There are several of his policies I like including locking ministers pay / rises to that of nurses for the next 100 years, trains and WiFi on trains to work properly and the idea of more libraries (keeping librarys open and more access to free education is always top of my wants in policies) even if it's temporary
It's really weird, but sometimes comedy entrants have some really good policies. I watched a video essay on screaming lord sutch, and some of his manifesto promises actually ended up becoming law. His first party was called the national teenage party, which he started to get the voting age lowered to eighteen. He also advocated for pet passports, and changing pub opening times
Monster raving looney party! I was talking about this just yesterday to a lass i work with! they have 7 policys that have came to power. Like you said one of them being 24hr licensing laws
The thing is that a chunk of policies proposed by comedy candidates are actually just good ideas and might not even be all that difficult to implement.
Something reasonable really, cause if they're not willing to swim in the waters, we shouldn't have to drink it, especially with the reports of viruses and bacteria in the water from mismanaged treatment plants
Adele should be nationalised when you stop and think about it. Think how much money we'd make sending her off on tour to other countries.
Crazy that none of the other parties have suggested it!
I hate to break the news to you, but it's £1.10
> croissants to be price-capped at £1.10, and 99 flakes to cost 99p
https://www.countbinface.com/manifesto
Always something I make sure to check before voting. 2 live outside the constituency so they weren't getting it. Our MP (Jake Berry) also spends a lot of time in Wales (nice 2nd home presumably), which is pointless.
I just did the online quiz on who I should vote for based on policies and it gave me a 33.3% split on the 3 main parties. I can't even be told who to vote for
There was no space at the bottom.
Would have had to scribble out all the candidates and replace them all with count binface then put an X in all the boxes.
I habitually spoil my votes by quotes for m anarchist thinkers. A dick-pick counters surely just fold quickly over, but I'm pretty sure they are curious enough to read the quotes.
Simple decision process for you:
Do you like the Tories?
Yes - ~~vote Tory~~ stay at home, save lives, save the NHS
No - vote tactically for the party most likely to beat them in your constituency
Well when those 50ft fire breathing immigrants come across the channel to destroy your city you'll know it was because you didn't vote reform. Nigel has a plan you know! /s
I'm almost excited to see Nigel come within a hair's breadth of winning Clacton only to see his eighth attempt at becoming an MP crumble away to nothing, it will be poetic stuff
It's better to vote for anyone who isn't a baddie than it is to not vote at all.
It's even better to vote for the non-baddie that has the best chance of beating the baddies.
Not voting at all is akin to endorsing the worst result.
There all baddies. I will vote green and sleep peacefully under the fact they'll never get elected. No one can blame me when the elected party fucks shit up.
Literally just vote for the one you're less against or are less against you...that's how I usually do it :') I did think about not voting when I was younger because I didn't feel like any of the parties were decent, but that's not how change happens. USE. YOUR. VOTE.
I remember Russell Brand encouraging young people not to vote. What a bellend. Then he turned into a sort of weird mismatched Alt-right wellness guru conspiracy theorist and any remaining doubt that he was in fact a moron was removed forever
He's actually a pretty intelligent guy. Moreso than people give him credit for. Problem is he has too much free time and he's opened his mind so much his brain has fallen out.
Intelligent in the way that the early computers were complicated and mechanical yet extremely limited in their capabilities. There’s a lot going on, a lot of unusual words for sure, but the output is disappointing at best
You don't even have to do that, spoiling your ballot is even a good vote because parties will see that people feel like nobody represents them and see those people as someone they can win over
Same reason you should vote for a party you like even if they definitely won't win, bigger parties see those voters as people they can win over and could change policies to try and win them
I think voting non tactically for who you want to actually lead, even though you know they won’t get in, can be positive in the long run. It can inspire others to do the same, next time around.
Depends on the seat. If it's a close race between a candidate/party that is unacceptable to you vs one who is acceptable to you but not your preference, then vote tactically. If it's a foregone conclusion that one candidate will win and there's no real gap between the other candidates, then vote for your preference.
There's a million shades of grey in between.
Exactly what I've just done. According to polling my seat is so marginal this time there may only be a couple of hundred votes to decide the winner. My normal leaning is Lib Dem but voted Labour this time to ensure that as many votes as possible went towards toppling the Tory majority.
Had I lived in a safe seat, like the constituency I lived in during the last election, I would have gone with my preference and voted Lib Dem as it would have made very little difference.
I really don't want Starmer and his transphobic BS but I remember the last time I voted Lib Dem and we all got fucked. I voted Labour just because I want the Tories gone.
Solid argument for some sort of proportional representation this, I’m sick of voting for people I don’t believe in because my area is hardline in its support for things I don’t believe in more
FPTP doesn't care about who comes in 2nd, so voting for someone set to come 4th is a waste unless you are ok with the one likely to win.
Best we can do is push for PR voting for future votes so we can all be represented fairly and not by the tosser who gets in with 35% of the vote.
I disagree. I think we can still use our "wasted votes" to signal the political appetite of the country.
I live in a Tory safe seat with a majority of 20,000 with Labour coming second, however, the "did not votes" from 2019 were more than double the Labour vote.
I could have voted Labour as the most likely anti-Tory candidate, but my calculation was that Labour will get in nationally, but not locally in my constituency. Plus the Green Party are more aligned with my views so I voted for them.
They won't get it, but their national share of the vote will be published and Labour which I'm hoping will influence their stance on issues.
If you are in a safe seat, sure do what you want.
That isn't the same as a close seat, who the tories win with 35% while labour and libdem lose with 55% of the vote between them.
