£1000 fine for not registering to vote

[kay]

Why would you not want to vote anyway? This reminds me of that Russell Brand on Newsnight nonsense. Not voting sends out zero message. Actually, it sends out a message that says "carry on doing what you are doing cos we don't give a rats". So it has the opposite of the desired effect.
I don't think people should be forced to vote because I respect people's wish to live a private seclusive life if that's what they choose. However, not voting because you think you are making some kind of political point is some wishy-washy hippy bullcrap.

[Genevieve]

People massively not voting says that they think voting is pointless. Quite a message if you ask me.

Voting doesn't do shit. Not voting doesn't do shit. Might as well not do shit while saving gas money.

[garethom]

Before somebody acts like I'm some moody teenager crusty by not voting, but I can't vote for any party out there. Next time will be the first I haven't voted in general or local elections. I can't back any of them. I don't wan't ANY of the current parties in power, not the big 3, the next tier or the protest vote parties. None of them speak to me, nor do I feel like I can trust them. If I vote for one of them, that's one person saying "I agree with you". I don't. So I won't. I don't want any part in electing a party I don't want in power. That's all. If a party gets in to power that I don't back, then I don't want to have played a part in it. This is the best, and really only step you can take if there isn't a single party that represents your interests. If you wanna vote for the "lesser of two evils", then do it don't be surprised if you don't like what you ended up with, knowing you voted them in.

inb4 endless disagreements b2b hippy b2b veterans died for ur right to vote b2b tory scum b2b lefty liberal b2b ukip's biggest fan

[Genevieve]

veterans died

[hugh]

Before somebody acts like I'm some moody teenager crusty by not voting, but I can't vote for any party out there. Next time will be the first I haven't voted in general or local elections. I can't back any of them. I don't wan't ANY of the current parties in power, not the big 3, the next tier or the protest vote parties. None of them speak to me, nor do I feel like I can trust them. If I vote for one of them, that's one person saying "I agree with you". I don't. So I won't. I don't want any part in electing a party I don't want in power. That's all. If a party gets in to power that I don't back, then I don't want to have played a part in it. This is the best, and really only step you can take if there isn't a single party that represents your interests. If you wanna vote for the "lesser of two evils", then do it don't be surprised if you don't like what you ended up with, knowing you voted them in.

inb4 endless disagreements b2b hippy b2b veterans died for ur right to vote b2b tory scum b2b lefty liberal b2b ukip's biggest fan

actually no, as long as you have sincerely thought about it an decided absolutely no party is for you, then that is fine. Maybe you are an anarchist

[Nihilism]

Before somebody acts like I'm some moody teenager crusty by not voting, but I can't vote for any party out there. Next time will be the first I haven't voted in general or local elections. I can't back any of them. I don't wan't ANY of the current parties in power, not the big 3, the next tier or the protest vote parties. None of them speak to me, nor do I feel like I can trust them. If I vote for one of them, that's one person saying "I agree with you". I don't. So I won't. I don't want any part in electing a party I don't want in power. That's all. If a party gets in to power that I don't back, then I don't want to have played a part in it. This is the best, and really only step you can take if there isn't a single party that represents your interests. If you wanna vote for the "lesser of two evils", then do it don't be surprised if you don't like what you ended up with, knowing you voted them in.

inb4 endless disagreements b2b hippy b2b veterans died for ur right to vote b2b tory scum b2b lefty liberal b2b ukip's biggest fan

We're sharing the same opinion, m8. Let's take over the world.

[garethom]

UNEXPECTED GOOD VIBES.

errr

errr

fuk u

[Pedro Sánchez]

You lazy hippie bastard.

[kay]

Before somebody acts like I'm some moody teenager crusty by not voting, but I can't vote for any party out there. Next time will be the first I haven't voted in general or local elections. I can't back any of them. I don't wan't ANY of the current parties in power, not the big 3, the next tier or the protest vote parties. None of them speak to me, nor do I feel like I can trust them. If I vote for one of them, that's one person saying "I agree with you". I don't. So I won't. I don't want any part in electing a party I don't want in power. That's all. If a party gets in to power that I don't back, then I don't want to have played a part in it. This is the best, and really only step you can take if there isn't a single party that represents your interests. If you wanna vote for the "lesser of two evils", then do it don't be surprised if you don't like what you ended up with, knowing you voted them in.

inb4 endless disagreements b2b hippy b2b veterans died for ur right to vote b2b tory scum b2b lefty liberal b2b ukip's biggest fan

I think that's all fine and good. But the non-voting-as-political-choice group really needs to make it obvious. Otherwise, regardless of how low voter turn-out goes, the statement that you're making will just get swept under the carpet.

I'd go as far to say that there needs to be legislation that effectively turns all non-votes into a vote of no-confidence.

[mks]

Doing nothing changes nothing.

[teamhobson]

[ ] Labour
[ ] Conservative
[ ] Lib Dem
[ ] Green Party
[X] Fuck Da System


Am i right, Gareth?

[Laszlo]

Doing nothing changes nothing.

"The master does nothing, yet he leaves nothing undone."

[mks]

Doing nothing changes nothing.

"The master does nothing, yet he leaves nothing undone."

I knew someone was going to get all Taoist on me.

Tao abides in non-action.
Yet nothing is left undone.
If kings and lords observed this,
The ten thousand things would develop naturally.
If they still desired to act,
They would return to the simplicity of formless substance.
Without form there is no desire.
Without desire there is tranquility.
And in this way all things would be at peace.

[Laszlo]

Sorry, dude.

[garethom]

[ ] Labour
[ ] Conservative
[ ] Lib Dem
[ ] Green Party
[X] Fuck Da System


Am i right, Gareth?

I guess that's what I'd pick, yeah. I dunno, if one of them gets their shit together, then I'll vote for them. I've voted before, and I'd like to vote again.

