Local Elections - Most People Won't Read
We had the mayoral referendum yesterday, as well as the local elections.
The local elections, from what I understand of it, select the council. One person from the local party (it could be anyone) stands to represent the party to the people, with their policies and what they will do to change the local authority if it comes under their control.
We only had a choice of three in our area. There are way more parties than that, so other areas have more options, depending on what parties are standing in the areas. But I'm basing most of the following off the choice of three in my area.
Who gains the most votes out of the three parties - Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat - gains the most seats in the council, and the council is declared as under the authority of that party (even though members of the other parties will still make up the rest of the council).
I spent most of the wake yesterday after the funeral sitting in The Foley Arms watching the councils declare and keeping tabs on the scores on the back of my brother's funeral speech. (>.< :P)
Labour is the party for the poor people; the common people; the under-privileged people.
Conservative is the party for the upper classes; the rich people.
Liberal Democrat is for anyone who's too loose to stay in either of those. :P
The other two main parties after those are the UKIP and BNP parties - the United Kingdom Independence Party and the British National Party (which everyone hates).
Although in my humble opinion, the UKIP and BNP parties could both be compared to the suffrages and the suffragette parties - both very different movements - during the struggle for women's rights to vote.
I'd just like to come back at something Ed Miliband (leader of the Labour party) said. I'm not quoting him because I'd have to find it and in the masses of media coverage from yesterday, I'm not too fussy. But here's the rough gist.
"The people have spoken. This shows that the people of Britain are once more putting their trust in us."
I'd like to suggest, sir, that the people indeed have spoken. But their choices are confined to crossing boxes. Crossing at least THREE boxes. (Since those three are the major British parties.)
Very few people can accurately fit their wide range opinions into check-boxes. I'm an interviewer who checks boxes for a living. I know.
The Labour party government proclaims for the poor and feeds itself stuffed on the money of the nation. Six houses indeed, Mr Blair! They put us in effect into a nanny-state. "Big Brother Watches You."
The Conservatives are the party that piles on the bills until you're suffocated under mounds of paper and can't breathe from the weight crushing you.
The Liberal Democrats are so loose that if they were in full power, the country would literally fall apart.
For moral framework though, the Conservatives, though stiff on the taxes (is that where the British stiff upper lip comes from?), have the most "upright-standing" position.
I haven't got my trust in Labour. Or Conservative. Or Lib Dem. Or Lib. Or Green. Or Scottish National Party. Or Plaid Cymru. Or BNP. Or UKIP. Or Respect. Or all-the-others-I-can't-think-of-right-now.
Neither have the people.
They're just sick of the increasing taxes and decreasing benefits, aren't seeing the deficit and the unemployment rates decrease quickly as they had hoped and were promised, and turned their vote to the only other general party (who created and left the mess in the first place) that they think will stand a better chance of evening out their communities.
They're people. Humans. Most people don't see past their next paycheck and next mound of bills. And most people will do anything to make life easier. Including swapping votes around indiscriminately.
And the rest will sit and discuss the problems and complain of them, but do little to nothing to enact any change.
I have a personal problem with Ed and David Miliband due to their extremely anti-home-education stance, and the amount of trouble that cost us before.
But my judgement of the Labour party - and the other parties - is based on my observations of the way they've acted and the state of my country - not off personal vindictiveness.
So as I watched the TV yesterday during the politics, one part was touching on the reference to the mayoral referendum in the main cities. Thankfully there were subtitles, since conversation, laughter and music covered the low volume. They were interviewing passers-by, asking what they had voted and why.
"I voted no."
"I voted no."
Then an older woman appeared on the screen.
"I didn't bother voting. There was no point in doing it. It doesn't make a difference."
I can't remember whether it was my small nephew, my dearest mother, a lady I've never met before or Mother's brother-in-law that I spouted off to. :P But I went berserk.
Because...she's a woman.
The suffrage movement was the original, non-activist tame branch of the movement to get Women's Rights to Vote. I believe they were important.
For without the safe framework which they provided, a gang of women storming the streets, throwing themselves in front of the King's racing horse and chaining themselves to the gates of 10 Downing Street - and suffering themselves to be jailed, beaten and undergoing the horrific force-feeding torture when they went on hunger strike as protest against their imprisonment and that of their beloved leader, would have been considered to be insane and a riot.
But in the end, Emeline Pankhurst saw that the only way forward was activism.
