If you want to know about your own constituency, there is
a useful site which gives information on all of the candidates, as well as a description of the constituencies - twitch of the mantilla to
James Preece, who has a thoughtful post on how to choose where to put one's mark. The lovely Bones has
a breakdown of the policies of the main parties - and ends up with a heartfelt prayer to St. Thomas More. SPUC has a very
useful archive of MPs' voting records, though, for this election they encourage voters to contact their office directly to find out about MPs and candidates.
We have a
duty to vote - something pointed out in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and
Gaudium et Spes. If it truly impossible to vote for any of the candidates in all conscience, then there is always the option of spoiling the ballot paper - at least it shows that it's not apathy or sloth which prevents us from voting.
Off you go, if you haven't done so already...
5 comments:
If only we could have 'None of the Above' as some American ballot papers do . . . I think some politicians might be surprised to discover how popular they weren't !
The "right" to vote really ought to encompass the right not to vote, otherwise it is entirely devoid of meaning. What people who bang on and on about this "right" really mean is that if you do not vote (for whatever reason) you have no right to complain about the government. I do not vote, whatever modern teaching might say, because I find the whole democratic process abusive and untraditional. Kingship is the best form of government and reflects the celestial hierarchy better than oligarchies or democracies ever will; democracy merely subverts authority, whereas Nature is hierarchical. Nobody has any right to complain about authority, in whatever form, since God created the authority; God even called Nabuchodonosor "servus meus".
Love your neighbour, render unto Caesar that which is his (taxes) and obey the Law - this is all that is required of us -at any rate, this seems to me to be far more praiseworthy than choosing which squabbling secular party is the least inherently evil...
I said nothing about the "right" to vote. I pointed out that the Catechism states quite clearly that we have a DUTY to vote.
Whatever you (or I) personally think about democracy, or the various parties, is unimportant. What the Church teaches is what matters.
There is a candidate for Basildon who has changed his name by deed poll to Above, Noneofthe. He in fact is at the top of the ballot paper which is arranged in alphabetical order of surname.
Well I suppose teacher knows best...
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