We moan and do nothing

Off-Topic Chat
26

You shouldnt be forced to vote as then surely that is no democracy? But i suppose with the "none of the above" that counters that.

Aside from the benefits. One thing that really gripes me is how all of these once state owned companies like utilities, get sold off and these bosses at these companies make huge profits where as the working class get literally shafted and nothing gets done.

The government say they will do something. But deep down nothing will ever happen because there are so dodgy things going on in the background we dont know about. You only have to look at some of these MP's who are millionaires and own £1m appartments in London and have directorships on large companies. Yet these MP's, the very same MP's who say people should go out and work etc are the ones who quite happily claim thousands of pounds on expensives. I mean £3k on a heating bill for the year? Is that really excusable? The same very Torries who said "were all in it together"

What is needed is more down to earth MP's who actually know what is it like to struggle. Surely there is more of a satisfaction of working hard for something then being born with a silver spoon in your mouth like Cameron and Osbourne have.

28

naughty stacey wrote:

Gyrator, Australians have a none of the above button because after you vote once you must vote or face a fine. In England I don't believe that is the case, you can refuse to vote at any time?

Yes, we can abstain from voting. However, I think we should still be given the 'none of the above' option because in this country politicians take a poor turn out to mean apathy, laziness or contentment in the non-voters. Never do they consider it a protest against the lot of them. I have several times voted 'none of the above' which of course only gets counted as a spoilt paper. I went to register my vote even if the electoral system does not register it properly. I am anything but apathetic about politics

What really worries me is that the politicians in this country (along with most in Europe and North America) are living in some form of denial, and encouraging their electorate to live in a similar false paradise as to the indisputable fact that we live in a global market and that, within that market, we have vastly priced ourselves out of a job.

You only need to look around you house to see that practically nothing you have is manufactured outside of Asia. Anything that says "Made in UK" should probably say "screwed together in the UK from bits imported from China". Even the service sector is increasingly using Asia where it can - phone almost any big company (BT for example) and you are dealing with an Indian call-centre. So we all need to ask ourselves what do we do that justifies our very high standard of living when viewed on the international scale? Unfortunately, any politico that might stand up and ask us to contemplate this reality or suggested we needed to contemplate a major readjustment of our expectations to correct this position would have no chance of getting elected because we all want to keep living in our fools paradise.

29

It goes wrong when we pay these mp's the money we do. Give them 30k a year and travel expenses. We then may get your average working class person in power representing the majority of peoe that the vote is supposed to work for.
As for the utility companies what did the mp's do? They said they had to make changing supplier quicker. Well done boys. I say everyone of us should move to the same supplier at the same time. Then the other suppliers will need to do something drastic to stay an active business. Then we may get the competition privatising them was supposed to create.

30

Personally I think it is ridiculous that we have a 4 year system in which one team attempts to ruin the attempts of another, when the goal of all should be to improve the country. I don't think democracy is working at this stage in the game, a new system or different system needs to be implemented.

31

Its actually a 5-year system 8-)= however, given the freedom of the government to call the election at a time to suit them it often seems like a 4 year system. Unfortunately, the first past the post voting system gives rise to negative voting - voting to keep the party you like least out rather than voting to get the party you really want in. Wonderful turf for the more extreme parties to thrive which is what we have had since forever.

32

Stuburns wrote:

Time after time we hear of people complaining about high fuel prices, increasing energy bills, politicians milking the system and numerous other issues that in no way help our lives.
I'm a person that will get involved and email, write my letter, go to council meetings etc and see it as part of a duty to give a voice to try and do something that benefits us all. I have many friends that also raise concerns but never follow through with anything. When asked the response is usually 'nothing will get done' or 'everyone else will sort it'.
It's not complaining for complaining sake it's actually issues that should concern us all. Why do we just happily go along with it but complain in the background. Time people grew a backbone and realise many voices make much more noise. So next time you feel aggrieved write that letter or even pick up the phone. Don't leave it to someone else.

