Ripped up my polling card. Not voting

rorymcgrory · 22-02-2011 12:28am #1

For the first time since I turned 18 I will not be voting.

I refuse to vote for FG/labour or Sinn Fein. Watched the frontline and having heard independents was last straw. No vote from me.

Anyone else feel like this?

Jackovarian · 22-02-2011 12:38am

Sure, but at the end of the day there are other options out there, even if the Irish media only feeds you the usuals.

No excuse not to vote.

hotmail.com · 22-02-2011 12:40am

If you change your mind you can still vote without the polling card by going to the polling station with photo ID.

However, it is perfectly fair and is your right not to vote and no one can say otherwise.

Drumpot · 22-02-2011 12:46am

rorymcgrory wrote: »

For the first time since I turned 18 I will not be voting.

I refuse to vote for FG/labour or Sinn Fein. Watched the frontline and having heard independents was last straw. No vote from me.

Anyone else feel like this?

That is your right but it basically means you are putting the responsibility on others to choose the next government. .

As far as I am concerned if there is one thing more irresponsible then voting for a clown, its not voting at all. If healy Rae or another useless candidate gets in because people choose not to vote then the responsibility is just as much in your court as it is in those who voted them in. . Not just that, I presume you wont be on boards.ie moaning about the poor decisions our next government will invariably make on some issues.

At the very least, vote for the candidate who represents your principles and beliefs most.

22-02-2011 12:51am

Libya anyone?

Refusing to vote is a foolish thing to do.

True most people are going for fg and labour,what on earth is wrong with that option?
If they don't do what they promise and they will get a chance from me,then I'll start to sigh.
Contact me in 5 yrs.

gandalf · 22-02-2011 12:56am

I agree with the above if you don't bother to vote then you better not complain over the next 5 years about who is voted in.

We were saddled with 14 years of FF led Governments to disaster because a large proportion of this countries citizens were too lazy to vote. This is a privilege that was won with spilt blood in the early half of the 20th century in this country and a right that is being currently defended by those in North Africa right now.

As someone said you have between now and Friday to educate yourself on your options and to vote for whoever comes closest to your own opinions.

Ddad · 22-02-2011 1:09am

I think we often forget what it means to have a vote. It's not so long ago that our ancestors fought and died for that privilege.

There's a lot of pain and blood invested in a voting card. The only thing worse than casting an ill considered vote is not casting one. That's one of the things that got us here.

johnmcdnl · 22-02-2011 1:14am

if their all that bad then surely you'd have done a better job if you'd bothered to run for election...

are you honestly saying that their wasn't even 1 candidate that was worth voting for...

in other countries they rebel and fight and wish they had the opportunity to vote - and this is what you do when you have democracy...

PulsW · 22-02-2011 1:19am

If you don't have a party or person you want to give your vote to, why don't you vote in relation to who you really don't want to give your vote to.

You say that you "refuse to vote for FG/labour or Sinn Fein", well if you refuse to vote, for example, Sinn Fein more than Fine Gael, then you could employ tactical voting so that your vote defiantly doesn't go to Sinn Fein.

mikemac · 22-02-2011 1:20am

The only candidate in Ireland who will agree with you totally on every issue is yourself.
Maybe have a go next time for the local elections in a few years

For now, the rest of your constituency will decide for you.
There is no perfect candidate but they'll find the best they can

spiralism · 22-02-2011 1:26am

feelingstressed wrote: »

The only candidate in Ireland who will agree with you totally on every issue is yourself.
Maybe have a go next time for the local elections in a few years

For now, the rest of your constituency will decide for you.
There is no perfect candidate but they'll find the best they can

What this fella said.

You have no right to complain about anything that happens under the incoming government now as you refused to even vote in the election and the rest of your constituency had their say

I mean, even vote for an independent that you share views with, don't just throw your vote away like...

hotmail.com · 22-02-2011 1:28am

Just because he/she doesn't want to vote doesn't mean that he/she hasn't got a right to complain about issues.

spiralism · 22-02-2011 1:33am

hotmail.com wrote: »

Just because he/she doesn't want to vote doesn't mean that he/she hasn't got a right to complain about issues.

but if they chose not to have a say when it matters most, what is the point of them trying to have a say when it doesn't?

