Congratulations 48%

[Headbanger]

Yes some times it seems there are two choices.

Would you like to be sodomised by John or by Phil ?

Those who don't like Phil and choose John, allow John to claim consent.

Those who don't want to be sodomised by anyone and choose neither are then told they have no right to complain !.

Not voting for something you hate is as valid a choice as any other.

Excellent work.

[Mental Trousers]

Well it's not really is it. Everyone is subject to 'everything that goes with it' whether they vote or not.

Everyone is affected by the outcome of the election. By not voting people are saying they have no interest in deciding what that outcome is and whatever happens is ok by them.

I would have agreed with you until this year. I'm quite interested in politics, actually care about what the pollies are saying/doing, and realise politics are more important than the sports score on the weekend (although I'm interested in that too) as politics actually have some bearing on our lives.

But, this year not voting did not mean I "agree with the outcome", it meant I couldn't see any acceptable outcome. There were major flaws with both parties policies that I simply could not stomach. Labour punish those who work hard and/or smart and many would argue they reward the opposite, and selling off State assets is a complete anathema to me. I refuse to endorse either strategy.

So what were the options: the Greens who's policies are well intentioned but economically unsustainable if we want to maintain any standard of living, those with narrow agenda's and even less ideas, or the just plain loopy..

So I voted for the Abstention Party. I'm not proud of it, but I'd be outright ashamed if I'd endorsed what was on offer this year, and Key, Goff and co should be similarly ashamed that they've alienated so many of the voting public.

The way to register that there aren't any acceptable candidates/parties for you to vote for is to collect your voting form and stick it in the box without ticking any of the boxes. That way it shows up in the stats and is a far more effective way of saying all of these bastards suck so I'm not voting for any of them than by not voting at all. People not voting at all have many reasons for doing so, but there's no way to know if it's apathy, can't decide or whatever. A ballot paper with no ticks on it means you're not apathetic but there wasn't anyone you wanted to vote for.

How can you say not participating in something means you agree with it? That doesn't make sense.

Short of forming their own political party, a lot of people feel there are no candidates they would consider lending their weight to.

A million people chose not to vote, lowest since the 1880s. This should be a massive wakeup call.

See above.

[Headbanger]

Everyone is affected by the outcome of the election. By not voting people are saying they have no interest in deciding what that outcome is and whatever happens is ok by them.

.

You don't get to define the intentions or motivations of the actions of others, what you have expressed is an opinion.

[oneofsix]

You don't get to define the intentions or motivations of the actions of others, what you have expressed is an opinion.

Isn't that what an election is? A poll of people's opinions?
I liked what Mental suggested in that it shows you made an effort to express your opinion even though your opinion was that there was no one to vote for.
You could try a write on vote, don't tick the boxes, just scribble "none of this lot" across the paper or some other message that indicates why you chose not to tick the box

[mashman]

There is. You go to the Polling Station, collect your Voting Form and walk straight to the ballot box without putting any ticks on it.

I did it virtually and saved on paper resources.

[Headbanger]

I find the notion that you have to show your contempt for the system by participating in the system to be slightly retarded.

How about we just burn down the polling station?

At the end of the day we are all free to show our intentions through whatever actions we decide upon, and we don't loose any right to be dissatisfied just because some other twat insists we do it they way they do it....

[Swoop]

... and Key, Goff and co should be similarly ashamed that they've alienated so many of the voting public.

It looks likke Mr Key did not alienate his voters. Labour, on the other hand, did.
The tired arses who did not bother to vote are not entitled to whine.

[oneofsix]

It looks likke Mr Key did not alienate his voters. Labour, on the other hand, did.
The tired arses who did not bother to vote are not entitled to whine.

Both Nats and Labs stayed away. More a case of some ill chosen words by smiley and some good mileage from Winny got the tired old arses out of their arm chairs to give him over 6%

[shrub]

I think we are seeing the beginning of National's true agenda. I was always puzzled by the fact that after 9 years in opposition they did so little in their first term despite being extremely popular. Initially I thought it was because they lacked the ability to think of anything and the guts to make any hard decisions, but now I concede that I was probably wrong and that they have been extremely clever and operating tactically. They did nothing much and offended almost nobody, so they weren't voted against. They were also incredibly popular and so certain of getting back that a lot of people who may have supported Labour didn't bother to vote. Banks is a puppet and Dunne has always done what he is told, so they have pretty much total control - in effect we now have a dictatorship.

I was talking to a friend last night who is in the system and privy to more than us, and he reckons that the last 3 years were a softening up process - we had the partial asset sales fed to us, and we didn't like it but accepted it, Brownlee suggested mining conservation land, and while National backed down, the seeds had been sown. But the biggest and most significant strategy was the (planned) growth of government debt to record levels. We are potentially deeply in the shit, and while National claim they will balance the books by 2014, that claim is based on economic growth. Given what is happening in Europe and the USA I just can't see our economy growing at the rate needed, if at all.

