That's nothing to be proud of - if you think that not one of the candidates is worth a vote, the least you should do is register a spoilt ballot paper. Bad governments are put in power by good electors who don't vote.

....and who is going to sort my "expenses" for my time



I have no time for the system and more specifically, for those who abuse it. You carry on fella, I'm not wasting my time.

Thats fine. It's your choice to chose who you want to run things and make the laws. If you don't want to that fine. as long as you never moan about anything that goes wrong as a result.

Actually Ms Blears ( and Mr Stewart and Ms Keeley) have supported the club during the planning public meeting

At least 2 of the 3 also helped out the Trust if not all three.


Still they are money grabbers.

But does that do any good? I'm not aware of the number of spoilt ballots counted being published with the results, but I am aware of the percentage turnout being published. Turnout in UK general elections is pretty poor, but it isn't always down to public apathy: sometimes not voting can be a protest. The lower the turnout, the greater the chance (you'd think) of someone in Westminster starting to wonder [iwhy[/i people aren't voting.

Personally, I'd like a 'None of the above' option on the ballot paper, with the count published as part of the result.

Is it to fiddle more tax expences to save us money

The only way to distinguish between apathy and a protest is for the protester to register a spoilt ballot paper (the number of which is recorded). One way of spoiling the ballot paper is to write "None of the above" on it. Also, for the paranoid, going to the ballot station and voting/spoiling the paper, prevents the possibility of personation.

I'm not sure of the ins and outs of it but my grandad was very politically aware and he said spoilt ballot papers affect any majority the elected government might have. I spoil mine. What else can you do when they are all equally bad. don't trust any of them.

As for hazel Blears simply can't stand that inane, fake, partonising grin she gives everyone when she is pretended to give a stuff.

LOL www.independent.co.uk/multimedia ... 72564d.jpg

LOL www.independent.co.uk/multimedia ... 72564d.jpg

The number of spoilt ballots may get counted and may affect the majority a candidate has, but the headline figure is always the turnout. As a way of registering a protest, it seems to me that spoiling your ballot is pretty weak, since the spoilt ballot count doesn't get much, or any, publicity.

But not as weak as not bothering to go to the ballot station at all. Of course the best way of protesting about the quality of candidates is to stand yourself, or join the least bad party, get involved, and change things. As Red-ode said, anyone who doesn't vote is in no position to complain about the person elected to represent them.

not voting at all is a protest against the system as a whole, not against certain parties. Everyone has the right to speak out against who is elected to lead them whether they voted or not if all the parties are being represented by idiots or non of the policies are applicable to that individual at the time of voting/not voting. People however shouldn't refuse to vote and than say that "if *insert politicians name here* was in charge then it wouldn't be like this"

If spoiling votes actually counted towards a system change then maybe people would actually get down to the polling stations but until that day voters turn outs will get weaker.

As a demarchist i am obviously against the way the current system works and i know that nothing will change whether i will spoil my vote or not. I will probably be spoiling my vote unless the usual vote of Monster Raving Loony Party is available

went on a bit of a rant there lol
sorry about that.

They're all as bad as each other.

As George Orwell once said; "All pigs are equal.............just some are more equal than others!!

I think is was George??

By 'not bothering to go to the ballot box', you appear to assume it's out of apathy rather than a conscious decision. That's not necessarily the case.

Exactly, if people don't vote it's assumed it's because their not bothered.

Maybe the system needs a better way of saying 'none of the obove' rather that a spoilt ballet paper?

But nobody knows that it is not the case if the only thing you do is fail to vote.

I know. But equally, no-one knows if you turn up and spoil your ballot paper, because the count of spoilt papers receives little, if any, publicity. Low turnouts do.

Well Tebbit says vote UKIP rather than the socialist BNP, and that's what I'll be doing in the Euro elections. If you vote for any of the main three, you're asking for more of the same.

Bit surprising to hear anyone taking Norman Tebbit's advice - I heard his interview this morning & he didn't actually say "vote UKIP" - he just said "Don't vote for any of the three main parties" - clearly he realised that if he had encouraged voting against the Tory party his number would have been up!

Low turnouts send the message that the electorate is apathetic, not that it is protesting. If the 60% who can't be bothered to vote turned up and spoilt their ballot papers that would be front page headline news.

we should follow the aussie method well we do in rugby league, where it is illegal not to vote, but you can spoil your paper, looks really good, electorate 75,000, the result

big party 13,500
not so big party 8,000
poor party 2000

total 23,500

spoilt 51,500

then they would take notice only 30% electors actually cast a valid vote.

Good to see Band wagon cameron saying something about expenses today and getting the rich b**tards to pay back, why wait till it was in the press when he like the other leaders knew all along. I know the Tories talk s41t but paying £250 for a pile of it and then claiming for it takes some beating.
Just off to clean out the moat at my own expense in the baronial home in Wardley.

Meanwhile Bottler Brown says nowt pev. So you condone 3 House Blears actions? ALL Politicians look after themselves first and us second. UKIP for me in a few weeks at least they are standing up for change.

UKIP great party little englanders, get out of Europe asap, find that all our trade with Europe which accounts for about 70% disappear, we are part of europe I would even say wee should have joined the Euro years back at 1.69 to the £1.00 would have saved me a load watching United all over europe.
Before the euro going overland to some venues or changing flights night having two or three differenent currencies now chust teh one but we have to pay through the nose for it with often a difference of 10cents between the buying and selling rates, multiply that for British Businesses trading in Europe added cost which our competetors don't have to pay.
sorry to rant but Exchange costs are a big bugbear of mine.
Plus if you beleave the Tories we are in a worse recession than Europe, but they didn't want to hand monetary control to Europe who are doing well.

To say that Europe is doing well flies in the face of the facts!

Ireland is now a disaster area ecomomically
The Spanish economy is tanking faster than ours - if you think the construction industry is having a bad time here look at Spain
The other southern european states have been in a mess for years - Greece, Italy etc
The German debt burden is bigger than ours

Whilst I agree wholeheartedly that we have to trade with Europe the last thing we should do is join the Euro - we then loose all control of monetary policy and end up like Ireland, unable to influence anything within the country.
Yes the pound might be lower against the euro just know - but not so long ago it was soaring and made travelling sur le continent tres agreable!

And no I won't be voting UKIP - bunch of numptys!