[bennyfroobs]

Before somebody acts like I'm some moody teenager crusty by not voting, but I can't vote for any party out there. Next time will be the first I haven't voted in general or local elections. I can't back any of them. I don't wan't ANY of the current parties in power, not the big 3, the next tier or the protest vote parties. None of them speak to me, nor do I feel like I can trust them. If I vote for one of them, that's one person saying "I agree with you". I don't. So I won't. I don't want any part in electing a party I don't want in power. That's all. If a party gets in to power that I don't back, then I don't want to have played a part in it. This is the best, and really only step you can take if there isn't a single party that represents your interests. If you wanna vote for the "lesser of two evils", then do it don't be surprised if you don't like what you ended up with, knowing you voted them in.

inb4 endless disagreements b2b hippy b2b veterans died for ur right to vote b2b tory scum b2b lefty liberal b2b ukip's biggest fan

alright, so none of the parties appeal to you.

are you going to do anything to change it?

nah blud

night in, xfactor b2b curry init

i expected better of u garethom )-:

[test_recordings]

your name is usually already on the form... the idea is to notify them of changes. There is also a box which says 'if you do not want to appear on the edited register, please tick here'

Not if they don't know you're there in the first place, it just says "To the occupier". Been there, done it. Even then, you can just register at a different place because they won't know the difference (which I have done as well). Registering to vote is just registering your existence for government interaction, it doesn't really matter where are you are so much for the purpose of registering itself (being able to be notified for jury duty, actually voting at the local polling station, etc once registered is a different matter).

What you're talking about is asking for updates for people registered to that address. How are they going to ask for updates about people they aren't even sure live there? I lived down the road from my parents' house but stayed registered there, all letters anonymously addressed to us just got thrown away with no repercussions and no-one came. I never told them I was moving away and it didn't say I had to tell them so whatever. They don't even know I'm out the country because I haven't told them. Of course, they could check every single airplane ticket since the time I last had some kind of interaction with them, maybe a PAYE payment several years ago, but are they really going to bother if they don't need to? It's not like America where you have to file a tax return every year even if you're out of the country (I really pity them having to find the form just to write '0' on it, sign it then send it back to avoid a $1000 fine or whatever it is)....

The UK's actually pretty sick for being 'hands off' when it comes to informing the government etc

[scspkr99]

Why would you not want to vote anyway? This reminds me of that Russell Brand on Newsnight nonsense. Not voting sends out zero message. Actually, it sends out a message that says "carry on doing what you are doing cos we don't give a rats". So it has the opposite of the desired effect.
I don't think people should be forced to vote because I respect people's wish to live a private seclusive life if that's what they choose. However, not voting because you think you are making some kind of political point is some wishy-washy hippy bullcrap.

I do vote but there are lots of good reasons not to, in fact, given just how inconsequential your vote is likely to be, it's harder state good reasons to vote. Those reasons are there but they don't really involve an individuals vote actually mattering.

[nowaysj]

Doing nothing changes nothing.

Strongly disagree. I believe doing nothing is the last rational step before taking up arms.

In this day and age, how can people affect political change? Anytime a party is formed that represents the will of the people, it is co-opted. See the tea party in the US. If you can't be co-opted, you'll be infiltrated and destroyed from within, see Occupy.

So protesting is out, even new age leaderless protesting is in effective, it only serves as practice exercises for our paramilitary police forces to practice troop movement, the use of high tech pain devices, etc.

The protests are censored by the media, either outright or through extreme misrepresentation.

Just cross protesting off the list of ways to affect change.

So what then?

Write in campaigns? Yeah, no.

Get out the vote? Yeah, no - vote between 2 or 3 candidates that have been chosen to represent you. Yeah, that isn't even really democracy in of itself. All of the 2 or 3 candidates differ little on any of the core issues - which seems to be how to increase taxes on the middle class, how to privatize national/governmental entities, how to withdraw healthcare except for the wealthy, how to defund education, how to reduce regulation on corporations... I'm just going to stop there, its just a primer. So why would you vote for either of those two candidates? The only vote that you can cast is no confidence/none of the above. Here the only way to cast that vote is to not vote.

So what is left? Civil disobedience? Chaining ourselves to the freeways? So we can be arrested and processed into privatized jails that the government is contractually bound to keep almost at max occupancy? Whereupon we can be forced to work by armed men for a dollar a day, producing goods and services for the corporations? I'm going to take a pass on this approach.

Then what? I'm fairly out of thoughts, except for the do nothing approach.

If everybody in this (and your) country who thinks the political system is completely broken, and that we have turned way to far from the will of the people, just stayed home, didn't go to work, didn't produce goods and services for the corporate owners... I believe changes would ensue. Maybe not to our benefit, but shit would have to change. Our economy takes a hit when there is a big sporting event and everybody stops buying shit to watch the game, imagine a month of nonessential people, all across the country, not showing up for work, producing nothing. It would disable these illegitimate governments. Perhaps, outside of the scripted media prescribed corporate funded election cycle, we could sweep in actual representatives, ie a class of people who work for the benefit of all of our countrymen.

Or the military would be called up, and anybody not going to work would then be given the opportunity to work for a dollar a day.

[mks]

Doing nothing changes nothing.

Strongly disagree. I believe doing nothing is the last rational step before taking up arms.

In this day and age, how can people affect political change? Anytime a party is formed that represents the will of the people, it is co-opted. See the tea party in the US. If you can't be co-opted, you'll be infiltrated and destroyed from within, see Occupy.

Doing nothing is not the last rational step. Start with local grassroots organizations and grow from there. I think it is time to be more involved with politics. It's time you stop giving your power away. Write your representatives and let them know where you stand and why you won't vote for those fucks in the next election.