Canons Of Democracy

To vote or not to vote, that
is the question; whether ‘tis
nobler in the mind to agree
Canons of Democracy mean
a right to absence – or be
bound at odds and ends by
casting donkey votes hence
enforced and compulsory

Should greater fear be of a
fine pursued by ambivalent
debt collection agencies, or
idiocy’s anal claim of a mien
of ‘citizenship’ perpetuated
in obligatory cupidity

Friends, stay the acid pens,
listening to moronicism’s of
ABC’s pm listeners suggests
respondents don’t care; old
hard-arse measures meant
decent Aussies square-toed
the line or else went back
where they came from

Seems the stick’s politically
wet end – pedantically too
bereft commonsense signs
of diversity which makes us
Democracy’s best reason to
stay here in the first place
© 3 April 2012, I. D. Carswell

Sure, it is April, with an All Fool’s ambivalence in the air. First up QLD State elections followed by local body – & presumably similar quick smart Federal mayhem will follow. Yes, you don’t need to guess what I think about the compulsory nature of enrolment and voting in Australian elections. It comes from differences between a ‘right’ and a ‘duty’.

Having been a soldier for 21 years I’ve got the ‘duty’ bit sorted – but it seems I don’t get to exercise a ‘right’ except as duty. And then I have to make allowances for arrant political moronicism claiming the ’right’ but rarely performing the duty. If an election result includes donkey votes then we’ve the appropriate donkeys in the manger; maybe it’s time to feed ‘em what they freely dispense ...
 

http://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Publications/voting/index.htm