Your Vote Won't Make Any Difference!

Earthhorse

In the run up to the election there's an awful lot of serious debate going on. I decided it might be time to lighten the atmosphere a bit with some good old fashioned political satire.

There used to be a forum for this sort of stuff but it died on it's feet so I hope it's okay to post this here.

Those of you interested can find my tongue in cheek ramblings here.

Grudaire

Well it is true that pretty much all parties promise the same

Why does't just one party want to increase taxes? They're all sheep:

2000-2300 extra beds
2000ish extra Gardai
Money! I mean 1-2% less tax
A better economy (somehow!)

athtrasna

Earthhorse - I find your post extremely insulting. The Irish people have one of the most important choices on their hands since the foundation of the state. Seats are won and lost on a handful of votes, every vote counts.

I'm not a member of any party but take my right to make a difference very seriously. Your "ramblings" trivialise the importance of this election and the work the various parties have put into preparing for the election.

Earthhorse

I think you're taking it a bit seriously man. It's just a joke.

barrett1965

I am inclined to agree with Earthhorse on this. There is no 'real' choice in my opinion. They all more or less sing from the same hymn sheet. I intend to vote myself, but I will spoil my vote in protest.

http://www.noneoftheabove.ie/

billy the squid

Your Vote Won't Make Any Difference!

I think Michael Finucane of fine gael would disagree with that sentiment.

mikedragon32

barrett1965 wrote:

I intend to vote myself, but I will spoil my vote in protest

Spoil your vote in protest? What's the point in that.

By spoiling your vote or not voting at all, you are perpetuating that which you claim to protest against!

OP: While I appreciate your humour (and can recognise it as such), it IS important for everyone to exercise their franchise.

After all, if you don't vote, don't b1tch!

Senator

Being a boring old fart of ancient vintage, I was one of those who marched in the North in the 1960s for the principle of One Person, One Vote; you youngsters can look this up in your History books. I am appalled that anyone would spoil their vote or disregard it as worthless.

The right to vote, the right to choose who governs your life, was a hard-won right for the Irish. Many millions throughout the world still do not have it even today and live under tyrannical despotic regimes answerable to no one. It humbles me to see thousands of people queuing patiently for many hours in Africa to exercise their right to vote, often having walked for a day or more to get to a polling station. They cherish what we have come to take for granted - "Familiarity breeds contempt".

Use your vote. Use it wisely. Many have died, suffered immeasurable pain and been imprisoned over long, lonesome years of their lives to put your destiny in your own hands. Don't fail them. Don't spit on their sacrifices.

barrett1965

"By spoiling your vote or not voting at all, you are perpetuating that which you claim to protest against!"

Yes, but I would still exercise my right to vote while at the same time not voting for any particular party. What I would really like to see is the option of: None of the Above on the ballot paper.

I was not trying to trivialise how important a vote is!

All the candidates seem to different shade of the one colour - in a manner of speaking.

I hope I didn't offend anyone.

Having said all this, I must concede that for the first time ever, there does seem to be a better choice of candidates than ever.

Earthhorse

I think the right to vote is an important right to have, I am not so sure it is an important right to exercise.

For the record I will be voting in this election and have voted in every election and referendum I've been available for.

The article was just meant to give readers of this board some breathing space from all the more serious threads but I'm happy if this sparks a debate about the importance of voting and the right to do so.

Senator

A disgraceful feature of the modern Celtic Tiger Ireland is the number of people still disenfranchised because of the incompetence surrounding the Electoral Register. We have been promised for at least a decade that this would be sorted out and that constituencies would be properly reviewed so that the constitutional requirement vis-a-vis numbers in a constituency per deputy would be met. We still wait.

There will be people going to the polls next week who will be turned away and told they are not on the register before the Polling Officer. There will be others voting several times in different constituencies. And then there will be another category of folks with 1, 2 or more votes who won't be @rsed voting at all.

While we can't do anything about the 3rd group (and it's their right to abstain), it isn't rocket science to fix the first 2 problems.

thejuggler

In terms of spoiled votes i think Mr Tayto will be getting a lot of first preferences this time out. Clever ad campaign!

Thomas_S_Hunterson

mikedragon32 wrote:

Spoil your vote in protest? What's the point in that.

By spoiling your vote or not voting at all, you are perpetuating that which you claim to protest against!

OP: While I appreciate your humour (and can recognise it as such), it IS important for everyone to exercise their franchise.

