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Thursday 29 December 2016

Photo ID and the secret ballot

Let's be honest. We all know the real reason for rolling this out is that those from countries, notably those from Pakistan and Bangladesh, which have a tradition of electoral corruption, personation, vote rigging, electoral fraud and criminal politicians, have been caught many times trying the same tricks at UK elections. That's not racist - the Electoral Commission lays it out quite honestly in its 2014 report

Now photo ID requirements just for certain ethnic groups is of course highly discriminatory and quite wrong. But the Electoral Commission don't want to make it harder for the innocent majority to vote in the next election. What to do? Well, why not roll out a 'trial ID scheme' in all those places most likely to be subject to voting fraud? The EC identified the following; 

Cue howls of rage and anguish from the corrupt Left whose poll in many red areas depends on voting fraud and corruption. And thereby they also declare that for them, party comes before country. 

Labour's support of democratic corruption left the coalition in 2010 with a voting system of third world standards; Michael Pinto-Duschinsky advised parliament that there were 3m electors on the rolls who shouldn't be, and 3m missing who should be. Our constituency boundaries, and Electoral Quotient, did not even meet the minimum standards for First World standards of +/- 5%, let alone the +/- 3% standard applied by advanced economies such as New Zealand.

Since 2010, and since this blog joined in the chorus of horror and shock at Labour's complacency, from 2008 onwards, the EC have reformed voter registration (new IVR) and made some valuable changes to postal voting. New constituency boundaries are scheduled to be in place by 2020. All that remains (except reversing the Blair corruption of postal votes) is to tackle the South Asian practice of electoral corruption by personation - and this is now being done.  

I think cautious praise is due. It's all been done quietly and incrementally, drawing howls of rage from corrupt Labour each time but the changes have a fairness and equity that the population can recognise and welcome. So well done, the Electoral Commission. Don't let it all be corrupted again.

23 comments:

Poisonedchalice said...

I wonder how the political landscape would have looked if all this had been corrected prior to 1997?

Just sayin'

rapscallion said...

A good job by the EC, but it won't stop the left trying other corrupt tactics - the Democrats in the US could teach them a thing or two no doubt.

To answer Poisenedchalice - I suspect that in the general scheme of things (a seat or two here, and seat or three there) that it would not have made that much of a difference. 1997 - Labour 418 seats, 2001 - Labour 403 seats and 2005 - Labour 356 seats. There is not much you can do if peeps keep voting in corrupt and mendacious politicians like Tiny effing Blur!

That is not the point is it? It should also include prosecutions for those parties that overspend, like the Tories did in South Thanet. They should be punished too. The system should be set up in such a way that corruption and any attempt to skew the final result is impossible.

plantman said...

I read this and again I experience another surge of contempt and anger and disgust. Bugger this Establishment - I don't know how much longer I will be able to contain my approaching irresistible urge to snap and do something I will be ashamed of - but it's coming!

Anonymous said...

Raedwald said:

'Labour's support of democratic corruption left the coalition in 2010 with a voting system of third world standards..'

Socialists aren't interested in democracy or fair elections: the ideologues road to power may begin with populism but it always ends with totalitarianism. The Common Market (EEC) is a good example of this transition - you only have to look at the treaties to know where its going. The Labour Party itself is another. Started off as the 'worker's party' (to improve pay and conditions) but moved into race replacement when the votes fell away, i.e. if you can't get the change you want change the people.

Socialism has failed so many times its only root to power now is millions of change agents and deceit.

Steve

APL said...

Raedwald:L "notably those from Pakistan and Bangladesh, which have a tradition of electoral corruption, personation,"

These are of course, some of the myriad benefits of diversity.

We had prior to 1950 a high trust society, as people from low trust feudal societies have enriched us, we have had to abandon our lackadaisical and open society for more and more, and more surveillance state.

I'm feeling so enriched.

Budgie said...

I live in one of those rotten boroughs.

It would be preferable to eliminate face coverings (burka and niqab) and restrict postal votes to the incapacitated or those away from access to their voting station, as an ongoing first preference.

However even though I am opposed to ID cards (the modern data base type, not the old fashioned photo card) it may come to showing some form of ID just as is required for other interactions with banks, government etc.

It must become the norm for immigrants to adopt the ways of this country and our culture. No immigrant groups should demand changes to suit them. We, and they, have mistaken tolerance and a degree of laxity with a lack of self belief. That attitude must stop.

strawbrick said...

