To post every day until the next election to remind you to VOTE.

[NorthernLurker]

Seeing as the government appear to have kicked off their campaign I thought now was the time to start nagging talking about voting.

This weekend's talk about pensions shows in a nutshell why we need to vote. The government - any democratic government worldwide - is swayed by the need to please those they think will vote for them. So if you're not getting what you want from this government you need to vote because it is only when everybody like you votes that the wind will change in your governmental favour.

Register to vote, talk to your friends and family about voting, create some momentum and you will see change. The election of 2015 could see the biggest turn out from women under 40 ever. Anything is possible. There's been talk in the past about the 'mumsnet' election - well wouldn't it be great if that was a reality. Not in the sense of posters all voting one way, that's not the point. The point is wouldn't it be great if every user of this board voted? If every user of this board made their voice heard. It can happen.

And I'll be posting every day until it does

Hurrah for voting!

This thread puts me off voting. And I normally vote.
What difference foes a 60% turnout or an 80% turnout make?
Cant even be bothered to read all the thread to see if the question has already be asked and answered, so shoot me.

I'm sorry this has put you off. It's well established that there is higher turnout in the older population - so NOT the part of the population most mumsnetters fall in to. If you feel government doesn't represent you - well is that because they're listening to the people who actually vote? Therefore to change what the government's priorities are (of whatever party) you need to be in the group that's seen to have the power. And the power is the vote. So 80% turnout in the mumsnet reading part of the population would make a noticeable impact.

So you want more younger women to vote? Whatever their politics?
I am going to have to go back and read the flippin thread now, aren't I?

ok. Have read the last 1/3 of it. Still no further forward. Dont really get the point unless you are after being put in the paper perhaps?

'So you want more younger women to vote? Whatever their politics?'

Yup

'Dont really get the point unless you are after being put in the paper perhaps?'

Nope

The point is I believe that voting makes change. I believe that change is a good thing, as is being heard. I think there are too many of my generation who have forgotten what an awesome thing it is to go to a ballot box and safely and without intimidation say what you think. My vote counts just as much as anybody else's. No more, no less. you may have missed the video I linked too earlier so here it
That's the value of voting for the first time and we don't have to fight for it like the black population of South Africa did so short a time ago. We already have it and I want people to use it.

I've been watching the House of Commons Live on TV. OMG, I want to go in there and shoot half of them. Do some of these people seriously represent us?!!!

I always vote but right now I have to say I have never felt so much in No Mans Land regarding who I would vote for. I am so disheartened with them all.

Have to say, I think this thread may be counter productive. I agree with a pp, if anything it's almost putting me off voting (and I always vote).

People who want to vote, who think it's important, WILL vote. They don't need reminding.

People who don't want to vote will either consciously not do so, for their own reasons, or just don't care.

It's pushy and patronising and leave a really bad taste in my mouth.

Thanks for your opinion.

Friday bump :)

The point isn't to change the government, or change society, nice as that would be; it's to change the demographics of who votes and therefore who gets listened to.

Which currently looks like this.

Which is why under-25s are going to lose housing benefit, but pensioners living in Spain are keeping their winter fuel allowance.

Yes exactly!

Bump

MOnday bump

Haven't read all of this, but has anyone pointed out that we haven't got a choice of votes so there's very little point? Yes the current government is a crock of sh*t, but here's the summary for me as someone from the working classes:

Tories - traditional class enemy, all for the rich and none for the rest
Labour - since new labour, class traitors, all for the rich and none off the rest. All they needed to do to win at this point is shut up for goodness sake but they're spouting from the same hymn sheet as the rest.
Lib dem - since the coalition, new class traitor, all for the rich and none for the rest. I read on bbc not long ago that they're ditching all policies in favour of social mobility because you can't tell voters their kids will be worse off than they are. So you can see who they're assuming is voting then....

I would vote green, but having joined them briefly they are also a bunch who only welcome the rich and don't really have a clue what it is like to live on the other side. All the top politicians at the mo are millionaires for god's sake.

The only people that make any sense to me about politics at the moment is the Monster Raving Loony party, the name being the point.

What are we supposed to do about it?

Yes that has been oft lamented. All I can say is this - the parties' policies are shaped by those involved and those they think will vote for them. If every woman reading this site voted I theorise you would find party policies far more in line with what we want to see. If there's nobody you can bear to contemplate then write that on your paper. Spoilt ballots are scrutinised too.

I want to vote. I just don't have a clue who to vote for. None of the parties seem to do any good.

We need a mumsnet party!

If you feel so strongly about it, why don't you just stand for election people, instead of complaining about the offering.

Some of the representatives actually work hard and do a good job, if you think you can do better then put yourselves forward!

AmIIndecisive, while that is a nice idea theoretically, to actually get elected needs a lot of money and legwork. The constituency I live in, for example, has around 75k voters in it. Just sending them all one sheet of A4 with my policies on it would cost, what, £20,000 in postage? Or more than 500 person-hours to deliver by hand.

So you need a party behind you. And to get selected as a PPC, you have to do your time and play the game.

Standing for local government (PPC is a big reach), is not onerous or expensive, either align yourself with the party that closest resembles what you can live with (they are all crying out for candidates) or stand as an independent, enough knocks on doors will ensure no deposits are lost.

If any people out there truly believe they can do a better job, it is not an impossible thing to achieve, and from the ground roots up, you can all improve your areas and make a difference to the political system. Moaning that the parties are all rubbish is not going to help anyone and spoilt ballots, may make a point, but a very small one at best.

Yes, well, see above for the problem of aligning yourself with a party! Apparently they're all a bunch of bastards.

The local party for whom I was knocking doors last Saturday (about 10% of doors were answered) has plenty of candidates for town and county council. But I might apply one day. Knock 'em dead with my ten-years-as SAHM CV

Amiindecisive and northern lurker, I do know where you're coming from.
That's why I eventually joined the Green Party, with that in mind. I should clarify what I said about they're also welcoming the rich since I would still vote for their policies, though whether they would abide by them... (Shaken by first lab and then ld turncoats)

It was for the number of begging letters I got from them and their tone. I got one letter asking me to support a huge number of no-hoper standees in rich areas ("we won't compromise", how childish) saying that if I didn't cough up a trifling £50 a month I wasn't doing my bit! That's half or a quarter of most people's disposable income, and I can remember when it was 10x mine!

I know there's a fundin. Problem but really!

As someone else said, standing yourself is ridiculously expensive. Perhaps that's why so many mps are millionaires - there's a stupidly high figure of 78% doing the rounds, anyone know the truth?

To balance out the views up thread, I like this thread but I am disappointed in the lack of political discussion on it.

I was expecting more than, stand for election or vote for the other side.

Who are we to vote for?

One lot are busy destroying the country on every front.

The other lot are busy destroying the country on every front.

The other other lot are for squishy-headed impressionable people and are voting for destroying the country on every front, even if they don't actually have the power to do it.

I have never done it before, but I will be one of millions ripping up my ballot paper, let them see how many people aren't bothering.

I actually don't care if nobody else does - people who would rather be wrong, but in the crowd, than right but outside, are the problem in the UK, they have lent weight to so many little bits of evil now - the same goes for people who vote in their own interest and everyone else. Pray they never have to vote on whether to drop cluster bombs on YOUR kids or lose their government money.

I get negative voting, I do, but the people who are still voting for them in westminster as if there is a moral party after everything that's happened, I'm sorry I can only laugh hollowly at such depressing people existing.

Forgive rant - but there is no deeper level of vile scum in the UK than the three big political parties, they would kill or destroy anyone and anything to see their personal will done.