Tuesday 20 August 2019

Is Voting Enough?

In days of yore, when we had elections and referenda, the people voted and the winning vote won the days and the outcome was enacted. Either the party that won most votes got into power, or the winning majority in a referendum had their side of the argument enacted.

But not now it seems.

These days, it seems that everything is fluid.

On referenda: Brexit didn't carry the day, the voters didn't know what they were voting for, it's only advisory... etc.

On general elections: elected MPs can change parties with impunity even to a party with a manifesto in complete opposition to the one they were voted into office on and still stay as an MP without triggering a bye-election.

It seems the ordinary people doing the voting don't count. The votes don't matter.

So is voting enough? Do we have to do something besides voting in order to underpin our democratic decision?

Are Parliament forcing the hand of the people by ignoring the will of the people?

I  leave it to you dear reader as to what that "something else" is besides voting. Whether it's activism, protesting or direct violence against those that deny democracy, I can't say.

But, it seems that something in addition to voting is now necessary in order to enforce the result of a public vote.

We truly do live in unprecedented times. Very certainly post-democratic ones.

Unless we do more than "just" vote.....

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