After all, if you don't vote, don't b1tch!

If none of the options appeal to you, why should you vote for any of them.

raido9

barrett1965 wrote:

"By spoiling your vote or not voting at all, you are perpetuating that which you claim to protest against!"

Yes, but I would still exercise my right to vote while at the same time not voting for any particular party. What I would really like to see is the option of: None of the Above on the ballot paper.

You are not exercising your right to vote! In order to do that you actually have to vote.

What is the point in spoiling your vote. If you really don't want to have a say in who gets elected just don't bother voting. Same result as spoiling your vote but a lot less effort.

The government aren't going to take notice of the spoilt votes.

Zambia

Senator wrote:

Use your vote. Use it wisely. Many have died, suffered immeasurable pain and been imprisoned over long, lonesome years of their lives to put your destiny in your own hands. Don't fail them. Don't spit on their sacrifices.

Well said , if the vote was taken from you you would complain no end

JerkyBoy

sean_keevey wrote:

If none of the options appeal to you, why should you vote for any of them.

You must be either an extreme left-wing fundamentalist or an extreme right-wing fundamentalist, if none of the options appeal to you.

We actually have a very much varied political landscape with many parties offering wildly varying policies. Unlike say, the UK, or the US.

Here you have FF\FG (right wing), PD (far right), Labour (Centrist), Green (Left), SOcialist (far left), Sinn Fein (far left), Independents (all kinds).

You're telling me there's nothing among all of those for you?

Why don't you make an effort to find out who represents you best.
Unless you are an extremist there has to be something in there for you.


I'm sick of hearing the "they are all the same" mantra.
It's completely ignorant.

Even take FF and FG who are both right wing...they have major differences in policy around Health.
All the same, my @rse!

barrett1965

JerkyBoy wrote:

You must be either an extreme left-wing fundamentalist or an extreme right-wing fundamentalist, if none of the options appeal to you.

We actually have a very much varied political landscape with many parties offering wildly varying policies. Unlike say, the UK, or the US.

Here you have FF\FG (right wing), PD (far right), Labour (Centrist), Green (Left), SOcialist (far left), Sinn Fein (far left), Independents (all kinds).

You're telling me there's nothing among all of those for you?

Why don't you make an effort to find out who represents you best.
Unless you are an extremist there has to be something in there for you.


I'm sick of hearing the "they are all the same" mantra.
It's completely ignorant.

Even take FF and FG who are both right wing...they have major differences in policy around Health.
All the same, my @rse!

I am not extreme anything, and I resent your suggestion that I am. Maybe I do need to look closer at what the individual manifestos are, but a lot of the candidtes are fairly close chested when it comes to the issues. Maybe in Dublin there is more variety candidate wise, but I don't see it outside the capital. And I WON'T be drawn on my politics either. How did this thread get so bogged-down on me all of a sudden?

Don't forget too, people have the right not to vote as well.

For the record I will say my immediate concerns lie aroud the environment and the way small towns and villages in Ireland are been over-develeped at an alarming rate. I hope that's not too extreme a concern.

I care about my country the same as the next fella. I am intitled to my view just as you are.

silvine

athtrasna wrote:

Earthhorse - I find your post extremely insulting. The Irish people have one of the most important choices on their hands since the foundation of the state. Seats are won and lost on a handful of votes, every vote counts.

I'm not a member of any party but take my right to make a difference very seriously. Your "ramblings" trivialise the importance of this election and the work the various parties have put into preparing for the election.

Lighten up

JerkyBoy

Barrett, I didn't mean to come down hard on you I just couldn't understand how there was no political party out there that represented your concerns, given the varied landscape that we have.

Apologies it it seemed like I was suggesting you are an extremist.

Grudaire

The whole complaint of a lack of suitable canditades is your own fault.

If you have a problem go for election yourself.....

barrett1965

No problem JB, I was a defensive myself.

Apologies to Earthhorse too.

eyeball kid

What if you genuinely believe that none of the candidates are worth your vote? Should you have to give it to someone?

Earthhorse

barrett1965 wrote:

Apologies to Earthhorse too.

No worries man, you have nothing to apologise for.

billy the squid

eyeball kid wrote:

What if you genuinely believe that none of the candidates are worth your vote? Should you have to give it to someone?

Stand for election yourself. at least that way there would be a candidate you could vote for.