Hafal has always given a high priority to encouraging its Members and others to participate in local, Assembly, European and general elections (we also have a very respectable turn-out for our own elections of Trustees). The Mental Health Wales “election special” has been published on-line here and the hard-copy magazine will be sent out very soon. The slogan “Vote for Mental Health” conveys the importance of considering the choice of candidates in terms of obtaining the best result for mental health and related services: in a general election that means particularly considering undevolved matters like benefits, employment, and criminal justice.
“Vote for Mental Health” also suggests that the act of voting is good for the voter's own mental health. It’s not too much of a stretch to say that the scant majority of us who vote in general elections (61% last time) are doing ourselves some good by feeling empowered in making the collective choice of those who govern us, perhaps thereby seeing them as our servants rather than our masters. By contrast those who cannot make a choice (in the many undemocratic countries of the world) can be unsettled psychologically by the sense of having limited control over their livelihoods and by repressed rage at that injustice. So do yourself a favour and cast your vote.