I'm ok with people not voting because they don't understand or haven't been sufficiently educated of the issues in question but imo people not voting because of some reason like "ahh they're all crooks if you ask me, no point in voting for anyone, hate the lot of them", it just comes across as a wee bit ignorant...

at the end of the day, it's the future of the country we're talking about, wouldn't kill anybody to try and have their say or they come across as a hypocrite if they give out about what the government does, as far as I'm concerned

zig · 22-02-2011 1:37am

I think voting should be compulsory with a none of the above option. It wouldnt make a difference but it would give us true figures of what peoples views are, it would also force people to make a decision if they were slightly unsure and were not too bothered about voting.

invinciblePRSTV · 22-02-2011 1:38am

hotmail.com wrote: »

Just because he/she doesn't want to vote doesn't mean that he/she hasn't got a right to complain about issues.

Indeed. For a whole host of reasons people choose not to exercise their ballot, as is their right. The OP clearly doesn't wish to commit his vote as he isn't convinced by the options presented to him, and can you blame him? All Irish political parties come with considerable baggage and the Indo's can be an eccentric bunch.

CiaranC · 22-02-2011 1:44am

PulsW wrote: »

If you don't have a party or person you want to give your vote to, why don't you vote in relation to who you really don't want to give your vote to.

You say that you "refuse to vote for FG/labour or Sinn Fein", well if you refuse to vote, for example, Sinn Fein more than Fine Gael, then you could employ tactical voting so that your vote defiantly doesn't go to Sinn Fein.

What a depressing post. Is this what people in this thread are saying our predecessors fought and died for? Is this what Arabs are being shot on the street for? For the privilege of listing a bunch of cretins in ascending order of how much we despise them?

I have a lot of sympathy for the OPs position. Its easy to say not voting is a waste, etc, etc, but democracy in this country has failed us.

Lets have a look at my choices here:

FF - Vermin.
FG - Career politicians, cut from the same cloth as the above, whose main selling point seems to be "not as bad as FF". These will be elected and boards will be full of people banging their heads off the wall with frustration at them for the next x amount of years.
Labour - Great, these might actually have some level of integrity as human beings. Unfortunately have no rational policy to reverse the economic damage done or govern the country. Non runner.
SF - Where do I even start.
ULA - Nutters.

Im lucky enough to have a decent single issue candidate in my constituency, so I can go down to the polling station, vote for him, watch him be eliminated at the first count and pretend I did my civic duty and that it actually meant something. Others dont even have that.

melekalikimaka · 22-02-2011 1:45am

Drumpot wrote: »

That is your right but it basically means you are putting the responsibility on others to choose the next government. .

As far as I am concerned if there is one thing more irresponsible then voting for a clown, its not voting at all.

voting for the sake of it is irresponsible voting too

Drumpot wrote: »

At the very least, vote for the candidate who represents your principles and beliefs most.

but by voting your accepting more than that in a person, I understand completely why some would rather not vote, personally I am voting but I think its better not to vote unless you believe in the candidate, anything else its silly, this ' we earned our right to vote' crap is riduculous, yes we earned it but clearly we didnt read the manual on how to use it and when to use it.

spiralism · 22-02-2011 1:45am

zig wrote: »

I think voting should be compulsory with a none of the above option. It wouldnt make a difference but it would give us true figures of what peoples views are, it would also force people to make a decision if they were slightly unsure and were not too bothered about voting.

This would make a lot more sense, would be far better than people not voting or spoiling their votes with a message that wouldn't be seen. Actually saying in the poll that you don't want any of them is at least having a voice instead of staying mute, which you do by not voting or spoiling your vote

22-02-2011 1:50am

For those saying the choices are bad,we're not much different to the uk or france and streets ahead of italy.
I think theres fine candidates available but the problem is they have such a variety of opinions to appeal to,that of course theres a dilution to an extent of ideals.
But it's the best we've got for now and it does seem to be improving.

barclay2 · 22-02-2011 1:58am

There's a quote, i don't know who originally said it - "Democracy is how we decide who gets the blame". If you don't take part in your democracy in the most fundamental way that you can, you don't get to decide who gets the blame.

