Are you sitting on the fence?

When election day comes and you have something more interesting to do than going to vote, you just gave up your right to complain for the next four years. Not voting is not a way to complain about the system. Democracy is not perfect, but it is the best we've got, and not being bothered to vote just puts the power firmly in the hands of those who can be bothered.

It doesn't matter which way you vote, it's all the same in the end! This is just not true. The fact that you work only eight hours a day, and not sixteen, is a result of action by those who cared having a direct effect on a democratic process. The fact that you have a national health service which serves all citizens equally is another example of normal people pushing for what they want. This is the key - what they want - that is what democracy is all about.

My family come from an industrial town in the Midlands of England. When my father was young all power came from raw coal. Every house had at least two fireplaces burning coal. Every factory used coal for power and heating. All electricity was created by burning coal. The city was very very dirty, and very very unhealthy. People died by the thousands from lung deseases. But coal was money, and only by the efforts of thousands of worried citizens was change brought about and smokeless fuel brought in to use.

So is everything perfect now? Have we nothing left to complain about?

It is the duty of every citizen with the right to vote to make that short journey to the polling station on election day; you can always return an empty ballot if you really can't decide - but having got that far why not vote for someone who you think is most likely to support your needs?

If you really don't think that your vote matters, then you don't really believe in democracy. Perhaps you'd prefer a medieval lord in command - I'm sure he'd keep your needs very close to his heart.