The Government under Mr. Asquith only tolerated the Suffrage Movement. They had laid the footwork, but no further hold was gained.
So she formed the suffragettes, that brave little lady. Her dream wasn't feminism and the crushing of men under the foot of women. Her dream was for rights to be given when women WERE treated as inferior in mind and subjected to being puppet dolls. For us to be acknowledged as being intelligent, able to reason and think and work without being scorned.
And here, only a hundred years on, there is a woman that WASTES her right to vote because she thinks it isn't worth it.
My point isn't that it's making a difference.
My point is that you can only waste your right to vote if you refuse to acknowledge Remembrance Day. For to refuse your right to vote as a woman is to kick in the faces the women who died for that right.
And to waste your right to vote as a man means that you are one of the many who will sit back and discuss the problems of a country without lifting a finger to take your single step in the right direction.
Is it so hard to mark a cross on a piece of paper? It's not like we're asking you to join a party.
Yes, it's hard to confine your opinions to a check box. If you don't vote for conscience's sake, then at least make a point of going and noting that down.
So yes, I'm going to close up with stating:
a) I don't think any political party holds the ultimate right.
b) The people are stating their opinion, but what they want is not a political party, but a difference.
c) We as the people have an obligation to vote, whether it makes a difference or not. Our consciences will then be clear of what befalls the nation.
Feel free to discuss. ;)
~Mademoiselle Siân
The local elections, from what I understand of it, select the council. One person from the local party (it could be anyone) stands to represent the party to the people, with their policies and what they will do to change the local authority if it comes under their control.
We only had a choice of three in our area. There are way more parties than that, so other areas have more options, depending on what parties are standing in the areas. But I'm basing most of the following off the choice of three in my area.
Who gains the most votes out of the three parties - Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat - gains the most seats in the council, and the council is declared as under the authority of that party (even though members of the other parties will still make up the rest of the council).
I spent most of the wake yesterday after the funeral sitting in The Foley Arms watching the councils declare and keeping tabs on the scores on the back of my brother's funeral speech. (>.< :P)
Labour is the party for the poor people; the common people; the under-privileged people.
Conservative is the party for the upper classes; the rich people.
Liberal Democrat is for anyone who's too loose to stay in either of those. :P
The other two main parties after those are the UKIP and BNP parties - the United Kingdom Independence Party and the British National Party (which everyone hates).
Although in my humble opinion, the UKIP and BNP parties could both be compared to the suffrages and the suffragette parties - both very different movements - during the struggle for women's rights to vote.
I'd just like to come back at something Ed Miliband (leader of the Labour party) said. I'm not quoting him because I'd have to find it and in the masses of media coverage from yesterday, I'm not too fussy. But here's the rough gist.
"The people have spoken. This shows that the people of Britain are once more putting their trust in us."
I'd like to suggest, sir, that the people indeed have spoken. But their choices are confined to crossing boxes. Crossing at least THREE boxes. (Since those three are the major British parties.)
Very few people can accurately fit their wide range opinions into check-boxes. I'm an interviewer who checks boxes for a living. I know.
The Labour party government proclaims for the poor and feeds itself stuffed on the money of the nation. Six houses indeed, Mr Blair! They put us in effect into a nanny-state. "Big Brother Watches You."
The Conservatives are the party that piles on the bills until you're suffocated under mounds of paper and can't breathe from the weight crushing you.
The Liberal Democrats are so loose that if they were in full power, the country would literally fall apart.
For moral framework though, the Conservatives, though stiff on the taxes (is that where the British stiff upper lip comes from?), have the most "upright-standing" position.
I haven't got my trust in Labour. Or Conservative. Or Lib Dem. Or Lib. Or Green. Or Scottish National Party. Or Plaid Cymru. Or BNP. Or UKIP. Or Respect. Or all-the-others-I-can't-think-of-right-now.
Neither have the people.
They're just sick of the increasing taxes and decreasing benefits, aren't seeing the deficit and the unemployment rates decrease quickly as they had hoped and were promised, and turned their vote to the only other general party (who created and left the mess in the first place) that they think will stand a better chance of evening out their communities.
They're people. Humans. Most people don't see past their next paycheck and next mound of bills. And most people will do anything to make life easier. Including swapping votes around indiscriminately.
And the rest will sit and discuss the problems and complain of them, but do little to nothing to enact any change.