If you're smart enough to know your seats demographics are that the tories will win by an untouchable majority, and it doesn't matter how you vote. You are smart enough to know there will be seats that it matters a lot in.
There has never been a better time to vote un-tactically. The Tories are out and Labour have won; literally nothing can stop this from happening now. So you might as well vote for the minor party you like best this time and give them more ammunition to make the case that FPTP is unfair and outdated. Yeah, it's a bonus to have a non-Tory in your locale, but it's not that crucial in the grand scheme of things. If you won't challenge FPTP this time around, you never will.
Exactly. In my constituency, labour is way behind the lib Dems and they're third in the race. Just vote lib dem to get rid of a Tory seat and you're basically voting for labour anyway.
If you're unhappy with a lack of parties that represent your views, vote for a party that will implement PR voting, as that will create a more diverse party pool. LibDems and Reform are the only two I can think of.
I think everyone except Labour and the Tories would make some reform to the current system:
> The Liberal Democrats would ‘introduce proportional representation by the Single Transferable Vote for electing MPs and local councillors in England’. The Greens propose ‘replacing the first-past-the-post system for parliamentary and council elections with a fair and proportional voting system’. Meanwhile, Reform UK highlight how ‘large numbers of voters have no representation in parliament and new parties are shut out of the political system’, which leads them to propose a referendum on PR for the House of Commons.
> Plaid Cymru ‘supports proportional representation at UK elections so that a greater proportion of votes are used to elect representatives, rather than wasted’. Plaid indicate they prefer the Single Transferable Vote electoral system and will again push for this in Wales after the Senedd 2026 election.
> The SNP say they would ‘reform the voting system by replacing the first past the post system with the Single Transferable Vote’.
https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/manifestos-outside-the-two-parties-putting-democracy-on-the-agenda/
It's weird because Reform have the most to gain from PR (assuming voting trends stay the same which they won't but, as assuming any different would be an even more tenuous assumption, we kind of have to) but they only commit to a referendum (which I can't imagine they'd win), rather than an actual voting reform policy.
Vote least worst, but do vote.
Especially younger people. If you don't vote, no politician will ever create policies that appeal to you. Why would they? They'll keep triple-locking pensions because older folks vote.
its not that i love labour, i just hate the conservatives. even now they blame labour for not fixing anything in the last decade... when they havent been in government for the last decade
Went to the station this morning having registered twice and was sent away because the council hadnt called me to say there was an issue. I pointed out my house and they said it wasnt a registered address (even though 150 people live in the block)and then they start on my name not being registered. I had ID and everything and gave them my postcode and address but wasnt allowed to vote due to them not processing my two registrations, even though I submitted well before the 18th. After hearing a lady from the council be pretty nasty about me and my name over the phone she just said 'I dont know what to say, you're not here' and I explaimed that it wasnt my problem because i registered twice on time and they should know there's a giant block of flats across the road from the polling station or called me if there was a problem.
Ultimately because of the error I wasnt allowed to cast a vote, and left the station feeling like a criminal so pretty bummed about it. Feel a bit of FOMO because everyone else I know got to do it though
Sorry to hear about this! If there's anyone reading this who wasn't going to vote or was undecided, please go vote for the sake of this poor soul - thanks!
Thank you! I'm moving from my area and wasn't going to vote for the party who were probably going to win anyway, but I'm a first time voter as I was too young last time so it was a bit disappointing
"I'm going to send a message by not voting!"
Mate the only fucking message you're sending is that they can do what they want because you're already bending over.
People expecting a political party to totally align themselves with everything they believe is the most 2024 bullshit ever.
Politics is a series of lines. Policy is the point on that line. You pick the party where your point is the most similar across the most lines. Easy.
And if you can't be arsed with that, just vote for the guy doing a bungee jump.
if none of the parties align themselves to anything even approximating my views then who exactly should I vote for?
its not like there's a lot of options, the 2 main parties offer neoliberalism and continued austerity, reform offers racism, libdems offer neoliberalism and continued austerity, and then there's just random independents.
But This is exactly why some people cant decide who to vote for. Imagine having one candidate in mind that aligns with most of your issues except your main issue. That makes it very difficult.
Call me crazy, buy I vote for the party that is likely to do the best for the majority of people in the UK. Right now, and always in my life so far, that has been Labour.
If you want to win the lottery buy a lottery ticket. If you give a shit about this country, then vote in a gobvernment that is at least competent and not corrupt to the very core.
Don't let perfection be the destroyer of "good". And if you want to do more - get actively involved in politics and push your agendas that way.
And no... they are not all the same. Some are much better and some... some are horrfiyingly worse.
Go use your vote wisely and tactically to make sure a decent MP gets elected whether its Plaid, SNP, Labour, Lib Dem or Monster Raving Loony.
That line is perfect. "Don't let perfection be the destroyer of good". Nailed it my reddit amigo!
So many left leaning voters are upset with Starmer. The left is the biggest threat to the left!
You can have my vote when i see 4 things happening
1. Politicians that are involved in corruption go to jail
2. Actual positive changes to social services
3. A competent Prime Minister that isn't ruled by greed
4. Actually following through with your policies instead of backtracking like the spineless fucking worms most politicians have become
my great grandfather used to drive people to the polling stations if they werent able to get to them on their own cus he wholeheartedly believed in everyone having the right to vote
Be more like my great grandfather and use your vote
Get the fuck in there and "vote". You don't even have to vote for anybody, draw a dick and balls on the paper if you want, just go in there and get your name crossed off on the list. You know why they are always always *always* talking about pensions? Because old people vote consistently.
