Should Voting be Compulsory?

I saw this retweet by Grant Shapps MP, this morning

 “@grantshapps: RT @MarkBean3 Make voting compulsory NOW! > Disagree. For us politicians to provide compelling enough reasons to vote. Compulsion not one.”

I wonder who Mr Bean thinks doesn't vote at local and general elections?  Well would it come as a surprise for him to learn that normally those who don't vote are the poor and the disenfranchised.  

For me, the 2012 local elections saw me for the first time since I became eligible, not voting, although I did attend the polling station and placed my unmarked ballot in the box.

Just what sanctions would Mr Bean propose be put in place for people who didn't vote and if it was compulsory, but voting is secret, would I have been sanctioned as I turned out and placed my ballot in the box.  I Could have easily put two crosses on it before depositing it in the box, this of course would have invalidated my vote, but I still attended and registered my disquiet at the political system by causing my ballot to be deliberately discounted, just the same as not voting, but I assume no sanction could be levelled at me as it is a secret vote!

I note Mr Shapps, as an MP, has disagreed with Mr Bean, quite right, as there is just no valid sanction you could impose on people for choosing not to vote.

People can still, even if they haven't voted register their disquiet at the iniquitous system that they feel that is imposed on them by engaging with the elected members of local councils and or Parliament, whether they voted for them or not, just as someone who supports one party who lost the election, will still have to engage with the Councillor or MP from the opposing party who won. To say that you could not engage with that elected member because your candidate didn't win would be the same thing as saying that someone who didn't vote couldn't write or engage with their councillor or MP, it just doesn't work like that.

There always has been and always will be people, through economic or for Socio economic reasons, or poor educational abilities who will never vote, but they still remain a part of the 'big society' and are exercising their right to vote or not as they choose.

Personally, setting aside my decision to protest last Thursday, I wish every one would vote.  I wish someone would come along with the charisma and personality, with well thought out policies and plans that would make our society more inclusive than it is and will remain while the same tired, corrupt politicians from the current crop of Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, continue to be our only options......

London Metropolitan Police - Baton Rounds

Image: Wikipedia

There is a debate going on now since it has been discovered, under a freedom of information act request, that prior to the 2011 riots in London and other cities that the Met Police had 700 Baton Rounds in stock at the time of the riots but that they now have over 10,000 in stock ready for deployment.

Just watching the news a variety of people have been paraded stating that this is a horrendous piece of news and that the rounds should never be deployed on the streets of Britain.  One of the cases cited was the death of an 12 year old  in Northern Ireland who died a few days after been hit by a round during the 'troubles'.

But interestingly if you look at the quote from Wikipedia below, you will see that over 8 years 42,000 rounds were used and fourteen deaths were reported.  I am not going to enter into the rights and wrongs of the use or misuse during that period but 14 out of 42000 is not a 'high' percentage, a fatality rate of 0.03%.  Again, any death is tragic, but if you are putting lives at risk by throwing petrol bombs, why should you not run the risk of death too?

The British Government pioneered the use of plastic bullets. Used extensively in Northern Ireland, it was discovered they were lethal at certain ranges.^[11]

From 1973 to 1981, over 42,000 plastic bullets were fired in Northern Ireland. Fourteen people were killed by plastic bullet impacts, including nine children. Most of the deaths were allegedly^[12][13][14] caused by the British security services misusing the weapon, firing at close range and at chest or head level rather than targeting below the waist.

One of the victims, 12-year-old Carol Ann Kelly from Twinbrook in west Belfast died on 22 May, having been struck by a plastic bullet fired by a member of the Royal Fusiliers on 19 May 1981.^[15][16] These concerns led to campaigners such as Emma Groves founding the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets, to call for tighter immediate controls on their use, more accountability after such shootings and even a total ban on their use in Northern Ireland.

The latest variant of the L5 PBR—the L5A7—was introduced in 1994 along with a new more accurate launcher, the HK L104 riot gun. The L5 was followed by the L21A1 in 2001. The L21 PBR is fired from a rifled weapon which gives greater accuracy when used with an optical sight.^[7] The L21 was replaced by the Attenuated Energy Projectile in June 2005.^[17]

The full article from Wikipedia is here 

And while the death of a 12 year old is a tragic outcome, it would be more even handed if they also told us how many rounds had been fired during that incident and how many people had been hit by the rounds?  It is also true as well that since the deployment of the rounds in Ireland, that the launcher has been improved for better accuracy, and better training is given to officers in their use; and lets not forget it is highly unlikely that any Police Officer armed with a weapon firing live ammunition or Baton Rounds, goes out wishing to be the one who has to actually pull the trigger and be the cause or be responsible for the death of anyone.


