There’s a myriad of reasons why it must be possible in a true democracy to formally reject all that’s on offer at an election in a way that can affect the outcome if enough people do so.

But the refusal – and/or inability – of an entire country’s political system to even try to stop a blatant ‘plausible’ genocide is surely the most extreme example imaginable.

And that’s exactly where we are in 2024.

In all my nearly fifteen years of advocating for a formal and binding None of the Above option on ballot papers, I’ve always been very careful to ensure that this advocacy is politically neutral, as NOTA is, by definition, politically neutral.

But this issue isn’t about politics, or left and right. This is about right and wrong.

Rafah is the supposed ‘safe’ city in southern Gaza that has become home to 1.5 million civilians, most of whom have been displaced by Israel’s six month campaign of bombing in the Gaza strip.

This giant refugee camp, that has now also been deliberately starved and bombed from the air by Israel for weeks, is now reportedly being quietly subjected to a brutal ground invasion also, against the advice of even Israel’s staunchest allies.

Make no mistake – this is a blatant genocide that the political systems of the US, UK and all NATO countries are currently openly facilitating by, at best, refusing to oppose it or, at worst, actively supporting it with weapons and logistics.

And yet these enablers of genocide all still want you to vote for them at their respective upcoming elections…

As things stand, if you vote for any UK party or candidate that isn’t explicitly calling for an immediate end to this genocide, you will effectively be endorsing it.

But in the UK, if you don’t vote (assumed apathy), or spoil your ballot in protest (lumped in with those spoiled in error), it makes no difference.

Regardless of low turnout or number of spoiled ballots, the party with most votes per constituency, and most parliamentary seats nationally, wins. As if they have a real mandate and the backing of most of the country, even if they don’t.

That’s outrageous at the best of times. In the current climate, it’s something else. It’s actually incredibly dangerous.

In my humble opinion, as a pro-democracy campaigner of old, if we tolerate this our children will be next. And it is beholden on all who recognise the terrible wrongness of the current paradigm to fight for a better world.

SIGN THE PETITION

NOTA UK online:
https://www.nota-uk.org
https://www.facebook.com/groups/notauk
https://twitter.com/NOTAcampaign

Jamie Stanley
NOTA UK
20/03/2024

Tagged: accountability, Democracy, Elections, Electoral Reform, gaza, genocide, israel, None of the above, NOTA, NOTA UK, palestine, Politics, Progress