more serious stuff I'm afraid

First off, I wish to apologise in advance for any glaring typos but for some reason an increased amount of typing has led to me, in fact, getting worse at it.

Secondly, I had planned to hold off on this until after the election because I do want to encourage voting in this election as it could be the start of some ACTUAL change in how our country works, provided we head off into a hung parliament like the polls suggest. But it couldn't wait. I really wanted to blog.

Because there is a massive problem in how are country is run. Many blame the voting system, and they do have a fantastic point. There are many online gadgets which will show you just how bad a reflection of public opinion the election system is. But that's not it. There are also those that will argue a case that politicians are untrustworthy, thanks to broken promises and various scandals. Well, that's not quite it either, but it's close. No, the biggest problem is something much more widespread, more integral to the system. The problem is the parties themselves. Their very existence. Their dominant role in governing the other people.

OK, let me clarify with this question: When (if) you go to vote tomorrow, who are you voting for? The direct influence of your vote is to push the recipient of your vote one little step closer to representing your local area in parliament. But is this really what you are thinking about when you chose who to vote for? How much do you really know about the person you put an X next to on the ballot paper? The likelihood is that, unless you have chosen an Independent candidate, you don't know anything about the individual, but are choosing based on the party you wish to be in power after all the votes are counted. I guess this in itself is fair enough, there is a logic that if you like the party as a whole, their candidate is going to share the same values.

But this election has thrown up a further issue. Tactical voting. Because there will be places where your chosen party is the least likely to win, and so you may feel encouraged to vote for the party that you least want to win the election as a whole. But then, how is that supposed to represent your beliefs on how you want the country governed? How do you know that in ensuring your choice for Prime Minister is given the greatest chance to succeed, you are not undermining your local area by voting for someone who will not best represent your interests in parliament? That is the problem with partisan politics. It undermines the importance of the local electorate. So much so, in fact, that in this election there has been a quite dramatic shift away from every day MPs going door to door trying to gain the support of the voters. Instead, such campaigning has been left to the prospective leaders-in-waiting in big, showy, organised events to win people over to "the party". Rather Orwellian, really.

So, back to the BIG question. How much do you know about the person you vote for? As has been evident in this election, there has been a slight lack of clarity regarding the intentions of all of the major parties. Now, considering the undoubtedly bad times that are coming regardless of who is elected, it could be understood that the reason for this is that being clear about policies would be a sure-fire way of losing votes. Except, there is a huge indication that, actually, voters are clearly aware that desperate things have to happen, and would appreciate a more specific list of what these will be so that they can choose who will make things easier or safer for them. This was reflected after the first leaders debate when Nick Clegg was shown to be fresh, new and, above all, honest. His popularity rocketed upwards in the polls and suddenly he was a real contender. Sadly, he bottled it somewhat and resorted to the political type. Spineless, shallow and lacking any real answers (I still think he's the best of the three, before you ask, but he really failed to take full advantage to enforce the idea of change). People clearly just want answers. They want to know what they can expect. They want to vote for policies, not people.

The problem is, politicians just treat us like numbers. They see polls going up and down and try and make themselves appeal as much as possible. Until it has led to this "X-Factor" politics. Every politician tries to set themselves apart from this approach but every single one that does is a hypocrite. And that is all anyone will see them as. And so we come to the real problem. Politicians are so driven by the needs of the party, to maintain party image and to ensure the success of the party and; as a result, themselves, that in the end, policies become a minor concern for politicians underneath boosting the image of their party and bashing the others. This isn't politics. This is just an extension of the schoolboy popularity contests that went on in every public school that these politicians came from. Politics has become about individual ego boosting and parties are just another set of establishments that are too concerned about gaining support and power that they neglect thoughts of progression or flexibility in times of crisis. And this is what will bring the country down.

So yes, this is why our voting system should change to some form of proportional representation, because it will mean your vote matters more and it may encourage more importance of local candidates. An opposition to this is that a majority will be impossible in these situations. But surely that is not the point. Surely the point is that parliament should reflect the opinion and wishes of the country. And this country is rarely ever going to have an overwhelming majority all in favour of the same things. It is the diversity of the country that has provided it its greatest progressions. If we had discussion between the full spectrum of political allegiances we may actually get decisions that reflect the opinions of EVERYONE, not just the richest few or those who need more benefits or those who like public services. Everyone. However, the political system today, being driven by party politics as it is, will never see this as they are too busy striving for the power they have so feverishly fantasised about since lying around lonely in their Eton school beds. So bring on a hung parliament. And screw party lines. We're in charge, make your politicians think about their people first and their own ego trips second.

"So what's the solution?" I hear you scream... well the 6 of you that may read this. But the problem is solutions mean nothing if the people that need to implement it on our behalf are not going to do it if it means disrupting their comfortable, cushy party positions. But the ideal situation would be scrapping political parties and having individuals running for policies that reflect their local area in the national parliament. After this, an impartial arbitrator is elected to direct proceedings in the event of national emergencies whilst having no influence on policy or decisions. Its not perfect yet, I'm still working on it. But anything that will limit any power driven organisations and encourage equal deliberation on the processes of government. That way, the politicians will actually be working for us, rather than us having to choose the best of, quite frankly, an awful bunch.

As for tomorrow, I dunno, vote for whoever. I'm not sure it will make a lot of difference in the long run. The most important thing is to keep involved. If things aren't how you want them, bug your MP, bug your politicians. You voted, make sure you get your vote's worth. If enough people do this then they will realise they have to change. Properly, not just the hollow promise of 'change' that the parties are fighting over the rights to at the moment. And maybe we can get what WE want for once.