Yes, absolutely it can. In the UK only something like 20% of...

Yes, absolutely it can. In the UK only something like 20% of people bother to vote. Most of those are people on welfare, who vote for freebies, thus ensuring Labour got in time and time again. Now Cameron is taking freebies away, he will be voted out. Thus the cycle of 'democracy' works in the favour of big government and dependency on the state aka labour.

I believe this is why the carbon tax has been implemented, as so many people will be reliant on some form of rebate. Thus it makes them dependent.

My observation as an immigrant from the UK is that the compulsory voting system is far far superior. I find that many many people I come across in daily life are interested in politics, from the cleaner, the plumber, the shop owner, the IT professional, the CEO, the lawyer, the small business owner etc, and they are far more likely to talk about politics than anyone in the UK. This leads to healthy debate. I'm not saying that EVERYONE is well informed, but far far more people over here ARE informed than in other countries. This keeps government far more accountable than other countries.

People in the Uk are absolutely clueless about what is happening in their parliament, and as such, many laws have been passed handing powers over to Brussels, without the consent of the British people. My friend, who is a very bright guy, works in banking, and a CEO, had never even heard of Nigel Farage or the UKIP party. When populace is so disengaged, it allows governments to do what they want.

Be very careful what you wish for.