The 'didn't vote' thread

My name is URL

Patww79 wrote: »

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Well the Green Party lad I voted for has no chance but if they get 2% of first preferences it qualifies them for state funding, meaning they'll have a better chance next time round

StewartGriffin

josephryan1989 wrote: »

You have the freedom to be clueless. It's a free country.
But how you could not take an interest in politics or inform yourself about the candidates in your constituency is beyond me.
Grow up and start taking an interest in what's going on around you.
Do you ignore weather forecasts or know how to read the time? For me that's how dumb not taking an interest in politics is like.

You say this as though politics was great literature or some great cultural ideal we should all aspire to. You're really talking about Michael Ring, Enda Kenny, Michael Lowry, the Healy Rays, Mary Lou, Joan, Alan Kelly, Willie O' Dea, Paul Gogarty, Fianna Fail in general, parties popping up with utterly unworkable solutions raking in the popular vote.

There's nothing to see there to make a better man or woman of anyone.

Totofan99

Patww79 wrote: »

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Well, candidates that are with a party have to obey the whip. Independent candidates submit their own replies.

OldMrBrennan83

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The Bishop Basher

Patww79 wrote: »

If he has no chance then why waste 20-40 minutes of your day to go and vote for him? Likewise with wasting your time on a protest vote. The thing is we all have a vote, but none of us have a voice.

I vote for serious contenders too. And our system is set up in a way that allows for considered voting using preferences based on how you think the election will go.

And fair enough if you never complain about anything ever to do with the country and how it's run. You're a lucky man so. I'd hazard a guess though that the majority of those that don't vote, do actually have plenty to say about how we're governed and how that directly influences our pockets and our lives.

For Forks Sake

Dinny Byrne has Angina wrote: »

It's your fault.

It's very easy for a man of average intelligence to formulate an opinion based on his impression of several political candidates running for election.

Your duty, as far as I care, is to inform yourself.

It isn't for the State to rush to your education and exhaust its own resources in informing you personally.

There is plenty of information in the public sphere, should you wish to avail it.

Don't expect anyone to come to your defence. It's probably just as well that people of this mentality refrain from voting.

I agree with your points, but the main reason I quoted is to highlight what may well be the greatest username in boards history. Bravo.

OldMrBrennan83

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josephryan1989

Patww79 wrote: »

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Do you read their election literature? Do you look at their policy proposals? At the costings of what they propose? At their attitudes to taxation and spending and job creation? Their health policies? Crime policies? Environmental policies? Their track records on those issues? You can inform yourself and weigh up which candidate is the one who want to vote for and who you don't?

An adult has the patience to get off his or her backside and find out and inform themselves and use their franchise.

You don't bother to inform yourself and you are too lazy to do so and you don't vote and you give up your freedom to those who do because they vote and they get their candidate elected and their policies implemented.

You have no right to complain about the injustices in the country if you never informed yourself and you never stood up to be counted and voted.

Totofan99

Patww79 wrote: »

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There are some decent public representatives, and lots of terrible ones. It's up to you to choose which one is a good one for you, or maybe the least worst. Not ideal, but that's the way it works. If you're not happy, run yourself.

thattequilagirl

Patww79 wrote: »

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So, there would be no difference whatsoever between a FF-FG grand coalition and a government led by Sinn Fein?

Lady is a tramp

Didn't vote - in hospital, genuine excuse! Almost certainly would have otherwise.

Totofan99

Lady is a tramp wrote: »

Didn't vote - in hospital, genuine excuse! Almost certainly would have otherwise.

Join the club!

Agricola

Completely respect people's right to not vote if they so choose. I think a situation of mandatory voting is the next worst thing after not having the right to vote at all. It has it's flaws but it at least everyone has the opportunity to vote if they wish and those people that do can decide who runs the country. If such matter's don't interest you, then so be it.

As for the how much change can be affected by your vote in this GE, very little I would say. All the big hitters who will split up the power pie are all basically singing from the same hymn sheet and we are still far too conservative a country to vote en masse for fringe elements who are diametrically opposed to the traditional parties who have always been in power in the past.

OldMrBrennan83

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Your Face

Mint Sauce wrote: »

But were you doing a 14-15 hr shift that prevented you from attending? Again, if you were, you should still have a right to leave if you wish.

Is my working life really that interesting?
For breakfast I had:
1 pot of coffee
1 omelette
1 bowl of porridge
4 slices of toast

The Bishop Basher

Patww79 wrote: »

Who said I have no complaints? But I am realistic enough to know nothing will change, so I might as well just lie back and take it like we all should be doing. There's no good option so the best course of action for me is to not waste my own time.

As I said. It's a self fulfilling prophecy. You believe nothing will change yet your response is to decline to use one of the few opportunities you actually get to influence that change. So instead you sit at home complaining that nothing ever changes while ensuring through your actions that nothing will ever change. I don't get the thought process but sure each to their own.

KingBrian2

Lady is a tramp wrote: »

Didn't vote - in hospital, genuine excuse! Almost certainly would have otherwise.