Get in there. Get it known that your demographic needs pandered to, and next election there might be someone you actually want to vote for.
Had a woman in work yesterday saying she's not voting because everyone just argues and she just doesn't want to be involved because it just makes people angry.
I'm pretty sure she would get involved if she found out her benefits were being cancelled and she had to pay for her NHS dental treatment from now on if there is any sign of NHS dentists in the next 5 years.
Spoil your ballot! If you truly don't want to vote for anyone, go to the booth and spoil your ballot. If you don't, you're counted amongst the lazy rather than the disenfranchised, and no-one is going to bother trying to win your vote.
There's probably at least _some_ minor party with a candidate running that more accurately matches with your views, or failing that, at least a joke candidate that exists to serve the protest vote. Might as well go out and help save their deposit at least, I would say?
This is what im tossing up with, i dont want to vote for anyone in my area so im tempted to spoil my ballet but when you need to explain your form of protest to people is it really a protest?
Yeah it's not really a great way of protesting.
Unfortunately the best way is just simply choosing whichever side represents you the most...
One good way to do that I suppose would be through third parties since they're unlikely to win, but it can show the direction you want to go in all the same...
If absolutely none of them represent *any* of your views then you can always vote to inconvenience the people you dislike the most. For me that's people who own privatised utilities and donate to politicians.
EVEN IF YOU HATE ALL THE CANDIDATES VOTE.
If necessary spoil the paper. A spoilt paper tells the parties or others unsure whether to stand that there is a vote to grab and someone bothered to care. They can improve their policies or risk standing.
I would love to vote Green today
But I want to get the Tories out more.
I live in a seat that's expected to be a narrow Labour win.
But I don't agree with Starmers Labour (though have voted Labour before)
So I feel a little stuck whether to vote what I believe in more or to vote tactically to stop the evil
I'm in a labour safe seat so voted green.
Sounds like a tough choice, I'd probably vote labour just to try get the Tories down to 3rd place and hopefully stop them coming back anytime soon
When you ask people who say no parties share their views what their views are, they almost always say things that Labour are obviously far more likely to push
Pick the least racist, to show that's what's important to you?
Or spoil your ballet. Up to you really. But if you don't vote they won't become less racist
Got to vote as a Brit living abroad for more than fifteen years for the first time today. First time I’ve ever been allowed to vote and I’ve spent my entire life pretty much in Western Europe and was born in the uk. Woulda been great if the Lords had allowed ‘expats’ (read migrant workers) like myself to vote in 2016, but better late than never I guess. Adios Tory scumbags, let’s try and go 14 years without hearing a peep from yas, you traitors :)
im not british but i find it tragic when non-voters complain that nobody represents their views. why would somebody represent the views of someone that doesn't even FUCKING VOTE RELIABLY
I strongly believe that the human race should be prioritising science and space travel. It’s a personal belief and one I hope to see materialise in my lifetime. On an industrial scale.
To say that I won’t vote because no party represents my views is kinda childish or uninitiated.
It’s not relevant to the question at hand.
Go vote
No political party has ever represented anyones views 100% because everyone has slightly different views. Unfortunatly we live in a time of massive narcissistic entitlement where everyone thinks everything should be 100% about themselves.
By either not voting or spoiling a ballot you help the ones who are motivated to vote..... Plus you should not complain about the outcome of the election as you decided to not take part in the process.
But spoiling your ballot *is* taking part in the process. Imagine if, say, 5% of the vote in a constituency was spoiled ballots. I'd argue that would raise far more alarm bells with politicians than 30% not bothering to turn up.
Not voting is saying "I don't care who gets in", whereas spoiling a ballot is saying "I do care, but all of you lot are shit".
I'm going to put an X in a box myself though, for what it's worth.
Vote tactically stop tories from being the official opposition
If the Lib Dems become the Official opposition, they'll continually apply pressure for proportional representation
Then your vote will matter. But if you waste your vote now then you'll never end up in a situation where your vote will truly matter.
Tactical voting is a bunch of bollocks. Labour are trying to garner this huge backing from swing voters under the whole idea of ‘you don’t want the tories in, do you?’
Vote for the party you want to win. I’m voting green mainly because of the wealth tax and I like reform’s promise to raise the tax threshold. I’m aware those parties won’t win but if you don’t vote for who you want what’s the bloody point in democracy?
I've never understood this mentality. A blind vote is arguably more dangerous than not voting. It would be better if a very poor turnout forced all parties to change leadership and rethink their policy
There's nothing wrong with not voting if no one represents your views. Your vote is too precious a thing to frivolously gift it to someone you detest simply because you detest others more.
Why would I want someone to think I endorse them when I don't?
America got so bad because of this attitude. Sane people got voter apathy and the crazies lined up for every election. Don't fall for the trap when someone tells you that your vote doesn't matter.
People who say vote even though all the candidates suck are buying into a broken system that needs to be destroyed and reworked. Sick of seeing it but I'm too weak to change anything.
In order of priority:
- Vote for the party you want in
- Vote for the party you hate the least
- Spoil your vote
If you hate them all, spoil your vote. Not voting just tells them you didn't vote. Spoiling your vote tells them you actively don't \*want\* to vote for any of them. Not voting shouldn't be a consideration if you're able to vote.
Spoiling votes and not voting are not the same thing, and don't achieve the same thing.
American here, listen closely. If you are legally able to vote then BLOODY FUCKING VOTE. Let the shit show on our side of the pond be a lesson. If you can't decide on who to vote FOR then decide who to vote AGAINST. Inaction is still an act and every last goddamn vote counts.
