There have been a series of comments and counter-comments between me and the Bangalore-based rock band, Thermal And A Quarter (TAAQ). These can be accessed here.
The latest comment by BLM, probably another band member, has made me decide to bring the discussion to the main page, as a separate post.
The crucial question is this: Should we vote?
As a libertarian, I insist that those of us who believe in free markets, free trade, liberty and property, should NOT vote. The reason for this is simple: We are not allowed to compete for votes in this socialist monopoly of a democracy. The Representation of People Act restricts democratic participation to those who swear by socialism. Since we are avowedly anti-socialist, we are debarred from forming political parties and contesting elections. Why should we vote in such a system?
Note that SV Raju of the Indian Liberal Group has filed a PIL against this provision of the RP Act more than 10 years ago, but the Bombay high court is yet to hear it! Why should we vote?
This should answer TAAQ’s comment asking me to stand for elections. I am debarred from the contest because of my political views.
If we want genuine competition between political philosophies and political principles, we must mobilize public opinion on our side – and reject socialist democracy. Hence my endorsement of the NOTA vote – None Of The Above. But TAAQ is unwilling to support NOTA. They just want us to vote – for some socialist or the other. This is senseless.
I stress the word “senseless”: in any true democracy, the voter is assumed to be intellectually capable of voting for the right candidate and policies. The voter is assumed to be possessed of reason. The oft-used term “the wisdom of the voter” is not loose speech. But do our “registered” political parties attempt to appeal to the voter’s reason? No, they don’t. The Congress’ appeal is to The Dynasty, the BJP appeals to Religion. The voter is considered a dodo. This is not a genuine democracy at all. Indeed, with all the “seat sharing” and “elite accommodation” that is going on, it is obvious that there is no genuine competition between the recognized political parties. The entire game is rigged.
TAAQ does not see this. Indeed, their song “Shut Up And Vote” is addressed precisely to the dumb dodo of a voter. TAAQ agrees there is NO CANDIDATE. This means they are ordering us to vote only so as to keep up with the ritualism.
As for the USA: they have a Libertarian party there. And the great libertarian Ron Paul contested for the presidency as a Republican party candidate. And have the Americans got things right by voting Bush out and Obama in? I don’t think so. With his multi-trillion dollar deficit, Obama is going to kill the US dollar. Watch this Peter Schiff video. As Leonard Cohen sang, “Democracy is Coming – to the USA.”
TAAQ confessed to having composed their song “Shut Up And Vote” in response to a “brief.” In journalism, we call this a “command performance.” As I said, this song is not from the heart nor from the mind. It is just an ad jingle – and a rude one at that. It cannot work. You cannot compose a jingle that says “Shut Up And Drink Coca-Cola.”
As for our national anthem: I hate it. It is a glorification of The Leader – “nayak jaya he.” It is not a song about the nation and the people. And there is no “nayak” any more. Sure, Tagore composed it for George V. But those who have misappropriated this song for boosting their own egos have achieved precisely what the song is about: they have glorified The Leader while at the same time destroying The Nation and the lives of The People. Or should I say “sheeple.”
BLM agrees that rock is anti-establishment. That rock is about rebellion. He then says TAAQ is rebelling against “stupidity.” Who is being stupid in this scenario? Are those who are disenchanted with our democracy stupid? Are those who are standing on the sidelines and cribbing stupid? Is it stupid to reject ALL socialist candidates? Or is it stupid to vote – for one of the above – especially on the urgings of a pro-establishment “rock” band?
I rest my case. TAAQ should be told to Shut Up And Think.
Yes I really don't know what the TAAQ wants to say with their compulsory,blind eyed voting.
ReplyDelete"Change" won't happen with the same ideology,we need freedom,then we can progress.
None of the libertarians vote because they don't agree with the ideology.As simple as that.
And even if we did vote, there is no guarantee that there will be a rule of law. The greatest service you can do right now is to not vote, not participate in the political process and let the crooks come to their senses.
