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Comments on: Whither the idiocracy? http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/08/whither-the-idiocracy/ Trying to make a point Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:21:35 +0000 hourly 1 By: Paranoid Android http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/08/whither-the-idiocracy/#comment-31332 Fri, 25 Aug 2006 07:20:19 +0000 http://www.thesharpener.net/2006/08/24/whither-the-idiocracy/#comment-31332 Getting people involved is always going to be a problem, How many people voted in our last general election? Less than or about half wasn’t it?
I feel this is because there is no real difference twix the partys, especially sonce Labour has moved in on traditional conservative ground. Only when there is something different to vote for (or against) will the turnout improve, as at the moment, it doesn’t matter which bunch of Charlies run the country, the end result is the same.
Like him or loathe him, that is why Hugo Chavez has been elected as often with as much of the vote as he has (upto 80% at one time, i think).

]]> By: Ken Kennedy http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/08/whither-the-idiocracy/#comment-31128 Thu, 24 Aug 2006 19:13:19 +0000 http://www.thesharpener.net/2006/08/24/whither-the-idiocracy/#comment-31128 Having been born and raised in the US and having never lived in the UK, I have little experience with the House of Commons. I have been reading Liadnan’s LiveJournal for quite a while and have been reading here recently. That said, what you’ve talked about here has direct application here in Laramie, WY.

Our Primary Election in Wyoming was on Tuesday. For City Council here, one of the seats up for grabs is one of the at-large seats. I ran this time, as did five other people. Only the top two go on the the General Election in November.

I have a lot of respect for the abilities of our existing mayor, who is one of the people running. However, she has proved to make decisions more based on personal interests than is normal even in this town. The second person who is going on is the husband of one of the other eight Council members.

Having all this fresh in my mind and reading your post makes me think about it. Maybe the problem isn’t who is on Council, but how little most people get involved. Voting in this election was lower than its normal low showing, and few people make their feelings know. Maybe the focus shouldn’t be in making the leaders represent the people better, but in getting the people to take an active interest and try to let their interests be known, both by voting, and by speaking up, instead of grumbling behind their hands.

-ken-

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