Its your right not to vote of course. Doesn't make it the best thing to do.

(of course, if the candidates in your consituency are all genuinely equally awful, the best thing to do is to stand for election yourself, probably a bit late at this stage though)

hotmail.com · 22-02-2011 2:08am

spiralism wrote: »

but if they chose not to have a say when it matters most, what is the point of them trying to have a say when it doesn't?

I'm ok with people not voting because they don't understand or haven't been sufficiently educated of the issues in question but imo people not voting because of some reason like "ahh they're all crooks if you ask me, no point in voting for anyone, hate the lot of them", it just comes across as a wee bit ignorant...

at the end of the day, it's the future of the country we're talking about, wouldn't kill anybody to try and have their say or they come across as a hypocrite if they give out about what the government does, as far as I'm concerned

They are allowed to complain because they are Irish citizens. Whether they voted or not is irrelevant.

smokiebeverage · 22-02-2011 2:13am

rorymcgrory wrote: »

For the first time since I turned 18 I will not be voting.

Don't let the lack of choice put you off, you have a right to vote and even if you go to the polling station, get you name crossed off and pop a blank ballet in the box nobody can accuse you of not voting. But I'm sure somebody is worth a vote (although I'm still struggling to figure out who I'll vote for)

heyjude · 22-02-2011 2:17am

zig wrote: »

I think voting should be compulsory with a none of the above option. It wouldnt make a difference but it would give us true figures of what peoples views are, it would also force people to make a decision if they were slightly unsure and were not too bothered about voting.

But if someone doesn't want to vote and they are forced to vote by law, then they'll just spoil the vote as a protest rather than voting 'None of the Above' and you'll be none the wiser as to what their views are.

Personally, I've looked at the list of candidates in my constituency and if there was a 'None of the Above' option, then I'd vote for that. But I've never missed voting in a General Election, European Election, Local Election or Referendum, so I will be voting on Friday.

questionmark? · 22-02-2011 2:18am

Use your vote. If you dont like the candidates on offer then spoil your vote at the very least as a form of protest against your view of the poor choice on offer.

One only has to look at the scenes in the middle east and north africa to see what voting means to people and yet you tear up your polling card. The mind boggles.

dave1982 · 22-02-2011 2:36am

rorymcgrory wrote: »

For the first time since I turned 18 I will not be voting.

I refuse to vote for FG/labour or Sinn Fein. Watched the frontline and having heard independents was last straw. No vote from me.

Anyone else feel like this?

Watch the Enda Kenny interview on Vincent Browne tonight.

That alone will make you vote to try and keep him out.

Although pointless you may get some satisfaction from voting against him

landsleaving · 22-02-2011 2:59am

I'd say spoil your vote. It might seem pointless, but if you genuinely think there's no reasonable choice then you more than likely aren't alone. They count spoiled votes, if there are a lot, it might encourage someone with an alternative opinion or idea to run in five years time, if nothing else.

hinault · 22-02-2011 3:04am

rorymcgrory wrote: »

For the first time since I turned 18 I will not be voting.

You don't vote then you will have no right to whinge about political decisions taken in the new Dail

P. Breathnach · 22-02-2011 3:42am

rorymcgrory wrote: »

... Anyone else feel like this?

Nearly. There is no candidate in my constituency that I want to support, because I am disappointed with all the party positions, and I have little liking for the independent candidates offering themselves.

But I will vote all the way down the ballot paper from first preference to last, starting with the candidate I consider least bad, and ending with most bad. As I think of it now, it feels like a last-ditch defence action.

hinault · 22-02-2011 3:45am

Look you have people marching/protesting throughout the Middle east region who'd give their right one to be allowed vote in a democratic election.

There but for the grace of God.

Stop whingeing and get and vote.

MaceFace · 22-02-2011 8:30am

rorymcgrory wrote: »

For the first time since I turned 18 I will not be voting.

I refuse to vote for FG/labour or Sinn Fein. Watched the frontline and having heard independents was last straw. No vote from me.

Anyone else feel like this?

I don't agree with the others advising that you vote for a person you do not want.
Spoil your vote which shows you went to the trouble of voting but could not cast your vote for any of the candidates.
This separates you from the people who didn't cast their vote because they couldn't care less about who gets in.