The seller won't change his dirty products until we stop buying them.
Yup, TAAQ is living up to their name. They get hot pretty easily and seem to be using 25% of their brain.
ReplyDeleteOur political process has become a game in which the people aren't even allowed into the stadium.
It is amazing that parties openly say that they will figure out coalitions and PM candidates after the results come out.
It is amazing that not one debate/discussion is about issues or agendas. It is all about alliances & horse-trading. The only issue (if I can term it as one) is so called "secularism" where every party calls the other ones communal.
It is amazing that there is no analysis. The maintream media is only interested in analyzing the gossip, the intrigue and the negotiations.
In such a situation it is not only senseless to choose "the best among the worst" but downright dishonest.
If we vote, we are endorsing the system. If we vote we are agreeing that the process is right. If we vote, we are agreeing to voluntarily listen to whoever wins the game.
So why should we vote? We should make it clear that we only follow inane laws because of the threat of force. And we do this by rejecting the process. Thereby denying it our moral sanction (remember Hank Rearden's courtroom scene)
Let us not vote. Or let us vote NOTA. Let the government know that the people are not just rejecting parties or candidates. They are rejecting the system.
Want to draw your attention to 49-O
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/49-O
Proposals by the Election Commission of India
Among the proposed electoral reforms[2] submitted in 2004 to the then Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh the then Chief Election Commissioner of India, T.S. Krishnamurthy, suggested the following:
NEGATIVE / NEUTRAL VOTING
The Commission has received proposals from a very large number of individuals and organizations that there should be a provision enabling a voter to reject all the candidates in the constituency if he does not find them suitable. In the voting using the conventional ballot paper and ballot boxes, an elector can drop the ballot paper without marking his vote against any of the candidates, if he chooses so. However, in the voting using the Electronic Voting Machines, such a facility is not available to the voter. Although, Rule 49 O of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 provides that an elector may refuse to vote after he has been identified and necessary entries made in the Register of Electors and the marked copy of the electoral roll, the secrecy of voting is not protected here inasmuch as the polling officials and the polling agents in the polling station get to know about the decision of such a voter.
The Commission recommends that the law should be amended to specifically provide for negative / neutral voting. For this purpose, Rules 22 and 49B of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 may be suitably amended adding a proviso that in the ballot paper and the particulars on the ballot unit, in the column relating to names of candidates, after the entry relating to the last candidate, there shall be a column None of the above, to enable a voter to reject all the candidates, if he chooses so. Such a proposal was earlier made by the Commission in 2001 (vide letter dated 10.12.2001).
Shambo: Ever heard of a great rock album called "Who's Next" by The Who. It has a classic track called "We Don't Get Fooled Again," which ends, not surprisingly, with the line: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."
ReplyDeleteActually, TAAQ, you guys are promoting just this - that the new boss is the same as the old boss.
You actually say: "Stop TAAQing, shut up, get up and vote. Even if it is for no one until the right one comes along."
I still maintain that all you are doing is "making moolah" by composing songs on behalf of vested interests.
The real constructive work is tearing the Boss' ideology apart. This ideology is called DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM.
Shut Up And Think!
Ooooh. No need to get touchy Mr L :)
ReplyDeleteLike, Duuuude, like the 60s, were like really cool dude. We were all like smoking and all dude, like Woodstock, man. Those were the days man. Lets kill the commies man. Yea, and the goverment, yea, its like evil man. S-A-T-A-N duuuude....Lets put pot in stamp glue duuuuude. How cool is that dude, like the whole world's, like perrrrfect Duuuude.....
Like, GET REAL, dude!!
Peace, sweetheart.
Sauvik, your blog post sufficed in refuting every objection raised by our deluded friends.
ReplyDeleteNow they've reduced the discussion to personal attacks.
The prerogative of losers.
