Eric Murray wrote:
Not voting tells the current politicians that you don't care what they do to you. They'd be happier if only % of the electorate bothered to vote that's fewer people to market to.
Yep look at it as a market. People who don't or can't vote don't count; jist as people who don't or can't pay don't count in a shop. If you vote or at least if you give a credible threat of possibly voting they might notice. Otherwise you are invisible.
I was thinking as I read the voter pamphlet that an Absurdist party would be quite amusing and would point out the silliness of the current politicians. But I don't think I could come up with anything as wacky as the Natural Law people can.
We used to get "Natural Law" candidates in UK as well. Not so many last time round, maybe they finally spent George Harrison's money. The best track-record for an Absurdist Party in this country is the Monster Raving Looney Party, which used to be mostly Screaming Lord Sutch who stood for parliament again and again but has recently taken on some sort of continuing existence (see http://www.surfbaud.co.uk/loony/) and even has a few town councillors in various places. Sutch may well have almost invented an electoral version of the cypherpunk assasination prototcol - bookies were quoting odds of 15 million to one against him winning a seat once and he pointed out that if he could find a way to pay voters off anonymously he could bet on himself and bribe the electorate with his winnings... I think the odds fell after that. Of course the possibility of easy anonymous bribery makes traditional electoral law much, much harder to enforce (see, this is relevant to Cypherpunks). There are some fun looking parties around. The line up for the UK General Election on the Glorious First of May was (in order of number of seats gained): Labour Party, Conservative Party, Liberals, Ulster Unionist Party, Scottish Nationalist Party, Plaid Cymru, Social Democratic and Labour Party, Democratic Unionist, Sinn Fein, United Kingdom Unionist, Madam Speaker Seeking Reelection and Martin Bell standing as an independent; all of whom won something. And Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, British National Party, Rainbow Dream Ticket Party, Green Party, Liberal Party, Mebyon Kernow,Monster Raving Loony Party,National Democrats, Northern Ireland Women's Coalition, Natural Law Party , ProLife Alliance ,Popular Unionist Party, Referendum Party Socialist Labour Party, Socialist Party, Scottish Social Alliance, UK Independence Party, Workers Party, Workers Revolutionary Party; who didn't win anything but all seem to have some sort of continuing existence as parties And Anti Sleaze/Corruption, AntiConservative, Sportsman's Alliance: Anyone But Mellor, Lord Byro versus the Scallywag Tories, AntiPoliticians, Antimajority Democracy, Independent Democracy Means Consulting the People, People in Slough Shunning Useless Politicians, Common Sense Sick of Politicians Party, None of the Above, Drugs Hemp/Cannabis Platforms, New Millenium, New Way, Hemp Candidate, Hemp Coalition, Legalise Cannabis Party, Ind AE Independent Anti Europe, British Home Rule , British Isles People First, Independent Conservative, Independant Christian, Christian Party, Christian Nationalist, Christian Democrat, Christian Unity, Independent Communist, Communist Party of Britain, Communist League, Independent British Democratic Party, Social Democrat, English Democratic Party, Rennaisence Democrat, Independent Democrat, Freedom/Justice/Rights Platform, Justice Party, Freedom Party, Justice and Renewal Independent Party, Pacifist for Peace, Justice, Cooperation, Environment, Charter for Basic Rights, Fellowship Party for Peace and Justice, Human Rights ', British Freedom and Individual Rights, Far Left, Radical Alternative, Building a Fair Society, Full Employment Party, Socialist Party of Great Britain, Socialist Equality Party, Independent Far Right, National Front, Third Way, Independent Green, Scrapit Stop Avon Ring Road, Newbury Bypass Stop Construction Now, Independent Liberal Democrat, Top Choice Liberal Democrat, Independent Labour, and Local Independent; who all seem to have been invented for the occasion. Make up your mind as to which, if any, are absurdist. I suspect none of them bribed the voters much. Roll on the transferable vote! Ken Brown & the Disclaimers.