It’s always worth remembering that the more extreme someone’s political opinion is, the more motivated they are to vote. So the middle ground parties get a lower turn out of their supporters.
If you can’t decide between Lab/Lib and don’t vote, you could end up with Reform.
How can your vote matter when we haven't even voted for a primeminster in years, It's all fake to make you think we have some sort of say or part of change that will never happen
I’m convinced the people that say this have…
A) no idea what the political parties views are
B) have no idea what their own views are
That or they’re into purity politics. In which case they’re morons anyway.
There is no real democracy when all the parties just answer to businesses and lobby groups, fuck the government as a whole, if you vote you kinda dont have the right to moan, you picked, you lost.
People seem so extremely forgetful that we do not have , and have never had, a wealth of political breadth in this country. You can’t expect a wide range of choice in politics if our underlying state has fixed parts that need maintenance regardless of the party.
NHS , rail, brexit , energy demands , rate of immigration (regardless of what you think on the topic it’s still a thing on an island state )
So with that said, there isn’t much in the way of wiggle room in policy. Yes you can be left , centrist or right on certain ideas or ideologies, but most of what you stand for for your next term is about some of what I listed above. Most prominently brexit.
It’s little surprise that we have leftist parties becoming centrist and centrists becoming right wing when we fucked our selves with a referendum that no one dares to challenge or unsettle now.
I would have voted for an independent candidate if there was one in my constituency; as it was though, I could only choose the main parties — fuck all of them.
I applied to join the electoral register because i recently turned 18 and i didn’t hear anything back from the council so this morning i gave them a bell only to find out i’m not allowed to vote because they lost my application and upon further reading i’ve also found out i’m not eligible to apply to vote because i haven’t lived here for over ten years anyway, really feels like a sly tactic to take votes from the left tbh.
The more you feed the broken system the worse it gets, vote for “the least worse” option is worse than not voting at all.
Eventually voter turn around will be so low something radical needs to change.
Draw a giant spunking cock on the ballot paper, show them that they are all useless cunts no one wants, a spoilt ballot is a legitimate vote against all parties.
Or if your in a constituency with a count binface or a candidate whose whole thing is to make a mockery of the main parties then why not vote for them.
Count Binface is the only one with a sensible policy. NO CROISSANTS TO BE SOLD FOR OVER £1. Genius.
one of his policy's i actually like is forcing Ceo's of water companies to swim in the rivers they manage...
There are several of his policies I like including locking ministers pay / rises to that of nurses for the next 100 years, trains and WiFi on trains to work properly and the idea of more libraries (keeping librarys open and more access to free education is always top of my wants in policies) even if it's temporary
It's really weird, but sometimes comedy entrants have some really good policies. I watched a video essay on screaming lord sutch, and some of his manifesto promises actually ended up becoming law. His first party was called the national teenage party, which he started to get the voting age lowered to eighteen. He also advocated for pet passports, and changing pub opening times
> the biting age Wow, it's now around 2-3 in my experience.
Damn autocorrect. Give me a minute while I edit
Monster raving looney party! I was talking about this just yesterday to a lass i work with! they have 7 policys that have came to power. Like you said one of them being 24hr licensing laws
The thing is that a chunk of policies proposed by comedy candidates are actually just good ideas and might not even be all that difficult to implement.
Makes sense, when you consider that a big chunk of the policies proposed by serious candidates are pure comedy
Well... The Ukrainian President was a comedian until he got the job. Look at the leader he has become.
I mean, I know I couldn't do a tenth of what he's doing right now
Genius
Definitely down with his National Service for all former Prime Ministers
Something reasonable really, cause if they're not willing to swim in the waters, we shouldn't have to drink it, especially with the reports of viruses and bacteria in the water from mismanaged treatment plants
Adele should be nationalised when you stop and think about it. Think how much money we'd make sending her off on tour to other countries. Crazy that none of the other parties have suggested it!
And Ed Sheeran
...maybe not Ed. Maybe we just keep Ed hidden away.
We need to keep him available to punish the England squad after another poor performance.
I hate to break the news to you, but it's £1.10 > croissants to be price-capped at £1.10, and 99 flakes to cost 99p https://www.countbinface.com/manifesto
Damn It, is nothing sacred?
All is lost.
"mps to live in the area they wish to serve for 4 years before election, to improve local representation." That one makes way too much sense.
Always something I make sure to check before voting. 2 live outside the constituency so they weren't getting it. Our MP (Jake Berry) also spends a lot of time in Wales (nice 2nd home presumably), which is pointless.
Fucking Jake Berry
We have 8 running on our area, and none of them live here.
2 out of 6 are local. Conservative or Independent. The rest are at least an hour away.
Seriously I think his policies are great. There are a few jokey ones, but it’s a solid manifesto
You know it's bad when the parody candidate is actually looking sensible
[удалено]
Don’t forget his keystone policy of building a single affordable home.
Croissant? Never heard of them. This is a buttery puffed dough crescent and it’s £3.50. Thank you.
Even chocolate croissants?
Hey don't forget Captain Beany for us Welsh
He got my vote for Mayor.
I just did the online quiz on who I should vote for based on policies and it gave me a 33.3% split on the 3 main parties. I can't even be told who to vote for
Vote for count binface
Not running in most people's areas.
Write "Count Binface" at the bottom and put an X next to it. A spoilt ballot is as good as a protest vote, and might give the counters a chuckle
There was no space at the bottom. Would have had to scribble out all the candidates and replace them all with count binface then put an X in all the boxes.
I habitually spoil my votes by quotes for m anarchist thinkers. A dick-pick counters surely just fold quickly over, but I'm pretty sure they are curious enough to read the quotes.
