rickolasnice
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2007
- Messages
- 6,807
Are you going to vote in next years general election?
Why?
Who are you going to vote for?
Why?
Why?
Who are you going to vote for?
Why?
-
🇬🇧 🇸🇪 🇿🇦 🇮🇪 🇬🇭 🇩🇪 🇪🇺
European & African
Drug Discussion
Welcome Guest!
Posting Rules Bluelight Rules -
EADD Moderators: Shambles
Voters
- Thread starter rickolasnice
- Start date
Yes.
If you vote, you can moan about the government afterwards, if not I don't think you really have the right to complain.
Green.
Because I read the major parties' policies on topics that I feel affect me most, and chose the party that best supports my needs.
http://voteforpolicies.org.uk/
(I appreciate that their policies are only half of what you need to consider, after that you also need to decide whether you think the party can follow through with their promises).
If you vote, you can moan about the government afterwards, if not I don't think you really have the right to complain.
Green.
Because I read the major parties' policies on topics that I feel affect me most, and chose the party that best supports my needs.
http://voteforpolicies.org.uk/
(I appreciate that their policies are only half of what you need to consider, after that you also need to decide whether you think the party can follow through with their promises).
*dharmabum*
Bluelighter
Great post Josh, I was going to post pretty much the same thing!
BecomingJulie
Bluelight Crew
Yes, I will be voting in the next general election. I will be voting because people fought and died for me to have that right.
I will be voting for the Green Party because out of all the parties, I disagree with them on the fewest number and least important of issues.
I will be voting for the Green Party because out of all the parties, I disagree with them on the fewest number and least important of issues.
BigG
Ex-Bluelighter
There's little to choose between the main parties and I'm disillusioned with all of them. Labour tend to do more for the NHS which is great (well for me it is anyway) but I can't forgive them for Iraq.
We're I live has been a Labour safe seat for the last 1,000,000 years or so ...it's not like it's up for grabs for anyone else (David Miliband is my local MP).
I feel I should vote for the reasons Julie gave above but I can't help wondering what's the point? .....big sigh!!
We're I live has been a Labour safe seat for the last 1,000,000 years or so ...it's not like it's up for grabs for anyone else (David Miliband is my local MP).
I feel I should vote for the reasons Julie gave above but I can't help wondering what's the point? .....big sigh!!
curious_24
Bluelighter
Green Party for me.
BigG
Ex-Bluelighter
Lot of Green party fans here...
Other than there obvious environmental policies, you don't hear much about what they would actually do if in power on the big issues, Health, Defense, Economy, Foreign Policy etc... or maybe they do but I just haven't heard it
Other than there obvious environmental policies, you don't hear much about what they would actually do if in power on the big issues, Health, Defense, Economy, Foreign Policy etc... or maybe they do but I just haven't heard it
*dharmabum*
Bluelighter
I think I've got a reasonable grip of how capitalism works. Unfortunately, while lots of people are good at pointing out it's flaws, I've yet to hear any truely viable alternatives suggested.
So you aren't going to vote. What are you doing/going to do to get us out of 'the system'?
*edit* - D'oh... should have refreshed before posting!
felix
Bluelight Crew
So doing fuck all is the best way to change anything? Or do you propose a revolution, just as soon as you've finished watching the latest Russell Brand podcast?
Of course.
SNP.
Because gaining independence is the ONLY way for Scotland to rid itself of Westminster, posh rich Tories, nuclear weapons, and... a huge list of other shit ending in The House of Lords.
That's what millions of us up here are doing about it, Dark Side. I do not envy the poor choices you have down in England right now, and the sheer hopelessness you must feel when attempting to choose the lesser of 4 evils, who are all equally shit in different ways (but are largely the same type of cunts underneath). Good luck to the Greens down there next year, I suppose.
I'm thinking it's going to be fucking hilarious having Alex Salmond as the UK's Deputy Prime Minister in a coalition. Watch this space. :D
Was going to vote for the Greens until someone told me one of their policies is banning all animal testing in the UK, including medical. Going to have a good read of their manifesto to ascertain whether that's true, but if it is I can't fucking vote for them, so I guess I'm stuck with Labour, who are at least marginally better than the other lot.
And dark side - I can understand your lack of faith but talking about "how capitalism works" isn't very useful. There are many different forms of capitalism. Even anarchist societies could include "capital" in the sense of a currency / trading system. If you're going to say "fuck everything" be clearer in your terms (no offence meant, just trying to have a good discussion).
And dark side - I can understand your lack of faith but talking about "how capitalism works" isn't very useful. There are many different forms of capitalism. Even anarchist societies could include "capital" in the sense of a currency / trading system. If you're going to say "fuck everything" be clearer in your terms (no offence meant, just trying to have a good discussion).
BigG
Ex-Bluelighter
Thanks I'll have a look at that.
Can anyone remember the Monster Raving Loony party and Screaming Lord Sutch (he was the 3rd Earl of Harrow or something)?
I'm sure he held the record for losing all of the 40 odd elections in which he stood......still would have been a more popular PM than Gorden Brown though! haha!
