Value your vote!

By Dude Swheatie of Kwug

Those who prefer the policies of the smaller political parties are often told, "Don't waste your vote. They'll never get in! Go for the safer option that is backed up by the opinion polls."

Well, if you don't like the impact of opinion polls that say opposition parties must kowtow to 'get tough on claimants' ideology, and you barely have enough money to bankroll your own campaign to live more fully — eg, eat a healthy diet and keep abreast with your rent payments, 'bedroom tax', etc. so that you don't get kicked out of the place you live in — there is still a value in voting for policies you believe in. The more votes an opposition party gets in a General Election, the more chance it has of doing something more financially than keeping the deposit money that candidates have to pay in order to stand for election in a parliamentary constituency. (They have to get at least 12.5% of the vote to retain their deposit.)

Pardon the pun, but while you may be 'short on cash', you can still help to finance your favourite political party with your vote. 'Short money' is a long way from the kind of reform to this country's politics that proportional representation could bring about, but it can help fund your favourite political party.

Find out more on the Wikipedia online encyclopaedia article Short Money (Parliament U.K.).