Queens speech

Alegrias1

Good article MaizieD I hope those saying they don't understand the problem with voter id read it.

They won't...

Gajahgran

Sorry, still can't see why anyone would be opposed to voter ID. We have a voter number anyway in the UK and are usually asked for it at the Polling Station.

The reasons are in the article posted by MaizieD

Anniebach

Why would voter ID make life difficult for poorer people ?

This comment is insensitive and ignorant in the extreme.

Because poorer people mostly do not have passports, nor do they have driving licences.

Either we have ID cards- or we don't.

Which ID card do you think poorer people could use?

A utility bill? A UC letter?

Urmstongran

Spain have ID cards. France too I believe.
Actually I think nowadays (because the world isn’t what it was 50y ago) they are a good thing.

Yes, and I would agree it is a good idea. But in the UK, we do not- either we do, or we don't. And it needs to be Government funded and it will be very expensive.

Does your utility bill have your photo on it UG ?

A bus pass?

Does everyone have a bus pass? Really?

MaizieD

Alegrias1

Good article MaizieD I hope those saying they don't understand the problem with voter id read it.

They won't...

I don't object to ID cards in principle.

We had to produce ID when we went for our vaccines; either a driving licence or passport or a bus pass.
Only older people have bus passes.

I wonder what happened with those who had none of the above?

Why are we scrabbling round to fit this narrative to suit the minuscule number of people in the UK who do not have any form of photo ID? The tail is wagging the dog here.

We had to produce ID when we went for our vaccines; either a driving licence or passport or a bus pass.

We didn't.

Urmstongran

Why are we scrabbling round to fit this narrative to suit the minuscule number of people in the UK who do not have any form of photo ID? The tail is wagging the dog here.

Why are you trying to justify the imposition of a completely unnecessary requirement for voter ID?

If the Government wants its citizens to carry ID cards they will have to fund it.

MaizieD

^We had to produce ID when we went for our vaccines; either a driving licence or passport or a bus pass.^

We didn't.

We did here in Labour-run Wales.

How odd!

Urmstongran

Why are we scrabbling round to fit this narrative to suit the minuscule number of people in the UK who do not have any form of photo ID? The tail is wagging the dog here.

Wow. The miniscule number of people without photo id? Read the article for God's sake. Then think about the less-than-miniscule number that actually try to commit electoral fraud. ?

Tail wagging the dog indeed. The government are the tail and we're the dog.

Callistemon

If the Government wants its citizens to carry ID cards they will have to fund it.

Nope. They'll have to whistle for it. They work for us, remember.

I'd rather carry an ID card with me than have to take my passport to prove my identity.

Many people don't have passports.

I have a passport but not a driving license and I would be happy to carry an ID card

I just find it odd that it is the view on here that a right wing government is assumed, by generally left-leaning posters, to be taking away our liberties by wanting us to carry ID cards .

In Labour-run Wales ID cards are being required in more and more areas of life, there is a mix of ID required so one system, one card, would be better.

IMO

Shinamae

I have a passport but not a driving license and I would be happy to carry an ID card

We could have a microchip implanted at birth

So much easier than having to remember to carry a card.

I will carry an ID card with me when hell freezes over.

I disagreed with it when it was a Labour idea. I'd disagree with it whoever comes up with it. I'll always disagree with it.

MaizieD

Urmstongran

Chestnut

Wasn't there a problem with students voting at the home address and also at their university address some time ago. I believe some Labour activists were even encouraging it. If that is happening then it should be stopped.

There was Chestnut. Well remembered!

Poof that it happened?

If you Google 'students voting twice' you will see several articles from the Independent, the Sun, The Daily Mail, The Express and others. It seems some did claim they had voted twice but the extent of abuse was difficult to investigate due to the voting system. It would be more sensible to register them at their home address only, and if they are not there then have a postal vote. I don't believe students should be able to vote at university. They are only temporary residents, they don't live there, and some towns and cities have huge student populations and this will artificially inflate the figures.

Well the more I read and think about the trajectory of this government and democracy in our country the more it appears that democracy and civil rights are in retreat, and the more authoritarian the government is becoming.

The freedom to protest against government decisions is being criminalised. We see this sort of criminalisation in countries like Iran or China, how can we let it happen here?

Voting is being made more difficult and certain sections may well be disenfranchised.

Johnson is intending to remove the judiciary’s ability to take the government to task for breaking the law.

Johnson is taking back the ability to decide when to go to the polls.

Gerrymandering in the form of realigning constituency borders is under plan. This is only possible because of the fptp voting system.

Our precious democracy is tottering, we can’t let it be broken.

NHS England will lose its independence from Whitehall, reversing changes made by Lord Lansley, the former Tory health secretary, under the coalition.

The changes are also designed to cut red tape in the NHS and scale back some of the elements of internal competition brought in by the Lansley reforms. Hopefully this will be a good thing.

Getting rid of the fixed Parliament Act is common sense. A government can only call to shorten it’s tenure by so doing not extend it. - so the ballot box can decide whether to recall them or chuck them out.

The redrawing of constituencies for election purposes has been long overdue. It is not gerrymandering.