I am always prepared to excuse a person who made a conscious decision not to vote.
But how many of the hundreds of thousands of people who didn't vote, or didn't even bother enrolling, fall into the "consciously decided not to vote" category?
I imagine a good number of them instead fall into the "something was good on the telly so I stayed home" category", or the "nah, politics doesn't affect me" one.
In Egypt there is an election where people are queueing for hours and hours just to be able to vote. Old folk in their 80s are voting for the first time in their lives, and they are thrilled at the chance they have been given.
I won't hold it against you if you didn't vote, because you may have had a good reason not to.
But if your reason was "too busy mowing the lawn to bother," or "had a big one the night before so stayed in bed all day", then I don't want to hear a single whinge from you during the next three years about either the government or opposition parties. You had your chance to make a difference.
Agreed.
ReplyDeleteWell said.
The concept applies in Local Government elections as well.
If you don't vote you have no right to complain.
I voted, and scutinised to boot. And found time to do domestic stuff to ensure peace on the home front.
In due course and when neccessary I will complain.
I remember standing in line to vote in South Africa in 1993, the only white person in a long line of singing, chanting black faces. It was exhilarating. I have never missed a chance to vote since - it is too precious a thing to waste, even if you have only the usual suspects to vote for.
ReplyDeleteWhat a load of garbage. I have to say NotPC sums up your gripe very well
ReplyDelete"If you have the freedom to vote, then you also have the freedom not to vote. And if nothing on offer is worth getting out of bed for, then a vote for “none of the above” is actually a very rational choice."
"So quit complaining about the non-voters. A freely chosen non-vote is still a vote."