Sorry about the badge – the message however is fairly poignant. The temptation to stay away from the polling stations, particularly when there is a two-party game being played, makes suckers of the electorate. We get the chumps we deserve if we do nothing.There’s a good chance those chumps will get elected anyway, but that should not deter us from trying to break the ‘duopoly’.
I may seem to be backtracking on my ‘if I don’t like them apples why should I pick one’ blog, and I suppose I am to a degree. In my ideal world where apathy has an influence on political representation, and seats remain empty if too few people vote – there is a logic to staying away.
However, no matter how few people turn out and vote, a majority of votes cast still determines who gets to sit in debating chambers, make deals with other politicians, gets wooed by pressure groups and gets interviewed by the media.
Screaming Lord Sutch is sadly missed. His Monster Raving Loony Party gave young people the chance to register a protest vote and prompted Margaret Thatcher to raise the cost of a deposit from £150 to £500 (the amount candidates risk losing if they do not get enough votes).
odespinner 