So my dad said I should change my registration to vote....

Im still here

Heineken Helen wrote:

Freedom of speech is NOT dead... but speech does little to change things... as does voting unfortunately! Unless once in a blue moon, the ideal independent candidate pops up... but unfortunately people are too predictable and stick with their parties refusing to believe that something better could possibly exist... or possibly cos they're happy with how things are

I don't believe in the power of one anymore... so I don't believe you're either part of the solution or the problem.

then you are a part of the problem.......

Heineken Helen

Im still here wrote:

then you are a part of the problem.......

Elaborate please?

How are you making things better by voting between two people you care nothing for and don't like? Unless you get to CHOOSE who to vote for... how about instead of politicians deciding who's gonna run, the people actually vote for who they WANT to run?

All I can actually see is a load of politicians making decisions and then telling US to decide which of THEIR decisions we like the best.

Im still here

Heineken Helen wrote:

Elaborate please?

How are you making things better by voting between two people you care nothing for and don't like? Unless you get to CHOOSE who to vote for... how about instead of politicians deciding who's gonna run, the people actually vote for who they WANT to run?

All I can actually see is a load of politicians making decisions and then telling US to decide which of THEIR decisions we like the best.

if you vote in the primaries or caucuses then you get to choose

but apathetic people who think their vote doesn't count are the problem

if it was mandatory to vote it would be a better system, but there are obvious flaws with that too ie: freedom, choice, things like that

i don't know how to fix the problem, but i do know this:

1) people who do vote choose for those who don't
2) people who become delegates have more of a voice than those who don't

Heineken Helen

but you're still giving the same reasons... I've told you why I don't see many elections as a choice at all... so how can I change it so that I HAVE a choice? That's the only solution I want to be part of. I don't see voting for candidate A as being part of the solution... when once candidate A gets into power they run the country exactly the same as candidate B would have done.

Coming up to our elections last year, I analysed each and every party and their policies and the only ones whose policies actually differed from the rest when you look at them hard enough was Sinn Fein... and I don't fancy a shot at communism anytime soon.

Honestly, there was NO difference in any matters that concerned me at all... when all candidates are the same there's no point voting cos either way you're just gonna get the same.

Im still here

Heineken Helen wrote:

but you're still giving the same reasons... I've told you why I don't see many elections as a choice at all... so how can I change it so that I HAVE a choice? That's the only solution I want to be part of. I don't see voting for candidate A as being part of the solution... when once candidate A gets into power they run the country exactly the same as candidate B would have done.

Coming up to our elections last year, I analysed each and every party and their policies and the only ones whose policies actually differed from the rest when you look at them hard enough was Sinn Fein... and I don't fancy a shot at communism anytime soon.

Honestly, there was NO difference in any matters that concerned me at all... when all candidates are the same there's no point voting cos either way you're just gonna get the same.

agreed, it is fixed

Heineken Helen

Im still here wrote:

if you vote in the primaries or caucuses then you get to choose

That is true... you get to choose BETWEEN those who have ALREADY been chosen.

We don't have anything like the primaries here though. There are parties, those parties vote for their leader... we then vote for our local member of government (could be an independent or a member of a party) all those votes for your local councillor adds up to the total number of votes for the party. Whichever party has the most votes, their leader is Taoiseach (Prime Minister).

Our President is a different story and a much more ambassadorial role but it's basically a load of individuals running and we vote between all of them. You do need SOME government backing to become a candidate but not much. There are SOME party members who run but the party has nothing to do with the role of the president.