Robots Against Fairer Votes
Are you a fanatical party hack? Do you believe the party you choose to vote for is perfect beyond measure, and every other party evil beyond redemption?
If you live in a constituency your party is unlikely to win, to you take no view on who your MP should be, on the grounds that elections are for secret self-expression rather than for the exertion of popular democracy? Is your life so perfect that politics to you is merely a bumper sticker, not a matter of public importance?
Do you think what the party tells you to think, say what the party tells you to say and do what the party tells you to do, as a sign of your singular loyalty?
Do you think every party other than yours is not only indefensible, but identically indefensible? If a Green supporter, do you believe there is no difference at all between Labour and the National Front? If a Tory, do you believe there are no distinguishing characteristics that would help you tell the Lib Dems and the Communist Party apart?
Are you an automaton, a robot, a deployable party resource devoid of critical faculty?
Then for god’s sake make sure you vote No tomorrow. We robots don’t want humans in charge.
It is our right to vote. Hence, we must practice this right and we can do this properly if we will vote for the responsible candidates.
A party should represent the collective and unified belief and principle of its members. For me, I will only join a party if it has the same views as mine.
What I like about this argument (and I think it’s the most persuasive one in the yes armoury as far as I’m concerned) is the idea of a more nuanced, less party dominated politics.
Party machines are a necessary evil in politics, but they are a vice not a virtue none the less when it comes to genuine, honest and open debate.
Anything that makes politics in this country a less tribal, more thinking place – that allows for collaberation between people who do not agree on much – cannot be a wholly bad thing.
Steve – yes, as Gary says, I am always happy to admit that not everyone is as bad as everyone else – and that Greens aren’t perfect either.
As I say in the piece below, Ewan Aitken is great, and I do like John Swinney in my home constituency. Here in Oxford, I voted Green, but I am glad Andrew Smith beat the Lib Dems, and did momentarily consider voting tactically for him before thinking better of it:
http://brightgreenscotland.org/index.php/2011/04/holyrood-2011-personality-politics/
Thanks,
Adam
For me it would change given the individual candidates, certainly.
For example, in Scotland in general, Labour’s appalling hang-em-flog-em posturing means that (in the absence of a good socialist candidate) I would vote SNP 2nd.
Whereas, in my old constituency in particular, Labour is fielding my ideal Labour candidate in the substantial form of Ewan Aitken. Aitken has all the civil liberties credentials of his opponent Kenny McAskill, along with a determinedly socialist economic vision. Lab 2nd for me in Edinburgh Eastern.
Can you say who, as a Green voter first, you would put down as your second choice (all things being equal) and whether or not this would change given the situation…
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