I was recently outed at a party. No, not that way.
I was in full swing about the corporations again, when The Baker entered the conversation in his mischeivous way with 'But guess what Comrade Crushed does for a living?'
I then had to explain that yes, I did indeed work as a paid up hireling for the corporate fat cats.
but no, The Baker was not finished...
'Guess who Crushed votes for?'
Oh dear.
And of course, it's true. Always have done. Why?
Because the revolution hasn't happened, we still live in the Capitalist system. Dog eat dog. And until then, I do what I have to do to survive. And that means voting Tory.
One person said 'It's like that bit in Quadrophenia where he sees Sting working for the hotel...'
Fact is, I don't see the voting as changing much. This isn't a REAL democracy. We don't REALLY vote to choose people to represent us in a real debating chamber.
We decide which of the two teams looks most competent and is going to make our INDIVIDUAL lives better. Choosing between party policies, is like choosing a mortgage. Which one suits your circumstances?
Party politics keeps the system controlled from above. People power cannot break it- they only allowed Universal Manhood Suffrage AFTER the party system was solid enough to harnass it, to keep the voter in his camps. They let parties in by agreement, when they get big enough, to make sure the legislature looks balanced, SEEMS like it represents us. But it's heavily organised.
Votes in it are streamlined, remember. Vote against your party, lose the whip. Lose the whip, you lose your seat- or that's the risk your 'elected' member takes.
Democracy? Hah!
They just rotate the teams when the people tire of them. They're the same team really, just one has policies that put more money in my bank, one has policies put more money in yours. Nothing REAL ever changes, most of the REAL legislation is made up by salaried officials and would be passed whoever was in. Most of the rest is packaging.
Fact is, how do we even know the votes that show up at the count are EXACTLY the same ones left the polling station. Oh, we are told it's fraudproof, and I'm sure many of you will swear blind it is, but I have my doubts. Look at the last Scottish Election- 4% of the votes 'lost'.
So for now, since they're at least pretending to ask me, and no one actually sees me do it (notice how polls always understimate Tory support- people don't like to admitting for voting for them, because we know its pure selfishness), for the simple reason, I might get to pay less tax.
No other reason.
How COULD there be? LOOK at them.
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16 comments:
We really are at a time, it seems, of strategic voting (although I don't know if it really has ever been any different).
It is hard to decided whether to vote for who you want to win, vote against who you want to lose, or pull out some other random strategy to try and achieve the best end.
Then again, I don't know if I've ever voted for a winner!
We all need friends like that, to make sure the bullshit levels stay at tolerable :)
Bwah ha! I love the way the baker bought you down. There's nothing good about being shot down, but friends have a damn good way of making you see yourself from others eyes.
Lower tax is an honourable aim. It is about removing power from permanent vested interests within government machinery.
Rather like people bemoaning that the quest for oil was behind the invasion of Iraq - isn't oil the lifeblood that enables our freedoms and standards of living ?
These things are far to complex to dismiss as 'selfish'.
The misuse and theft of taxpayers' money is at the root of all our social ills - it enables the undeserving to thrive and abuse whilst demotivating those who are thrifty and productive.
From law and order to transport you will find misuse of taxes at the root of all our problems.
If we want democracy back, then at some point we are going to have to refuse to pay tax - council tax being the major one as at least we have some control over this. BBC licence fee (a propogandist monolith) being another.
A mate of mine used to love telling people I was a Tory - he did it whenever he wanted to "get" at me. It was terribly unfashionable in late 90s Manchester.
Holding the laurels over your head and instead of "memento mori," it’s “Guess who Crushed votes for?” - or possibly, more prosaically just dropping you in it?
But isn’t it usually a case of voting for the ones you feel will do the least harm this time round, or you object to the least. I know if they had a ‘none of the above’ choice, they would probably get my vote most times.
Maybe I should change my name by deed pole to None Of The Above Esq. and run for Parliament… Then I suppose I would have to employ someone to comb my hair and shave me - on account of not being able to look myself in the face in the mirror.
I agree that it doesn't make any difference. Over here, they move votes (like the army ones) into whichever constituent they need to win, or, they draw up the constituency differently each time to make sure they get a majority in each. (I just heard the news that even over here, ppl are suddenly waking up about democracy - there was a protest last week, the first I've ever heard of... but it's hard, since the law here says something like you can technically be charged for 'illegal assembly' if there are more than 10 of you in one place). I'm not registered to vote. ;-)
Princess P- Well, being frank, I tend to vote against who I want to lose. I've voted some strange ways. I'm quite tactical a voter.
