Spoil My Vote

[Monkeyhoney]

Is the legitimate way to register my considered disgust and despair with the system itself.

Foul effluent in our rivers , mass die-offs of insects and birds, and native mammals, rising poverty, elderly freezing to death , falling literary, no youth clubs, amenities closing, whole generation of renters , families eating poor diets as can't afford a decent one.

Surely it's better to put committees of experts in their fields, making transparent decisions, in charge of running the country. Not politicians who have shares or positions in companies that are necessary for survival.

There's no other way to record this conscious decision that our country and our kids deserve so much better, and that its time we collectively spoke to calmy start a new sensible, non political solution. With local decisions voted on locally in school halls.

Hence, I spoil my paper.

Family tradition is we draw a cock and balls on it. Lol. RIP Dad. Seriously though, the current system is an insult to humanity. Then you get called apathetic if you 'don't bother' to choose between the greasy politicians.

Spoilt votes are counted and announced by the returning officer on the night.

That's an interesting way of looking at it. And you're right. My aim is to truthfully record a lack of faith in the current system, not cast a false sympathy vote. 😶💪

Spot on. Unless loads of us did it 😃

There have been record numbers of people registering to vote in the days after the election was announced. In most constituencies the vote won't be anywhere near close enough for a few spoilt votes to be the focus of the attention.

It would be more useful to put your effort into speaking for you new MP to let them know what you want from them, especially while/if they're new and enthusiastic.

I've paused encouraging the Revolution, to watch Sewing Bee 🐝 😘

I'm not talking about campaigning. I don't campaign for parties.

I'm talking about the arduous process of speaking truth to power. Whistleblowing, basically. The decision makers. The cliquey little power groups in councils. Present them with cold hard facts and requests for evidence to back up their claims. change. It is very boring. But eventually it works.

The only thing loads of us is doing, and will actually make a difference, is voting tactically. Look up the recent article in The Guardian by Carol Vorderman on how to vote tactically and why you should do it.

Spoiling the ballot paper is included in the count of population voting. If you don't vote, it's seen as apathy.

I hear you. Did a heck of a lot of that in 3 year battle to stop Fracking.

Holding current government to account is one thing. Cutting out the middle men and putting qualified, time served, non political experts in policy-making positions in a committee is preferable to me as a model for 'democracy' .

Sounds like you've worked very hard to serve your community at some stage. 👏✊

Not sure how you reached that conclusion. I’ve never spoiled a ballot in a general election.

But, I’d rather do that than vote for a party I don’t believe in. This might be the first year I do. It’s as likely to change the system as voting for a party that’s going to lose is!!

Who knows , maybe the record number of people registering to vote are going to spoil their vote !??!!

I no longer believe in the MP system, so I won't be voting for that.

My post was to the OP

So have you. More women can and should do this.

Taking a break from mumsnet till after the no doubt very depressing result in my constituency tomorrow.

Best of luck to everyone whatever you decide and an enormous FUCK OFF to Boris, Nigel and the OCG that is my local authority

Since when do I have to prove improvements on a corrupt and infantile system and it's heartbreaking failings, in order to justify my decision to register my utter CONTEMPT with the system itself???

P.s I've lived through Tory and Labour and Tory again. Hate to break it to you, but it makes no difference. None whatsoever.

Thanks for the patronising reply. I fully understand tactical voting thanks! Voting tactically might result in a change of government. . But it won’t actually make a difference to anything, if the choice is between 2 or 3 parties that one doesn’t believe actually have a coherent plan.

And I refuse to be “told” how to vote by anyone….that seems the very definition of apathy - not being able to think for oneself…

I’m fortunate in that whoever wins is unlikely to have a material impact for better or worse on me now - I’m in my 50s. So I’ll take the action that I think is best for the country as I have little skin in the game at this point in my life. And frankly no party is inspiring. .

Sorry!!

I AM going to use my vote!!!!!!

To record my lack of faith in the current system! As a woman!

The votes are counted and all candidates have to see spoilt ballots to agree that a vote has not been cast.

Spoiling your ballot is a legitimate form of protest, ignore anyone trying to belittle you for making that choice.

Exactly 💯

I personally feel the "bun the Tories" culture is the lazy option and rather ill-informed, and certainly does not represent how I feel.

I can only go off experience , and have lived through Tory, Labour, Hung, and now Tory again. Did I miss out a Tory in the middle?

Labour took us to an illegal war, knowingly based on a pack of lies.

And , nothing material changed. The free market economy and the Establishment rules. There are as many Labour politicians or 'Lords' up to their necks on arms companies or oil, gas , nuclear companies than there are Tories.

That's the rotten system I can't put my name to. I'm not arsed what colour tie they're wearing.

The illusion of "choice" is only tenable if Labour is the counterweight to the Tories, or vice versa.

I'm fed up of it.

I agree. I’ve voted in every election in the last 30 + years. I’m fed up of the government being made up largely with wealthy corrupt politicians feathering their own nests and working for themselves and their mates, not the country.

I’ve lost faith that my vote or any amount of campaigning will make a jot of difference, it hasn’t so far, in fact things have just got consistently worse and worse.

It is my sincere belief that any person actively wanting to be a politician should be ruled out on that basis. The state of the country is shocking. By voting I feel I’m accepting that it’s ok. By spoiling my vote I’ll have voiced my feelings. There is literally no one I can vote for.

Yay! Thanks so much for understanding 😎

Yup! A real protest vote.

Thanks for understanding me. 🙏 😊

I hear you! 😃

It's more than an Irk!!!! All the parties are guilty of carrying on this utter farcical system.

Whenever I see these threads I always wonder if it is a ploy of the desperate Tories, encouraging people to spoil their ballot to lessen the proportion of people voting anything but Tory. I just don't understand what it achieved. No one is going to turn around and go - wow, x% of the population spiked their ballot, let's change the whole way we do things.