How would you propose to correct such a defect?

It would certainly be entertaining if seats were assigned as a function of share of *electorate* since that would mean a large number of empty seats!

(Though the effective end result would be identical.)

If your problem is who to vote for, then you should go out and write “none of the above” on the ballot.

http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/06/what-voting-signals.html

(also posted at S&M)

Afterwards you can moan and complain as much as you like, but they’ll be empty words if you couldn’t be bothered to spend a few minutes of your life a) finding out what their views are and b) choosing the one you like best, or choosing the one you dislike least.

As for “I know very little about European issues” – why don’t you know much? You’ve got the internet, so everything should be there for you to read, if you could be bothered to look.

In a general election I’d vote Labour. But regarding Europe, Labours semi backtrack on the Lisbon referendum discourages me from supporting them in the EU elections. Perhaps there is no logic in that and I’m cutting of my nose despite my face as it were.

I couldn’t bring myself to vote Conservative, in some ways I appreciate UKIP sentiment, but I don’t feel passionately about immigration, and while my opinion of them has gone up somewhat since Farage took the helm, there is a certain hint of nationalism that I just can’t get down with. Lib dems seem just a bit too keen on the EU in general.

I ended up voting Libertas, which was probably a wasted vote but I generally feel a lack of engagement with EU politics and democratic reform seemed quite appealing when I made my last minute decision.

I didn’t vote on Britain’s Got Talent but I still think Diversity were awesome and 2 Grand were cheesy … or have I forfeited the right to that opinion. And at least a vote on BGT will influence something, unlike the sham façade of democracy that is the European Parliament.

And if they aren’t making the effort to campaign, why should I make the effort to vote?

What a bunch of elitist, head-in-the-sand bollocks. If you can’t be arsed to find out where any of the parties stand on Europe, what their policies are, and who you most agree with, then fuck you. The more people don’t care about the issues enough to vote, the less effort they will make in campaigning on them.

My view is that not voting is a cop-out and lazy.

(voted Lib Dem today, obvs).

I got to the polling station to be told I was on the postal vote list.

I can’t find the letter. Probably been shredded by now. I’ve been democratically disenfranchised by an unholy affair between my Commie wife and her Staples electric shredder. (

My point was that for most of us, our greatest single political action is to vote. The Huffington Post, DailyKos etc. have done much to reshape the American political landscape in the last decade, but we currently see Mr. Obama in the White House rather than Mr. McCain because more people bothered to go to the ballot box and choose the former as their leader. Whatever the current cynicism or outright hostility, I still see the value of voting; doubly so for those who consider themselves interested in politics.

I’m generally cynical that blogs achieve anything other than talking to the converted and arguing with the unconvertible. But even during this election, we have seen the mainstream media pick up on ideas or discoveries from bloggers. Most notable was the revelation that the BNP used stock photos to illustrate typical supporters on the colour leaflet that appears to have been sent to many UK homes.

For those of us who don’t own an influential blog, our contribution to democracy is not limited to the ballot box or door knocking (has anyone had a canvasser for the EU elections where there is no local election?) or posting leaflets. You are more likely to switch your vote as a result of conversation with a friend than with a stranger on the doorstep.

So I tend to think that you contribute more to the democratic process if you engage in ideas — on a blog, in conversation down the pub, posting political graffiti on a toilet wall — than if you just vote.