Blogprompt 8: Education for Citizenship

What is your attitude concerning who are not planning to vote in the general election?

If people choose not to vote for any reason, that is their business, citizens have the right to free choice when it comes to actually voting or who they vote for. If their reason for not voting is within reason (such as a disability), then in my eyes they should be allowed to freely express their view (within the boundaries of the law) afterwards. However, what annoys me the most about those who don't plan on voting or those who don't vote at all due to selfish reasons is that in the weeks/months that follow, they are the ones who complain about who was elected or the ways in which the winner works. I may be harsh to believe this but those who don't vote have no right to criticize who was elected afterwards as they had their chance to state their views via the voting booth yet they didn't take that moment to do so.

I respect that people have their own views on who should be elected, who shouldn't and the reasons why they believe that, however non-voters 9without good reason) shoudn't go around afterwards denouncing those who got in because they weren't their first choice because if they had voted, in my opinion that makes it more appropiate for them to do so as they actually had their say.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

What main concerns do you have that may influence your vote?

I have never been one for politics and probably never will be. I vote when i have the chance for who i believe would be the best person for the job, i try not to let my main concerns cloud my judgement when i make that dec however i prefer a more direct approach when it comes to helping my community such as volunteer work

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Constituency - Northampton South
Local MP - Brian Bingley, Conservative (UK Parliament 2010)
Local Council - Northampton Borough Council
Political Party Dominate - Labour (Sally Keeble, Northampton North)

http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/constituencies/northampton-south

Blogprompt 6 and 7: Sustainable Transport?!?

What are your views? Is there really a transport problem? Do the benefits of motorized transport outweigh the costs? Are their any minor (or perhaps major) changes you personally feel could make our present transport system more sustainable?

According to the Renewable Fuels Agency (2009), Sustainability is "the ability of a process to be continued indefinitely without damaging and/or degrading the environment in which it depends". When asked, most people say that they would rather be more sustainable or environmentally friendly but they can't get over the speed bump of convenience that cars offer. There may be other transport options that are less damaging to the environment such as biking, walking or the local bus service but many still use their cars as it is easier to do so and generally allows you to get closer to their work than a bus stop would allow without the crowding and lingering BO smells.

Car manufacturers are coming up with new models designed to be more sustainable yet still look great, however this is putting stress on the roads as they are becoming more jammed up with motorists, creating (in my opinion) a major traffic issue with few answers until people start to leave the comfort of their vehicles behind for a "better" (and generally cheaper and healthier) mode of transportation to get from A to B.

The main problem is that are cars have been designed with comfort in mind, unlike bikes and buses as well as the added benefit of not being out in the elements when walking, biking or waiting for the bus. BUT even so... do the benefits really outweigh the costs?

What are the costs of using cars rather than bikes or walking? Well... the most obvious (yet still important) cost is the one that is pumped out of the exhaust pipe on the back. The issue of global warming had made a triumphant return for this blog! This recurring issue has been debated for years and cars (but vehicles in general) are one of the main causes of this additional heating of the planet. What about the economic disadvantages to this method of travel? With petrol prices going up, it is becoming more expensive to pay to use your car. Biking only costs the bike itself plus additional things like helmet and lights and you quickly get your money back plus the benefit of no emissions and exercise. Walking has no cost but has the downside of taking much longer (in general). Busing has the benefit of cheaper travel than car, less environmental damage as more people can use 1 bus than 1 car however there is the disbenefit of bus stop queues and crowding.

Sustainable transport may seem as a brilliant concept however that is all it is, a concept. Transportation, in my view, will never be sustainable or environmentally friendly unless the population is willing to fore-go there cars for other vehicles (i.e. buses) or through their own body movement (i.e. walking, biking). Only if this occurs, can sustainable transport be a reality rather than a dreamed concept.


Picture from: http://www.griffith.edu.au/ofm/sustainability/content_definition.html

Renewable Fuels Agency, 2009. What is sustainability? [online] Available at: http://www.renewablefuelsagency.gov.uk/aboutthertfo/carbonandsustainabilityreporting/whatissustainability
[Accessed: 25 March 2010]