Why bother to vote on May 6? Because we owe it to all those who fought – and died – for universal suffrage. Because we no longer believe, as Charles I did, in the divine right of kings to rule, and nor do we believe any longer that men – and only men – of property should decide who will represent us in Parliament. And because, if you can’t be bothered to turn up at the polls, to elect a parish, district or county council, let alone a government, then you can’t in all conscience complain when you end up with a council – or a government – of which you don’t approve. People tend to get the government they deserve. In Why Vote, Jo Phillips, Paddy Ashdown’s former spin doctor, and David Seymour, a former Mirror Group political editor, make the case, wittily and compellingly, for turning out on election day while in Why Vote Labour, Rachel Reeves, who’s standing in Leeds West, makes the case, rather more prosaically, for making your mark in the red box. Sister titles in the series – all at the same price – include Why Vote Conservative by Shane Greer; Why Vote Liberal Democrat edited by Danny Alexander; Why Vote SNP by Angus Robertson; Why Vote Plaid Cymru by Adam Price; and Why Vote Green by Shahrar Ali.
