Politicians are generally t*ssers; why, then, should we feel compelled to vote?

Question

I overheard a young man at my local pub voice this statement last weekend. He went on to explain that, as politicians are t*ssers, we will vote a t*sser into power no matter who we vote for- and therefore, why should we exercise our right to do so at all?

This is (perhaps) not my own opinion but I would appreciate your thoughts on this.

Answer 1

It is certainly my opinion.  I never vote, especially since Kinnock and Blair closed down the Labour Party!  No, you don't digress, that means talk off the subjt, while if voting doesn't change anything how an you say people who don't vote can't complain if nothing changes.  God, the standard of discussion on this site!!

Answer 2

I do tend to agree that most MPs in the uk today have totally lost the confidence of the nation so are toss-ers (which if I may explain to those on western side of the pond to "toss off" in uk english = to "jerk off" in us English).

The alternative to electing politicians is as in Pakistan for the military to take over the running of a nation by a coup or else a coup d'etat with a senior army General such as Pervez Musharraf taking over the role of Prime Minister, or alternatively for the Royal Family to take over as Head of government as well as Head of State like King Abdullah Aziz al-Saud in Saudi Arabia, or for the national religious leader to take over like Archbishop Makarios did in Cyprus. So the choice in UK as replacement for Brown and Cameron could be between General Sir Mike Jackson, HM The Queen and Dr Rowan Williams. Which one does your mate in the pub prefer please?  

Answer 3

To vote in the lesser of two evils.

Answer 4

Because if you don't, you can't complain about what you get!

Answer 5

I don't know what a "t*sser" is.

Answer 6

Because some tossers are worse than others.

Answer 7

It's the idea that you 1 vote counts, and that if you don't vote then you don't have any right to complain about the way things are.  Truth is, is that the system is run by criminals for criminal behavior, there by separating themselves for the common person. Example is the people who don't have to pay in to Social Security and those that don't (the ones that don't seem to be the ones spending it) Voting is a right, whether or not you exercise that right is up to you.

Answer 8

Voting is the only way to ensure that the politician whom you view as the best out of a lousy bunch will be in charge. They may all be T*ssers, but not voting isn't going to stop one of them getting in to run the country.  

Answer 9

Because if you don't vote, you did nothing to change your situation and therefore have no right to complain about what happens afterward.

Answer 10

The alternative to no government is complete anarchy.  I'd rather have tossers than no-one at all.

Answer 11

Because our fore bearers gave their lives for our right to vote, be free and not fear persecution.

Answer 12

Democracy is hard won , if you do not exercise it you will lose it , There are millions of people in the world would give there right arms to have the privilege that you brush over so casually.

Answer 13

i really cant pick out what you mean by t*ssers.  

so i digress, unless you could explain.

edit:  haha.  okay.  I guess I see your point.   But I don't agree with that person.  we're all tossers every now and then.  BUt the point of voting is finding someone who isn't.  Bill Hicks said "the puppet on the right, or the puppet on the left...wait.  same guys holding both pupets" although it's funny, it isn't always true.

Answer 14

It's what you call an "Illusion Democracy", you fill in a meaningless bit of paper every 4 years vote some tosser out only to vote another tosser in.

It gives the impression of freedom and Democracy. Then of course you get the idiots coming on here saying if you don't vote you can't moan. Generally these are New Labour voters.

I hate voting, but feel compelled to do so (although I spoil my ballot paper). Most people don't spoil their ballot because they don't understand what "spoiling" actually means. If people were a little bit more clued up about "spoiling" their ballots then we wouldn't get the current crop of Tory/Labour shite we repeatedly get.

All I would say is go out and vote, put a nice big "X" across your paper, or even doodle on it but still get out an vote.

Or as in Brewsters Millions: "Vote none of the above".

Answer 15

It really depends on if you accept the premise: We have a Democratic system, which means that if you think most politicians are t*ssers, and that you can do a better job yourself, then try and get yourself elected, and do a better job.

On the other-hand, you may not accept that most politicians are t*ssers, and that a lot of them actually do a lot of good work, and that you are actually falling into the trap that the small amount of (usually senior) politicians who take the lime-light are representative of all politicians.

One question you have to ask is this: does your knowledge of politics compose of any more than what you have read from the sun? Are the mistakes that this country is suffering from a collective work, or it more to do with an elite of policy-setting politicians who have vested interests that are way out of touch of either the bog-standard politician and the constituency that he or she represents??

Answer 16

We do not have to.  But if you want to appreciate the values of democracy, and see really bad politicians, go to a country that is not a democracy.

Live in Burma, Laos or North Korea, and you will learn to appreciate the power of the right to vote.

Because we have the right to vote, our politicians are accountable to us.  If no one voted, there would be no accountability, then the country would be worse, much much worse.