NO VOTE 2010

NO CHOICE. NO VOICE. NO VOTE!

The 2010 election marks a new low in British politics.

There are no real differences between the major parties and they have no new, good or big ideas.

From the financial crisis to the expenses scandals and the epic failure to face up to climate change, it could not be clearer that the current political class do not represent us or share our concerns.

Most people now find themselves in the difficult position of not knowing who to vote for or even why they should bother to vote at all.

This is not democracy. Every election that is held supports the illusion, the facade of democracy that our politics has become. Its time to stop supporting this.

We want to be political and to support democracy, but can't bring ourselves to vote for the pitiful parties and pathetic politicians that we have at the moment.

Thankfully, there is a solution and its in our hands: DON'T VOTE.

Democracy should be about more than choosing the least bad option and it's time to tell politicians that we will only vote if we have something worth voting for.

This is not about changing the outcome of one election - it barely matters which party wins anyway. Rather, this is about changing the very landscape, language and practice of politics.

This is about reclaiming democracy. This is about rejecting a political system that only serves the political class and clearing the ground for new parties, new politicians and new policies.

This is about showing them that it is US who are in charge. At the moment politicians make many of us feel like they have the power and we are powerless. But power is something that isn't owned by anyone. We need to realise that it is us who have the power and we need to find a way to use it well.

To use our power, to feel free again and to and really make a difference, join with us and don't vote in 2010.

To find out more, follow the links at the side of the page which answer these questions.




WHAT?
No Vote 2010
Campaigning for the Lowest Turnout in UK History.

WHY?

No Choice. No Voice. No Vote.

This is not Democracy

WHY NOW?

Enough is Enough.
The crisis of our democracy and of our politics is now clearer than ever.

HOW?
Simple.
Don't Vote.

WHO?

YOU, and US. The extra parliamentary opposition is organising the No Vote 2010 campaign. Anyone can join. Will you use your power to make change a reality?

Q & A
Not voting is a new and powerful idea, understandably many people have questions.
Here we provide the answers.

- a communique of -

 - The Extra Parliamentary Opposition -

WHAT: No Vote 2010 - Campaigning for the lowest turnout in British History

The 2010 Election puts most of us in a quandary. We want to support democracy but can't bring ourselves to vote for any of the useless parties that are on offer.

Thankfully there is a solution and its in our hands:  Don't Vote.

We are aiming to get the lowest ever turnout in a British general election.

The record low turnout  is 59.4% in 2001.

We think that so many people are so fed up with the current way that politics is done in this country - and around the world - that we have every chance of breaking this record.

We are aiming to get under 50% turnout.

This would mean that less than half of the electorate voted and that any government formed could not claim to represent the people or the country.

This would make the crisis of our current system clear to everyone.

This would make it very clear that we need change. Real change. Root and branch reform.

A change to the very political system itself. A clearing out of the current politicians. The chance for new parties to be formed, for new politicians of a new kind to emerge.

Most importantly it would put people back in power. It would put us back in charge. It would give us all the chance to reconnect with politics and to create the kind of communities, societies and governments that we want and that serve us.

One of the many things that the main parties have in common is that they all tell us that we should vote.
Its time to tell them that we will only vote if we have something to vote for.

Reject all the current parties and their greed. Reject the current system.
Reject the self-serving media. Use  your power.

Don't Vote 2010.

- a communique of -

- The Extra Parliamentary Opposition -

WHY: No Choice. No Voice. NO VOTE!

As the next general election comes closer and closer, it becomes clearer and clearer that we have a major political problem. 

Most people now find themselves in the difficult position of not knowing who to vote for or why they should even bother to vote at all.


It's time to change this, time to make something positive from this bad situation. 
If we have no choice and no voice, then we won't vote.

NO CHOICE

There are no real differences between the major parties and they have no new, good or big ideas. Apart from the media spin, it is difficult to tell the difference between the parties as they have all converged around a soulless, visionless set of ideas that serve no one but themselves and their cronies. They seem incapable of finding a way out of the trap that they have made for themselves and seem unable to give real reasons why they should have our votes and why they should be in power. 

The parties and the media don't allow new voices to be heard or new ideas or parties to come forward. And all this is done in the name of democracy. 

NO VOICE

None of the parties seem to represent us or our ideas, desires, hopes and dreams. 

The politicians seem lost in the unreal world of Westminster, where all that matters is the next media soundbite or expenses claim. They seem further away than ever and once they have our votes they don't care what we think. 


From the financial crisis to the expenses scandals and the epic failure to face up to climate change, it could not be clearer that the current political class do not represent us or share our concerns. 

NO VOTE!

Many brave people around the world have fought and died to defend democracy. They must be spinning in their graves when they see what our politicians have done with the fruits of their sacrifice. 

Democracy should be about more than choosing the least bad option and it's time to tell politicians that we will only vote if we have something worth voting for. 

THE SOLUTION IS IN OUR HANDS. DON'T VOTE IN 2010. 