Than you should have availed of electronic voting. That's ridiculous in this day that your vote could not made. The next election they should do something to allow those in hospital be able to vote electronically.

OldMrBrennan83

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Earthhorse

You don't have to read minds, just manifestos. Are some of them liars? Sure. But most politicians do actually try and implement what's in their manifestos. The gay marriage referendum is a good example that happened because Labour and FG were voted in. I don't think it would have happened under FF.

Chain Smoker

Not in the country so I couldn't vote, given the options I would've had, I honestly don't know who I'd've bothered voting for. Greens'd prolly get #1 because why not but after that....


And yeah, not turning out to vote isn't a great idea imo. Even if you're gonna spoil your vote, if it offsets the notion that only older people vote you should do it, hard to complain about the government being slow regarding changes to things like a certain antiquated Catholic Ireland-era amendment to the constitution when the people who vote them in are more likely to have been voters in on that particular referendum.



This election, from a very passive outside view, has looked like a foregone conclusion from the get go (i.e. some kind of messily scrambled together government with Fine Gael at the top) to the point that I do hope most people vote with an eye looking towards the next one. Part of me is hoping for an FF/FG coalition so the two of them, and their core voters, have no choice but to get over themselves to be honest.

uptherebels

Totofan99 wrote: »

Couldn't vote because I'm stuck in hospital. And I'm pretty bloody annoyed about it too.

As for those who couldn't be bothered, shame on you. You could put about 20 minutes aside, do a bit of research on your candidates and pick a few that you'd give a preference to. It's easier than ever to do this. The RTÉ website had short, one minute videos of almost every candidate in the country explaining briefly what they stand for. And there's smartvote.ie, another great resource.

and if there was none you would give a preference to? just vote for the sake of it?

Totofan99

uptherebels wrote: »

and if there was none you would give a preference to? just vote for the sake of it?

Run yourself!

OldMrBrennan83

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josephryan1989

StewartGriffin wrote: »

You say this as though politics was great literature or some great cultural ideal we should all aspire to.

Actually I do. Society is improved through political action.
Have you noticed there are water and sewage services, power stations, roads, schools, universities, police forces, courts, laws, human rights and worker's rights and much more thanks to elected governments doing their jobs for their people?
You want to see how banjaxed things would be if people didn't vote go to countries where there are dictators for life who have destroyed their countries and reduced their people to absolute serfdom.

You're really talking about Michael Ring, Enda Kenny, Michael Lowry, the Healy Rays, Mary Lou, Joan, Alan Kelly, Willie O' Dea, Paul Gogarty, Fianna Fail in general, parties popping up with utterly unworkable solutions raking in the popular vote.

I can assure you that each and every one of those politicians you mentioned work themselves to the bone for their constituents.

There's nothing to see there to make a better man or woman of anyone.

You are an utter pessimist.

Stand for election and you would find like minded people who are angry and want change and people would back you and support you. Run for office if you have ideas and you want to work for people.

If you want to be lazy and carp from the sidelines and not even vote that's fine. You have the freedom to do that.

cnocbui

irishgrover wrote: »

Of course its a democracy and I must respect your decision, but I really don't like it. I think people should go to the bother of educating themselves and using their vote if at all possible...

I voted for Kenny last time, partly because he indicated he wanted to do something about the compulsory teaching of Irish.

That worked out well. I didn't bother voting this time. There is no point 'educating' yourself about any aspect of politics as you actually have no influence. It's like being in a car with broken steering - you turn the wheel a bit to the right because you can see a bend in the road and the car turns to the left.

Only the EU has any influence over important policies in this country.

Pretzill

You have an absolute right not to vote - that's the point - I would though always exercise my right to vote - even if it is for just 1 candidate on the ballot.

Not voting is a better protest than a spoiled vote imo but not voting because of apathy is a waste.

Stheno

Patww79 wrote: »

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Post demonstrates a remarkable level of ignorance

The Bishop Basher

Patww79 wrote: »

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But of course it won't change if everyone takes your approach and stays at home because they don't think they can change it.

Patww79 wrote: »

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Absolutely. Best way to make sure nothing ever changes is to do nothing.

uck51js9zml2yt

NIMAN wrote: »

I think its sad to see final voting levels around 60% in a GE.

Thats 4 out of every 10 people eligible to vote couldn't be bothered to get off their arse and go to the polling station.

Those numbers could make a massive difference in how a country is governed.

I was working on the polls today. It was obvious that the young people who were falling over themselves last year to vote didn't bother to come out today.

OldMrBrennan83

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OldMrBrennan83

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rainbow kirby

Still registered in Dublin South-West but too close to giving birth to be let fly home, also too long out of the country in general. Next time I vote will most likely be in the London mayoral election in May.

alane20

Just glad it's over now, seeing posters of enda/joan/ and a few local smug looking liars every couple of meters I'm sick of it, just get on with it and prove you were talking ****e just to get elected

Stheno

Patww79 wrote: »

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How? I researched all of my local candidates, checked the policies of their parties, checked the new parties that were emerging and made my decisions on that basis.

