Politics
Well I voted last week for the first time in my life. I can’t believe it has taken me until past the age of thirty to finally do this, but there are some slightly mitigating circumstances (read: feeble excuses).
Basically, this is only the second time I have been in one place long enough to actually get on the electoral roll during an election, and the first time I was too lazy and disorganised to actually get my arse in gear to do anything about it. Most other years I have been living in shared flats where I never registered, or just moving so frequently that The Man couldn’t quite keep up with me – sort of a half-arsed modern vagrant.
Living on the boats down in London virtually no-one was registered because that meant being hit up for council tax, which we were all keen to avoid anyway, so this is the first time I’ve actually been sufficiently legit to scrawl my X on a few bits of paper and generally participate in the wonders of modern democracy.
Now, as an avowed cynic, I rather see voting as being somewhat akin to choosing which particular junkie you’d like to have come round and burgle your house, so I am not feeling overly optimistic about the whole process, but I do think it’s important not to give the scheming weasels that superior Get Out of Jail Free card that they have a habit of sniffing down their noses at us: ‘Well if you don’t participate in the democratic process, then you can’t very well expect your voice to be heard, now can you?’
Well I am participating in the democratic process, you slippery eels, and I still don’t expect my voice to be heard, because you will be so busy polishing the ringpieces of big business and helping yourselves from the tax payer funded mini-bars that I doubt you’ll find the time to give my voice even a second’s consideration.
To mark this momentous occasion I thought I’d post one of the sillier songs in my music collection. The Ukranians were formed by ex-Wedding Present guitarist Peter Solowka and one of their songs found its way onto a Cooking Vinyl compilation I picked up back in about 1995 or so. This song is mental, but huge fun, and can be found on their album Kultura. They’ve even been known to throw in the odd Smiths cover (all in Ukranian, of course) as well, so it may be worth a punt if you’re feeling particularly frisky.
The Ukranians – Polityka
[Edit: Following Stewart's contribution in the Comments below I feel compelled to point you to their site and recommend you go and listen to the Anarchy in the UK snippet in their music section. Next time there's a Contrast Podcast about cover versions, I am baggsying that one - pure genius!]
They also throw in the odd Velvet Underground and Sex Pistols [in Ukrainian] covers too
ps don’t stop voting, when you don’t vote you’re letting other people decide who is going to represent you
Only if you assume that ‘representing you’ is actually what they are doing. I do sometimes wonder if ignoring government representatives and trying to make your voice known through pressure groups and the various single-issue associations of your choice mightn’t be more effective. But no, I am going to continue voting, for sure. I’d spoil my ballot if I was that disillusioned.
Glad you voted. Hope you didn’t fuck it up like so many others.
I’ve never voted as well for similar reasons (sans boat, of course). It didn’t help anything that I also came of age under the Bush regime, which sort of throws you off the idea of democratic process. Now, I won’t be eligible to vote in the UK for three years. But fuck it, you posted the Ukranians and I can still let my voice be heard on important issues like Dancing With The Stars…