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Originally Posted by dr wadd
Not necessarily, not one of the parties (as far as I know) represents what I would want to see in the future of Europe. I did not vote on this election (and I`ll admit, not for any really valid reason), but if I did vote then no party represents my opinion, going with the status quo by abstaining does not represent my opinion.
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We have a representative democracy - we choose a body of people who then go off and make decisions on our behalf. That means it's impractical to expect to be able to vote for someone whose manifesto is identical to your own set of beliefs and priorities. If you choose to vote for someone, you should vote on the basis of 'best fit' (I don't agree with outright withdrawl from the EU, for example, but I support UKIP because right here, right now, I believe that expressing myself this way is the likeliest means of achieving what I do want, which is less of the burdensome, unnecessary integration that is so typical of the EU).
Similarly, if you choose not to vote, you express the view that nobody comes close to representing you. The end result is that the politicians think, 'hmm, how can we get the abstainers to vote for us next time?'. By not voting, you don't necessarly support 'status quo' or declare your support for whoever wins the election, but you are declaring your willingness to allow others to make the decision for you.
If you say that nobody comes close to representing your views, and you are not happy to let others make the decision by casting their votes while you abstain, then a third option is open to you - you can stand for election yourself.