@She-people - what the hell are you talking about. Every point has been diligently refuted but you keep raising the same points without backing them. In one of your post you have mentioned everything that had been refuted in Sauvik's current article. There is something called reading and understanding. You keep saying that we need to vote. But for whom. Isn't democracy the freedom to choose. So I choose nobody even if you think that's dumb. That's my decision to make. You can sing what you want to sing. The decision is yours. And I can refute what you sing. That's my decision. Chill dude/gal.
ReplyDeleteSauvik, let them dance to the intellectual tune already set years back. Please invest your time in composing tune for the coming time.
ReplyDeletepeace!
Kindly, don't waste more time in arguing someone who doesn't understand what an argument is.
ReplyDeleteShe knows English and has a keypad. That's all you need to crap on, without any productive outcome.
Sauvik,
ReplyDeleteYou're the leader of the new movement. Of the thinking movement.
I've heard Gurcharan Das refer to "unwashed masses", but these fools are the "brainwashed masses".
Let them scream. They have not refuted one single point. All they want to do is repeat the same stupidity in different words. They have no ideology. Theirs is the thoughtless principle of meaningless action.
Perhaps, the need of the hour is to discredit morons like this , instead of the politicians. After all, most people know that our politicians are useless. It is these so-called voices of youth that will damage our spirirt.
Sauvik, rock on. We are with you.
Ok, so by not voting we are kick-starting a revolution, how? people here say that we dont want to buy dirty products from the seller, but by staying away from the market there wont ever be products satisfying your needs.
ReplyDeleteMore importantly - here's an excerpt from a recent economics paper : "Polluting polls: When citizens should not vote"
"Irresponsible individual voters ought to abstain rather than vote badly. This thesis may seem anti-democratic. Yet it is really a claim about voter responsibility and how voters can fail to meet this responsibility. On my view, voters are not obligated to vote, but if they do vote, they owe it to others and themselves to be adequately rational, unbiased, just, and informed about their political beliefs."
At the same time, we all know what happens with a sizeable chunk of votes
Hence, all you people who are feeling smug that you are protesting the system by not voting are only deceiving yourself. The system doesn't stop just because you decided not to vote, infact it would be skewed further away as the votes are then decided by the uninformed who sell their votes.
I support the NOTA vote because that atleast lets the sellers know that there is an active market there for the taking. By refusing to vote, however you are just another spier- not a buyer.
I didn't agree with this post over at Marginal revolution initially, but after looking at the discussion here, I'm forced to reproduce it:
"Most of what you do is for expressive value anyway, so you shouldn't feel guilty about voting, if indeed you vote. The people who think they are being instrumentally rational by not voting are probably deceiving themselves more. They are actually engaged in an even less transparent form of expressive behavior (protest against the voting system) and yet cloaking that behavior under the guise of instrumental rationality. The best arguments against voting are simply if you either don't like voting or if you don't know which candidate is better. High-status people hardly ever offer the latter justification, even though the split of opinions among high-status people suggests that not all high-status people can in fact know which candidate is better. In other words, both voting and not voting are motivated by the thought that you are better than other people."
You may have better reasons not to vote or may believe that these reasons are enough, but that still doesn't explain the roadmap of ending the "socialist democracy" as you put it in favour of libertarian rule of law. (because the politicians being voted into power sure aren't going to reduce their clout)
Oh! and I almost forgot, here's Winston Churchill on democracy :
ReplyDelete"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried. "
hahaha!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou guys are like the typical audience of shit like Rock On or whateva.
This chuckbooty chap sounds like some resinous residue from the 60's left behind without a damn lava lamp to show for it.
Someone does something constructive by telling folks to vote and this MC/BC comes along tripping balls and waving his ganja leaf flag.
And NOTA???
Why dont you live with the Jarawas of A&N then?
what rock-n-crapola is suggesting is that you can choose any party as long as it is the wrong one. brilliant.uber cool -like the state's favorite antiestablishmentarians. jeez
ReplyDeleteShut up and vote
ReplyDeleteShut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote
Shut up and vote