I feel that I should remind the good people of the forum how this post started as I think it has gone somewhat off track.

The whole point was, I think was to stop moaning and do nothing, not about complainting about the system!

I might not like the was the system is, but there are far to many people who sit back and expect someone else to do something.

A good few years ago, was involved as a governor of a school, where it was proposed that an extension be built on our neighbouring school which would be righ up against our school boundry.

Many parents complained about this and said it should be stopped. So the governors sent a letter to the parents of all 240 children at our school, explaining what had been proposed and giving them the details of the planning officer if they wished to object.

You will probably guess, where I am going with this, the planners only received one letter of objection, mine.

It goes without saying that when the planning permisson went though, some of the more vocal parents wanted the governers to resign for allowing it to happen. Which I asked one of the ring leaders if she had wriiten to the planning officer, her reply was that she could not be bothered with that sort of thing.

My point is if you want something to be done, be bothered, don't expect someone else to do it for you and don't blame them when things go wrong.

33

Your right Hampshire Hogg. I will keep moaning and doing nothing as I think the only solution is to break everything and start again, since I am not that kind of person I will complain to ease the stress of the system and crack on doing my best within it.

I agree with your end point though, where you can make a difference without undue suffering do so.

34

A very Apathetic class of people we have become. Made by the very people we vote in who we believe will change things. Just the way they want the country. It's not a democracy that we think we have. 'We' certainly know our place.

35

Hampshire Hogg wrote:

I feel that I should remind the good people of the forum how this post started as I think it has gone somewhat off track.

The whole point was, I think was to stop moaning and do nothing, not about complainting about the system!

Well, a discussion of the system is hardly massively tangential to the topic because, as you will have encountered if you have tried to get things changed, the system is pretty much geared to making your life difficult or ignoring you. As regards planning, the two villages between which I live have been fighting for about 15 years to limit the spread of a development that will totally change the nature of one of the villages. There has been no lack of letter writing, meeting attendance and general badgering of the planning authorities. The place is the sort of small rural community that tends to get pretty active when threatened. However, the builder concerned has basically got everything he wanted including all the extensions to the scheme that were turned down at their original application.

Even attempts to have speed limits on single track lanes around here reduced from 60 to 30 have been repeatedly refused by the council despite numerous accidents to prove the need. The council's last response was to suggest they would lift the 30mph limits on more of the lanes if we kept pushing! Now if that isn't a bit of put-up and shut-up or else blackmail I don't know what is.

And as for mobile phone masts being put up where the residents don't want - tough. They don't actually need planning permission in the way the rest of us have it applied to us. By paying the government for the operating licence the phone companies effectively got blanket permission to erect such masts as they need to exploit the licence. The government sold your right to object for a nice fat fee.

36

Gyrator, can is their any chance you can share that response (suggesting raising the speed limits) by link or directions?

37

This is a very difficult thread. I can see the obvious question, I'm 36 and have never voted in my life, so I don't moan because I know I dont do anything about it.

Russel Brand was ridiculed on Newsnight last week, and know he is a bit of a clown, but he did have a point. That is the way millions of people feel.

38

naughty stacey wrote:

Gyrator, can is their any chance you can share that response (suggesting raising the speed limits) by link or directions?

The response (from the borough or county council - whichever holds jurisdiction over the local speed limits) was reported to me by one of our parish councillors. How it was conveyed to him I don't know but I'll ask.

I should mention that one of our minor victories over the builders/planning office over the destruction of a pond and its surrounding woods as a precursor to an application for planning permission was won by emailing a newspaper about what was about to happen. Thankfully, it was a bit of a slow news day so the paper picked up on it and got an entirely different response out of the council who overnight found that they could put a tree preservation order on the area and prevent the work - a total about-face to the response we got. So I think, as private Joes, using the fourth estate is possibly our most effective weapon.