It is the only option until we get a "none of the above" option.

[Jackass] · 22-02-2011 10:34am

If you don't wish to back any candidate, that's fair enough, but at least register your disatisfaction with your local candidates by going to the polling office and writing SPOIL in block letters on your polling card and submitting it.

It is then counted and the higher level of "spoiled" votes shows the level of disapproval of candidates (above the numbers of natural / accidental spoilage).

I respect people right to not vote, but I do think it's biting off your nose to spite your face and you should either vote for who will do "most" of what you want, or if no one represents your views at all, then consider running in the election next time to have a platform for what it is you want from elected officials.

Embrace democracy, or it doesn't work. (it isn't fully embraced by the way, ergo...)

MaceFace · 22-02-2011 11:16am

hinault wrote: »

You don't vote then you will have no right to whinge about political decisions taken in the new Dail

That is a little arrogant.
There are many people who do not vote for a large number of reasons:

They don't feel like they know enough about the candidates to vote
They don't see it as making any difference
They can't vote for personal reasons
They abhor politics
They don't want to vote

People should not just have the freedom to vote but should also have the freedom to not vote if they so choose.

They are still citizens of this country and are entitled to express their opinion on any matter they so choose.

The Rooster · 22-02-2011 12:57pm

Personally I think not voting because "all the candidates are useless or the same" is just pure laziness.

We can't all have Nelson Mandela or Gandhi or Obama or whoever you think might be a fantastic candidate.

I'm pretty sure every single constituency has a wide range of candidates, and there's bound to be one or two who lean closer to your beliefs than the rest. If you did care enough to make the effort to find out what they're all about. The "none of the above" option touted by some is just a cop out too. If you like a person, vote for him/her, if you like a party vote for their candidate, if you don't like any of the main parties vote for a small party or an independent.

But there are plenty of people who shouldnt vote, and thankfully most of them are the ones who don't. So absolutely you should never brow beat somebody into voting. Someone who thinks its cool to brag about ripping up their voting card is dead right not to vote.

Zubeneschamali · 22-02-2011 1:20pm

MaceFace wrote: »

They are still citizens of this country and are entitled to express their opinion on any matter they so choose.

Sure, but I don't have to listen. Anyone who won't vote doesn't count.

Literally.

MaceFace · 22-02-2011 1:23pm

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Sure, but I don't have to listen. Anyone who won't vote doesn't count.

Literally.

And I suppose you think anyone who voted for FF or Greens in the last election shouldn't be able to express their annoyance at the current government?

MaceFace · 22-02-2011 1:34pm

The Rooster wrote: »

Personally I think not voting because "all the candidates are useless or the same" is just pure laziness.

We can't all have Nelson Mandela or Gandhi or Obama or whoever you think might be a fantastic candidate.

I'm pretty sure every single constituency has a wide range of candidates, and there's bound to be one or two who lean closer to your beliefs than the rest. If you did care enough to make the effort to find out what they're all about. The "none of the above" option touted by some is just a cop out too. If you like a person, vote for him/her, if you like a party vote for their candidate, if you don't like any of the main parties vote for a small party or an independent.

But there are plenty of people who shouldnt vote, and thankfully most of them are the ones who don't. So absolutely you should never brow beat somebody into voting. Someone who thinks its cool to brag about ripping up their voting card is dead right not to vote.

Here is an example. Take my constituency, Kildare North: http://www.thejournal.ie/election-candidates-2011/kildare-north/

I have a choice of FF, FG, Labur, Greens, SF and a bunch of independents.
There are many reasons not to vote each of these.

The independent choices are:
Michael Beirne: Never heard anything of this guy. No real web presence to find out more. No vote if you don't make an effort.
Eric Doyle Higgins: Ex FF which has sent some bizarre material through the door (will not canvass or have clinics etc). No way if you don't make an effort.
Bart Murphy: Owned construction company through the boom. Sorry, no vote for you.
Catherine Murphy: Just a Labour wannabe. Too left leaning.

So, often when you look at the independents in your area, you find they are woefully unqualified or have zero policies apart from "mixing it up a bit". The occassional may have serious policies, but not the ones you agree with.