The best end, to me is surviving ion this awful society we live in. That doesn't mean voting for my ideals- not that I could anyway. No party represents them.
Betty- Its partly why I trust him with the URL to this blog. He doesn't need to read it- and doesn't-, he's heard it all anyway, but knowing he could, at least keeps it honest.
I trust few RL people that way. Preserving boundaries between blogging and RL is something I worry a lot about.
Phish- Oh, he knows what I think. He knows I completely despise the party I vote for.
He also knows I'm quite an embittered realist, who has no time for illusions.
E-K- Yes, it stands it is. I don't like much of the Tory ethos, I don't really like it's ethics, but it's a part of an unethical system, so we do what we can.
I agree with you on refusing to pay taxes.
What I'd REAALY rather see, would be a total General strike- of all of US, the, suited as well as the unsuited, the lawyer, the salesman, the traon driver, the lot.
F**k em. You lot, you who own the world, run it. Go on. On your own.
We're staying at home till you offer us something decent.
Ed- All my mates vote Tory, or most do. Everyone knows how ashamed I am of doing so.
Phil- Oh, when it comes to dropping you in it, my other best mate is better qualified. He doesn't even think. NEVER talk to a girl, if there's an outside danger of him appearing in the conversation...
Eve- Its a good principle, but what we have isn't it.
It's a sham.
I actually ALWAYS vote. It makes me feel I have some say.
Good to see you do some wicked things like capitalism too. By the way, love that Women arenot Decorations, complete with decorations.
I have often voted tory as well and am very likely to next time...
shit I am a useless bastard.
Well the Tories are a load of bastards and they don't know WHAT they want about Europe but at least they're not hammering on about absolutely pointless ID cards, don't want to install even MORE road cameras to fine people even MORE for speeding as all NORMAL people do, didn't BAN PROTESTS near parliament just because they're embarrassed about them and aren't basically utterly PATHETIC like new Labour are I honestly cannot vote for any party now because they're all a load of shite. The Tories did far more for this country in their 14 years or whatever it was than Labour have so far done in their 10. At least they got Britain working again - a country of enterprise even if their vision WAS of a halfbaked version of America... I've basically given up voting as I don't want to be responsible for any bastard getting in. Let's face it they say "vote for me I will change your life etc etc etc" they never say "vote for me I will pass loads of useless laws and ORDER YOU AROUND AND TELL YOU WHAT TO DO!"
When I'm rich and famous also I don't want no pathetic 50% Lib Dem top rate tax that is a disgusting idea. Low taxes for all! That is what I say. And don't waste billions on Iraq!!
Ghandi said "You must be the change"
Goodness me, you are supposed to be a socialist at your age.
You are quite right about rotating the teams when people tire of them.
This is Canadian politics to a tee. Two main parties crowded in the centre, one slightly to the left, one to the right and we turf one out when we are fed up with the party in power profligately wasting our tax dollars and giving all the lucrative contracts to their friends. Usually we are voting against some party rather than for one.
Then we have two other lesser parties who will never have power at the federal level, the socialists and the "separatists" although sometimes they hold the power of keeping a minority government going, as now.
Pretty dull stuff here.
I’ll be voting against:
Against ID Cards. Against some lying so-and-so who breaks their word on a referendum. Against increased taxes on alcohol and anything else the puritanical authoritarian so-and-sos disapprove of. Against the drivers stealth tax road pricing. Against the total surveillance society. Etc.
James- Yes, but I do feel guilty sometimes. It's slightly amoral, I think.
I AM living a lie.
Gledwood- To be honest, I feel like that. They are all nasty little hirelings of the corporations who tell us what we want to hear whilst taking away further freedoms.
Poody- It takes all of us, I think. We all need to start standing up and being counted.
jmb- Economically, I'm a Marxist- just that the theory ACTUALLY says, the revolution will happen when Capitalism dies. Tory governments speed up the process, I think, by bringing Capitalism to an end sooner. Or at least, that's what I tell myself.
They argue over details,. The real issues are NEVER discussed. They hide them.
For example, they argue about immigration, but never discuss WHY it happens.
Phil- That's pretty much how I base my voting.
Which is why I end up holding my nose and voting Tory
Very honest post, Crushed. A headmaster I worked for as a young teacher once told me that "You can't, sadly, live your life according to your principles in a society founded on different ones."
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