It’s a widely repeated mantra among many that “If you don’t vote, you don’t have the right to complain”. The logic seems to be that citizens aren’t allowed to criticize the state of affairs unless they cast a ballot for someone. Apparently, taking a principled stance in not supporting anyone is grounds to limit the ability to comment.
However, many of these same irate voters will express frustration and disillusionment with their choices within 6 months to 3 years. That said, it won’t stop people from endorsing the same people again and again. After all, the alternative is worse, right?
While this would certainly apply to Ontario — which has an election in June — the same principles are valid at all levels of Government.
This raises the interesting question: should people who voted for a dishonest and mediocre candidate have the right to complain afterwards?
Certainly, there will be claims that the voters had no idea that so-and-so would be so deceitful. Is that true though? Would a reasonable amount of due diligence have led to the conclusion that certain people can’t be trusted? Given that we are now in the internet era, it’s easier than ever to do background checks on the people running for office.
In fairness, the average person had no idea about this “pandemic” hoax that would be launched a few years ago. Still, this is a problem that goes much further back.
Take a look through any social media site. People will say they are voting for a person, not because they like or trust them, but because the alternative is worse. A great number also struggle to give any coherent reason as to why they are doing it. Using Ford as a specific example, Twitter is filled with people pledging to vote for the man who destroyed their Province — because Horwath and Del Duca would be much worse.
As lame a “journalist” as Brian Lilley is, he unfortunately sums up the right-wing quite well in Ontario, and Canada more broadly. Mindless sheep vote en masse for someone they KNOW will continue to wreck society. Ford brought in mask mandates, vaccine passports, issued stay-at-home orders, shut down entire sectors of business, ruined school for children, etc…. and he may very well get RE-ELECTED.
In the 2021 Federal election, millions voted for the Conservative Party of Canada. This came in spite of them being subsidized by Trudeau, and running on a PRO-vaccine passport agenda.
Support isn’t limited to real parties either. One would think that a “party” that doesn’t elect its leader, have a constitution, or vote on policies would be a cause for concern. After all, it’s been 4 years. Sadly, some simply cannot be reasoned with.
Take the U.K. as another example: Boris Johnson claimed (when running to replace Theresa May) that he would slash immigration to the “tens of thousands”. However, all it takes is a quick search to know that he supported amnesty for hundreds of thousands of illegals, while acting as Mayor of London.
In reality, it’s quite easy to check out candidates who are running for office. This is especially true if they’ve had a career in politics. Very few actually do it though.
Back to the premise of the article: if someone has no interest in performing any due diligence on the people who want to run their municipalities, provinces, or country, do they have the right to complain? Moreover, when the politician they helped install breaks all promises, are the voters not complicit in helping them?
If you vote for someone — while ignoring all of the warning signs — you are an accomplice to whatever destructive policies they may enact. As such, you don’t have the right to complain.
Here’s another unpopular opinion: universal voting is a bad idea. If someone can’t be bothered to do their homework on what they’re voting for, it’s detrimental to allow them access.
Update: As mentioned below, some countries, like Australia, make voting mandatory. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be fair to treat that the same way, if force is applied. The article was designed with Canada in mind, which doesn’t have such requirements.
Whether you vote or don’t vote you have no right to complain. If you don’t vote, you are slightly better off because you are not further burying yourself in the corporate government system. If you do vote, you have confirmed yet again that you are a servant of the corporate system and will play by their rules. Servants have no rights as they keep reminding us.
All elections are nothing more than manufactured consent. ONLY the candidates they want get to run, but no matter who wins, elected officials NEVER make decisions. They are theatre, read scripts and keep up ‘appearances’. They are the important buffer between the decision-makers and the peasants, so that when all hell breaks loose, they are not so likely to lose their heads.
Until we realize that corporate governments and career politicians are imposters, and that corporate government systems are enslavement/extortion systems, we will continue to dose ourselves with ‘hopium’ every 4 years and go away licking our wounds.
We are trying to get ourselves off the B.C. and federal voter data bases right now and they’re not making it easy. If you vote, you are giving someone else (your MP/MLA) the a right to speak for you – these same people who ignored all of our emails and letters through the scamdemic. We’re done with this utterly corrupt system!
There is mandatory voting in Australia; fine imposed for not voting. I used to say only the informed electorate should vote. Now I see politicians campaign that they will look after our interests once they get in; when they do, they look after themselves, and the corporates/the big end of town.
I learned this the hard way. Unfortunately as much as I would like to think our population is somewhat intelligent, apparently it’s not blatantly obvious that literally nothing that’s said materializes, but that’s ok… I had to look around the box to see that it is – just that. Most people are woefully misinformed about the sorts of things that happen behind closed doors, either that or willfully ignorant, or it’s just too much to handle. I am a firm believer that we’ve been trained to “trust the system” very effectively. Nonetheless I think this current social epoch is going to force a lot of folks to start re-thinking their reality, at least I hope so…