LOL www.independent.co.uk/multimedia ... 72564d.jpg

LOL www.independent.co.uk/multimedia ... 72564d.jpg

The number of spoilt ballots may get counted and may affect the majority a candidate has, but the headline figure is always the turnout. As a way of registering a protest, it seems to me that spoiling your ballot is pretty weak, since the spoilt ballot count doesn't get much, or any, publicity.

But not as weak as not bothering to go to the ballot station at all. Of course the best way of protesting about the quality of candidates is to stand yourself, or join the least bad party, get involved, and change things. As Red-ode said, anyone who doesn't vote is in no position to complain about the person elected to represent them.

not voting at all is a protest against the system as a whole, not against certain parties. Everyone has the right to speak out against who is elected to lead them whether they voted or not if all the parties are being represented by idiots or non of the policies are applicable to that individual at the time of voting/not voting. People however shouldn't refuse to vote and than say that "if *insert politicians name here* was in charge then it wouldn't be like this"

If spoiling votes actually counted towards a system change then maybe people would actually get down to the polling stations but until that day voters turn outs will get weaker.

As a demarchist i am obviously against the way the current system works and i know that nothing will change whether i will spoil my vote or not. I will probably be spoiling my vote unless the usual vote of Monster Raving Loony Party is available

went on a bit of a rant there lol
sorry about that.

They're all as bad as each other.

As George Orwell once said; "All pigs are equal.............just some are more equal than others!!

I think is was George??

By 'not bothering to go to the ballot box', you appear to assume it's out of apathy rather than a conscious decision. That's not necessarily the case.

Exactly, if people don't vote it's assumed it's because their not bothered.

Maybe the system needs a better way of saying 'none of the obove' rather that a spoilt ballet paper?

But nobody knows that it is not the case if the only thing you do is fail to vote.

I know. But equally, no-one knows if you turn up and spoil your ballot paper, because the count of spoilt papers receives little, if any, publicity. Low turnouts do.

Well Tebbit says vote UKIP rather than the socialist BNP, and that's what I'll be doing in the Euro elections. If you vote for any of the main three, you're asking for more of the same.

Bit surprising to hear anyone taking Norman Tebbit's advice - I heard his interview this morning & he didn't actually say "vote UKIP" - he just said "Don't vote for any of the three main parties" - clearly he realised that if he had encouraged voting against the Tory party his number would have been up!