Posts Tagged law

Compulsary voting?

March 24, 2008 at 1:13 pm · Filed under Politics, Random Rants, society ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

From the Guardian:

‘A significant overhaul of electoral legislation to give voters a second vote, open polling stations at weekends and make it compulsory to participate is being proposed by the government to increase turnout and improve the legitimacy of the Commons.’

Let me paraphrase that. The most important and shocking section of that paragraph is the ‘ compulsory to participate’ . This means under the new voting system in the UK, people over 18 will be forced to vote.

This is ridiculous for many reasons. Voting is an essential part of a healthy democracy. Voting is a choice – a conscious, political, voluntary participation. If people don’t want to vote – that’s their decision. Choice is freedom. So forcing what should be a choice upon people contradicts the purpose of a democracy – freedom and choice.

This new voting system would be like the death penalty for attempted suicide – in essence, while they are supposedly trying to bring back democracy, they are actually destroying it. It is a political paradox.

Like fucking for virginity, these radical changes will be futile and stupid. That is what this new voting system is like. The traditional voting system works because people who want change choose to vote. Those who aren’t bothered don’t. And the people who don’t vote are usually not politically opinionated, so would be a bad electorate to be made to vote – people who aren’t interested with the government or don’t like any of the candidates simply don’t want to vote – and that’s obvious. Making people vote is insulting to democracy.

Perhaps they should put more effort in to what the people want rather than going ahead with frankly retarded ideas like this without asking for the People’s views on it. The People giving their views is democratic and is what should separate our country from dictatorships in which the government makes unwanted and unnecessary changes.

I oppose this new plan. It’s not realistic and it’s definitely not democratic. VOTING IS VOLUNTARY.

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White House says that Congress is ‘giving into’ left-wing bloggers who oppose torture.

February 16, 2008 at 10:29 am · Filed under Politics ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A recent poll showed that 68 percent of Americans said water-boarding was torture. And that result is from CNN, a particularly right wing corporation. Imagine all the people who do not participate in CNN surveys. I expect the result would be even higher than 68 percent in that case.

The senate have recently passed legislation to ban water-boarding, regardless of Bush saying he will veto the vote, on his usual, pathetic, lazy stance that it will encourage ‘terrorism’. Yes, because kidnapping, arresting, then illegally torturing foreigners (and Americans) without fair trials is keeping terrorism down. Well done Bush, you ignorant liar.

Bush also said that they are placing to much trust in the intelligence ‘community’, by placing their trust into the hands of left-wingers. Of course! How silly and solipsistic it is to trust people who believe in equal rights, habeas corpus, and the constitution…

Another recent line of Bush is:

‘The American people will find it baffling that on a day that House leaders are trying to put off passing critical legislation to keep us safer from the threat of foreign terrorists overseas, they are spending scarce time to become the first congress in history to bring contempt charges against a president’s chief of staff and lawyer’

No, Bush, the American people will finding baffling in the future, to think that someone as authoritarian and evil as you could get into power. That’s the confusing part.

57 percent of likely voters also oppose telecom immunity. In a real democracy, the majority call goes through. But the USA is not under a democracy. It is under despotism.

I can’t wait for Bush to get out of power. The world is getting tired of his ridiculous, irrational decisions and comments. Obama will be a breath of fresh air for the world if he comes into presidency, because the statue of liberty must be pretty depressed right now.

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Some opinions of mine on anarchist theory.

January 30, 2008 at 9:32 pm · Filed under Politics, society ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Anarchism is quite a gray area at the moment. Over the centuries there have been many famous anarchists, all with differing philosophies and opinions (schools of thought). Anarchism also has many ‘denominations’ – anarcho-syndicalism, anarcho-communism, anarcho-socialism, green anarchism, anarcha-feminism, and the rather controversial anarcho-capitalism, to name just a few.

Personally, I feel that anarchism aims not just for abolition of the state, but abolition of hierarchy, authority, inequality, and injustice. It aims to be a socio-political ideology that will end the current class struggle.

At present, the working class are exploited under a capitalist system. They are used, and abused, to benefit the upper classes. While families are working away, struggling to feed their children, the upper classes are getting the fruit of their labor. Anarchist theory suggests that people should work together, to help each other, and to be overall, more self-sufficient.

People often attack anarchism, as I quote from a comment on my blog, ‘People [would be] running rampant and deciding whatever it is they please’. While it is true that people would do what they want, an anarchist society aims to be a community, rather then the current affair of the consumerist, workaholic nightmare we live in. I feel that in a place without ‘the state’, people would learn to live together peacefully; to make use of everyone’s abilities and strengths to build a better place.

In regards to being shot in the back of the head, because of there being, obviously, no laws (although there may be guidelines and/or loose rules in some anarchist societies), murder is often a fundamental bi-product of having to live in a capitalist society, and under coercion and oppression. Murders are often (if not always) crimes of passion, and the killers often do not think of the consequences, so having laws put in place does not stop murder at all. In fact, one will find, that in places with more liberal policies – libertarian states – there are often much fewer murders. This could be because the pressures of harsh capitalism are not there, or at least a lot less. With less stress and pressure, people often learn to deal with their anger, if they have still have their anger and frustration at all.

While all this may sound Utopian. As one of the comments below have stated, we must not lose sense of reality. For the time being, I do not believe it is necessary for us to live in an anarchist society, merely a libertarian society. Anarchy has not really been tried properly, but I would say a society without oppressive government coercion is a lot better then one with. I believe that without government, war would end; the class struggle would end, and exploitation would virtually cease.

Obviously, you should make up your own mind. This is just what I feel, but I encourage you to think about it, and question some of your own preconceptions.

Thanks a lot,

Joe. [liberty-erosion]

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SOCPA Section 132 – 138: Destroying the right to protest

January 29, 2008 at 8:37 pm · Filed under Politics, Random Rants, society ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I am writing to demand democracy in England. To get back our right to protest, which has been mindlessly, tyrannically stripped away under section 132-138 of the Serious Organized Crimes and Police Act of 2005 (socpa).

Section 132-138 effectively remove the right to spontaneous protest. These sections silence dissent and opposition, and are a disgrace to what we once called a democracy.

These sections of Socpa (or ’so-crap’ as it is often called) make spontaneous protest within a kilometer of parliament square illegal – meaning Downing Street (home of the Prime Minister), Whitehall, Westminster Abbey, Scotland Yard, the Middlesex guildhall, and the home office. But most outrageously, this area covers Trafalgar Square – the area where protesters have got their views across for years and fought fiercely for their rights there. But now, it is illegal to protest in these areas. It is illegal to protest without permission of the police, rendering democracy useless. Having to get permission to protest is an insult.

The horrible thing is, not only does this silence dissent, but if one chooses to protest without ‘permission’ within a kilometer of parliament square, then you can be arrested and imprisoned for 51 weeks.

I am sickened by this act. It is dictatorial and goes against everything the UK once stood for. An explicit attack on our civil liberties, under the common pretext of ‘fighting terrorism’. The freedom to protest has never provoked terrorism. Before the act, terrorism was not a large problem in the UK, and the government know it. But they are adamant on controlling us and repressing the public.

Socpa needs to be re-written with section 132-138 completely removed. And we need to fight, even if it protesting is illegal and punishable, for it’s removal. It is a sorry state of affairs when permission is needed to be able to demonstrate near parliament.

I hope that you will join me and others in opposing this authoritarian piece of legislation.

Watch this video for more information: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/media/2008/01//389116.mp4

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