If you are fundamentally against paying the bank bond holders out of soverign funds, and want a right leaning person/party, you have NO options.

So, the advise of many is to give your vote to the person you don't want the least :rolleyes:

Zubeneschamali · 22-02-2011 1:42pm

MaceFace wrote: »

And I suppose you think anyone who voted for FF or Greens in the last election shouldn't be able to express their annoyance at the current government?

I'm delighted to have them express their annoyance, as long as they don't make the same mistake again!

Zubeneschamali · 22-02-2011 1:47pm

MaceFace wrote: »

So, the advise of many is to give your vote to the person you don't want the least

No candidate or party is going to exactly reflect your views, but some are worse than others. So rate them from bad to worst, and then vote for them in that order.

Gregor Samsa · 22-02-2011 1:48pm

zig wrote: »

I think voting should be compulsory with a none of the above option.

You'd probably end up with a load of people voting like this

CANDIDATE A: 1

CANDITATE B: 2

CANDICATE C: 3

NONE OF THE ABOVE: 4

I don't agree with the notion that citizens of a Republic should be forced to vote. People should be able to abstain if they want - it's a legitimate form of protest used within parliaments, so it should be afforded to those who choose parliaments too - regardless of it's ultimate effectiveness. The right to vote was hard fought for, not the obligation to vote.

Personally, I'd never not vote, simply because I don't think it's a very effective form of protest unless it's organised on a massive scale. I've spoilt many votes in the past, and probably will in the future (at least they get counted). Won't be doing it this time, though.

Maj Malfunction · 22-02-2011 1:50pm

MaceFace wrote: »

That is a little arrogant.

I disagree

1. They don't feel like they know enough about the candidates to vote

Did they not go out of their way to read about their policies and inform themselves? Do they expect to be spoonfed?

2.They don't see it as making any difference

If you don't vote, you can't change anything, you will have made no difference, everything is still the same.

3. They can't vote for personal reasons

This makes no sense at all!

4. They abhor politics

I abhor the current government, so I'll vote to change things and make a difference.

5. They don't want to vote

Its a free democratic country, you have the right to exercise your vote or not.

If people don't vote they are saying they have no opinion or don't care how the country is run.

Its the same as saying I've no opinion on:

Tax increases.
Unemployment.
Emigration.
Health cuts.
Social Welfare cuts.
EU/IMF.
Foreign Policy.

So hypothetically speaking you'd have no opinion if Social Welfare was cut to €80 per week and Taxes were increased to 50% to pay for the interest rates imposed on us by the EU/IMF? If you got sick your medical card didn't cover the first €160 of monthly expenses, even if you were unlucky to end up on the Dole. You would hardly be happy or be even prepared to accept such things happening and would probably be exercising your democratic right to protest and march!

At least on Friday 25th you do have a choice and to decide how your country will be run and governed.

22-02-2011 1:54pm

I have no idea who to vote for, but i'd vote just to make sure FF don't get back in.

That's if I can vote, my card is presumably gone to my old address whose local stations I won't be able to get to on friday

dudara · 22-02-2011 1:58pm

I'll be out of the country on Friday, so I can't vote. I'm actually disappointed by this - I always vote and I feel somewhat disenfranchised by not being able to vote.

The Rooster · 22-02-2011 2:36pm

MaceFace wrote: »

If you are fundamentally against paying the bank bond holders out of soverign funds, and want a right leaning person/party, you have NO options.

Well that's a good point about there being so few (if any) right wing independents. That's a whole other debate as to why.

If you are asking me who you should vote for, I think you have two choices. Go with FG as being the closest to your political beliefs, bar the one big issue - and make an effort to get your view across to them (if loads of their TDs are hearing the same story perhaps they might consider other options).

Alternatively vote for Sinn Fein on a one-off basis, to highlight this one issue is so important to you, even though SF are widely different to what you believe in. But at the very best they'd be minority members of the government so any of their really looney policies won't see the light of day, but they might just get FG to reconsider the bonds issue if they're in government with them.

So while you haven't got the perfect option, you certainly do have an option.

panda100 · 22-02-2011 2:57pm

I stupidly moved back my vote from Dublin Central to my home town of Rathkeale in West Limerick, last year. Really, really stupid mistake as there is absolutely no one to vote for. There all rights wingers, even the independents, so I will just have to spoil my vote, come Friday.

