Don’t bother complaining if you can’t be bothered to vote
If you’re reading this after 10pm on May 5, then it doesn’t matter. We just hope you voted in the local election. This publication has at various times been accused of favouring just about every political party or opinion; which suggests we’ve been doing it right.
I’m not telling you how to vote; I’m merely suggesting that it’s a good idea to vote at all; even if you feel you’re choosing between bad and worse.
Leavers and remainers still squabble with those misguided weirdos who voted differently to them six years ago. However, this mutual obsession ignores the people who really need a shake. Non-voters.
Was the tiny effort required to vote unworthy of their time? I’ve looked at the telly schedule for June 23, 2016. It wasn’t up to much (Flog It! was about the best thing on).
In Sunderland, South Tyneside and Hartlepool around a third of the electorate didn’t think Brexit was sufficiently important for them to bother with.
In certain elections up to three quarters can fail to bother in certain wards. An embarrassment.
The “arguments” against voting involve uniformly lazy thinking. “They’re all the same” (patently untrue), “nothing would change even if everyone voted” (how do you know?), “I don’t care”.
That last one is also untrue. To not care about where you live seems unfeasible, or bonkers.
It isn’t quite true to say that non-voters have no right to complain; everyone is entitled to an opinion. It’s just that the rest of us are under no obligation to respect it.
Happy with where you live? Then vote accordingly. Unhappy? Ditto. Want to send a message to national politicians? Voting is the best way.
Conversely, if you want to increase the likelihood of your home patch being habitually ignored on a local and national level – then don’t bother to vote, ever.
There are some who imagine that not voting is clever, or even funny. They can’t be helped. Why would anyone even try when they virtually ask to be disregarded?
Politics is everything and everywhere. If you’re to lazy to vote; please do everyone else the courtesy of not complaining ... about anything.