Tag Archives: Elections

‘Plausible’ Genocide… and other red lines

April 22, 2024 Leave a comment

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

ONWARDS & UPWARDS

November 7, 2023

Hi all. I wrote this two years ago, it definitely warrants a re-post: https://nota-uk.org/2021/09/26/the-future-of-nota-uk/

With the farce of another general election looming in 2024, we will of course be looking to put our campaign for actual democracy and meaningful electoral reform on more people’s radar in the coming months. NOTA is neutral by definition. So our campaigning has to be also. True neutrality and independence means that we have no sponsorship and zero formal funding. Everything we do, we do in our spare time and using our own resources.

But that model is becoming less and less sustainable in 21st (18th?) Century Britain with the sky-rocketing cost of living. This week, I’ve literally had to divert funds from supporting my family to renewing our website domain to keep the site and it’s wealth of NOTA info alive. That’s not sustainable.

The only way this campaign and movement can survive is if YOU the supporters of actual democracy and meaningful electoral reform want it to. Sharing our social media and website posts helps a lot, especially our definitive white paper.

But please also consider setting up a regular donation via paypal if you can: https://tinyurl.com/ypaq4xma

Thank you. Onwards x

SIGN THE PETITION

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

Jamie Stanley
NOTA UK
07/11/2023

NOTA UK to present NOTA/VETO proposal at Electoral Reform Society AGM on 3rd December

November 28, 2022 Leave a comment

We’re very pleased to announce that NOTA UK have been invited to make a presentation on the urgent need for inclusion of a formal and binding NOTA/VETO option on ballot papers for all UK elections at the Electoral Reform Society’s next AGM in Cardiff on 3rd December 2022.

Myself and active NOTA UK supporter Rohin Vadera will be making the presentation online then taking part in a brief debate about the benefits of this essential democratic pre-requisite.

We intend to use this opportunity to highlight why, in our view, campaigning for a formal and binding NOTA/VETO option should be the number one priority for all genuine democrats, not only as a necessary reform in and of itself, but also as a logical first stepping stone towards the society’s objective of replacing First Past The Post with a form of Proportional Representation.

Obviously, the more pro-NOTA voices we have at this event the better. This is a real opportunity to make our case and perhaps influence the future direction of arguably the most significant UK electoral reform group.

We encourage all NOTA supporters to register to attend the AGM online or in person before this Friday 2nd December (please note, in order to attend you will need to join the ERS, at least temporarily, membership is by donation starting at £2 per month).

Click here to register: https://www.mi-nomination.com/electoralreformsociety

If you’ve not done so already, please do also sign our petition and follow us on social media (links below).

Thanks in advance for your support. Onwards!

Jamie Stanley
Founder of NOTA UK
28/11/2022

SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN FOR NOTA ON BALLOT PAPERS HERE:
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THE FUTURE OF NOTA UK

September 26, 2021 Leave a comment

Hi all, just thought I’d check in with some thoughts. I’m going to go ahead and assume that most people reading this on our site and profiles will recognise a) the total absence of any meaningful true democracy in the UK, b) the urgent need to do something about that and c) how crucial inclusion of NOTA on ballot papers will be to any kind of fightback.

The primary barrier to building this movement has always been mass awareness of how central NOTA is to the concept of democracy, and this basically comes down to funding. NOTA UK has built the current awareness, and achieved the things we have over the years (see here: www.notauk.org), with virtually no funding and in our very limited spare time – all involved should be very proud of that.

But if we want to break through that barrier and go to the next level, we will need proper funding and a full time committed team. The problem then becomes keeping it truly independent and free of outside agendas. History shows us that this is usually far from straightforward.

Basically, as things rapidly go from bad to worse in our faux-democracy, I’m extremely open to working with anyone who is qualified and equipped to help us secure the resources and personnel we need to take this forward, while necessarily remaining fiercely independent of outside ideological or anti-democratic agendas. Email is stan(at)nota-uk.org

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

Jamie Stanley
NOTA UK
26/09/2021

NOTA UK White Paper Updated

May 29, 2019 Leave a comment

In response to feedback, we have today republished our definitive ‘None of the Above’ white paper with a new summary clarifying exactly how a formal and binding NOTA option would work in practice and why we believe it to be such a game changer. View and download it here.