I completely and utterly disagree that If you don't vote, you do have a say in how the country should be goverened. That maybe the case in Dublin,where there is a wide array of candidates to vote for, but in some constituencies, theres no real choice.In Limerick county we have 3 FG, 2 FF, 1 Labour and 1 independent. The independent is just a wannabee Fianna Failer. Fianna Gael has pretty much the same policies as Fianna Fail. James Heffernan of Labour has no history of activism in the area, except for being involved in GAA a bit.

I'l be damned If people tell me I have no right to complain about the next government, just because I come from an area where there is no choice in the voting booth. There is more ways to have your say about government policy's then ticking a box every five years.

Grouse67 · 22-02-2011 3:33pm

Very very sad, people protesting and dying all over the world looking for a vote and a huge % of us in Ireland just won’t bother

Maj Malfunction · 22-02-2011 3:44pm

panda100 wrote: »

I will just have to spoil my vote, come Friday

Your full list of candidates is as follows: - http://www.boards.ie/vote/constituency.php?c_id=30

Nevermind how each candidate is active in the constituency! How the heck can we move on as a COUNTRY if we can't see beyond the PARISH! :mad::mad:

Drumpot · 22-02-2011 3:58pm

melekalikimaka wrote: »

voting for the sake of it is irresponsible voting too

but by voting your accepting more than that in a person, I understand completely why some would rather not vote, personally I am voting but I think its better not to vote unless you believe in the candidate, anything else its silly, this ' we earned our right to vote' crap is riduculous, yes we earned it but clearly we didnt read the manual on how to use it and when to use it.

you dont have to be a brain surgeon to look at the politicians vying for your vote and choosing the one who represents your beliefs most . .

I dont think its actually DEBATABLE as to whether or not refusing to vote abdicates any responsibility that your government does (right or wrong).

Not voting is a right, but its a right of ignorance in my view (that I am entitled to believe). Where once I was blind to the power of voting, now I see the damage of ignoring my responsibility as a voter.

Not voting in any way is ignorant at the very least. You are ignoring your responsibility as a citizen of Ireland to try to get the most representitive government into power. Not just that, its out of plain old laziness that people dont vote. Like I said, its not rocket science to vote for the least worst politician as if thats the best you can hope for its better then not even bothering to try.

That aside, I personally think a person who is choosing that they dont have a preferance should at least vote and put Ireland at the bottom of their voting card and a tick beside it. As far as I understand spoiled votes are counted and if the 30%-40% of non voters spoiled their votes it would at the very least grab the attention of one party (or potential new party) to try and implement real change to accomodate these people who are so dissalusioned with politics in Ireland.

In closing, everybodys entitled to do what they want in terms of voting. Its also fair to say everybodys entitled to give their opinion on whether or not voting is a privalege that should always be excercised. Needless to say I believe not voting is simply down to laziness and ignorance. You dont need to be intelligent to work out who represents your principles the most. With that in mind, at the very least you do yourself a disservice by not having your voice heard when you actually get the opportunity that the likes of Egypt and Libya citizens are currently fighting for. Shame on you.

Drumpot · 22-02-2011 4:05pm

MaceFace wrote: »

That is a little arrogant.

There are many people who do not vote for a large number of reasons:
They don't feel like they know enough about the candidates to vote

They don't see it as making any difference

They can't vote for personal reasons

They abhor politics

They don't want to vote

People should not just have the freedom to vote but should also have the freedom to not vote if they so choose.

They are still citizens of this country and are entitled to express their opinion on any matter they so choose.

People do have the right not to vote, but not voting isnt expressing any opinion. How does anybody know what "non voters" are actually saying ?

And the non voters have just as much power as the people who vote. If you allow somebody else to decide who will run the country you cannot sit on the fence and moan when it all goes wrong because you are just as responsible for not voting for a differant government as the people who voted in the existing government. Put simply, if you dont vote, you are voting for the government in power as you have done nothing to prevent them getting in.

