Spoiling your ballot paper seems a reasonable way of ensuring that when you genuinely feel that the country will be governed in a way that you feel is inadequate regardless of who you vote for, it doesn't get confused with not getting off your arse. Voter apathy is a main talking point at every election and while politicians may not give a damn, despite lip-service paid to democracy or principles rather than what seems to largely be a career route for mostly well-off white men, at least you can say you stated an opinion, even if it is in a redundant manner. There should, as other posters mentioned, be a none of the above option. There should also be obligatory literature in multiple accessible formats stating clearly where each party/candidate stands and compares on a variety of matters from an unbiased body, and a legally binding agreement that if, excepting unforeseen circumstances, you don't deliver on what you promised, you're out of office. No-one else gets to say they'll do a job and then keep it when it turns out they can't/won't do what they were employed to do.
And no, the answer isn't to vote another way at the next election, because the type of people who are attracted to power are the type of people who will see what they can get away with even if they express dismay and disgust whilst someone else is doing it; even those who start off with good intentions get dragged into the politics of politics- and four years is too long to let lying liars f**k up real people's lives.
But then if we want decent representation, we as a country have to have a word with ourselves about the media we willingly consume. If you can't be a successful politician without the backing of news outlets who make money from distorting and downright lying about the policies and impacts of such of those on both the left and the right, then it's no surprise that it seems to many that there just aren't honest politicians around. It's Darwinism in action, except it's making us weaker.