Are the people who are opposed to the deployment of these rounds, serious in their belief that people rioting on our streets, as they were last year, burning down shops, factories and homes and throwing petrol bombs at the police should be allowed to do so without a robust response in dealing with it and using any and all legitimate means to bring the disorder under control?

I have said it time after time in various posts, I AM NOT OPPOSED TO LEGITIMATE AND PEACEFUL PROTEST. But what I am opposed to are peaceful protests that turn into a riotous out of control mob, lobbing bricks and petrol bombs at police officers and property.  I don't care what their gripe is with the authorities you do not organise a protest or a rally and then let it turn into a mob.  And if it does and you then become, inadvertently, part of that mob, because it has been hijacked by a minority, then it is your civil duty to, a) remove yourself by the quickest means from the mob, and b) report anyone you know who became part of the mob and incited and inflamed the protest / rally into becoming the mob.

By removing yourself from the mob this will then leave the police to deal with them, and you will be safe!

The Police, as far as I am concerned are quite entitled to protect themselves and property by then taking appropriate measures. If those measures include the deployment of Baton Rounds then so be it.  If during the course of the then 'riot' someone is hit by a Baton Round and that prevents them from causing further harm to officers or innocent members of the public and prevents another building, business or home being burnt to the ground, then I have no problem with that.  Yes, it will and would be unfortunate if anyone taking part subsequently dies as a result of being hit by one of these rounds, but by throwing missiles and petrol bombs you reap what you sow!

  Riot images courtesy here 
  News articles on the story - The Guardian 
                                          - The BBC

Who Did I Vote For in the 2012 Local Elections

Well The local Elections are upon us today and I can declare that for the very first time in my life, since I became eligible to vote, I have NOT placed a cross on the ballot paper.

I did attend the voting station, I had an internal struggle with myself for about two minutes, I then folded the ballot paper and placed it in the box, without marking it!

There were four candidates on the ballot for South Ockendon, they are;

Barry Johnson
Conservative

David Paul Shirley
Liberal Democrats

Maggie O’Keeffe-Ray
UK Independence Party

Martin Christopher Kerin
Labour

One of the most striking things, for me has been the complete lack of electioneering by all of the candidates, where I live, or maybe they are just out and about when I am at work.  I visit Ockendon Market and Shops EVERY Saturday, without fail and even there I never came across any of the candidates out and about and engaging with the local populace, why is that, or is just that I am even more short sighted than I thought?

I have met Barry Johnson, once, during the last round of elections when he did turn up on my doorstep and we had a long conversation about a multitude of  issues and I was quite impressed with him, but he lost to a teenager from Labour Aaron Kiely, who as far as I was and am concerned was a complete waste of space and his head was so far up his ..... well never mind.  So, at least one good thing about this years election was that he didn't appear on the ballot paper. 

But, like the other three candidates Mr Johnson also displayed Scarlet Pimpernel like tendencies in that voters would seek them here and there, but never find them... not the best way to get people to vote for you....

Party literature through the letterbox.... In our house my wife doesn't deal with post, not something we have ever discussed, she picks it up from the floor and dumps it on my desk for me to deal with, even her own.  I don't mind, not really but it does irritate, slightly, that when picking up the stuff that has been pushed through the letterbox that she puts it all on my desk for me to sort, read, respond, bin or shred; even pamphlets and what is quite clearly crap such as pizza pamphlets and discount sale leaflets,  ISHBEL THESE GO STRAIGHT IN THE (RECYCLING) BIN for goodness sake woman....

So, if there was any electioneering literature IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ON MY DESK and I could at the very least have read these works of literary fantasy, but, the only one that found its way to me, and that was on TUESDAY OF THIS WEEK, was from the aforementioned Mr Nice Barry Johnson.  But, do you know what Barry, by then it was to late.  I didn't even read it.  If I had and I had questions would there have been enough time for us to enter into a debate, or would you have been to busy on the hustings, I have no idea but to my mind waiting two days before the polls open to put out something doesn't sit well with me, but I suppose at least you did, where the others seemingly did not......

So today has come and people up and down the country are having to make a decision, 'Will I vote' and if so, 'Who will I vote for and why?'

As I said, this is the first time I have not put a cross on the ballot. In one respect, I feel quite liberated.  In another I am full of disappointment!

