Voting

Jolly well agree with you Phil.....and although I have never been a bra burning feminist (the fall-out would be too great) we did have to fight for it...so yes....if we have a vote we should use it...and try ever so hard not to get too cynical about politics and politicians. Its easy to see them all as self interested types...but until someone comes up with a better system of democracy...we should do our bit to influence things.

Agree totally girls the vote was fought for long and hard,and as you say
HildaW i am not over keen on the political side but hey if you dont vote
you cant moan at the outcome if you disagree with the way the
country goes in the future

I agree with all above, but at the same time can understand why people suffer from so much apathy when politicians say one thing then do another.
'Yes' I voted Liberal

I agree with you all. I believe it's everybody's duty to vote. Maybe non-voters would feel differently about it if their vote was actually taken away?

I always get a buzz out of voting and knowing that how I've voted will count - even if the party I've voted for doesn't get in!

I always vote and pleased to do it, whether my party gets in or not. Anybody who doesn't vote, has no right to comment on the political and economic situation in this country. In Australia you have to vote or get fined, I wish we could do that in this country. In our local elections last week, in some wards the turnout was lucky to reach 20%, disgraceful.

I always vote, but it would be nice to have a real choice. A student of mine once commented that "no matter who you vote for, the government always get in". That seems to sum it up.

Anyway I am depressed by the outcome of AV - it would have given just a little bit more democracy.

I have been a political activist all my life, and I now teach politics.

Vive la revalucion

My GreatGrandmother served time in Holloway prison in order for us women to be able to vote, she would turn in her grave to know that her campaigning and sacrifice was rubbished in such a way

xxx

When one of my teenage step GDs announced that she wouldn't be both ering to vote when she got to 18 she got a ten-minute 'lecture' from me about the suffragettes and the women today in arab countries who are still fighting for their rights. She had no idea about any of it. What do they teach them in school these days ....?! (I'm a retired teacher

I'll always vote, or if I can't stand any of them still go and put my ballot paper in the box. Perhaps we need a new line on the ballot paper for 'none of the above'.

Me too I think it's shocking that people seem so apathetic, women especially when some fought and died to get us the vote.

I live in a part of the country that has been rank Labour since the 1960's (although I've only lived here for 10 years) but that doesn't stop me living in hope and voting ...not Labour ;). It's my right and my duty....makes me quite angry actually because I think it's apathy and laziness. Some feminists have said to me that it's their right to choose not to vote eh..what....

Exactly, my husband has been saying this for years. If they put 'none of the above' as a choice we could let them know that we bothered to go out and vote and just what we think of them.

Should be compulsory to turn up IMHO. Even if you spoil your ballot. Doesn't have to be a big fine, even £10 would be fine. They could save up the fine money and give you a cupcake next time you voted to reinforce the good behaviour.

My husband was chatting to a couple of women we know on May 5 and asked if they had voted. The both replied that they hadn't and when asked why not, said that elections were only for rich people and there was no point in poor people voting. I think their idea of "rich" is anyone who owns their own house/flat and doesn't claim benefits, so the bar is pretty low. One woman is probably in her thirties and the other in her fifties. I have never heard this said before and am truly amazed.

We only had a 36% turn-out in my Ward. On the doorstep people who answered the door seemed keen and ask probing questions but where were they on voting day? Although I did not get re-elected I will continue to work for our older residents as I have for the past five years as their champion.

Although mainly retired from NHS still do a small part time clerical job .When I asked the young 24 year old graduate (pharmacology) if she would be voting in the av referendum, she was most surprised, and knew nothing about it. She said she would not be voting, it was the same reaction that I got from her regarding the general election. Can our young people not be bothered or what is wrong ?