To think that people who can't be arsed to vote are lazy.

[frances5]

A democracy cannot run if people do not vote. We need the right politicans to ensure our country is well run. People who don't vote are letting their country down.

Especially as in many countries many people do not have the freedoms we enjoy.

No vote no voice.

Simple as that.

And a fine would be a great idea. However it would tick me off if I took the trouble only for some computer to f* it up a the last minute as happened here last night. The machines Labour brought in against advice actually ripped and shredded some forms.

potoroo, DL won't be able to vote anyway, unless she becomes/until she becomes a citizen.

Then, if she does, she HAS to vote.

giant sqirrel you could have postal voted. BF isn't an excuse

Yes I agree with the OP. If there are for instance 100,000 people in this country (I know its more like 65 million) so am using this as an example before anyone says I am thick

Only 30,000 turn out (of course its much less than this in reality), 12,000 vot labour, 8,000 vote tory and then 6,000 vote BNP, what a worrying thought. The other 4,000 were obscure.

Then the next year that 6k vote went up to 9k, everyone would be flapping around.

Perhaps our government should do something to appease the people who are voting for this damning group. Reading on here last night, I heard how, young mothers, old ladies were BNP canvassers. This would not happen if the current parties revised their positions on immigration, but no one is prepared to stand up and say, enough is enough. Lock the doors Now!!! No more.

Everyone who is here is fine and can stay, but there will be no more immigration to this country unless you can prove that you can support yourself & family for 5 years at least (like Australia) correct me if I am wrong. Rant over.

It was nice to see the people of brighton & hove excersising their vote. they changed council to Conservative becuase the labour party has pissed the people off no end with local issues such as schools lottery and bin collection.

The same thing goes for Bournemouth. Again Conservative as they felt the Lib Dems were ignoring the peoples wishes with regards to new regeneration in the town. Bournemouth peole didn't want the town to turn into Brightons little sister. They like is to remain the sleepy place where old people go to die. Not a hen party get your dildo on the restaurant table kind of place.

Again local people in a town i forget voted the conservatives out in favour of the lib dems becuase the Conservatives were planning a couple of MILLION quids worth of extension to the TOWN HALL!

People did that.

FFF if you're a new mother and have bought the myth that BF takes half an hour and then you'll be able to go about your business, you're not going to have organised a postal vote are you? And if you have, there's the question of getting to the post - in my case, it's the same distance as the polling booth. Plus I just assumed I would get time at some point and therefore wouldn't have organised a postal vote - not unreasonable in most people's minds. The idea that I should go to the trouble of organising a postal vote (how do you do that btw, is it when the polling cards come round) in order to spoil my paper, is a little bizarre. What a waste of public money.

Also, don't talk to me about "excuse". I don't need an excuse not to do something I don't want to, thank you, I don't want to have to excuse myself to the state.

Vis a vis jury service, you don't need a really good reason to get out of it. Being middle class and having a jolly important job is usually good reason enough ime. In my old industry, every time someone got called up for jury service, our MD would write a letter saying they couldn't possibly be spared for business reasons. (The business wasn't important, it was selling people things they don't need.) If the same criteria were applied to voting, I'd have less of an issue with it. (One of the secretaries got into trouble for saying there'd be no trouble at all about serving on a jury, they were furious with her. So much for civic duty and all that.)

You are right Squirrel.

yes everyone should vote, voter apathy really annoys me. however when i went to vote on thurs with my 2 kids i was furious to discover i had to make 2 votes and there were only 3 candidates - 2 tories and 1 labour so basically i HAD to vote for at least 1 tory candidate - talk about a bloody democracy. as i would rather sever my hands than vote tory i spoilt the paper. even so i would rather spoil the paper than not vote at all, even if there is no one worth voting for!!

daisybo that's really wierd. Surely you could just vote for one candidate and that vote would be counted?