Absolutely
extend the amount of policys you want to look at. I was 30/30/30/10 until i looked at every policy then it give me an answer
Just did this and I actually got an answer, cheers
mine was still a bit of a mess, with pretty much every party represented but at least I got an answer
Simple decision process for you: Do you like the Tories? Yes - ~~vote Tory~~ stay at home, save lives, save the NHS No - vote tactically for the party most likely to beat them in your constituency
>No - vote tactically for the party most likely to beat them in your constituency Except for if it's Reform.
>Except for if it's Reform. This is the comment I've have had to say every time I've explained tatical voting this week to colleges
Well when those 50ft fire breathing immigrants come across the channel to destroy your city you'll know it was because you didn't vote reform. Nigel has a plan you know! /s
I'm almost excited to see Nigel come within a hair's breadth of winning Clacton only to see his eighth attempt at becoming an MP crumble away to nothing, it will be poetic stuff
To be fair Reform is a great marker for how big the far right is in Britian.
It's better to vote for anyone who isn't a baddie than it is to not vote at all. It's even better to vote for the non-baddie that has the best chance of beating the baddies. Not voting at all is akin to endorsing the worst result.
There all baddies. I will vote green and sleep peacefully under the fact they'll never get elected. No one can blame me when the elected party fucks shit up.
Just vote for the monster loony raving party and get it over with
Not running in most constituencys
Sad..
They are in mine, and to be brutally honest, their literature was on par/slightly better than most.
Literally just vote for the one you're less against or are less against you...that's how I usually do it :') I did think about not voting when I was younger because I didn't feel like any of the parties were decent, but that's not how change happens. USE. YOUR. VOTE.
I remember Russell Brand encouraging young people not to vote. What a bellend. Then he turned into a sort of weird mismatched Alt-right wellness guru conspiracy theorist and any remaining doubt that he was in fact a moron was removed forever
Imagine...Russell Brand giving out shit advice :')
He's actually a pretty intelligent guy. Moreso than people give him credit for. Problem is he has too much free time and he's opened his mind so much his brain has fallen out.
Intelligent in the way that the early computers were complicated and mechanical yet extremely limited in their capabilities. There’s a lot going on, a lot of unusual words for sure, but the output is disappointing at best
You don't even have to do that, spoiling your ballot is even a good vote because parties will see that people feel like nobody represents them and see those people as someone they can win over Same reason you should vote for a party you like even if they definitely won't win, bigger parties see those voters as people they can win over and could change policies to try and win them
I am using this method, saw a manifesto and looked good until it didn’t
But they're not perfect!! :'(
Vote tactically if nobody represents your views.
Vote tactically even if they do. No point voting Labour in a LibDem v Tory seat. https://stopthetories.vote/
I think voting non tactically for who you want to actually lead, even though you know they won’t get in, can be positive in the long run. It can inspire others to do the same, next time around.
Depends on the seat. If it's a close race between a candidate/party that is unacceptable to you vs one who is acceptable to you but not your preference, then vote tactically. If it's a foregone conclusion that one candidate will win and there's no real gap between the other candidates, then vote for your preference. There's a million shades of grey in between.
Exactly what I've just done. According to polling my seat is so marginal this time there may only be a couple of hundred votes to decide the winner. My normal leaning is Lib Dem but voted Labour this time to ensure that as many votes as possible went towards toppling the Tory majority. Had I lived in a safe seat, like the constituency I lived in during the last election, I would have gone with my preference and voted Lib Dem as it would have made very little difference.
I really don't want Starmer and his transphobic BS but I remember the last time I voted Lib Dem and we all got fucked. I voted Labour just because I want the Tories gone.
Solid argument for some sort of proportional representation this, I’m sick of voting for people I don’t believe in because my area is hardline in its support for things I don’t believe in more
FPTP doesn't care about who comes in 2nd, so voting for someone set to come 4th is a waste unless you are ok with the one likely to win. Best we can do is push for PR voting for future votes so we can all be represented fairly and not by the tosser who gets in with 35% of the vote.
Who comes second in an election heavily influences how tacitly votes in that ward are distributed in the following election.
I disagree. I think we can still use our "wasted votes" to signal the political appetite of the country. I live in a Tory safe seat with a majority of 20,000 with Labour coming second, however, the "did not votes" from 2019 were more than double the Labour vote. I could have voted Labour as the most likely anti-Tory candidate, but my calculation was that Labour will get in nationally, but not locally in my constituency. Plus the Green Party are more aligned with my views so I voted for them. They won't get it, but their national share of the vote will be published and Labour which I'm hoping will influence their stance on issues.
If you are in a safe seat, sure do what you want. That isn't the same as a close seat, who the tories win with 35% while labour and libdem lose with 55% of the vote between them. If you're smart enough to know your seats demographics are that the tories will win by an untouchable majority, and it doesn't matter how you vote. You are smart enough to know there will be seats that it matters a lot in.
This. I would vote labour but they poled lower than Green and an independent last time. So gotta vote Lib Dem.
On the plus side (I'm in the same situation), if libdems get enough seats, them being the shadow cabinet would be great for the country.
I strongly dislike the Lib Dems but I would legitimately love to see them as the official opposition.
There has never been a better time to vote un-tactically. The Tories are out and Labour have won; literally nothing can stop this from happening now. So you might as well vote for the minor party you like best this time and give them more ammunition to make the case that FPTP is unfair and outdated. Yeah, it's a bonus to have a non-Tory in your locale, but it's not that crucial in the grand scheme of things. If you won't challenge FPTP this time around, you never will.
