Vote, Vote, Vote

Well, I've performed my democratic duty and cast my votes in the local and Euro elections.  Shockingly, for the first time I can recall, there were voters other than myself in the polling station when I went to vote.  Could it be that that Crapchester has finally decided that it might actually be interested the elections which affect its future?  Hopefully, it is a sign that voter apathy might have been halted, or at lest slowed, and that people haven't heeded all those calls to 'register their dissatisfaction with the political process' by not voting.  Because simply not voting is just about the worst thing you can do if you don't like the current political situation,  Far from 'registering a protest', it doesn't register anything, anywhere.  Non-votes aren't counted.  You'd be better off spoiling your ballot paper if you want to make some kind of statement.  At least spoiled ballots are counted.  Most importantly, by not voting, all you are doing is disenfranchising yourself.

The problem with not voting is that the political process doesn't stop just because you choose to boycott the ballot box.  Elections will take place regardless.  Sure, you can argue that if sufficient numbers of people don't vote, the legitimacy of the outcome can be called into question.  But that doesn't change the fact that there is a result and councils and parliaments have been elected as a result.  Moreover, as you can guarantee that the extremists and nutters will vote, the outcome is increasingly skewed toward the extremes.  So get out and vote, (there's just under half an hour until the polls close as I type this).  Don't try telling me there's no point because all the parties are the same.  That's bollocks.  I know there's still too much consensus on the need for 'austerity' amongst the main parties, but the cracks are beginning to show.  Besides, if you really believe that, you always have the option of joining a party and trying to influence it from within.  Or you could always stand for election yourself, on your own platform.