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@aernethril wrote:

So you would seek to silence those who were given no choice but to vote for one party only?

 

Everyone is entitled to have an opinion and to voice that opinion, especially when they are denied the right to choose how to vote.

 

You are saying that I should have voted for a Tory because that was all there was, just so I could then have some kind of right conferred on me to voice my opinion that I didn't want to vote for them in the first place?

 

So, I stand up and express my views on their abysmal performance after they've been 'voted' in and how will they respond?

 

Well, you voted for me so what's the problem?

 

It's a rigged system whichever way you look at it and as long as you don't know why people don't vote, you don't have the right to decide that their rights should be removed either.

 

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Apart from not having seen a ballot paper that has just a single candidate on it let's address the situation were that the case - in such a case you have 4 options

1) Vote for the single candidate

2) Vote but spoil your ballot paper

3) Put yourself forward as a candidate

4) Do nothing

To claim that the 4th option, doing nothing, is partaking in a democratic system is a cop out. 

If voting were compulsory there is a chance that the opinion of those who believe non of the candidates were worthy of their votes might be heard - under the current system not voting means absolutely nothing other than you don't want to take part in the democratic process - which is your right but don't complain when things don't turn out the way you'd like.