How can politicians be held to account?

[newfhouse]

My MP is a junior minister with responsibility for immigration enforcement, detention and removal of failed asylum seekers, among other matters. As you might imagine, we have areas of disagreement.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parli...f_State_for_Immigration_Compliance_and_Courts

 

[slowmotion]

It's pretty simple. Go to a polling booth and register your opinion.

 

[classic33]

It's pretty simple. Go to a polling booth and register your opinion.

There's an increasing number not able to do that as they're not on the register, through their choice.

 

[Pale Rider]

making it more difficult for certain, mostly disadvantaged groups of citizens to vote

Why would the Tories try to do that, given they owe their large majority to a large extent to taking the disadvantaged red wall seats.

It makes no sense, like most conspiracy theories, unless you believe the Tories deliberately want to shoot themselves in the foot.

If there was a means of stopping only those who were not going to vote Conservative from voting, I'd be more inclined to buy it.

But there isn't.

 

[slowmotion]

There's an increasing number not able to do that as they're not on the register, through their choice.

Maybe they should take some kind of responsibility for that. This is daft Anti-Vaxxer logic.

 

[Ian H]

Why would the Tories try to do that, given they owe their large majority to a large extent to taking the disadvantaged red wall seats.

It makes no sense, like most conspiracy theories, unless you believe the Tories deliberately want to shoot themselves in the foot.

If there was a means of stopping only those who were not going to vote Conservative from voting, I'd be more inclined to buy it.

But there isn't.

The consensus seems to be that the disadvantaged will be most affected. https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/

 

[Pale Rider]

The consensus seems to be that the disadvantaged will be most affected. https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/

Yes I agree, but as I said there is also a consensus that disadvantaged people played a significant part in securing the Tories their large majority.

The Tory conspiracy theory strategist will have a hard job working out which disadvantaged people to attempt to disenfranchise.

And an even harder job doing it, given the new conditions will apply to everyone.

 

[Milkfloat]

Yes I agree, but as I said there is also a consensus that disadvantaged people played a significant part in securing the Tories their large majority.

The Tory conspiracy theory strategist will have a hard job working out which disadvantaged people to attempt to disenfranchise.

And an even harder job doing it, given the new conditions will apply to everyone.

I would say it is highly likely that now Brexit has been achieved that they may flip back, I guess it depends how quickly a GE can be called.

 

[Ian H]

Yes I agree, but as I said there is also a consensus that disadvantaged people played a significant part in securing the Tories their large majority.

The Tory conspiracy theory strategist will have a hard job working out which disadvantaged people to attempt to disenfranchise.

And an even harder job doing it, given the new conditions will apply to everyone.

You don't have to do that kind of detail. A larger minority of disadvantaged people voted Tory than previously, but still a minority. It's the same game that Republican states in the US are playing (though they're much more brazen).

 

[swansonj]

Yes I agree, but as I said there is also a consensus that disadvantaged people played a significant part in securing the Tories their large majority.

The Tory conspiracy theory strategist will have a hard job working out which disadvantaged people to attempt to disenfranchise.

And an even harder job doing it, given the new conditions will apply to everyone.

If, in your view, this is not driven by a desire to skew the pool of voters, are you able to explain what is motivating it? All the evidence seems to suggest that the actual level of voter impersonation is too small to provide an objective justification.

 

[Pale Rider]

If, in your view, this is not driven by a desire to skew the pool of voters, are you able to explain what is motivating it? All the evidence seems to suggest that the actual level of voter impersonation is too small to provide an objective justification.

All the evidence is voting irregularities in the widest sense is endemic, particularly among South Asian communities.

This Guardian story from a few years ago mentions a dozen or more towns.

Predictably, the same paper is now using the proposed measures to combat the problem as a stick with which to beat Boris.

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...open-inquiries-allegations-electoral-fraud-uk

 

[Bromptonaut]

All the evidence is voting irregularities in the widest sense is endemic, particularly among South Asian communities.

Assuming that sweeping assertion is correct how will a requirement for voter ID at the polling station help?

 

[Pale Rider]

Assuming that sweeping assertion is correct how will a requirement for voter ID at the polling station help?

We will know who is voting, which we do not at present.

Thus it also restores the confidentiality of the vote, because if everyone is using their own card they can vote exactly as they please, ignoring, if they wish, any exhortations from friends and family.

As for the assertion, blame the Guardian, not me.

Even that story only scratched the surface.

 

[Ian H]

All the evidence is voting irregularities in the widest sense is endemic, particularly among South Asian communities.

This Guardian story from a few years ago mentions a dozen or more towns.

Predictably, the same paper is now using the proposed measures to combat the problem as a stick with which to beat Boris.

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...open-inquiries-allegations-electoral-fraud-uk

A minority of the irregularities involved voting, most involved the candidates and campaigning.

 

[Bromptonaut]

We will know who is voting, which we do not at present.

Thus it also restores the confidentiality of the vote, because if everyone is using their own card they can vote exactly as they please, ignoring, if they wish, any exhortations from friends and family.

As for the assertion, blame the Guardian, not me.

Even that story only scratched the surface.

The article makes the point that such irregularities as there are with votes cast are with postal votes not those in person.

As to scratching the surface do please point us to the evidence of significant personation at the polling station.