Then I went out and voted and participated in the democratic process.

OldMrBrennan83

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Irish Praetorian

Best as can be told from the figures so far, apparently one third of the voters appear to be in the same boat as the 'ah shure nothing will change' or 'aren't they all the same' crowd. Now if only there was a way for all those people to come together collectively and express their discontent at the status quo, perhaps by pooling their numbers and supporting an individual in their locality who shares their views...

Ah never-mind, too much effort, too crazy an idea...

josephryan1989

Patww79 wrote: »

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Nothing has changed?
You have blinkers on if you think nothing has changed in this country due to political action.
Free secondary education and free university education has had no impact?
Social welfare and single parent allowance?
Social housing?
Motorways?
Airports?
Industrial development?
Fairness and justice in the courts?
Union recognition and workers rights?
Mediation between warring factions in Northern Ireland?
Rising living standards decade on decade?
The movement from a poverty stricken rural agricultural colony toward a largely urban and modern nation in the space of a century?
You are utterly clueless.
You don't vote?
Generations of Irish people fought and starved and died for freedom of religion, to escape from feudalism and oppression so that today you could live in a free society with a full belly and have the freedom to cast your vote and give your opinion without ending up on the rack for it.

OldMrBrennan83

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Stheno

Patww79 wrote: »

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So you believe all politicians are truthful or is that a typo?

Did you mean to say there is not a politician whom you believe is not a liar?

OldMrBrennan83

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thattequilagirl

Patww79 wrote: »

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Of course you don't have to, but you still should. Even if you're determined to believe that all politicians are liars and nothing changes at a national level, you could easily research which candidate will advocate for your area most strongly.

I'm assuming you don't think all politicians are of exactly the same level of ability; so you could have chosen the one(s) with the strongest work ethic. Or voted against the ones you dislike the most.

Apathy, laziness and cynicism- not a good combination.

jive

Stheno wrote: »

So you believe all politicians are truthful or is that a typo?

Did you mean to say there is not a politician whom you believe is not a liar?

Obviously they did given the context, no need for the condescending nonsense. Use your head.

AnonoBoy

I remember back in college getting lectures from guys (who loved to juggle, smoke rollies and wear knitted hooides) about the evils of American foreign policy etc. etc. telling me I needed to educate myself on so many things going on in the world.

When I asked them how they were voting in the upcoming elections they'd say they didn't bother voting in Ireland - that it made no difference.

They'd spend ages expounding on politics of other countries but seemingly the people who were making decisions that had direct effect on their lives were unimportant, boring and "all the same".

They seemed unable or unwilling to see why I found them to be hilarious.

jimgoose

nehe milner skudder wrote: »

best post I've read in a long time

Adolescent, pseudo-intellectual, half-educated foolery is what it is.

nehe milner skudder

c_meth wrote: »

Worst one I've read...

5 thanks to your 1.

We've democratically decided you are talking ****e.

jive

One thing about our voting system is it's archaic. I had to travel abroad for 2 days for work and I can't vote in the general election, really mental shît when you think about the technology we have at our disposal in this day and age. We have robot dogs doing backflips and I can't even poke in a few digits on an electronic voting sheet of some form, mad.

uck51js9zml2yt

jive wrote: »

One thing about our voting system is it's archaic. I had to travel abroad for 2 days for work and I can't vote in the general election, really mental shît when you think about the technology we have at our disposal in this day and age. We have robot dogs doing backflips and I can't even poke in a few digits on an electronic voting sheet of some form, mad.

2 words..postal vote.

Mongfinder General

josephryan1989 wrote: »

Nothing has changed?
You have blinkers on if you think nothing has changed in this country due to political action.
Free secondary education and free university education has had no impact?
Social welfare and single parent allowance?
Social housing?
Motorways?
Airports?
Industrial development?
Fairness and justice in the courts?
Union recognition and workers rights?
Mediation between warring factions in Northern Ireland?
Rising living standards decade on decade?
The movement from a poverty stricken rural agricultural colony toward a largely urban and modern nation in the space of a century?
You are utterly clueless.
You don't vote?
Generations of Irish people fought and starved and died for freedom of religion, to escape from feudalism and oppression so that today you could live in a free society with a full belly and have the freedom to cast your vote and give your opinion without ending up on the rack for it.

And the freedom not to cast a vote or express an opinion.

Sonics2k

Elessar wrote: »

:rolleyes:

I have no interest in the State or anyone else 'rushing to my education'. I can inform myself if I want to. I simply do not care about the subject matter.

You, and anyone else like you, have absolutely no right whatsoever to complain about the running of the State in the future then.

You cannot simply decide not to vote and then complain about the people in Government.

Sheeps

Most of the parties have the elimination for the majority of the country of the USC in their manifesto. Now imagine you could just eliminate USC for those who vote. Watch the ones who claim not to be bothered turn up in their masses.

Given that the 40% of the country that don't vote could swing which party gets elected one way or another, the outcome to those who don't vote could be the exact same as the scenario I described above.