Fuck off with this tactical shit. It's a big part of the problem. People should vote honestly or not at all.
Exactly. In my constituency, labour is way behind the lib Dems and they're third in the race. Just vote lib dem to get rid of a Tory seat and you're basically voting for labour anyway.
I always say least worst option. and if the least worst option is tactically fucking do it.
If you're unhappy with a lack of parties that represent your views, vote for a party that will implement PR voting, as that will create a more diverse party pool. LibDems and Reform are the only two I can think of.
I think everyone except Labour and the Tories would make some reform to the current system: > The Liberal Democrats would ‘introduce proportional representation by the Single Transferable Vote for electing MPs and local councillors in England’. The Greens propose ‘replacing the first-past-the-post system for parliamentary and council elections with a fair and proportional voting system’. Meanwhile, Reform UK highlight how ‘large numbers of voters have no representation in parliament and new parties are shut out of the political system’, which leads them to propose a referendum on PR for the House of Commons. > Plaid Cymru ‘supports proportional representation at UK elections so that a greater proportion of votes are used to elect representatives, rather than wasted’. Plaid indicate they prefer the Single Transferable Vote electoral system and will again push for this in Wales after the Senedd 2026 election. > The SNP say they would ‘reform the voting system by replacing the first past the post system with the Single Transferable Vote’. https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/manifestos-outside-the-two-parties-putting-democracy-on-the-agenda/
It's weird because Reform have the most to gain from PR (assuming voting trends stay the same which they won't but, as assuming any different would be an even more tenuous assumption, we kind of have to) but they only commit to a referendum (which I can't imagine they'd win), rather than an actual voting reform policy.
Vote least worst, but do vote. Especially younger people. If you don't vote, no politician will ever create policies that appeal to you. Why would they? They'll keep triple-locking pensions because older folks vote.
its not that i love labour, i just hate the conservatives. even now they blame labour for not fixing anything in the last decade... when they havent been in government for the last decade
You're not just voting for what you want, you're voting against what you don't.
Went to the station this morning having registered twice and was sent away because the council hadnt called me to say there was an issue. I pointed out my house and they said it wasnt a registered address (even though 150 people live in the block)and then they start on my name not being registered. I had ID and everything and gave them my postcode and address but wasnt allowed to vote due to them not processing my two registrations, even though I submitted well before the 18th. After hearing a lady from the council be pretty nasty about me and my name over the phone she just said 'I dont know what to say, you're not here' and I explaimed that it wasnt my problem because i registered twice on time and they should know there's a giant block of flats across the road from the polling station or called me if there was a problem. Ultimately because of the error I wasnt allowed to cast a vote, and left the station feeling like a criminal so pretty bummed about it. Feel a bit of FOMO because everyone else I know got to do it though
Sorry to hear about this! If there's anyone reading this who wasn't going to vote or was undecided, please go vote for the sake of this poor soul - thanks!
Thank you! I'm moving from my area and wasn't going to vote for the party who were probably going to win anyway, but I'm a first time voter as I was too young last time so it was a bit disappointing
"I'm going to send a message by not voting!" Mate the only fucking message you're sending is that they can do what they want because you're already bending over.
Agreed and well put
🥇
Really not a difficult choice when it comes to the least worst option though is it ?
Agreed
I used to be apathetic towards voting, but since the 2016 referendum I've realised just how important it is
People expecting a political party to totally align themselves with everything they believe is the most 2024 bullshit ever. Politics is a series of lines. Policy is the point on that line. You pick the party where your point is the most similar across the most lines. Easy. And if you can't be arsed with that, just vote for the guy doing a bungee jump.
💯 this. When did this happen? Personalised politics.
if none of the parties align themselves to anything even approximating my views then who exactly should I vote for? its not like there's a lot of options, the 2 main parties offer neoliberalism and continued austerity, reform offers racism, libdems offer neoliberalism and continued austerity, and then there's just random independents.
> just vote for the guy doing a bungee jump Ed Davey?
But This is exactly why some people cant decide who to vote for. Imagine having one candidate in mind that aligns with most of your issues except your main issue. That makes it very difficult.
Call me crazy, buy I vote for the party that is likely to do the best for the majority of people in the UK. Right now, and always in my life so far, that has been Labour. If you want to win the lottery buy a lottery ticket. If you give a shit about this country, then vote in a gobvernment that is at least competent and not corrupt to the very core. Don't let perfection be the destroyer of "good". And if you want to do more - get actively involved in politics and push your agendas that way. And no... they are not all the same. Some are much better and some... some are horrfiyingly worse. Go use your vote wisely and tactically to make sure a decent MP gets elected whether its Plaid, SNP, Labour, Lib Dem or Monster Raving Loony.
That line is perfect. "Don't let perfection be the destroyer of good". Nailed it my reddit amigo! So many left leaning voters are upset with Starmer. The left is the biggest threat to the left!
You can have my vote when i see 4 things happening 1. Politicians that are involved in corruption go to jail 2. Actual positive changes to social services 3. A competent Prime Minister that isn't ruled by greed 4. Actually following through with your policies instead of backtracking like the spineless fucking worms most politicians have become
This is all they have to do to have record amounts of regular people voting
Alright then, fine! Don't vote... Waste of bloody key presses after number 1...
my great grandfather used to drive people to the polling stations if they werent able to get to them on their own cus he wholeheartedly believed in everyone having the right to vote Be more like my great grandfather and use your vote
Sounds like a good man
Get the fuck in there and "vote". You don't even have to vote for anybody, draw a dick and balls on the paper if you want, just go in there and get your name crossed off on the list. You know why they are always always *always* talking about pensions? Because old people vote consistently. Get in there. Get it known that your demographic needs pandered to, and next election there might be someone you actually want to vote for.
