Is Miliband posher than Cameron? And do we care?

Yes Gill I think it should be mandatory to vote and that there should be a box where we can abstain. I 'ruined' my ballot paper on one occasion because I wasn't happy in a local election but felt that I had to vote because our vote was so hard earned.

As I said before it is impossible for any of us to understand how people better or worse off than us live so all any of them can do is get their researches to do their best to find out. Not fair to blame anyone for not knowing what another's life is like.

If voting became mandatory I would stop voting, nothing to do with whether I wanted to tick an 'abstain' box. The basic decision to vote or not vote lies at the core of democracy.

I know there are democratic countries that make voting compulsory but to be taking the away from people the choice not to vote and not have to go to a polling station to do you have by definition restricted democracy.

There's always the option to vote by post, FlicketyB. I'm not sure about making it compulsory to vote in this country, but the turn-out rate is usually quite dismal.

If it was made compulsory perhaps those who never vote would take politics more seriously instead of just blaming whatever party happens to be in power for all the ills of their world.

I wish people would use their vote, even if it's to write 'none of the above' or something similar on it. I'm unsure about mandatory voting, though I can see the arguments for it. I veer to agreeing with FlicketyB's view that 'the basic decision to vote or not to vote lies at the core of democracy'.

I heard Ed Milliband speak at our local town hall in the run up to the leadership election. I'm not sure why i got an invite, as I wasn't a Labour party member at that time. He spoke to an audience of less than 100 in a small room and I found him to be both warm and to have the ability to engage with people. A number of journalists have commented he comes over well in personal, but that doesn't transfer to television.

I share the general unease about the choices at the next election. I'll be voting though.

No, roseq, I meant freak. In my dictionary it says enthusiast.
My son and grandson and friends are all football freaks. I know a few sci-fi freaks, as they call themselves.
My dictionary defines a geek as being someone unfashionably and socially awkward. I do not think even I would describe Cameron as that.

So, jingl, you do not want any state schools left, is that right?
Cameron wants to continue what his mate started and have all free schools and academies, with no local control over any of them.
Not what I want, or any people working in them that I know of.

I am not sure about compulsory voting, but I feel that we should all vote, especially women as the right was so hard won. I do think that we should be able to register that we are exercising our right to vote, but do not want any of the candidates on the ballot paper, thus my wish for a 'none of the above' vote. It could be interesting if statistics showed that a high percentage of the electorate had turned out to vote, but not chosen the government that we eventually end up with. I know of so many people who just dont bother to vote because either (a) they are in a 'safe seat' and feel that their vote wont count or (b) genuinely do not wish to support any of the candidates. A 'none of the above' vote would indicate that these people are engaged enough to turn up and vote, and are not just lazy disinterested people.

I would not want the vote to be mandatory either, we have enough of being told what to do in life, to vote or not to vote should be our own choice, but the people who don't vote can't then complain about who gets into power.As Nonnie says, often the Labour ( or green!) voters on GNet tend to shout the loudest. A calm discussion would be a lot better.It could go either way at the election this year, it seems very close according to the polls.

Yes, one poll even dares to have the conservatives in the lead!

Titter ye not! Hee-hee.

I don't think that it's just on Gransnet that Labour voters shout the loudest! It happens in real life too! To be a smidgeon to the right of centre seems to mean one is on a par with the devil.

Surely what lies at the core of democracy is the right to vote , not the right to decide whether or not to use that vote. When I see people exercising thrir right to vote for the first time, for example as happened in South Africa, it's profoundly moving. I still remember Archbishop Tutu coming out of the polling station, being asked how it felt to vote for the first time and exclaiming 'Yippee', I also remember a very pregnant woman saying ' I voted twice today, once for me and once for my baby'. I don't know where I stand really on it being compulsory. I have spoilt my ballot paper sometimes by writing something on it but I always vote and cherish that right and what people did to get it for me- not just the suffragettes but going further back as well. But what really really really irritates me is people moaning about the Government, local Council etc who then say that they don't bother to vote.

Like soon, I vote for the party whose 'vision' or aims I most agree with. At the moment I'm struggling as I don't like any of them as a whole.

I think a well-educated person should be able to imagine the hardships that some people have to live with sufficiently to want to do something to improve those people's lives, so I don't think poshness or nonposhness matters. That has been what social reformers (many of them decidedly posh richer than average) have always been driven by, I should think. Why should that be different now? Perhaps the problem is that many people think the wish to improve poor people's quality of life is missing in our current politicians.

GrannyTwice surely spoiling your ballot paper is not voting. Can't see the point in doing that.

My father thought that was better than not turning up to vote. I used to agree with him. Now I'm not sure because I feel that freedom to choose to use one's vote is as important as having a vote in the first place. Democracy, for me, includes maintaining maximum freedom of the individual, maximum freedom to choose.

Anyone seen Brian May and his Decency Party?

Anyone who doesn't vote forfeits their right to complain though. Perhaps?

Brian May

I don't think it's a 'party' Whitewave it's a decency agenda. He'd even consider backing a UKIP candidate, see above link.

I think the point of spoiling the ballot paper is to say 'none of the above' or 'I abstain'. If there was a box to tick one of those it would be better but as there isn't it is a way of making a protest. If you don't turn up to vote it is not clear if it was laziness or a protest.

I don't like the assumptions made like "David Cameron wants to" unless it is something he has said. Just because we don't like someone's politics it is not right to attribute things to them which we do not know. There is of course the old saying that 'Assume makes an ass of u and me'

The "arguments" start to get a bit silly when Labour come up with "there has been more radicalisation of young Muslims under the current government than under the previous Labour one".

Really Phoenix? So glad I missed that one. How on earth would anyone know? Maybe just more of it has been detected by our reduced number of policemen who have brought down many other crimes?

Is Miliband posher than Cameron? And do we care?
No and No!!

That jibe made by Nadine Dorries (is that right?) comes to mind about posh boys 'not knowing the price of milk'
I think if you challenged anyone on the correct price of milk very few people would know because of the supermarket price wars and the way some of them treat the farmers. But that is another time, another thread.

Brian May seems confused, he fought against the culling of badgers but seems to have forgotten the Welsh labour government opted for no culling of badgers . And why does he think anyone fighting for UKIP shares his views on UKIP leader Farage

yes grannytwice I agree, if people havent voted, havent tried to do something about local government/central government/parish council then they cant complain.

I don't know the price of milk or much else in the supermarket. Life is too short to get stressed about such things unless you are really, really poor.

Brian May Oh yes I hadn't looked at it at all - well still haven't properly - it seems to be a campaign rather than anything else. Must find time to look more into it.