 |
| Taken from The Guardian: http://bit.ly/1BVBboc |
Today the Dissolution of Parliament takes place, which signals the official start of the General Election.
And that means we have exactly 38 days until Polling Day.
May 7th is practically right around the corner. And come Election day, you will have a choice; to vote for the party that best represents you.
You will have the choice that people in some parts of the world are still fighting for.
I frequently hear people saying "oh but all Politicians are liars." Fine, fair enough you don't believe them. I'm not forcing you to. But what some of you may not realise is you have the power to change Politics.
Voting doesn't just put someone else in power. It hands the power back to you. So it is your job to use this power wisely, and one of the ways you can do that is by doing your research (see below).
May last year, I wrote a post about a very similar subject, but for the Local & European Elections. This fish is much, much bigger. This election will determine how the next 5 years pan out - with you in power, or with yet another Politician clutching at his pride & privileges.
Your vote changes everything. Dan Jellinek wrote an impressive book (People Power: A User's Guide to Democracy - a recommended read for an intro to Politics in the UK) about this very topic. in which he says
"...not to vote? That is to vastly overreact to whatever anger people might have about Politicians - like burning down a house because you don't like the furniture in it. And not just any old house: the one in which all of us live and, we had better hope, the only one in which we will ever live."
We always here people complaining about things: about how stressful their lives are, about how they're struggling to make ends meet, about how much support their business is lacking.
Instead of complaining, why don't you do something about it? Complaining is easy, taking action is difficult. If you don't want to take any action, then don't complain.
Putting aside the fact that our ancestors fought for this very action - from the Suffragettes to soldiers and armies of people. Forgetting that people in countries that we hear about in the news (Egypt, Ukraine, to name a few), are constantly fighting and dying for this very basic freedom, in what seems to be a never-ending conflict. Forget that our battles against terrorist groups all over the world and the complete violation of basic human rights is a plight for countless citizens all because they are denied the basic right to vote.
Forget all that.
Because Politicians are just liars, aren't they?
Apathetic is the worst thing you can be when it comes to voting. Your vote doesn't just select what government goes into power, but it also shapes the next 5 years of this country.
So pick the Party that is best suited to you. One you feel will listen to you. A Party where you can get involved and influence the decisions it takes.
Manifestos haven't been published as yet, but you can find out which party is best suited for you by looking through their websites.
The team over at isidewith.com have created a handy little quiz to help you with the selection process: https://uk.isidewith.com/political-quiz
Or, you can wonder over on to https://voteforpolicies.org.uk/ if you'd rather choose based on the policies that matter to you.
You can always email us at highlyopinionatedblog@gmail.com, or Tweet us @HighlyO for more advice, tips, and answers on any political questions. We're happy to help!
If you don't vote, those who always vote for the same Party will continue to do so, and you'll end up with a Party in power that you absolutely hate, rather than tolerate.
A final note, be sure to Register to Vote by 20th April to make sure you can actually stroll on down to that polling station and pop your ballot paper into the box!
Happy Voting.