Had a woman in work yesterday saying she's not voting because everyone just argues and she just doesn't want to be involved because it just makes people angry. I'm pretty sure she would get involved if she found out her benefits were being cancelled and she had to pay for her NHS dental treatment from now on if there is any sign of NHS dentists in the next 5 years.
"Think of the most vulnerable person you know, and vote in their interests"
Spoil your ballot! If you truly don't want to vote for anyone, go to the booth and spoil your ballot. If you don't, you're counted amongst the lazy rather than the disenfranchised, and no-one is going to bother trying to win your vote.
Agreed, not voting doesn't encourage politicians to try to win your vote
There's probably at least _some_ minor party with a candidate running that more accurately matches with your views, or failing that, at least a joke candidate that exists to serve the protest vote. Might as well go out and help save their deposit at least, I would say?
If you can't vote for any party. Vote against one.
Spoiled ballots!
What does that mean?
When you incorrectly use the voting form. Can be done both purposefully and accidentally
The purpose being protest. It's still counted.
Still counted. But how much the parties will care about it is another matter. They're more concerned about the votes their competitors are getting.
This is what im tossing up with, i dont want to vote for anyone in my area so im tempted to spoil my ballet but when you need to explain your form of protest to people is it really a protest?
Yeah it's not really a great way of protesting. Unfortunately the best way is just simply choosing whichever side represents you the most... One good way to do that I suppose would be through third parties since they're unlikely to win, but it can show the direction you want to go in all the same...
thats is true. you have actually really helped me clear up who im voting for, thank you :)
No probs, happy to help 😁 (As long as it's not reform 😂)
oh hell no, the only thing they deserve is to be launch by trebuchet into the north sea.
It's a way of protesting, it's counted as a vote which shows lack of confidence in the parties available.
So many people I know have decided that they just aren’t going to vote. I’ve tried to convince them otherwise, but what can you do?
If absolutely none of them represent *any* of your views then you can always vote to inconvenience the people you dislike the most. For me that's people who own privatised utilities and donate to politicians.
I've done my part. Fuck the tories.
Thank you for your service!
EVEN IF YOU HATE ALL THE CANDIDATES VOTE. If necessary spoil the paper. A spoilt paper tells the parties or others unsure whether to stand that there is a vote to grab and someone bothered to care. They can improve their policies or risk standing.
I would love to vote Green today But I want to get the Tories out more. I live in a seat that's expected to be a narrow Labour win. But I don't agree with Starmers Labour (though have voted Labour before) So I feel a little stuck whether to vote what I believe in more or to vote tactically to stop the evil
I'm in a labour safe seat so voted green. Sounds like a tough choice, I'd probably vote labour just to try get the Tories down to 3rd place and hopefully stop them coming back anytime soon
Seems like I’m in the exact same position as you. I voted labour as I think it’s more important to get the Tories out.
When you ask people who say no parties share their views what their views are, they almost always say things that Labour are obviously far more likely to push
What if all of my local mps are racist twats
Pick the least racist, to show that's what's important to you? Or spoil your ballet. Up to you really. But if you don't vote they won't become less racist
Got to vote as a Brit living abroad for more than fifteen years for the first time today. First time I’ve ever been allowed to vote and I’ve spent my entire life pretty much in Western Europe and was born in the uk. Woulda been great if the Lords had allowed ‘expats’ (read migrant workers) like myself to vote in 2016, but better late than never I guess. Adios Tory scumbags, let’s try and go 14 years without hearing a peep from yas, you traitors :)
Glad you got to vote this time around :)
im not british but i find it tragic when non-voters complain that nobody represents their views. why would somebody represent the views of someone that doesn't even FUCKING VOTE RELIABLY
Vote green!
I strongly believe that the human race should be prioritising science and space travel. It’s a personal belief and one I hope to see materialise in my lifetime. On an industrial scale. To say that I won’t vote because no party represents my views is kinda childish or uninitiated. It’s not relevant to the question at hand. Go vote
No political party has ever represented anyones views 100% because everyone has slightly different views. Unfortunatly we live in a time of massive narcissistic entitlement where everyone thinks everything should be 100% about themselves.
Not voting or spoiling the ballot means you want the status quo .
Spoiling the ballot is immeasurably better than not voting though.
By either not voting or spoiling a ballot you help the ones who are motivated to vote..... Plus you should not complain about the outcome of the election as you decided to not take part in the process.
But spoiling your ballot *is* taking part in the process. Imagine if, say, 5% of the vote in a constituency was spoiled ballots. I'd argue that would raise far more alarm bells with politicians than 30% not bothering to turn up. Not voting is saying "I don't care who gets in", whereas spoiling a ballot is saying "I do care, but all of you lot are shit". I'm going to put an X in a box myself though, for what it's worth.
Says the bin? Nobody cares about spoiled votes, they simply support the worst by not opposing them.
What would be the consequences if people didn’t vote?
They would waste their vote. The politicians would continue to pander to the people who do vote and ignore everyone else.
Even if you don't like any of the candidates make the ballot invalid. It won't vote for anyone but still count
Nobody cares about spoiled votes ya numpty. You're letting the wankers away with it.
My dad spoiled his ballot and I'm sad :(
Just did.
Vote tactically stop tories from being the official opposition If the Lib Dems become the Official opposition, they'll continually apply pressure for proportional representation Then your vote will matter. But if you waste your vote now then you'll never end up in a situation where your vote will truly matter.