BecomingJulie
Bluelight Crew
Why not? Under such a régime, Britain would end up becoming a Centre of Excellence in non-animal testing techniques. Techniques which won't even get a chance at becoming mainstream, unless and until someone is prepared to bite the bullet and ban animal testing.
Never voted and probably never will. I refuse to prop up a system I have no faith in. The whole thing is a charade. Meaningless. Give me somebody worth voting for and I'll be first in line to do so but until then, none of them are worthy of my vote. Fuck 'em. They all fuck us.
(but if i did i'd vote green)
(but if i did i'd vote green)
BigG
Ex-Bluelighter
Vurtual
Bluelighter
The people who died to get the small degree of suffrage we have got would still be fighting if they were around today - oligarchy is not democracy - the bits of democracy we have got were largely given to us to stave off more substantial change, and were tweeaked to be as little change to elite power as possible. We won't have democracy until that includes economic democracy, or until human rights include positive economic rights (like they were supposed to initially).
What we need in this country is to push our system to a more grass roots people's democracy - this doesn't necessarily mean a violent revolution just a change in how people think about politics: this actually happened in scotland to a degree in my opinion and there was no fighting. It also happened in venezuala under chavez - he introduced and encouraged people to set up community groups and grass roots organisations to get involved directly in the political process in a real way - the result is the best and most engaged electoral process in the world according to jimmy carter (despite the best efforts of the oligarchs who own all the tv stations). Similar changes have happened in bolivia ecuador and to a degree brazil.
What's happening in spain with Podemos (the most popular party despite only being formed in january) also gives me hope that we could improve our system to have more representation without reference to the usual boring marxist-leninist tropes that we're usually scared with to keep the status quo.
Saying our current system of democracy (if it even is that) is the worst system apart from all the rest is just another version of TINA and i don't believe it for a second (but don't forget that churchill probably said that while we had a social democracy system, which was better than the neoliberalism of today). I'm all for democracy, but we shouldn't stop striving for it until it's worthy of the name (i'm a socialist and think that socialism without democracy can't be socialism).
After sayng all that, i might actually vote for my mp because i've emailed him a few times to get him to vote certain ways (like against syria bombing, for palestine, against the gagging order) and every time he was already voting the way i wanted him to, and gave me long detailed answers (on house of commons paper even) - so i wouldn't mind giving him my vote on a personal level (his party is plaid cymru, and i pretty much agree with their economic policies (social democracy more or less)).
If he wasn't my mp and i was forced, i'd vote green for the same reason - the greens, plaid cymru and the snp are the only parties offering anything outside the neoliberal consensus, and they're largely kept out of the media because of this - just the idea that there might be an alternative to austerity is kept from public consciousness like the orwellian memory hole (especially by the bbc), even though the IMF themselves recently admitted that austerity was a mistake - that in itself illustrates the democratic deficit (democracy without complete information is not democracy). Fundamentally, i see no point in voting while we have first past the post, lobbying, elite-conrolled media and the rest (except for a party like Podemos - but there isn't one here (yet)).
What we need in this country is to push our system to a more grass roots people's democracy - this doesn't necessarily mean a violent revolution just a change in how people think about politics: this actually happened in scotland to a degree in my opinion and there was no fighting. It also happened in venezuala under chavez - he introduced and encouraged people to set up community groups and grass roots organisations to get involved directly in the political process in a real way - the result is the best and most engaged electoral process in the world according to jimmy carter (despite the best efforts of the oligarchs who own all the tv stations). Similar changes have happened in bolivia ecuador and to a degree brazil.
What's happening in spain with Podemos (the most popular party despite only being formed in january) also gives me hope that we could improve our system to have more representation without reference to the usual boring marxist-leninist tropes that we're usually scared with to keep the status quo.
Saying our current system of democracy (if it even is that) is the worst system apart from all the rest is just another version of TINA and i don't believe it for a second (but don't forget that churchill probably said that while we had a social democracy system, which was better than the neoliberalism of today). I'm all for democracy, but we shouldn't stop striving for it until it's worthy of the name (i'm a socialist and think that socialism without democracy can't be socialism).
After sayng all that, i might actually vote for my mp because i've emailed him a few times to get him to vote certain ways (like against syria bombing, for palestine, against the gagging order) and every time he was already voting the way i wanted him to, and gave me long detailed answers (on house of commons paper even) - so i wouldn't mind giving him my vote on a personal level (his party is plaid cymru, and i pretty much agree with their economic policies (social democracy more or less)).
If he wasn't my mp and i was forced, i'd vote green for the same reason - the greens, plaid cymru and the snp are the only parties offering anything outside the neoliberal consensus, and they're largely kept out of the media because of this - just the idea that there might be an alternative to austerity is kept from public consciousness like the orwellian memory hole (especially by the bbc), even though the IMF themselves recently admitted that austerity was a mistake - that in itself illustrates the democratic deficit (democracy without complete information is not democracy). Fundamentally, i see no point in voting while we have first past the post, lobbying, elite-conrolled media and the rest (except for a party like Podemos - but there isn't one here (yet)).
Last edited:
BigG
Ex-Bluelighter
^^^ Well said sir