To think this is a crap excuse not to vote

[Hairydontcare]

FB. A suffragette type picture is posted, lots of "women died for your right to vote." Then my friend has posted "I'm not voting, it doesn't make any difference round here, I'm not interested and they died for my right NOT to vote."

AIBU to think this is horseshit?

She'd better off campaigning against first past the post so her vote did count. It is annoying being in a safe seat for a different party to yours though.

If all the people who didn't vote because they thought their vote wouldn't make any difference, actually voted, perhaps collectively it would make a difference. And whether a spoilt ballot paper is recognised or not, at least if it is it's showing you've engaged with the system but aren't happy with it. But not turning up to vote could be seen as not bothered/happy with the status quo. I think it's vital to engage in politics because it affects you and everyone around you. As people have said, it's not something that happens in a bubble that you can ignore.

The "if you don't do politics" advert summed it up nicely...

Just remind them that if they don't vote, they havn't earned the right to whinge and moan about politics, the state of the roads, or whatever as basically they've been too bone idle to even attempt to do anything about it themselves. Because, at the end of the day, that's all it is - a lazy excuse for the bone idle as they can't be arsed to vote. Same with all those who claim to be too busy - bullshit - you're in and out in 2 minutes and unless you live on a mountain side, the polling stations are close by - and polling stations are open 7am to 10pm - not to mention you can also vote by post. Too many bloody excuses for the bone idle!

Election Day should be a national holiday everything should shut down, that would encourage more people to vote.

Unless there is some kind of cataclysmic landslide my MP isn't going anywhere. Her majority was approx 15k. Even if every UKIP vote now went to the tories, she would still have a majority of 6k.

But what about if 6,001 of historic labour supporters vote for someone else or don't bother to vote this time because of Corbyn????

As we've seen in recent elections, they are becoming more unpredictable, so whatever the majority at the last election, there's absolutely nothing to say it will be the same this time.

It doesn't matter who you vote for. The government still get in.

Unless there is some kind of cataclysmic landslide my MP isn't going anywhere.

But that did happen in Scotland - which at one time was a Labour stronghold. In the last Parliament they had one MP.

Is that just one of many petty excuses not to vote, and it's really all about not being arsed to just go down to the polling station and vote. Perhaps their parents didn't vote and consequently encouragement to do so is minimal or non-existent.

Better to spoil your paper than to not vote at all.

Nobody should feel forced to vote. The shower of shite we have to choose from has made me not vote in the past as well. I really don't have the time to go to a polling station to dick around spoiling a piece of paper to make that point either.

Everyone should be able to make time in the fifteen hours the polling stations are open to actually go in there and vote, or spoil their paper. They're always local to where you live.

Of course, people are sometimes away, so that's why provision is made for postal votes and proxy.

Yes, some effort is needed. That's what is so sad and a little bit pathetic, that people won't make the effort to vote.

That's what is so sad and a little bit pathetic, that people won't make the effort to vote.

Exactly, well said. Probably the same people who make up excuses not to wash their hands after using the loo as per the other MN thread.

That's what is so sad and a little bit pathetic, that people won't make the effort to vote.

Absolutely - a "well said" from me too.