What price democracy?

Did you vote for UKIP? Did your neighbour? Do you care? Is this, as Nigel Farage says, an earthquake in British politics?

Once the noise around UKIP's very successful election result has subsided there are clearly some important points to debate. Yes, it is significant. Anyone who denies that is a fool. It is the first time for 100 years that an election has not been won by the Conservative or  Labour parties and that has to be significant. The LibDems tried and failed where UKIP has succeeded so full marks to Nigel Farage and his colleagues for taking on the establishment and giving them a bloody nose.

But isn't the most significant thing that in an election based almost entirely on whether the UK should continue to be part of the EU, only one-third of our electorate could be bothered to vote?

My father-in law died a month ago. He fought for six years to protect this Country's right to decide how to participate on the World stage, as did my own father and hundreds of thousands of their compatriots. Do we think so little of their sacrifice that we can't even be bothered to put a cross on a piece of paper? If so, then we deserve whatever fate doles out to us.

Come on Britain - don't be complacent. Have a view and vote for it. There is no such thing as a protest vote - only a wasted vote. Democracy is a precious thing and to take it for granted is the biggest sin of all.