They're not voting because...
- Politicians are interested in their ...
Politicians are interested in their own and their party's interests, not the best interests of the people of this country. If this were not so, why do we have so few 'free' votes in parliament?
How many of the candidates live in or come from their constituency and truly represent their constituents' views? Not many. What really matters to them is getting a seat and toeing the party line with a hope to rising through the ranks.
Most voters blindly vote for party X because their parents did or because they always have done or because feel they belong to the section of society that party X wants to appeal to. Many, however, are finally realising that all the parties are pretty much the same, they just try to deceive the public in different ways, and that's why election turnouts are so small. We therefore have a system that favours the party in power. People don't like change and it's only when the ruling party really messes up that we get a change of government.
I'm not voting because no self-interested politician deserves my support.
written 4th May 2005
Responses
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I&R replies: One weakness in our system is that it's purely "representative" (indirect) which means that political parties, especially their leaders, decide all policy and take all decisions during the life of a parliament. With partial *direct* democracy the electorate can intervene on issues which they select, proposing law and if necessary exercising veto, using referendum. More detail at http://www.iniref.org/
written 4th May 2005