This is not about changing the outcome of one election - it barely matters which party wins anyway. Rather, this is about changing the very landscape, language and practice of politics.

This is about reclaiming democracy. This is about rejecting a political system that only serves the political class and clearing the ground for new parties, new politicians and new policies.


This is about using our power and turning our anger and apathy into a potent political weapon. Use your anger. 


Use your apathy. Use your power and make real change happen.

WHY NOW: The crisis of our politics and democracy has never been clearer. Enough is Enough

The 2010 Election marks a new low in British Politics.

Most people find themselves in the difficult position of not knowing who to vote for or even why they should bother to vote at all.

If it seems hard to tell the difference between the policies of the major parties, it is because they all represent the same small group of people and their interests. It has become increasingly clear that once they have our vote, the current group of parties and politicians don't care about us or our opinions.

In the last few years we have seen governments around the world pick our pockets to pay the bankers.

All the major parties, including those like Labour who pretended to be on the left, put profits before people. Our politicians have the nerve to tell us that this is all for our own good, while continuing to pocket huge expenses and live comfortably in first, second and third homes.

A self-serving media generates scandal when they need to sell papers or boost viewing figures and then gets back in bed with the major parties. The media doesn't listen to us and the politicians only listen to the media and themselves. The media is failing in holding politicians to account and failing to allow the voices of us, the people, to be heard.

In Britain we have seen billions that could be spent on healthcare or schools going to line the pockets of the very people who have caused the latest crisis. Even in the so-called good times, we have seen poverty going up, massive increases in personal debt as people desperately try to keep up with the celebrity lifestyle that we are all supposed to want. In this society fixated on luxury goods, we still force people to sleep on the streets. Those of us lucky enough to have a roof over our heads are forced to work harder and harder for less and less, with the threat of unemployment and the cutthroat competition of the 'flexible' labour market forcing us to accept ever more precarious and unfavourable conditions of employment.

No party is committed to really dealing with the environmental challenges that we face nor to tackling poverty at home and abroad. No party is committed to helping us create communities, societies and governments that help us to live the kind of lives that we want to live - instead they are happy to impose a system that doesn't work for us and only serves them.

It is time for a real change. 

It is time to clear the ground for a new kind of politics and to allow new parties and new politicians to emerge.

Its time to put people first and make the state serve us.

It is time to stop them getting away with it. 
Its time to take back politics for us. 

Labour have sold out their principles and sold us down the river. They have shown themselves to be incompetent, sleazy and now they look exhausted, dead on their feet.

The Tories, led by the very privileged, public school elite who benefit from the current arrangements will only continue down the same path and probably make it more vicious than ever.

The Liberal Democrats barely seem to know what they stand for. Knowing that they won't get elected should have emboldened them to actually come up with some radically different policies. It didn't. They stand for the same system as Labour and the Tories.

The Greens do have some good ideas, but they don't have the quality of people to put up a decent slate of candidates, let alone form a competent government.

The three main parties have a huge amount in common - a huge amount of bad things. One of these is that they all tell us to vote as if it were our duty.

Its time to tell them that if there is nothing worth voting for, then we will not vote.
Democracy should be about more than choosing the least bad option.

If we think back to our history where people have fought and died to defend democracy, it is disgraceful to think that this is what we have to show for it.

We need to clear the ground and clear them out.

Don't Vote in 2010

-The Extra Parliamentary Opposition-

N o
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V oice
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HOW: Use your power to make change happen

One of the Beauties of NoVote 2010 is its simplicity.

At the basic level, all you have to do is not vote.

This sends the very clear message that you reject the current system of politics that we have and that you reject the current parties and politicians as a cheap facade of democracy.

It sends a message that you want real democracy, that you want real politics and are not willing to make the current sham look legitimate.

If we get a turnout of less than 50% any government that is formed cannot claim to represent the people or the country. It will essentially be illegitimate and this will provoke the process of change, putting us back in power and reconnecting people with politics.

Once you understand the logic of not voting in 2010, we hope that you will also persuade others to do the same. Engage people in discussion, help them to see how not voting can be the first step to taking back ourt power, our government and our lives.

Anything that you can do to help organise the campaign and spread the word is greatly appreciated.

Send links to the blog and to the facebook group to all your friends and contacts.

blog: http://novote2010.blogspot.com/

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=241367826673&ref=ts

Organise meetings, demonstrations, media events (if you can get them to listen) - anything that you think will help spread the message and help to get people involved in the extra parliamentary opposition

WHO: YOU & US. TOGETHER. Join The Extra Parliamentary Opposition and Make Your Voice Heard

The ExtraParliamentary Opposition (EPO) is a group of (extra) ordinary people who committed to politics and to democracy but are totally fed up with the current state of politics, the current parties and the current politicians. Fed up with the lies, the greed, the self-serving elite who represent only the wealthy few and their interests, the sheer lack of difference between the parties, the lack of big ideas, the lack of good ideas or the ability to carry them out. Fed up with a system that tells us it is our duty to vote when there is nothing worth voting for.

