Political Pre-Determination

As I'm based in the UK, we're building up to a general election at the moment and the respective campaigns to build support for each of the three main parties is evident everywhere. For the first time, there has also been televised debates between the three main party leaders with no scripts or preparation, and no advance knowledge of questions that they are likely to be asked. All interesting stuff and a good step forward in my view so people can see how two potential new prime ministers (in debate with the current prime minister) handle questions on important issues under the pressure of live televised coverage.

Unfortunately, one of the most interesting although simultaneously one of the most paradoxical and destructive aspects of peoples behaviour which comes out at these times is their thorough reluctance to listen and potentially change their views. People seem to have an admiration for democracy which is totally at odds with the fact that they will spend their whole lives voting for the same thing no matter what! I don't know whether or not I listen to too much and read a lot about what parties say they will do and vote on those ideas (influenced as ever by how much I believe them), but not very many people seem to do this and where not very many people seem to do this, where is true democracy? I have voted for different political parties at different times based on what they have said and how much I have felt they would make the most positive contribution and difference, but where people vote 'habitually', where is the real "choice of the people" where they have no real idea what they are voting for and it's all boiled down to colours and labels? Where a large portion of the vote is based on nothing but habit, I have a fear that the proper virtues of policy and character being criteria for voting are in grave danger of being tragically lost, and once they are gone, they are very, very difficult to get back.