"Does anyone actually think

about the issues?" I was asked yesterday.

A friend came in and did a small job for me yesterday. He is one of those casual sort of friends. We do not visit one another's homes in the ordinary sort of way. It is more the "stop and chat" in the street or in the shopping centre sort of way. 

I knew his parents, both long deceased. When J... was recovering from knee surgery I gave his wife a small pile of DVDs that the Senior Cat had accumulated. J... is "not a reader". I had him down as a "union" man. 

He was a "union" man for many years but he voted early so as not to have to spend too long standing in a queue on polling day. His knee is still troubling him but when he heard what I needed he said, "I'll be round to do it later on Friday if you are home."

His wife told me, "Please let him do it. He wants to thank you for the DVDs."

It seemed a more than reasonable exchange to me, especially as I was not expecting anything more than the enthusiastic thanks I had already been given. He was taking the old bit out of the troublesome device and about to screw the new piece in when he asked me, "Cat, do you suppose anyone actually thinks about the issues at election time - or do they just vote the same way all the time?" 

It is an interesting question and one which deserves serious consideration. I doubt it is given much consideration at all in this country. People vote because they must vote. Some of these people would never vote if they were not compelled to vote. 

Many of these compelled to vote people are people who do one of two things. Some simply vote a "donkey" vote - that is they mark the candidates with a "1,2,3" down the paper without thinking about it. They do this because they do not know what else to do. Others do it out of sheer exasperation and the belief their vote makes no difference. Others slavishly follow the "how to vote card" or the pieces of paper given them by the party faithful at the doors of their polling place. These voters know their first choice and then just dutifully do as they are told for the rest. It would seem many of them vote the same way for life.

Not so J... He thinks about his vote. He may have been a union man. Union membership was compulsory in his working days but he told me, "I like to know what I am voting for, not just who I am voting for."

I suspect he is a fairly rare voter.  He grinned when I told him, "Well I go in with a piece of paper in my hand reminding me of the order I want to vote in."  I don't need a "how to vote" card because I have made up my own mind.

This is the way I think it should be. If I had my way "how to vote" cards would not be handed out at polling places. If people do not know how they are going to vote when they get there then they are not voting with any thought at all.

I suspect this is what political parties rely on. They know that far too many people will do just as they are told to do. They take the line "My Dad voted for the Calathumpian" party and it was good enough for him. My Mum always did what he told her so...."

I am not sure my parents voted the same way. I know how the Senior Cat voted at the last election because I had to fill out the ballot paper at his direction. He could not see well enough to do it. I actually voted the same way. We had discussed the issues. Whether he always voted in the same way I do not know.  I do know he thought about the issues.  I know one of my siblings is of a very different political persuasion...but will at least think about the issues. Their vote may change from one election to the next. Another will do a donkey vote and resent having to vote at all. The other will think about the issues but vote on personalities rather than policies.

Do we really understand what we are doing? It is clear that, even within my own family, we may need a great deal more education about the political process.