spoil your ballot paper

[SeanMacGabhann]

No party is perfect, 'tis true, but the current British population's attitude to their politicians is heart-breakingly childish

People across this globe would cut off their limbs to have a system like ours and we in our cosy lives sneer and ridicule and then complain when people try and get in to this country

Running a country in a democracy with 60 million people of many different views is not easy. The current population seems to have got itself in a right old huff. Even allowing for the expenses "scandal", the Iraq war and many other things, you STILL live on the sunny side of the hill

Want to name a better (on balance) democracy? Or any kind of system?

Complain by all means but put some thought into it fer cryin out loud.

[steveo]

put some thought into it

> fer cryin out loud.

Do you think I haven't?

The fact that other's governments are worse doesn't make ours any less shite.

We should give the job to the Women's Institute

[RosieH]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Complain by all means but put some thought into it

> fer cryin out loud.

Understand your comments Sean, but what would you suggest?

I'm put in mind of Jarvis's Running the World: "...use your right to protest on the street, yeah use your right but don't imagine that it's heard" - I recall a million people (or more or less) taking to the streets in protest and that didn't seem to do much good.

[Andystar]

An acquaintance of mine from Bangladesh once voted BNP as a protest vote, which was pretty fcuked up in my view.

[Huguenot]

Exactly RosieH, because they weren't electing anyone.

Use your vote!

[Narnia]

And I thought you were a blow in like me Sean! My system has PR which seems a lot fairer.

[eusebiovic]

How about drawing a little phallus inside each of the boxes on the ballot paper?

[steveo]

A series of self portraits for a well hung parliament

[ruffers]

A great tune from back in the day Well Hung Parliament

[SeanMacGabhann]

My suggestion is to just enjoy the few years we have on the planet and get upset only about things which are worth getting upset about. Many people on here are as scathing about the media as they are about the politicians, but that is effectively the only way we get to make our judgements about them (and I'm talking about all of them not just the leaders)

Which will make this country a happier and better place to live:

a) people realising how comparatively lucky they are and appreciating what they have, and getting on with things

b) an abstract and impotent anger at the political parties who govern the many competing demands of 60 million people

I know that some people will think I am saying there is no point in complaining about anything or that I'm saying everything is ok. I'm categorically NOT saying either of these things. But the mood of the nation appears to have gone way beyond any reasonable complaints and seems to now be some self-perpetuating emo angst. It's unhealthy, it's unnatractive and it achieves nothing but spreading more gloom

Reading SteveT's post on the Greece thread for example is profoundly depressing, but it isn't that far removed from the general discourse. Instead of challenging it we have to "listen" for fear it might drive people into the arms of the BNP apparently.

[Michael Palaeologus]

"No party is perfect, 'tis true, but the current British population's attitude to their politicians is heart-breakingly childish"

Childish? Yes. If you accept that a child quickly learns which adults can be trusted and which adults will abuse trust. Whenever those adults enter the room, the child leaves the room.

Dogs and cats follow similar behaviour.

Heartbreaking? Yes. If you accept that 60 million Britons have realised that their leaders are not to be trusted.

In our population of politicians, some of them are trustworthy. They have a true vocation. Sadly their good work has been more than counter-balanced by the self serving, loathsome individuals that enter politics for personal gain and advancement or by those that deceitfully promote political dogma and bigotry (of all shades) as being for the public good.

[SeanMacGabhann]

ye see, repeating it doesn't make it any more correct

"Heartbreaking? Yes. If you accept that 60 million Britons have realised that their leaders are not to be trusted. "

Just when exactly, were leaders to be trusted. Not trusted, but to be trusted?

"Sadly their good work has been more than counter-balanced by the self serving, loathsome individuals that enter politics for personal gain and advancement or by those that deceitfully promote political dogma and bigotry (of all shades) as being for the public good."

I see nothing to suggest just how true that is (1%?, 20%? all of em?) or if it has ever been different, not even when Britain was "Great"

Unless people are going to put in the hours themselves and be one of the "good ones" where does all this get anyone?

[Michael Palaeologus]

"ye see, repeating it doesn't make it any more correct"

Quite so Sean. Quite so.