Suppositions

Airwave!

I'm just reading about the ID required for voting in 2018, up pops a 'Labour spokesman' who says this will mainly affect the poor Labour voter, talk about making the news fit your parties rhetoric. Politicians haven't got a clue.......

Why should it be a Labour voter who suffers lack of resources? Why are the poor thought to vote only for Labour? How many people are without an ID, a letter adressed to them or some form of the many types of way we use to identify ourselves? Even if its a criminal record.

Perhaps a good opportunity to join up all the government and council departments and save a lot on administration? Or one ID card that acts as a passport/driving license/vote/register a death, birth/NHS, etc etc.

:snowball-fight:

stickywicket

The poor don't only vote labour but most of them do.

According to the Ipsos Mori poll on the last election, the lowest social group (D/E) voted:

41% Labour
27% Cons
17% UKIP
5% LibDem
3% Green
7% other

http://tinyurl.com/zcakdka

I know ID cards are a contentious issue though I'm not sure why. I'm fairly sure they'd never work as passports, though for international travel. I think even countries that use ID cards have separate passports.

barbara12

A good point Airwave..I think in the past the working class mostly voted Labour..but not any more..

Amble

Did any of you watch the utterly delightful "Ethel and Ernest" Raymond Briggs film the other day?
He was a staunch leftie all his life. She a very proper conservative but their journey through life was simply wonderful.

stickywicket

I didn't but I'm reminded of my brother and sister-in-law who once had election posters for different parties in their windows.

barbara12

Did any of you watch the utterly delightful "Ethel and Ernest" Raymond Briggs film the other day?
He was a staunch leftie all his life. She a very proper conservative but their journey through life was simply wonderful.

we watched it with 2 of our Granddaughters and they loved it...did you really live like that Grandma... they kept saying ..it was by far the best thing on TV

Airwave!

58% vote other than Labour, thanks for those figures.

I did watch the Ethal and Ernie program, it reminded me of the world I grew up in.

stickywicket

Airwave! wrote:

58% vote other than Labour, thanks for those figures.

Lateral thinking, eh, Airwave? I like it.

tkachev

Doesn't this mean that labour voters are less likely to have the necessary ID of a passport or driving licence (due to the cost)? Seems a fair statement.

The Raymond Briggs characters of Ethel and Ernest were based on his parents. I hope it was cheerier than 'When the wind blows'.

Elizabeth

Slosh

I saw Ethel and Ernest too, it was a lovely tribute to his parents.
As for the other issue here in London it has been reported that one of the main reasons for this is due to the amount of electoral fraud in Tower Hamlets, it has been the issue that there was a lot of fraud going on in regards to postal votes in previous elections and this was now spreading to people votingin person.

daffy2

My understanding is that the amount of fraud is miniscule in the scheme of things, so the proposal is an almighty sledgehammer to crack a nut that likely can't be seen so collateral damage is inevitable.
The postal vote system has expanded in a way that wasn't originally intended and has no inbuilt checks so really it would be better to address that loophole first. 'Personation' (casting a vote in person you are not entitled to do) takes a bit more effort in England at least as there won't be a ballot paper unless you can give a name that's on the polling station list (it's not all that secret a ballot you know.....). I seem to remember that it was possible somewhere(Ireland?) in theory to vote more than once by showing ID at a different polling station to the one your name appeared at.
Making sure that everyone eligible is on the electoral roll and then uses their vote would be the best way to mitigate the effects of fraud because the bigger the numbers of legal votes the harder it would be for fraud to have an effect. The new registration system has been very effective at reducing the numbers on the electoral roll....

stickywicket

100% with you, daffy.

I see it all seems to have died the quick death it deserved.

daffy2

I've seen it any number of times but I keep reading the topic heading as suppositories, and my rather warped sense of humour started musing on the name of the ruling party ending up where the sun don't shine.....

Slosh

Daffy2 I'm so glad I'm not the only one.