SOUTH WALES ANARCHISTS LAUNCH ANTI-ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN RUN UP TO MAY 3RD
Vote Nobody on May 3rd!

Public urged to avoid polling stations on the day of the Welsh Assembly
elections, as Cardiff Anarchists launch the "Vote Nobody!" campaign

Cardiff, Wales (Vote Nobody Campaign Headquarters) 10th April, 2007

There is a dominant force in Welsh politics, and it has been ignored for
too long. In the last election 62% of the Welsh public voted for NOBODY –
yet the politicians still didn't get the message. This time we'll make it
an even more resounding victory by boycotting the elections!

Have you ever noticed that nothing changes, whichever party is in power?
Time and again we are asked to trundle down to the polling station and
choose between a couple of carbon-copy candidates from the 'lets
accommodate big business party'. They campaign with near-identical
policies on issues that bare no relevance to 99% of people, while ignoring
the issues that have communities by the throat. Only 1 in 7 people voted
for Rhodri Morgan last time, yet still he has the cheek to stay in office.

Alex Smith, of the Cardiff Anarchist Network, Nobody's spokesperson said:
"Choosing between politicians in our fake democracy is like choosing
between Coke and Pepsi – they're all the same, just with slightly
different packaging… why not vote nobody, and start taking control of your
own life".

Sam Williams (45, Pontypool) a committed Nobody supporter told us:
"Putting an "X" in a box every 4 or 5 years is not real democracy. I'm fed
up of seeing politicians forgetting about the promises they made to
improve our lives once they're in power, and I'm fed up of accepting the
least-worst candidate. Every one of us deserves to have a say in the way
our own lives are run. I'm voting nobody and starting to represent
myself!"

Chris Jones (29, Splott) will be voting nobody for the first time this
May. She told us: "Nobody on the ballot represents me, and the very nature
of the system means Nobody ever will. Nobody cares about the things we're
really passionate about, and nobody will fight for them except us." She
continued, "All politicians are liars—they'll all keep privatising
everything and shafting ordinary people. That's why I'm voting nobody".

For More info:

PDF file of campaign leaflet:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/media/2007/04//367041.pdf

Web:
www.myspace.com/votenobody
www.southwalesanarchists.org



e-mail: votenobody@riseup.net


Notes for journalists:

Anarchism is a way of organising society where everyone has an equal say
over how their communities are run, and where people can take control over
their own lives. Anarchism is also about standing up for ourselves and
resisting injustice; it is about sharing resources so everyone has what
they need and it's about creating a more peaceful world where we are free
from poverty, violence and war.

We say "Vote Nobody!" because Nobody cares...

. . . about the Health Service
502 acute hospital beds - an entire Welsh hospital's worth - are clogged
up by bed-blocking. Ambulances are queuing outside hospitals unable to
offload patients.

. . . about Our Children
The UK is the 4th-largest economy in the world but has one of the highest
levels of child poverty of all industrialised countries. Recent figures
show that 27% of children in Wales live in poverty!

. . . about Human Life
Welsh troops continue to fight and die in wars in the Middle East to
protect US oil interests. Does Rhodri Morgan support these wars which have
resulted in the deaths of over 600,000 Iraqis? He's not saying! Nobody
seriously opposed the war!

. . . about the Environment
Global warming is a proven fact. We need to reduce our consumption of oil
and gas, not increase it! The development of a liquid natural gas (LNG)
terminal in Milford Haven is absurd, and the building of a massive and
very dangerous pipeline to ship the pressurised gas across Wales is
madness! Locals fearing for their safety have had their questions ignored.

. . . about Our Jobs
Unemployment across Wales has been increasing for 10 consecutive months,
in some places by up to 35%. Over 600 manufacturing jobs have been lost in
mid-Wales since 2001. 300 jobs have gone at Burberry in the Rhondda, and
more will go at the Corus Steelworks after the takeover by yet another
multinational company.

. . . about Transport
The Roads are clogged with cars and lorries, and our privatised train and
bus services are among the worst and in Europe.

. . . about the Housing Crisis
According to Shelter Cymru, 53,000 people are trying to find decent
accommodation from their local authorities. So what is the Assembly
government doing about it? Encouraging councils to sell off and privatise
council housing. The result? Less rights for tenants and fat salaries for
housing association bosses.