Should we be made to vote?

I was toying with the idea of voting Green yesterday until i read their manifesto. Ban animal testing. Right. This is going to tempt me on the day a friend gets our of hospital after 2 months of leukaemia treatment in hospital. In fact it is not going to tempt me ever.
It's sad about the mice, but without animal testing there would be no more cancer treatments or other medical advances. It would be a full stop. As it is my friend faces more crucifying chemo, as there are as yet no modern drugs for AML (as there are for several other cancers now).
In fact I was told recently that for the cancer that my son had, Hodgkins, there is now a new MAB drug that can be used if he has a relapse. Previously he was told he' d had everything they could throw at it.

Just read somewhere that on one paper in London there are 129 candidates, so there must be a Monster Raving Loony in there.
I've also noticed that there is a Yorkshire First Party, for those of you in Yorkshire.
The only info I've had is from the Libdems. No chance here.

Sorely tempted tomorrow to write ''Who are these people?'' across the paper. I have had no information about the candidates at all or are we just voting for a party?

As rose said - where are the Monster Raving Loony party when you need them?

it was me that mentioned the Greens as an example of a minority Party; other people may have mentioned voting for a minority party being a wasted vote in other posts. Or it may have been another thread. Or even another site ....

You told me to give it a rest, and implied I only give biased links.
Here's one about politics, which is about as unbiased as you get.
www.politics.co.uk/information/about-politics-co-uk

No one has said you 'aren't allowed' to put links on, durhamjen, that's just a silly thing to say.

Greens mentioned on page 1, rose, and not just by me.

Do not read them if you do not want to. Nobody's forcing you to.
I think some people might find them interesting. It might even make up some people's minds about who to vote for tomorrow.
I did not realise I was not allowed to put links on, particularly now GNHQ have made it easier.
At least if I put links on it shows it's not just my own subjective view I am promoting, which some people object to.

I only gave the Greens as an example, could not remember the names of most of the rest of them. It was not a PP broadcast on their behalf.

Where are the Monster Raving Loonies when you need them?

Oh, give it a rest with the links! I'm sure most of us are quite capable of sourcing our own information - not always from the Guardian or similarly-biased publications, though.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/21/far-left-overtake-greens-first-time-new-european-parliament

Not in Europe on the whole.

They seem to be managing that quite well on their own.

What's up, Ana, no emoticon?
Thought you would want to vote for any party that would get rid of Labour.

Thrilling.

www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2014/05/20/comment-the-green-party-are-now-the-real-threat-to-labour

If you look at this, there is also a sixty second video to the EU elections.

I don't think voting should be compulsory, but I do feel it is our duty to vote and I think previous groups who fought for the franchise would be horrified that many do not bother to do so. I suppose what we did not have to strive for we take for granted. It is surprising that so many young people do not bother to vote, therefore is there any point in extending the vote to 16 year olds?

We do have a postal vote as we have been away during some elections but it is obviously open to fraud and could be denying many women(amongst others) in Britain a voice.

I would never feel that a vote for a minority party (such as the Greens) was a wasted vote, as, if nothing else, it sends a message to the main parties that they need to look more closely at their policies and sharpen up their act.

I have no problem with that at all - just glad he left eventually!

ri.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A7x9UnVh5HxTHwMAHZd3Bwx.;_ylu=X3oDMTByNGxmazk4BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2lyZAR2dGlkAw--/RV=2/RE=1400722658/RO=10/RU=http%3a%2f%2fwww.parliament.uk%2fabout%2fhow%2felections-and-voting%2fgeneral%2fdissolution%2f/RK=0/RS=s3lnSPIK5.Ys01.XF4clKqyd3C8-

The government ministers stay in charge of their departments but they are not allowed to do anything except in an emergency. To all intents and purposes there is no government, just civil servants doing their work.
Anyway, I was asking Soutra as it was her idea. Am I not allowed to ask? It would be a new and different situation if we were allowed to say that we did not want any on the ballot paper and none of them could stand on a second ballot. It would probably require new legislation. All eventualities would have to be thought through.

By the way, Gordon Brown did not cling on for dear life. He stayed because of negotiations between Libdems and Labour and Tories.
I do not see your problem with that, as you are all fairminded people.

The problem may well be with the whole parliamentary system and not so much the voter. If Parliament was accountable to the public and the public had the power to remove an ineffectual government or candidates, I have a suspicion more people would vote.

A bit more grown up, than my sulky attitude

Petallus, I wouldn't resent it, I would object to it as utterly undemocratic. With the right to vote goes the right not to vote.

"In Westminster systems, in minority situations, the incumbent government usually has the first opportunity to attempt to win the confidence of the House. This is so even if the incumbents have fewer seats – the incumbent prime minister still holds his or her commission for the duration of the writ period and immediately following an election."

From Wikipedia, but similar information can be found here

Sky News have been running a report on vote rigging in Pendle, Yorkshire and other parts of the country. It happens!

Postal voting is open to fraud.

In January the Electoral Commission said it was concerned about certain council areas re -vote rigging. Taking postal vote rigging to one side the commission suggested police should mount patrols at polling stations in 'these vulnerable areas'.

They want political parties to sign up to new code of conduct, including a ban on activists handling postal ballot papers. They say they are talking about the unscrupulous campaigners who act in an improper way to put pressure on people.

The council areas where there is concern and an historic allegation of voter fraud are:-

Birmingham
Blackburn
Darwin
Bradford
Burnley
Calderdale
Coventry
Derby
Hyndburn
Kirklees
Oldham
Pendle
Peterborough
Slough
Tower Hamlets
Walsall
Woking

It's not right to carry on with something that is obviously open to fraud and that would also implicate the use of computer voting, no difference is there.

FlicketyB I am interpreting your first para to mean you would resent being 'made' to vote and would rebel accordingly.

Whether you meant that or not, it's exactly what I would do.

Yes, Gordon Brown clinging on for dear life as they tried to winkle him out from behind that desk...