To not feel the need to vote in the general election

[Imambaldi]

I can’t see the point in voting for any of the parties as I think they are all as bad as each other.
They historically change goal posts to suit themselves, pilfer public funds and get away with it, break the rules that Joe Public has to follow and I feel politics just stinks.

However, I don’t want the conservatives to get back in but dread to think what the alternative will be.

I’m in Scotland and we’re stuck with the SNP for years.
I’m at a loss how to vote tactfully to rid the uk of Conservatives and feel that on election day it will be a case of not voting at all or “ which numpty should I vote for?’

I love this.

Saying they're all the same is about as lazy as it comes. Either that or it's a Tory way of saying nooo don't vote Labour.

@Crabpot you know that note is a tradition and was weaponised by the tories www.newstatesman.com/politics/commons-confidential/2023/07/liam-byrne-labour-apology-no-money-note

You should vote - or not - as you see fit but please don't make your decision on the basis of this

https://stopthetories.vote/ - put in your postcode and it will advise the party most likely to achieve the result you want.

I disagree. Spoiling a ballot makes it clear the voter doesn't like any of the options. Just staying at home could be interpreted as being ok with whoever wins. Which is fine is that's what you want, as imo not voting is a legitimate choice.

I believe the right not to vote is as important as the right to vote.

However if you want them to know you aren't happy with any of the options it's better to spoil your ballot than stay at home.

If spoiling, important to make it very clear that's your intention. Write something like "I'm intentionally spoiling my ballot and I don't want any of these candidates".

With spoilt ballots, count staff will try to work out if it's an intentional spoil or did the voter mean to pick a particular candidate. Some info on spoilt ballots here (one case, two candidates drew but one won because it was decided a spoilt ballot was in fact a vote for them)

https://votingcounts.org.uk/spoilt-ballot

If you don't vote you can't complain about what happens as a result 🤷🏼‍♀️

It's utter nonsense, isn't it? There's a world of difference between Thatcherism and Social Democracy.

Unpopular opinion here, I suspect, but I tend to think tactical voting is undemocratic, and it disincentivises the main rival parties from feeling the need to offer voters any changes for the better. Why would they need to, if people vote Against rather than vote For.

I also believe it's vital for democracy to have healthy opposition. Large landslide win for any party is worrying for democracy.

But anyway, in your situation OP, in the first instance I'd look at it from a local constituency perspective, rather than national party. Look at your local constituency candidates. If it's someone standing for re-election regardless of which party, were they a good local MP? If it's a new candidate, do they seem like they'd be a good local MP?

@Againname I believe the right not to vote is as important as the right to vote.

Do you now. And who do you propose runs the country if everyone adopted your sterling advice? Are you all going to band together and sort out the NHS, education, run the Treasury etc etc. Or (as I suspect) you're just going to shrug your shoulders whilst chanting the mantra "they're all as bad as each other".

I was already aware of the ‘tradition’ but it was still crass to leave the note as it clearly could be and obviously was weaponised later on. I believe the author of that note realised just how ridiculous it was too. And I’m not basing the note as a reason for not voting, I’m not voting for the reason I previously stated, I don’t believe a word of what is contained within a pile of rushed manifestos for an election of which many of us will have already come to a conclusion about the outcome.

And of course it’s my democratic right not to vote at all, I won’t be breaking the law, I just won’t have a right to complain about future decisions the next Government will make.

I disagree. The constituency boundaries have been redrawn since 2019. Reform will take a.big bite.outnof Dinenage's majority and if Lib Dems vote tactically there is a small chance Labour could swing it. Worth a shot anyway.

Show up and spoil your vote, it is better than not going at all

If people are forced to vote, they'll just pick any old candidate or spoil their ballot, but also it's as undemocratic to force people to vote as it is to deny people the vote.

However, although it's extremely unlikely to happen, if the vast majority, say 80%, of the electorate didn't vote or spoilt their ballots, it would very much call into question the legitimacy of whoever forms government and arguably would justify another election with different candidates and different policies.

However that's such an unlikely scenario it's not really worth talking about.

@Imambaldi

I can’t see the point in voting for any of the parties as I think they are all as bad as each other.

As PP have said, this is such a lazy - as well as incorrect - thing to say. Have you read their manifestos? Are they really promising the same things?

They historically change goal posts to suit themselves, pilfer public funds and get away with it, break the rules that Joe Public has to follow and I feel politics just stinks.

This is a perfect description of the Tories. But NAPALT!

And, frankly, if you don't vote then you can't complain with what you end up with.

That tactical vote calculator recommends voting Labour in our true blue Tory seat so that's very probably what I will do. It would take a massive swing to unseat the god awful Kemi Badenoch though (our current MP).

We can only do our best.

While I don't believe in mandatory voting, I do think everyone has a moral obligation to vote. People died for us to have the right to vote, and it was hard fought for for both sexes, especially for women.

Your vote is the main voice you have, even in an imperfect system like FPTP.

I used to favour proportional representation but I am more wary of it these days because it would allow the likes of Reform (and before them the Brexshit Party and UKIP) to get parliamentary seats at Westminster, and I certainly don't want that.

Yes, UKIP, the Brexit part, Reform would all do much better under PR.

All the same? Well we'll have to wait and see whether Labour will have the equivalent of Paterson, partygate, Pincher, the PM lying to the Commons, Truss crashing the economy, not to mention all the people made ministers way beyond their ability and all the sleaze stories.
Hopefully they won't.

And what are you remembering from more than 14 years ago? Because there is so much evidence that the country was in a much better state at the end of the labour government than now at the end of this lot.

Agree !

Then I would suggest you also are misremembering the years up to 2010.

BIWI · Today 15:19
@Imambaldi

I can’t see the point in voting for any of the parties as I think they are all as bad as each other.

As PP have said, this is such a lazy - as well as incorrect - thing to say. Have you read their manifestos? Are they really promising the same things?

Well that’s the problem isn’t it ?
They can promise all they like in their manifestos but they often don’t stick to it!

You're projecting. You can base voting on what's in front of you or you can judge everyone by what the Tories have done.

This
Absolutely this.

It is very difficult to decide who to vote for, I agree. All parties have policies I agree with and policies that I really don't.

I have read manifestos and have just spent an hour filling in a 'who should I vote for questionnaire.

Apparently I should just about vote SDP (no candidate in my area) or then it's an equal split between Labour, Conservative and Green. So I still don't know.

Still, there are a couple of weeks to go.

So basically you're safe in the knowledge that someone else will do the job of running the country without you having to worry about it. Politicians aren't part of a divine selection process from birth or under obligation to be MP's. They choose to put themselves forward to run the country. Something that most people have neither the inclination nor the courage to do.

You say that mass non voting would call into question the legitimacy of the government. Well, it would certainly do that but it would also leave the country without a government and society would effectively collapse. You also say it would justify different candidates with different policies. Where do you propose these "different candidates" come from?

That would lead to a democratic deficit and isn't good for any nation.