Make Voters Matter – a critique of the campaign for PR

January 7, 2019 Leave a comment

Alongside our white paper, we also publish today a critique of the Make Votes Matter campaign for Proportional Representation.

You can read and download it in .pdf format below (other formats are available on request):

Make Voters Matter – with NOTA

Feel free to share!

You can find out more and support our campaign for formal, binding NOTA in the UK by following the links below and signing our petition:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
NOTA UK website

Onwards!

Jamie Stanley
NOTA UK
07/01/19

NOTA UK publishes definitive ‘None of the Above’ White Paper

January 7, 2019 Leave a comment

Today, we at NOTA UK publish our definitive white paper on the urgent need for a formal and binding ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA) option on all ballots for elections in all countries claiming to be a democracy.

It is our most comprehensive document to date, one that answers all common questions, counters all common rebuttals and lays out the reasoning behind our assertion that NOTA is the achievable logical starting point for reforming our broken electoral systems, installing real democracy and maximising the common good over time.

You can read and download it in .pdf format below (other formats are available on request):

You can find out more and support our campaign for formal, binding NOTA in the UK by following the links below and signing our petition:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
NOTA UK website

Onwards!

Jamie Stanley
NOTA UK
07/01/19

‘Vote Blanc’ vs NOTA

May 8, 2017 Leave a comment

voteblanc

At the 2017 French presidential election, a record number of people made use of the ‘vote blanc’ option, a way of rejecting all candidates put forward at the ballot box.

This rise occurred in conjunction with the lowest overall turnout in a French presidential election for nearly fifty years. Clearly, more people than ever felt that the candidates on offer represented a Hobson’s Choice that many could not bring themselves to make and chose either to stay at home, spoil the ballot paper or cast a blank vote.

From our point of view, while this is telling, it’s very important to realise that the ‘vote blanc’ option in France is very different from the formal and binding ‘None Of The Above’ (NOTA) option we are proposing should be added to ballot papers in the UK, and indeed all countries.

The crucial words are ‘formal’ and ‘binding’. Currently, blank votes in French elections are not counted as valid votes. They are counted, but not in a way that can ever affect the election result. For this reason, while they are seen as distinct from spoiled ballots (which can of course be counted as spoiled in error), they are no more useful as a measure of voter discontent in reality.

In order to be truly meaningful, any option that allows a voter to register their rejection of all that is on offer and withhold their consent at an election MUST be formal and binding, as the act of endorsing / consenting by voting is formal and binding. It MUST be counted as a valid vote and, if applicable, be able to void the result and trigger a second election if it ‘wins’.

At NOTA UK we are campaigning for just such a formal and binding NOTA option and nothing less. We have made representations to parliament and are actively lobbying the Green Party of England & Wales to promote their currently low key policy of getting RON (Re-Open Nominations) on ballot papers to centre stage in their manifesto for the upcoming UK general election. We have also suggested that they commit to using the more self-explanatory NOTA acronym and adopt our proposals for dealing with the logistics of a NOTA ‘win’.

Mechanisms like ‘Vote Blanc’ and an increase in people using them is a significant step in the right direction. But until such time as they can materially effect the election result, they remain examples of faux-NOTA or NOTA-lite, symbolic token gestures that do nothing to empower those disillusioned enough with the political system to want to formally reject all candidates and parties put forward at election time.