So that's a problem. We're going broke fast, so what do we do? I believe over the next few months John and Bill will stand before us with serious expressions and explain that "the global economic crisis means tough decisions need to be made", and more assets will be sold (including ACC and Kiwibank). Overseas companies will be given greater access to our resources and given greater freedom to open up here (the newspeak term is "invest in the NZ economy").

Don't blame me, I voted Green.

[Headbanger]

But the biggest and most significant strategy was the (planned) growth of government debt to record levels. .

You mean to say that they were in cahoots with labour during their last term in office when they gave away 11 billion dollars the country didn't have?

so that we...

and so that they...

And that Nationals efforts to reduce expenditure since that time has been a....


Wait, none of this even pretends to make sense.

next.

[steve_t]

Interesting that best seller author and journalist Nicky Hager suggests that the million or so people who couldn't be bothered voting was a direct result of National's crafty mind control techniques. So yeah, davereid, you may actually have been a pawn in National's political strategy

"I believe, after my years studying the National Party and Republican party-style politics during research for my book The Hollow Men, that party strategists (and particularly right-wing party strategists) have been perfecting the arts not only of winning votes, but of discouraging groups of opposition-leaning voters from voting at all. This is may be an effective tactic (including leading people to feel cynical about politicians and politics so that they opt out), but it is immensely dangerous for a democratic country." Nicky Hager.
'PS. Don't forget to buy my book...'

[oneofsix]

Interesting that best seller author and journalist Nicky Hager suggests that the million or so people who couldn't be bothered voting was a direct result of National's crafty mind control techniques. So yeah, davereid, you may actually have been a pawn in National's political strategy

"I believe, after my years studying the National Party and Republican party-style politics during research for my book The Hollow Men, that party strategists (and particularly right-wing party strategists) have been perfecting the arts not only of winning votes, but of discouraging groups of opposition-leaning voters from voting at all. This is may be an effective tactic (including leading people to feel cynical about politicians and politics so that they opt out), but it is immensely dangerous for a democratic country." Nicky Hager.
'PS. Don't forget to buy my book...'

So what Nicky is suggesting is if all those that failed to vote had instead chosen a mini party to vote for, someone down around ACT or United Futures share of the vote, then they would have upset the major players. What a lot of people don't seem to get is that your party doesn't have to get in for your vote to have had an influence. The people knocking at the door worry the major players more than those in the house. Once they are in the house the threat is known and dealt with.

[DrunkenMistake]

thanks to the 48% that voted National we are now screwed. Now they have total power they don't have ask or consulate they just do it. Proof http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10769949 Mark my words this is just the start!!!! Sayer of doom Richard

Let me dial you a waaaaambalance.

Meh, we'd be screwed regardless who 'won' the election.

Unless it was Bubbles the Chimp....

I thought you got locked up for making bubbles from that chimp?..

Everyone is affected by the outcome of the election. By not voting people are saying they have no interest in deciding what that outcome is and whatever happens is ok by them.

+1 I didnt vote, and I dont care if I did or didnt, If I was going to vote I would have voted national, it was clear they had this in the bag regardless, they done well in the last term considering they came in at the recession and to come in and sort out labours shit, any actions or decisions dont actually show any affect until about 3 - 4 years on by which point its the next term and if there is a new government then they have to clean that mess up while Joe Bog has his head so far up his ass to see that they are having to fix it, he assumes it is the current governments fault and problem.

You don't get to define the intentions or motivations of the actions of others, what you have expressed is an opinion.

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): Article 19 of the ICCPR states that "everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference" and "everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice"

[avgas]

It looks likke Mr Key did not alienate his voters. Labour, on the other hand, did.
The tired arses who did not bother to vote are not entitled to whine.

Actually he did.
2008 1,053,398
2011 957,769

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zea...election,_2008
http://www.elections.org.nz/study/ne...ng-system.html

Could be due to people not caring about the system anymore

Voter turnout for the 2011 General Election is estimated to be 73.83% of those enrolled as at 5pm Friday 25 November. This compares with a final 79.46% turnout of those enrolled in 2008.

Perhaps its time to change it. Or wait until we suffer the same fate as the rest of Europe.

[avgas]

I find the notion that you have to show your contempt for the system by participating in the system to be slightly retarded.

How about we just burn down the polling station?

At the end of the day we are all free to show our intentions through whatever actions we decide upon, and we don't loose any right to be dissatisfied just because some other twat insists we do it they way they do it....

My thoughts exactly - see my previous post.

Something has to change, or there will be blood in the streets unfortunately.