Everyone else: Also don't forget to vote

If you don't vote then you automatically forfeit all rights in future Idle Banter MassDebates betwixt the "Ebil Liberal Lefty Weeners" and the "Ebil Right Wing Nut Jobs". You also forfeit the right to complain. About anything really.

Apart from anything else, someone needs to go and counter my "Ebil Liberal Lefty Weener" vote in Cheltenham

EDIT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnWveedO42Q - Vote or Die

our local election has been cancelled due to the death of one of the candidates

Then you're let off Until it's rerun anyway.

Wasn't there an election a while back (can't remember if it was even in this country) where a dead man actually won?

EDIT: Ah, only in america... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2336645.stm

[G]

I dont vote because I hate everyone, and it wont make a blind bit of difference to the running of this country.

They are all shiite.

If I lived in london I would vote boris though lol.......purely because Mr livingstone is a cockeral of the highest order.

Originally Posted by graemepaterson

I dont vote because I hate everyone, and it wont make a blind bit of difference to the running of this country.

They are all shiite.

If I lived in london I would vote boris though lol.......purely because Mr livingstone is a cockeral of the highest order.

Aarrgh. Ok, the most common argument against voting put forth, also the easiest to dismiss. Local elections, perhaps more so than nationals - DO make a difference. Do you want weekly or fortnightly bin collections? Do you want that road repaired? Do you want that drain sorted? Do you want a crossing put in outside your kid's school? Do you want that pointless crossing in the middle of nowhere removing? Do you want that housing development up the road to get planning permission?

Unless you actually tell councillors and prospective councillors what you want and then vote according to their priorities and (more importantly) actions, then you're quite right - you won't make a blind bit of difference to how your life is run for you.

Wheras national elections often boil down to vague promises about slightly different directions in policy, local elections are all about specifics, they're about bus stops, road repairs, affordable housing, bin collections. Local elections arguably have the most effect on how you live and the area in which you live.

Or if you want another argument - if you don't do all this - then someone else will - probably some annoying git like me, you might not like the way I want to live, but tough, you're going to have to live by my rules because hey, I was the one who actually used the tools of democracy.

[Luckypants]

Voted at lunchtime. Anyone who does not vote should expect all the crap they get plus more.

I'm voting tonight. First time ever, despite being well over the legally required age. Mainly because our local councilor regularly calls round or writes with an update about things happening in the area and not just when he's canvassing for votes. He strikes me as a hard working fella who's trying his best to do a good job so he gets my vote.

[G]

Originally Posted by MiniMatt

Aarrgh. Ok, the most common argument against voting put forth, also the easiest to dismiss. Local elections, perhaps more so than nationals - DO make a difference. Do you want weekly or fortnightly bin collections? Do you want that road repaired? Do you want that drain sorted? Do you want a crossing put in outside your kid's school? Do you want that pointless crossing in the middle of nowhere removing? Do you want that housing development up the road to get planning permission?

Frankly I couldnt care less.

The majority of the area I live in is filled with scroungers, the poor, single mothers, druggies and other benefit leaching mofo's who dont work so actually have time to go and vote, and probably massively out number the decent people who are out working to pay for them anyway.....therefore the mugs that getted voted in our always massively in favour of letting the shiitty council estates have their bins collected weekly while they pay nothing, but us lot on the good end of town have to put up with fortnightly collections as our massive council taxes dont provide enough funds to allow weekly, and while they are at we can have bins half the size of normal bins as well.


I'm lazy as well

Originally Posted by graemepaterson

Frankly I couldnt care less.

The majority of the area I live in is filled with scroungers, the poor, single mothers, druggies and other benefit leaching mofo's who dont work so actually have time to go and vote, and probably massively out number the decent people who are out working to pay for them anyway.....therefore the mugs that getted voted in our always massively in favour of letting the shiitty council estates have their bins collected weekly while they pay nothing, but us lot on the good end of town have to put up with fortnightly collections as our massive council taxes dont provide enough funds to allow weekly, and while they are at we can have bins half the size of normal bins as well.

But, erm, you've just stated that you do care - about bin collections at any rate. So you'll complain about them to the 'org but not to your councillor? Where's the sense in that? Does your councillor read Idle Banter?

And about the time to vote, they're open from 7am till 10pm - now I'm sure there are some people working split shifts that can't make that, but I'm pretty sure that's a very tiny minority. And for those people, there are postal votes. So you're telling me you can't get to the polling station between 7am and 10pm and you've lost the ability to use a letterbox?

Originally Posted by graemepaterson

I'm lazy as well

Too lazy to write an X on a piece of paper? Man, that is lazy

Not letting you off while there's still time for you to drag yourself out of the house to the polling station

Originally Posted by graemepaterson

Frankly I couldnt care less.

The majority of the area I live in is filled with scroungers, the poor, single mothers, druggies and other benefit leaching mofo's who dont work so actually have time to go and vote, and probably massively out number the decent people who are out working to pay for them anyway.....therefore the mugs that getted voted in our always massively in favour of letting the shiitty council estates have their bins collected weekly while they pay nothing, but us lot on the good end of town have to put up with fortnightly collections as our massive council taxes dont provide enough funds to allow weekly, and while they are at we can have bins half the size of normal bins as well.


I'm lazy as well

Those scumbags you mention aren't going to vote as they'll be too ****ed/stoned to make it to the poll. Idiots like that never bother to vote - I think being lazy is your only excuse.