Umm, I've never heard any complaints about it shaved. You can still "donkey vote" if you really want to, but once you have made the effort to get to the polls, why bother? I find it has a way of making people, even people like me who don't generally deal in politics to actually *think* about what they are doing when it comes to voting, even if that vote is just "X major party". If you can't go to the polls, or you know you will be away, postal votes are used as well. As for the "draconian nature of it", Sure, it is a bit heavy handed, but we are not talking the local bake stall, we are supposed to be considering who and what will run the country, and how your country will be percieved by the rest of the world. Not only that, "special interest" groups have no say in it, simply because they will be ignored by the rest of the populus who gives not a toss about thier agenda, or how much money they spent to "buy a vote". IIRC, the figures for the US are somewhere around 50% of the eligable voting population votes, and while I agree in theory with Rac's "shut up or vote" system, it simply means that HALF the US' population does not have a say (by choice) and the half that DO have a say use it to promote special interests, probably at the expense of some other group.
yep i know it was scotland and they don't have one there...they should!