I have a personal problem with Ed and David Miliband due to their extremely anti-home-education stance, and the amount of trouble that cost us before.
But my judgement of the Labour party - and the other parties - is based on my observations of the way they've acted and the state of my country - not off personal vindictiveness.
So as I watched the TV yesterday during the politics, one part was touching on the reference to the mayoral referendum in the main cities. Thankfully there were subtitles, since conversation, laughter and music covered the low volume. They were interviewing passers-by, asking what they had voted and why.
"I voted no."
"I voted no."
Then an older woman appeared on the screen.
"I didn't bother voting. There was no point in doing it. It doesn't make a difference."
I can't remember whether it was my small nephew, my dearest mother, a lady I've never met before or Mother's brother-in-law that I spouted off to. :P But I went berserk.
Because...she's a woman.
The suffrage movement was the original, non-activist tame branch of the movement to get Women's Rights to Vote. I believe they were important.
For without the safe framework which they provided, a gang of women storming the streets, throwing themselves in front of the King's racing horse and chaining themselves to the gates of 10 Downing Street - and suffering themselves to be jailed, beaten and undergoing the horrific force-feeding torture when they went on hunger strike as protest against their imprisonment and that of their beloved leader, would have been considered to be insane and a riot.
But in the end, Emeline Pankhurst saw that the only way forward was activism.
The Government under Mr. Asquith only tolerated the Suffrage Movement. They had laid the footwork, but no further hold was gained.
So she formed the suffragettes, that brave little lady. Her dream wasn't feminism and the crushing of men under the foot of women. Her dream was for rights to be given when women WERE treated as inferior in mind and subjected to being puppet dolls. For us to be acknowledged as being intelligent, able to reason and think and work without being scorned.
And here, only a hundred years on, there is a woman that WASTES her right to vote because she thinks it isn't worth it.
My point isn't that it's making a difference.
My point is that you can only waste your right to vote if you refuse to acknowledge Remembrance Day. For to refuse your right to vote as a woman is to kick in the faces the women who died for that right.
And to waste your right to vote as a man means that you are one of the many who will sit back and discuss the problems of a country without lifting a finger to take your single step in the right direction.
Is it so hard to mark a cross on a piece of paper? It's not like we're asking you to join a party.
Yes, it's hard to confine your opinions to a check box. If you don't vote for conscience's sake, then at least make a point of going and noting that down.
So yes, I'm going to close up with stating:
a) I don't think any political party holds the ultimate right.
b) The people are stating their opinion, but what they want is not a political party, but a difference.
c) We as the people have an obligation to vote, whether it makes a difference or not. Our consciences will then be clear of what befalls the nation.
Feel free to discuss. ;)
~Mademoiselle Siân
The "most people won't read" completely cracked me up, 'cause I'll read anything that has to do with politics...
ReplyDeleteSounds like "fed up with political parties" is going around everywhere, which is why I suppose people are always (in the US, anyway, I don't know about Britain) trying to make up new parties and movements. Over here we have the Democrats/Liberals to the Left, Republicans/Conservatives to the Right, and the Independants, who don't want to vote for either, and tend to be made up of slightly whacky people. And now we have the Tea Party (on the Right, who basically "started over" because now Republicans aren't much better than Democrats now-a-days), Occupy Wall Street (what a bunch of whiners..."me me meeeeee!!"), and self-admitted communists and socialists ('cause that worked out SO well before...HAVE WE GONE INSANE??).
*sigh* I like it better when people just stick to a "basic" party (Democrat/Republican)but aren't afraid to shake it up (SARAH PALIN!! <3), which is one reason I like Margaret Thatcher so much. :) In other words, don't let the party define what you believe. At the risk of sounding at least slightly odd, work within the system, but don't let the system work within you. ;)
I've also wondered about changing the voting system from first-past-the-post (what we have now) to the Alternative Vote. In the Alternative Vote, instead of voting for one candidate, you "rank" them in order of your favorite to least favorite, and the winner is chosen from those rankings. (So if Mr. Smith was my first choice, but nobody else's, my second choice, Mr. Green, would be counted instead. Sorta kinda. Anyway.)
And don't get me started on people not voting. I think I bugged a few of my friends so much last election that they went and voted, whether it was because I convinced them it was important, or if they were just tired of me breathing down their neck, I don't know.. Tee-hee. Anyways. Politics rant over.