Nik wrote:
Curiosity wrote:
Not really. In every debate I have seen, and every jsutification given by both sides, the 'NO' reasons are very shallow, and easily refuted. I've not seen a single person in any media argue even vaguely convincingly on any single point re: the 'NO' vote.
Unless there are a hidden cabal of people voting 'NO' for reasons that have not been raised by a single person, then yes, they're voting either to keep a particular party in power and increase the influence of financial/business interests, or because they have believed the lies or poor reasoning from the well-funded propaganda campaign.
So basically "no one voting 'no' has personally explained their reasons to me, so therefore they can only possibly be voting that way because they've believed a crappy campaign"? That's astonishingly arrogant. Also "because I haven't heard any good reasons means there can't be any good reasons" is obviously flawed logic.
*le sigh*
Not sure if you're a rabid 'YES' voter in a paddy or if you're just being pedantic for the hell of it.
Shall I rephrase?
I have spoken to a number of 'NO' voters, as well as studying very closely their websites, their arguments put across on news shows and their electioneering pamphlets and leaflets that have been delivered to homes across the country. Whilst this does not grant me mind-reading powers, and I cannot know in tiny detail exactly why everyone in the country is voting the way that they are voting, it would be fair to say that the study of the above would, beyond reasonable doubt, give an insight into why the vast majority of people who are voting 'NO' are doing so.
These are primarily:
[*] A desire to do what they are told, and 'back their party'
[*] Agreement with the campaign literature
[*] Belief that one person/party should rule with supreme power
Since the third point is pretty damned flaky (it would back dictatorships to the hilt, and believes that a minority vote is a good, strong mandate), it seems only reasonable to posit that this is a shallow argument (and you could indeed say that it has been spun well by the media assassination of Nick Clegg).
I agree that I don't know the mind of every voter, but the opposite stance is that most 'NO' voters are voting that way for none of the reasons above, and are keeping their wholly reasonable and well thought out arguments to themselves. That is both unlikely, and if somehow true then morally reprehensible.
P.S. I voted 'YES' today. Go 'YES' votes!