Your Country needs you - to vote!

So, we've heard most of the arguments, perhaps watched the televised Leaders debates, probably not read the manifestos and are becoming bored with reading the same old things every day in our newspapers as Election Day draws ever nearer. But are you any nearer deciding who/which party you will vote for? It would be so easy to just say that we've given up on politicians after recent national events.

So perhaps the more relevant question is, ‘Are you going to vote at all?’ Because in this country, voter turnout for the general election has gone from 73% in 1945 to 61% in 2005: roughly 1 person in 3 will not use their vote. Yet we have a democratic system in this country that many ordinary people in other countries around the world would love to have: some have no say in who governs them; some have elections but they are bullied to vote in a certain way or prevented from voting at all. If they were allowed a ‘free’ vote in order to decide who ruled them, turnout would be close to 100%. And we regard the ‘free’ vote as a right for everyone 18 or over, yet even in this country it wasn't always so - that right was hard won. So how can we, in all conscience, not use the vote we have?

We have a responsibility to use our vote; that means we may have to spend some time listening and reading, working out who to vote for – or not. And then after the election let's make sure that we hold ‘our’ politicians, local and national, to account, make sure they hear our views. But don't forget, if you don't vote, you can't moan about the Government that does get elected!

Rev Andy Laird, Minister, Wellesbourne Methodist Church