Voting day

Blasphemy vote

In a previous post I had signalled an intention to spoil my vote in the blasphemy referendum. The logic behind this was that the referendum should not have been held and spoiling my vote was the best way of expressing my disapproval of this. I felt that to vote No would validate the referendum being held.

In the last few days I have had doubts about this. Basically I realised that a No vote actually has two meanings; firstly, it can mean you say no to the substantive proposition; secondly, it can also mean a simple desire to maintain the status quo, without engaging with the referendum itself.

Therefore, if you object to a referendum being held at all, a No vote is the most appropriate response. And this is distinct from the situation where you believe the referendum is valid, but still wish to vote no on the substantive point.

Presidential election
My first preference went to Peter Casey for the simple reason that he was the best of a poor selection.