I had an interesting little chat this afternoon with the rather pleasant duo from NOTA (None Of The Above) who were out leafleting in Norwich North today.
NOTA are something of a rarity in today's political system. They are a small group of people who are prepared to spend a lot of their money in order to publicise and gain support for a principle. That principle is that people ought to vote, rather than not turn out, and that they should be given the option to put vote for "None Of The Above".
I am, of course, a Lib Dem voter, but I have to applaud their courage and their willingness to go out on to the streets and spend their cash in support of a principle. I would urge people to vote on the issues and remember that somebody has to be elected in 8 days time and that choosing a hardworking candidate who really does have the credentials to stand up for their area will serve Norwich North well. I believe April Pond is the person to do this. But if there are people who feel that they don't want to vote for any party at all, they could, perhaps, do worse than to consider the message that NOTA are publicising.
3 comments:
"None of the above" is dishonest.
Anyone who says "none of the above" should be able to answer "Well, what then?". If they can't, they are a waste of space.
I'm afraid too many people aren't prepared to give a little thought to reality in politics so by "none of the above" they really mean "stop the world, I want to get off". They are disappointed because reality means you have to make compromises. What they really want is a candidate who will break the laws of arithmetic and so implement the impossible. They may be disappointed that no-one is proposing huge increases in state services and huge cuts in taxation, but "none of the above" will not cause such a candidate to appear by magic, at least not one who is also an honest person.
One might just possibly suggest some sort of write-in option, which would at least force "none of the above" to give their alternative. But I would suggest that involves a serious second round of nominations, not the ability to write "Mickey Mouse" in a blank space.
Do "None of the above" want to make voting compulsory so they can win through the back door?
Anonymous. The point is they don't want to get elected. They are doing this as a matter of principle to push the idea of there being the option to vote for "None of the Above".
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