First off; let me state that your political views may well be different than mine. The purpose of this post is not to influence the way you think or vote. Rather, it's to encourage you to vote. Change will be gradual.
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No doubt many people have urged you to use your vote and have at the same time, bemoaned the fact that by all statistical measures, you don't. Why you don't use your vote, I have no idea. Maybe you aren't interested in general politics and would rather concentrate upon single issues that matter to you. Maybe you're not interested in politics. Maybe you don't particularly care; I don't know.
However, I'd urge you to reconsider the reasons that you have for not exercising your right to vote. I do this in your interests, as well as mine.
The system that we have in this country is the so-called "First past the post". This effectively translates into "Winner takes all". The candidate with the most votes is the MP, the rest, as they say, "leave with nothing". Whether you agree with this system or not, doesn't make any difference: That's the way it is. If you want to change it for another system that you think is more equitable; then vote for candidates that will change it.
The primary reason that I urge you to vote is not that. It's this:
Put simply, the people that vote matter to politicians.
You don't vote therefore you don't matter.
Put another way, all the policies put into place by politicians disadvantage you, because you don't vote. You're never going to put them out of job.
Or, put yet another way, you're always going to be shafted by their policies because you don't vote!
Why, as an old geezer, should I be bothered about you being shafted? The answer is simple; because you're the future of this country. The income that you make and the wealth that you generate will determine how well-off this country is because I and people my age will be too old to work soon. If you're all on zero-hours contracts for less than minimum wage and deep in debt due to stupidly expensive education costs, we'll all have less money to spend on keeping the country together and the majority having a decent standard of living. This is a bad thing for everyone that lives or works here.
Even if you don't care about money, the people my age and older that currently run things seem to be cursed with an attitude of robbing the future to pay for now. This applies equally to the planet and it's environment as it does to money. They insist on plundering the planet for a fast buck now. Why; because they'll be long gone when the effects of their robbing return to plague the ones that are left (you). If you want to change this situation, vote for people that'll stop this wholesale plundering.
If you want a habitable planet and enjoy a reasonable standard of living on that planet, start voting for people that will make the changes you want. If enough of you want this and use your vote, the politicians will soon start to make policies that implement what you want; otherwise they'll be out of a job in favour of people that will make those policies.
Finally, the selfish reason I want you all to be making a decent income because I want a decent pension for all of those years I've worked and saved. Who's going to pay for my pension? Why, you, the young, via the taxes you'll pay on the income you earn and the stuff you buy. So you see, having a decent amount of money and a decent standard of living benefits the majority of society, not only you. That would be the meaning of "society".
In my clumsy way, I've tried to get you to vote. However, I'm a no-mark old git; why pay attention to me? Well, don't.
The author, presenter and journalist Rick Edwards can say it much better than me. Just before the last General Election, Mr. Edwards published a book: "None of the Above" (Simon & Schuster, 2105). Unfortunately, due to the 'snap' nature if this General Election, he didn't have time to publish an updated version of his book. However, I'd urge you to read it, as he advances the argument to use your vote in a far more coherent and entertaining way that I can. You can get a copy here:
Links to the Amazon UK site (other booksellers are available).
You could even check your local library to see if they have a copy. (Most libraries have an on-line catalogue these days.)
Mr. Edwards also plans to produce a podcast episode that updates his thoughts on voting via Radio Wolfgang:
Link to Radio Wolfgang.
Again, I'd recommend keeping an ear out for this if you have the time to listen.
If you want to vote, but aren't registered, you have until the 22nd May to do so. You can register on the Government website here:
Link to Register to Vote on the UK Government Site .
You'll need your National Insurance Number to register.
Lecture over: Just please use your vote on 8th June to vote for a candidate that will represent you as closely is currently possible.
----
No doubt many people have urged you to use your vote and have at the same time, bemoaned the fact that by all statistical measures, you don't. Why you don't use your vote, I have no idea. Maybe you aren't interested in general politics and would rather concentrate upon single issues that matter to you. Maybe you're not interested in politics. Maybe you don't particularly care; I don't know.
However, I'd urge you to reconsider the reasons that you have for not exercising your right to vote. I do this in your interests, as well as mine.
The system that we have in this country is the so-called "First past the post". This effectively translates into "Winner takes all". The candidate with the most votes is the MP, the rest, as they say, "leave with nothing". Whether you agree with this system or not, doesn't make any difference: That's the way it is. If you want to change it for another system that you think is more equitable; then vote for candidates that will change it.
The primary reason that I urge you to vote is not that. It's this:
- Politicians know that older people use their vote.
- They also know that younger people do not use their vote.
- People that use their vote, can put the politicians out of a job by voting for another candidate.
- They therefore make their policies to keep the people that vote happy enough to guarantee they stay in a job.
Put simply, the people that vote matter to politicians.
You don't vote therefore you don't matter.
Put another way, all the policies put into place by politicians disadvantage you, because you don't vote. You're never going to put them out of job.
Or, put yet another way, you're always going to be shafted by their policies because you don't vote!
Why, as an old geezer, should I be bothered about you being shafted? The answer is simple; because you're the future of this country. The income that you make and the wealth that you generate will determine how well-off this country is because I and people my age will be too old to work soon. If you're all on zero-hours contracts for less than minimum wage and deep in debt due to stupidly expensive education costs, we'll all have less money to spend on keeping the country together and the majority having a decent standard of living. This is a bad thing for everyone that lives or works here.
Even if you don't care about money, the people my age and older that currently run things seem to be cursed with an attitude of robbing the future to pay for now. This applies equally to the planet and it's environment as it does to money. They insist on plundering the planet for a fast buck now. Why; because they'll be long gone when the effects of their robbing return to plague the ones that are left (you). If you want to change this situation, vote for people that'll stop this wholesale plundering.
If you want a habitable planet and enjoy a reasonable standard of living on that planet, start voting for people that will make the changes you want. If enough of you want this and use your vote, the politicians will soon start to make policies that implement what you want; otherwise they'll be out of a job in favour of people that will make those policies.
Finally, the selfish reason I want you all to be making a decent income because I want a decent pension for all of those years I've worked and saved. Who's going to pay for my pension? Why, you, the young, via the taxes you'll pay on the income you earn and the stuff you buy. So you see, having a decent amount of money and a decent standard of living benefits the majority of society, not only you. That would be the meaning of "society".
In my clumsy way, I've tried to get you to vote. However, I'm a no-mark old git; why pay attention to me? Well, don't.
The author, presenter and journalist Rick Edwards can say it much better than me. Just before the last General Election, Mr. Edwards published a book: "None of the Above" (Simon & Schuster, 2105). Unfortunately, due to the 'snap' nature if this General Election, he didn't have time to publish an updated version of his book. However, I'd urge you to read it, as he advances the argument to use your vote in a far more coherent and entertaining way that I can. You can get a copy here:
Links to the Amazon UK site (other booksellers are available).
You could even check your local library to see if they have a copy. (Most libraries have an on-line catalogue these days.)
Mr. Edwards also plans to produce a podcast episode that updates his thoughts on voting via Radio Wolfgang:
Link to Radio Wolfgang.
Again, I'd recommend keeping an ear out for this if you have the time to listen.
If you want to vote, but aren't registered, you have until the 22nd May to do so. You can register on the Government website here:
Link to Register to Vote on the UK Government Site .
You'll need your National Insurance Number to register.
Lecture over: Just please use your vote on 8th June to vote for a candidate that will represent you as closely is currently possible.
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