I am disappointed that  I am living in a so called civilised 'democracy' where the people who want to be involved in politics, local and national, feel that they can do so little for me that I will continue to come back and vote for them, come what may.

I am disappointed that I am living in a civilised United Kingdom that Petty Politics and Prejudices and hurt, over things that happened hundreds of years ago  are leading to the break up of the UNITED KINGDOM

I am disappointed that I am living in a civilised United Kingdom that sees new FOOD BANKS opening up in every part of the Kingdom to help to feed the poor of our civilised country.

I am disappointed that I am living in a civilised United Kingdom where our Governments continue to sell of assets that should always remain in the public domain, such as utilities 

I am disappointed that our Government, the Coalition now AND Labour before them are dismantling our HEALTH SERVICE and selling it off to the highest bidders  

I am disappointed that the divide between the rich and the poor continues to grow and that those governing us will always be part of the former and therefore no matter what they say those at the poorer end of the spectrum will never see any relief to their plight.

I am disappointed that no one in politics seems to recognise or wants to admit that the days of mass employment are over. Technological advances in manufacturing and production have taken away the need for massive factories employing three shifts of workers round the clock, and so there will never be the jobs created to give all of the people of working age a job and so, the ranks of the poor will always increase - no one is saying that, why not? And why are we not now thinking of ways to make everyone equal in life as a result?

I am disappointed that the Coalition are still harping on about 'affordable housing' . If people haven't got jobs, affordable housing is a nonsense, social housing is needed now.

I could go on, but suffice to say  

I AM DISAPPOINTED 

Related Posts:

Who Will you Vote for in the 2012 Local Elections 

Social Housing Sell Off - Conservatives Never learn from Past Mistakes

Are 18- 19 yr olds to young for Politics?

Criminal Lords CANNOT BE stripped of their Titles

The NHS are you Worried, You Should Be!

Its all about delivery - A response to a Speech by Grant Shapps MP

A Dishonourable System of Honours

An open letter to The Right Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP, Lord Chancellor

Book Review: Suite Assumptions by JW Manus

A Romantic Comedy

I know, I know, not what you expect from me.  Although, there was a glimmer of a gruesome murder that perked me up during the reading of this little number.....

So, what's it all about then.  Sandra Campbell was abandoned by her parents as a teenager and was taken in by her uncle Wally who operated a recycling plant.  Everything she does and says is aimed at one thing and one thing only, repaying Uncle Wally for his kindness, for taking her in, for putting her through school and college and for giving her a job in the plant.

She has become an obsessive compulsive within the plant alienating the workforce and colleagues with her demands for changes to systems that clearly would make the plant and life for the workforce much more difficult and the only person (other than uncle Wally) to support her is Martin Stonehouse, the plant engineer.

The only problem with Martin's support is that Sandra is unaware of it and believes that Martin, like the rest of the plant, hates her.  In her eyes he is a philanderer, goes out with a different girl every week and makes fun of her serious ways....

Sandra convinces her uncle that they need more business and that she is capable of taking on the role of 'salesperson' and so she and Martin are sent to Dallas for a pre-arranged meeting.  On arrival they find that the hotel they are booked into, in separate rooms,   can't accommodate them and then arranges for them to be transferred to the only hotel that has one single room left in the whole city, and so they end up in the Glass Garden Hotel's Honeymoon Suite.......

I have to confess I did nearly give up, as this is not my usual read, the last 'romantic novel' I read was by De-Ann Black entitled 'The Bitch Proof Suit' and I persevered with that one as I did with this one and found that I was thoroughly enjoying myself.  There are some funny moments, not laugh out loud moments but smiley moments and chuckle moments when the absurdity of the situations Sandra gets herself into because she keeps making Assumptions and jumping to the wrong conclusions.  It is difficult to tell you any of them here as they would all be spoilers, and, suffice to say that it was an 'assumption' by me that I would probably not like the book and all the misinterpretation that Sandra reads into situations that made this book an enjoyable break from the usual gruesome murder, mayhem, and action that I am used to reading:

The will they or wont they struggles between the two will keep you guessing and there are some sweet and tender moments in amongst the confusion .....

As I read more and more of this short book I kept thinking of Rock Hudson and Doris Day in 'Lover Come Back' where Hudson takes on the 'persona' of a Southern Cowboy' lost in the big city against know it all Day's advertising executive, and this made the book even funnier
 
You can find out more about Jaye here
You can purchase the book at Amazon UK here or at Amazon US here

Editing for Kindle: 5 out of 5
Reading Enjoyment: 5 out of 5
Plot: 5 out of 5
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5