Everybody will moan when things go wrong, but non voters have nobody else to blame but themselves. Since they did nothing to try to improve our government in anyway, I take what they say with little importance as they chose to ignore their responsibility. Rememeber, if you have a child, a parent, a friend who has lost something because of decisions made by government, you did nothing to prevent it and did nothing to help an alternative government protect them.

Not voting makes a huge differance. Supposedly 65% of people eligible to vote, did so in the last election. I think FF got 40% of that vote, this represented 26% of the voting population of Ireland. How is that in anyway representitive of the entire country ? Not doing anything, does not absolve non voters of blame or responsibility. Personally I think voting should be compulsary (even if you can spoil your vote) as I believe its not just a privalege of everybody of the state, its a national collective responsibility to make sure that your voice is heard.

MaceFace · 22-02-2011 4:23pm

Maj Malfunction wrote: »

I disagree
Did they not go out of their way to read about their policies and inform themselves? Do they expect to be spoonfed?If you don't vote, you can't change anything, you will have made no difference, everything is still the same.This makes no sense at all! I abhor the current government, so I'll vote to change things and make a difference.Its a free democratic country, you have the right to exercise your vote or not.

I would like to think I am very informed on the issues and watch a couple of hours of current affairs a night. I have to say though, it is hard going.
There is a tremendous amount of spoofing, lying, name calling, mud slinging, harranging, ignoring, and avoiding within the campaign.

I done a detailed scan of the Labour manifesto and I think it is a load of tosh. I have no doubt it would be the same for others. But, this is what you are expecting people to do - read the manifestos, study the policies, and inform themselves of the reality.

The truth is that once the election is over on Friday, some of the stuff in the manifestos will make it into the program for government, but most will be ignored. There will be a whole raft of new cuts and taxes that we never knew about and deals agreed between the government and third parties on our behalf that we have absolutely no say in.
Kenny said he would close down Anglo by the end of the year, and not another red cent will go into the banks that is not already committed.
This is complete fiction. He may rename Anglo, but it still will exist as a separate entity.

So, what we are voting on is the propaganda each party is spewing at us and we are trying our hardest to first of all see which we agree with and then to understand how much of it is based in reality.
That is a hell of a lot of work for anyone, let alone people who have no interest in politics (and lets be honest, the only reason we are here is because we do enjoy it).

Maj Malfunction wrote: »

If people don't vote they are saying they have no opinion or don't care how the country is run.

Its the same as saying I've no opinion on:

Tax increases.
Unemployment.
Emigration.
Health cuts.
Social Welfare cuts.
EU/IMF.
Foreign Policy.

So hypothetically speaking you'd have no opinion if Social Welfare was cut to €80 per week and Taxes were increased to 50% to pay for the interest rates imposed on us by the EU/IMF? If you got sick your medical card didn't cover the first €160 of monthly expenses, even if you were unlucky to end up on the Dole. You would hardly be happy or be even prepared to accept such things happening and would probably be exercising your democratic right to protest and march!

At least on Friday 25th you do have a choice and to decide how your country will be run and governed.

Labour said they will cut over a billion euro from the cost of Social Welfare through eliminating fraud. This is laughable.
Each party are basing their plans on growth projections that no one believe (apart from the Dept. of Finance).

Whats that saying - "the more you know, the more you realise you don't know"

Grouse67 wrote: »

Very very sad, people protesting and dying all over the world looking for a vote and a huge % of us in Ireland just won’t bother

That's the great thing about a democracy - you have the freedom to vote in any way you want, even if you choose not to.

Nody · 22-02-2011 4:29pm

zig wrote: »

I think voting should be compulsory with a none of the above option. It wouldnt make a difference but it would give us true figures of what peoples views are, it would also force people to make a decision if they were slightly unsure and were not too bothered about voting.

I belive Peru has such a rule; mandatory to vote (world wide mind you!) or you're fined.

jimmycrackcorm · 22-02-2011 4:47pm

Grouse67 wrote: »

Very very sad, people protesting and dying all over the world looking for a vote and a huge % of us in Ireland just won’t bother

That argument is a bit like me telling my child to eat their dinner because there are starving people in other parts of the world.

There are large numbers of people everywhere who are disconnected from voting. You may as well not vote as vote for someone in the ULA in this election for all the effect it will have.

Ripped up my polling card. Not voting

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