We're sort of swerving off topic here but...
This Liberal president is actually a Socialist in disguise, you know that?
Godamn socialists, next thing you know they'll have it so that the government provides us with decent road infrastructure, schooling and emergency services!
...hmm, looks like everyone is a socialist and socialism isn't actually that bad. I'm not arguing that a 100% socialist approach to society is a sensible or realistic goal but using socialist as an insult annoys me
As a side note I never understood why some sections of the American public seemed so upset/terrified by the idea of nationalised healthcare, seeming to proclaim that anyone who would support such a thing was a socialist (see above for my annoyance at people using socialist as an apparent insult
). As a UK citizen who is a) not a socialist and b) a strong supporter of the NHS (our nationalised healthcare service) that was all quite bemusing
Avoiding responding to the rest of the post in an attempt to move back on topic.
I got very angry at one of my friends last election because they said they weren't going to vote because they thought all the candidates were the same and were generally disallusioned with politicians. Possibly the closest I've ever come to punching someone in anger because of something they've said
I don't care if you spoil your ballot as long as you've turned up and stated your preference. Someone told me at the time that some countries (Australia for instance) have compulsory voting with fines if you fail to vote. I would strongly support such a law being put in place worldwide.
Point being, the tenant of a democracy is, if you don't like it, vote and campaign against it. It's very concerning to see the government being quite so aggressive in their desire to stamp out protest. In the wake of the London riots I'm concerned that they'll become yet more aggressive in stamping out protests which is problematic when our voting system trends towards eliminating the voice of smaller parties and hence minimising the amount of choice that can actually be made in the ballot box. If you can only vote for party A or party B who believe X on an issue where you believe Y and you're not allowed to protest about promoting cause Y, then something has gone wrong with democracy.
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