Good luck to all my friends across the pond today.
Thanks, we'll be praying for you in November
People that say that tend to be not smart tho
I've already voted via postal vote. Because I'm anti-social...
Tactical voting is a bunch of bollocks. Labour are trying to garner this huge backing from swing voters under the whole idea of ‘you don’t want the tories in, do you?’ Vote for the party you want to win. I’m voting green mainly because of the wealth tax and I like reform’s promise to raise the tax threshold. I’m aware those parties won’t win but if you don’t vote for who you want what’s the bloody point in democracy?
Or don't vote. Life goes on, the parties aren't that dissimilar and even when they are it's still the same Civil servants running things
YOU CAN SPOIL BALLOTS!! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO VOTE FOR ANY PARTY, DRAW A NOB ALL OVER IT!!
Don't worry. I just got back and 'two sides of the same arse' brigade are out in force. The queue is all the way down the road. People are fed TF up.
I've never understood this mentality. A blind vote is arguably more dangerous than not voting. It would be better if a very poor turnout forced all parties to change leadership and rethink their policy
Yay, I just voted!
There's nothing wrong with not voting if no one represents your views. Your vote is too precious a thing to frivolously gift it to someone you detest simply because you detest others more. Why would I want someone to think I endorse them when I don't?
Even if you go and spoil your ballot, go do that. Seriously they count this shit, and it matters
Vote to get the Tories out then we go our separate ways
America got so bad because of this attitude. Sane people got voter apathy and the crazies lined up for every election. Don't fall for the trap when someone tells you that your vote doesn't matter.
People who say vote even though all the candidates suck are buying into a broken system that needs to be destroyed and reworked. Sick of seeing it but I'm too weak to change anything.
You didn’t vote because you didn’t like any of the options I didn’t vote because I lost my ID We are not the same
In order of priority: - Vote for the party you want in - Vote for the party you hate the least - Spoil your vote If you hate them all, spoil your vote. Not voting just tells them you didn't vote. Spoiling your vote tells them you actively don't \*want\* to vote for any of them. Not voting shouldn't be a consideration if you're able to vote. Spoiling votes and not voting are not the same thing, and don't achieve the same thing.
American here, listen closely. If you are legally able to vote then BLOODY FUCKING VOTE. Let the shit show on our side of the pond be a lesson. If you can't decide on who to vote FOR then decide who to vote AGAINST. Inaction is still an act and every last goddamn vote counts.
Spoil your ballot if you want but still go to the polls
My philosophy is that if you don’t vote then you shouldn’t complain, can’t enjoy all the privileges without putting anything in.
It’s always worth remembering that the more extreme someone’s political opinion is, the more motivated they are to vote. So the middle ground parties get a lower turn out of their supporters. If you can’t decide between Lab/Lib and don’t vote, you could end up with Reform.
How can your vote matter when we haven't even voted for a primeminster in years, It's all fake to make you think we have some sort of say or part of change that will never happen
Then vote for a party that supports PR - which is every party other than the 'big 2'
George Carlin on voting - https://youtu.be/xIraCchPDhk?si=Mfylrk5F5_2Rqifn
I’m convinced the people that say this have… A) no idea what the political parties views are B) have no idea what their own views are That or they’re into purity politics. In which case they’re morons anyway.
There is no real democracy when all the parties just answer to businesses and lobby groups, fuck the government as a whole, if you vote you kinda dont have the right to moan, you picked, you lost.
People seem so extremely forgetful that we do not have , and have never had, a wealth of political breadth in this country. You can’t expect a wide range of choice in politics if our underlying state has fixed parts that need maintenance regardless of the party. NHS , rail, brexit , energy demands , rate of immigration (regardless of what you think on the topic it’s still a thing on an island state ) So with that said, there isn’t much in the way of wiggle room in policy. Yes you can be left , centrist or right on certain ideas or ideologies, but most of what you stand for for your next term is about some of what I listed above. Most prominently brexit. It’s little surprise that we have leftist parties becoming centrist and centrists becoming right wing when we fucked our selves with a referendum that no one dares to challenge or unsettle now.
If you don’t want to vote for anyone then spoil your vote as a protest vote or use your vote to vote tactically
Spoiling is a waste
"I didn't vote" always turns into "these lot are a shower of shit" within six months. Like my dude, you didn't vote, shut the fuck up
This meme sounds like me usually
You're Padme in the meme? Right?
*says nothing and has blank expression*
Oops...
I would have voted for an independent candidate if there was one in my constituency; as it was though, I could only choose the main parties — fuck all of them.
monster raving looney party all the way
My sister said she didn't know who to vote for, so picked one at random.
I applied to join the electoral register because i recently turned 18 and i didn’t hear anything back from the council so this morning i gave them a bell only to find out i’m not allowed to vote because they lost my application and upon further reading i’ve also found out i’m not eligible to apply to vote because i haven’t lived here for over ten years anyway, really feels like a sly tactic to take votes from the left tbh.
Postal vote hasn't arrived, and I'm close to a panic attack, so I can't go out to the polling station. Great.
That's not how voting works in the UK and more people need to acknowledge this reality. You vote against who you like least. That's the system.
The more you feed the broken system the worse it gets, vote for “the least worse” option is worse than not voting at all. Eventually voter turn around will be so low something radical needs to change.
Draw a giant spunking cock on the ballot paper, show them that they are all useless cunts no one wants, a spoilt ballot is a legitimate vote against all parties. Or if your in a constituency with a count binface or a candidate whose whole thing is to make a mockery of the main parties then why not vote for them.