Like millions of others, I voted in the General Election, an experience I found depressing in the extreme. For Parliamentary candidates, I was faced with the lunatic fringes, Labour, LibDem, or Tory (who're very nearly the lunatic fringe around here.). Really, I'd like to have voted Green, but they didn't bother putting up a candidate here, so I was left with a choice between a Labour candidate who doesn't have the morals of a cat, or a LibDem candidate who didn't even bother sending out any flyers – and I'm sorry, but I'm really not that easy!
So, who did I end up voting for? None of them – I 'spoiled' my ballot paper. What I would really have liked was a box for “None of the Above”, so that my paper could be differentiated for those who simply can't be arsed to vote or who can't fill in a ballot properly. I want to vote for my right not to vote...
Turning to the Local Council Election ballot paper, I was confronted by a wider range of options – unfortunately, not one of the candidates for our ward actually lives here! So much for local representation...
And now there's reports of hundreds of people across the country being refused entry to polling stations because of large queues meaning they hadn't got their ballot papers before the 22:00 hrs deadline. After years of the political classes carping about voter apathy & disengagement with the political process, for the system to fail the moment there's what is, in reality, a very modest increase in voter turnout is absolutely shambolic & shameful.
They call it democracy – I call it a bunch of arse...
Originally posted 07/05/10
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