X - My contribution to politics

Today was voting day --whoopdeydo!

It was a tad confusing to say the least. In Wales we have about three times more things to vote for because we have the Welsh Assembly and various other political forces at work which can make putting a cross in a box (or in our case two crosses on two seperate sheets) that little bit more difficult- so if you find voting a bit confusing bear a thought for us...unless you are welsh (and there's a decent chance you are) then you know what I mean.

I always try and take elections as seriously as possible, though it's never easy - I tend to eliminate the one's I know I won't vote for like BNP, Communists (though they do have good policies) and the Monster Raving Lo...I mean UKIP! Once there's a group of candidates with policies I can see are beneficial it all becomes a war for each one to discredit the other, so I find it's easiest to ignore the manifesto promises and look at who would be the best choice for my local constituency since that is going to make the most impact on me

The trouble is that there's a whole load of different elections with a whole load of different issues at stake, and I'm still getting used to the whole idea. I do however think that voting is important and not doing it, as many do, is how the evil controlling fascist societies of pretty much every science fiction film will get into power 'cause one day maybe no one will care. I guess what's also important is to take an interest and to follow it up and make sure the elect keep their promises.

The human footprint a show documenting the impact of one human being on the planet made an interesting point in that if you just vote and take no interest then your collective contribution to democracy over your lifetime will consist of a piece of graffite about an inch long! And whining about policies, sending angry letters to your councillor and even going on the odd march are key factors in sustaining true democracy - as one man out it "bellyaching is the cornerstone of democracy"

Anyway so these are my experiences and (ignorant, uninformed and overly opinionated no doubt) thoughts on voting in Britain today. Have fun with it folks

XXX