"It saddens me to see Shimrod and others mouthing the same old platitudes about how lucky we are to have such a caring democracy."

Akenaton, what planet are you on? I said nothing about a "caring democracy" - your phrase!!

What I am saying (watch my lips!) is DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR VOTE - it was hard won.

Not voting achieves nothing positive and could so easily be counter-productive.