I really do not understand how it can be that there are 3 million who should be, but aren't, and 3 million who are, but should not be, on the electoral role.
Surely here can be very few people eligible to vote who do not either pay money to the state, in income-tax, or receive money from the state, in some form of benefit. It cannot be beyond the wit of man to combine the addresses from both sets to produce a complete address book to use for sending out polling cards rather than relying on an error riddled "registration" system.
(I doubt that there will be many duplicate tax payers; the matter of duplicate benefit claimants (a matter which needs sorting in any case) can hardly approach the 3 million, and if it does then WTF?)

Woodsy42 said...

There will always be some strawbrick. Anyone who moves house just before an election will be on their old area list - but shouldn't be - while they are not registered where they moved to - but should be. I doubt that adds up to 3 million though.

Anonymous said...

Humm.

Yet another part of the attempt to bring in de-facto ID cards by making life difficult if you don't have one?

Like "just as is required for other interactions with banks, government etc." (all govt mandated).

If I vote, I show my face in the polling station, give my address, and vote. Why should it be different?

gareth

Mr Ecks said...


"Now photo ID requirements just for certain ethnic groups is of course highly discriminatory and quite wrong."

1--So what?

And

2-- No it isn't.

RoP followers should lose the vote anyway as part of an entire package of anti-colonisation measures.

anon 2 said...

Uh huh. And must that "photo ID" have europe plastered all over it?

DeeDee99 said...

Socialists believe that the ends justify the means. They believe that violence is appropriate if it results in socialist governance and they really don't care if a democratic process is corrupted to achieve their goal. I firmly believe it's one of the reasons Blair imported a 3rd world voter-base which could be guaranteed to vote Labour, after the white working class demonstrated that if the right Conservative came along (Thatcher) they'd vote Tory.

It's the more extreme left-wingers who are howling the loudest at the Electoral Commission's sensible plan to trial ID at polling stations in Muslim areas which have/are at risk. Why? Because they can see their route to power being slowly blocked.

Let's hope the Commission pays as much attention to the Conservative Party's corrupt activities in South Thanet in 2015. Somehow I doubt it. Can't rock the Establishment boat too much .............

Anonymous said...

Dip finger in ink. Problem solved.

John Brown said...

Fraud through postal voting is far greater than fraud through impersonation at the polling station and the government has yet to tackle this fully.

BTW, voting is not secret, even at a polling station,as a number connecting you with your name/address is written on your voting slip.

Anonymous said...

Why would it be wrong to target the wrongdoers ,the white British are sick and tired of being dragged to to their level.

Anonymous said...

Dear Raedwald

How to introduce ID cards in a free country: arrange for the people to demand them.

Most election fraud is done by the postal ballot system.

Kill that, job done.

DP

anon 2 said...

That's right, DP.

And there we were, just for a minute, thinking we might shed the shackles.


Anonymous said...

Facial recognition systems.Work very well.
Not on it, no vote.
Who in this age does not have a passport, driving license, or some other form of ID registered with the government?
Cannot go back to your home country without a passport so will be on the facial recon system.
Postal votes can be changed so as a rep can go with the recon system to register each one. If they are not in obviously they are able to get to the polling station.No excuse no vote.
Fraud would quickly evaporate in certain areas.
As for shedding the shackles, behave, and ask yourself why you wear collars and cuffs.Its the system get used to it.

anon 2 said...

Sorry, Anon @01:58 --- The system has no business ruling my country.

A pox on the euSSR; I refuse to obey their systems just because they say so. You may or may not have noticed that we voted BREXIT.

As for your telling me to behave, one really has to wonder how old you are, or how educated. Oh ... and you're not too perceptive anyway: collars and cuffs aren't my sort of formality.

Goodbye.

James Higham said...

In America, they call it 'probable cause'.

G. Tingey said...

Carefully NOT reading any preceding comments.

1: Woking? Uh?
2: It's RELIGION AGAIN, isn't it?
Because wehere has this system already been in use for years?
That's right - N Ireland - "Vote Early, Vote Often" - both Prods & Catlicks were at it.
Time to put a stop to it.
3: Voter fraud is not confined to the left - look at Westminster council's ethnic cleansing programme.

Bill Quango MP said...

GT - Woking,surrey commuter town, has a high proportion of Indian and Pakistani residents. High for Surrey anyway.

2.9% Pakistani
1.5% Indian

Bloke In North Dorset said...

HNY Radders.

I've been following you for a very long time but don't comment much. I got this from you many years ago and you haven't posted it recently so here we go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5h4PFBuzvw