some thing else. If you actually turn up to the voting station you can state on you're paper why you are not voting then there is less doubt. It would be even better if specific comments on spoilt papers were counted.

But being on the electorate is participating in statehood, which some of us don't like to do. Apart from anything else it means that the state authorities can find you and tax you, etc.

"If you think spoiling your ballot paper is productive, then you really are very stupid."

No, I think voting is a waste of time, which gives them a credibility that they haven't earned and don't deserve. Losing £500 isn't really going to help.

The problem with JUST not voting is that no clear message has been passed. Nobody can say wiht any justification that those who didn't bother to vote were dissatisfied with the candiates on offer.

Just irregularly spoiling your ballot in a way that could be confused with accident not a lot better. Again no clear message being passed. But an organized "spoilage" campaign? That at least has some possibilities.

Here the usual way is to vote for oneself (or anybody else one wishes to vote for). I do know that you folks have to place a deposit to stand for election (have a place on the ballot) but they don't bill people just because the received votes, do they?

Direct action? Hey, I'm an anarchist too but I want to point a few realities out. Saying that's the way to go doesn't mean that they other guys aren't just as justified using direct actions of their own to bring down whatever you try to establish in place of the current order. If you have enough numbers to make a go of it (via direct) then you already had enough numbers to have won at the polls. Just casting a vote requires one hell of a lot less commitment than a fight to the death.

How about considering the origins of voting. What are we doing when we "divide" with a show of hands but demonstrating which side would have more sword arms if it came to blows. Or of a voice vote, well a greater enthusiasm might allow a lesser numner to defeat a greater if push came to shove.