You can support our campaign for formal, binding NOTA in the UK by following the links below and signing our petition:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
NOTA UK website

Jamie Stanley
NOTA UK
08/05/17

Save

Save

Open Letter to the Green Party re: GE 2017

April 29, 2017 1 Comment

Dear Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley,

I wrote to you last year, and then again in reply to your response, but have yet to receive a further response from you. In your first reply, Caroline stated:

“…the Green Party fully backs having a “re-open nominations” (RON) option on the ballot paper and I’d agree that a “none of the above” (NOTA) option is in the same spirit. It’s not possible for us to campaign on everything and I don’t think we’ll be doing anything proactive on this in the immediate future, but I’ll let the campaigns coordinators know about the open letter and your calls.”

I’m writing to you again now as it strikes me that with a snap general election coming up and talk of progressive alliances (that could, in theory, see the Green party forming part of a coalition government after June 8th) the time may well be now for you to do something proactive on the issue of NOTA / RON.

If you were to bring your NOTA / RON policy out of the shadows and in to the limelight, putting it at the heart of your election manifesto, this would, in my view, not only do wonders for our cause but also be a sure vote winner for your party among those who would dearly love to see a formal and binding NOTA option on ballot papers in the future.

I sincerely believe that to not do this at this time would be to miss a trick.

I also still feel strongly that the policy would carry more weight with the general public if you reworded it favouring the often used and self-explanatory NOTA acronym over the more jargonistic RON.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this and hopefully taking an important step forward with you towards real electoral reform in the UK at this upcoming election.

Your sincerely,
Jamie Stanley
NOTA UK
29/04/17

NOTA CAMPAIGN: 2017 General Election Strategy

April 20, 2017 Comments: 5

NB: This is a hastily arrived at assessment of the state of play. More detail to follow!

So, the largely meaningless binary ‘choice’ season has been brought forward with Theresa May’s announcement of a snap general election on June 8th 2017. As with any election, this will inevitably lead to increased interest in our campaign to get a formal and binding None of the Above (NOTA) option on UK ballot papers. It therefore presents an opportunity to further establish the urgent need for electoral reform as a mainstream talking point in the coming weeks.

So here’s my initial strategy thoughts from a NOTA point of view. Clearly, the chances of getting NOTA on ballot papers by June are zero and we will need to take the fight to the next government. As I see it, with the First Past The Post system being what it is, there are only really four possible outcomes at the upcoming election with some more likely than others:

1: A Tory government, either with a majority or as a minority government – LIKELY
2: A Labour government, either with a majority or as a minority government – LESS LIKELY
3: A coalition government with the Tories in the driving seat – POSSIBLE
4: A coalition government with Labour in the driving seat – POSSIBLE

Neither an outright Tory government or a Labour government are likely to be open to the idea of introducing NOTA any time soon. Currently, the only pro-NOTA party in a position to possibly end up in power in some small way after June 8th is the Green party, who have an official policy to get a form of NOTA (RON – Re-Open Nominations) on ballot papers. Clearly, the Green’s are not in a position to win the election outright and form a government.

So from our point of view, the best possible strategy, it seems to me, would be to support the so-called ‘progressive alliance’ with a view to getting a ‘rainbow coalition’ government with the Greens and others in a position to influence the Jeremy Corbyn led Labour party.

With that in mind, I propose that NOTA UK and its supporters spend the coming days and weeks:

a) lobbying the Green party to bring their pro-NOTA policy to the forefront of their manifesto, rather than hide it in the shadows as they have up to now, in order to show that they mean business when it comes to electoral reform and representing the currently silent majority

b) lobby the Labour party to commit to the progressive alliance being put forward and

c) lobby all other parties that could possibly wind up in a ‘rainbow coalition’ government to publicly declare where they stand on the issue of NOTA and electoral reform in general.

As stated, this is a swiftly arrived at strategy for the benefit of those asking what our plans are. Much more detail and rationale to follow! Feel free to share.

NOTA UK is a volunteer run organisation, if you’d like to donate to our campaign you can do so via the paypal button at the top right of this page. For an overview of our campaign and its aims check out our explainer videos.

You can also support the campaign for formal, binding NOTA in the UK by following the links below and signing our petition:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
NOTA UK website

Onwards & Upwards!

Jamie Stanley
Founder NOTA UK
20/04/2017