mandelbrot
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why not? There is ample choice on the voting slip. Not bothering to vote only endorses the status quo. The 50% who didn't bother to vote have no right to complain about the Government or its policies if they make no effort to engage by casting their votes.
why not? There is ample choice on the voting slip. Not bothering to vote only endorses the status quo. The 50% who didn't bother to vote have no right to complain about the Government or its policies if they make no effort to engage by casting their votes.
I didn't say that they were stupid for exercising their right, I said they were stupid for the manner in which they exercised it. I have nothing against people having strong left-wing views, it is the hollow and nonsensical nature of the policies (or lack thereof) of the Looney Left that I have a problem with.That's called democracy Purple. Calling people stupid for exercising their democratic right is a harsh.
I'd be more critical of all the people who didn't bother to vote.
Isn't that the case for most of us during local elections?I found myself in the voting booth looking at a pile of people about whom I knew little or was aware of their limitations.
I didn't say that they were stupid for exercising their right, I said they were stupid for the manner in which they exercised it. I have nothing against people having strong left-wing views, it is the hollow and nonsensical nature of the policies (or lack thereof) of the Looney Left that I have a problem with.
Isn't that the case for most of us during local elections?
I found myself in the voting booth looking at a pile of people about whom I knew little or was aware of their limitations.
..
Normally, I might have amused myself by voting down the lists.
Maybe I'm a bit dense and need this one spelled out for me... Why is "turning up" and spoiling my vote any better than not engaging at all? If everyone of my mindset "turned up" and spoilt our votes would it magically result in a fundamental change in our political system?
It wasn't the fact that the parties were centralist that screwed things up. It was the fact that they were incompetent and greedy and got into bed with incompetent and greedy developers, bankers, unions and builders (as well as retailers, publicans etc.). My problem is that the alternative offers no alternative. They are charlatans, snake-oil merchants.I agree but again, it wasn't the left wing loonies who got us into mess. The Irish Population has always voted centre parties. FF, FG, Labour, PD's, Greens were never left and right wing parties. They all had their ideologies but they all ended up falling back to the centre to try and appeal to the most voters. Considering the mess we are now in, can you really blame a large portion of the electorate from looking at alternatives. This isn't the electorates fault. It is the fault of centre parties for failing the electorate. And it's not just an Irish problem. We are seeing it across Europe. UKIP in Britain. The National Front in France. The Socilaists in Greece. People are now pushing towards to the extreme left and right because they feel that they are being ignored.
1.The words "didn't bother" have relatively little relevance here. With the amount of emigration foisted on this country many many people were unable to vote. Do you think they should book flights back to Ireland just to vote?
Disgruntled is not a reason you can't vote. Disgruntled is a reason you decide to stay at home and sit on your hands.2. There would be a fair amount of people whom for some reason or other could not vote either i.e. sick people, hospitalized, holidaymakers abroad, and the disgruntled.
3. I look on those who did not vote as people who were genuinely protesting against a choice of politicians who would scam them as against those who would rip them off. I fully understand why people would not vote and empathise with them.
4. Those who spoilt their votes are included in my 3rd point above. In the light of our "stroke" politicians it is obvious that the voters were ensuring that their votes would not be used. We've seen what politicians do with their travel claims etc, God only knows what they would do with "available" votes.
Then we have the unopinionated braindead; those who will vote down party lines no matter whom or what is put up for election. Do you think these deserve more respect than those who for one reason or another did not vote?
No point in looking inward. We are not all wired up to some brain reading machine which decides the outcome of the election based on our collective inner meanderings - and for the life of me I cannot think why anyone would want such a nightmarish dystopia. We either get out there and engage or we don't.It is very easy to judge people while looking outward, but when one looks inward the playing field looks completely different.
It wasn't the fact that the parties were centralist that screwed things up. It was the fact that they were incompetent and greedy and got into bed with incompetent and greedy developers, bankers, unions and builders (as well as retailers, publicans etc.). My problem is that the alternative offers no alternative. They are charlatans, snake-oil merchants.
II look on them as an undistinguishable and unknowable morass of different reasons
More than anything we need honesty and competence. We have had neither for a long time, if ever.
Similarly LMF tops an EP poll in MNW but I presume that even the people of MNW would not be this silly if they thought he would get some real power over their lives.
Consider SF's taxation policy. Private Sector earners would be taxed at 58% on incomes over 100k whilst Public Sector earners would be taxed at 100%.
Similarly LMF tops an EP poll in MNW but I presume that even the people of MNW would not be this silly if they thought he would get some real power over their lives.
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