This is a movement from below. A movement of us, the people, against them, the greedy, corrupt and unaccountably powerful. We are sick of being let down by our so called leaders and by those who play at politics within the current systems.

The EPO is the driving force behind the Don't Vote 2010 Campaign that is aiming to organise the lowest turnout in British electoral history. This campaign comes from our disgust at the current state of affairs, locally and globally and a realisation that current political channels offer no hope of meaningful change.

The EPO rejects the electoral and party political system.
The EPO is about escaping the trap of our current politics, about going outside the current channels. The EPO is about making our voices heard, about clearing the ground and creating a space for real democracy.

The time has come to act. We want to send a message to the current political elite that they do not represent us; that their parties are outdated and irrelevant; that the current confusion between elections and democracy is unacceptable.

We think that most of the country finds themselves in the same quandary that we do. We want to be political, we want our voices to be heard, but the current system leaves us with we have no other way of making that happen. The current politicians and media only talk to themselves and only care about us when they want us to buy something or use our power for their ends. Enough is Enough.

This is not about affecting the party political outcome of the 2010 general election – it barely matters which party wins anyway – but rather about changing the landscape, language and practice of politics in the UK and beyond. This is about putting people back in charge. This is about getting together to make a difference. This is about showing them that it is us who is in charge. 

Don't play their game. Don't Vote. 
Join the ExtraParliamentary Opposition

No Vote 2010. 

-a communique of -

 - The ExtraParliamentary Opposition -

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Why Not Voting is the best Option

Because not voting goes against everything that we have been taught, everything that our current politicians demand of us, we understand that it is an idea that makes people nervous and we have all had a lot of questions about it. Here we answer some of the most common ones and welcome more questions from you in person, on this blog or on the facebook site. 

Isn't it better to spoil your paper?

NO! This shows a participation in the election and consequently a support for the current political system, even if it does show a disenchantment with the current parties. The change that we want to make is bigger than just changing the parties. It is about re-making politics itself and bringing democracy back from the dead. To do this, we need to join with those who are excluded from the current system, those who have already realised that participating in elections supports this facade and those for whom politics has come to seem irrelevant.

Isn't this just more apathy, not democracy?

YES! But in the original, Greek sense of apatheia - mastery of the self, taking back control of our lives and rejecting the current political controls that limit our lives.  There is a reason that so many people don't vote anyway. This is about realising that so many of us have been cut out of politics, removed from the process of shaping our societies and about changing that. This is about activating apathy and turning it into a potent political weapon. We think that in fact there is little difference between those who have become disenchanted with our politics and those who never engaged with it in the first place

Why aren't you running candidates in the election?

This would participate in the current system without offering the possibility of making real change. It would be yet another passing outrage, yet another ineffective protest. Because of the way that the big parties currently dominate our system, independent candidates in just a few locations can't make a difference. The current system precludes the election of large numbers of independent candidates. It is also an indication of how flawed our current system is that to get elected you need media exposure and to do this, you need money. We reject this politics of the privileged and demand a deeper reform, a revolution of our political system and culture.

How is the EPO funded?


We aren't. This is a grass roots, bottom-up organisation of the people, by the people, for the people.
We reject the idea that you should need money to make your voice heard. We work on the basis of voluntary labour provided by each of us, combining our different skills and talents to make this campaign work. To make change a reality. The more of us their are, the easier this gets. We need you, so think what you can give.




Won't a low turnout let the lunatics in?

NO. There are far more committed supporters of the Tories and Labour than there are of the BNP and their like. These people will vote anyway, wither because they are part of the minority that benefits from the current system or because they have believed the media spin, the hype and the lies. Even with a very low turnout, the illegitimate government that would be formed would not be composed of fringe parties.

Also, democracy should not be about banning ideas, it should be about discussing them and deciding which are best. The weakness of our current democracy has been shown by the furore around even giving the BNP a seat in front of the Kangaroo Court of Question Time. If our politicians were really confident that their ideas were good ones, they would let them compete with all other views in the court of public opinion.

Furthermore, from where we stand, it seems as though it is the lunatics who are already in. It's time to get them out.


How will not voting lead to change?


We are aiming to get the lowest ever turnout in a British general election. The current record low is 59.4% in 2001. We think that so many people are so fed up with the current way that politics is done in this country - and around the world - that we have every chance of breaking this record.

We are aiming to get under 50% turnout. This would mean that less than half the electorate voted and that any government formed after such an election could not claim to represent the people or the country.

This would make the crisis of our current system clear to everyone. We believe that people want democracy and that they won't stand for illegitimate government. We believe that such a result would make it very clear that we need change. Real Change. Root and branch reform. Change to the very political system itself, a clearing out of the current politicians and a chance for new parties, groupings and organisations to emerge.

This is about tearing away the facade of democracy that we are presented with and re-making our politics, society, communities and government in a genuinely democratic way. A way that involves all of us and serves all of us.