The Adventures, Mishaps and Musings of Me

Today, I found out (randomly) that in some countries the population is under legal obligation to vote in elections, and that to not vote actually leads to prosecution (generally a fine).  I honestly didn't know that this was ever the case, but it started me musing on what would happen in the British elections if the public were actually forced to get off the sofa and vote.

Not that I think forcing people to vote by law is a good thing.  People should always have the freedom to abstain, and voting should remain voluntary on principle - if you start forcing people to vote, then it would be a slippery slope down in forcing people how to vote.

Nevertheless, if the public was forced to vote then I think this would lead to the smaller parties i.e. the liberal democrats, the green party and the British nationalist parties etc. benefitting the most.  Those of the public who don't agree with either Labour or Conservative parties would find themselves having to give an opinion instead of simply abstaining with the thought that to vote for anyone else wouldn't change anything anyway.  If those people actually voted... well, the "small" parties would certainly be less small.  Now, if more votes would actually translate themselves into seats...

I am absoloutly sickened by the European election results.

Really, if the party in power, masquerading as socialists, makes a complete mess of things, does the population (an unsettlingly large proportion of it) truely believe that the answer is extremist, down right racist, right wing politics?  Has 20th century history taught us nothing?

Apparently not.

Comparitively, in Italy, the exact opposite is taking place, but from a similar reasoning.  With Berlusconi venturing far into the right wing of political policy, left wing extremism is raising its equally ugly head, gathering supporters, and thus Milan is currently covered in "Vote Communist" posters.  Fabulous.

In the Britsh Labour Party's declaration of policies and things achieved, it states, and I quote, "Violent crime is down 40 percent."

In the Tories own list of policies, it states, and I quote, "Labour’s top-down approach to fighting crime has failed... Violent crime has increased."

Neither quote their sources for this 'information'.

Oh, politics, why must you be fuelled on bull shit?