[Yug]

Backfire Rishi is going to be crushed by an Acme anvil while cutting a rope. I’m not feeling schadenfreude this is grotesque and surprised it hasn’t been challenged in the courts.

Huge numbers of older voters could be disenfranchised at local elections in May after official data has shown that only 505 people aged 75-plus have applied for free voter identification documents in the month since the scheme launched.

Caroline Abrahams, the charity director at Age UK, said the charity was concerned at the implementation of voter ID, and that more than 3 million over-65s had no access to the internet, so could not apply online. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... mPqeZGFr2E

I read that article last night, and it was the first time I've heard of this free voter ID thing. I wonder how many others have not heard of it before?

[Andy McDandy]

On Friday I was talking to a registration officer from Lancashire county council, who said that they were getting overwhelmed with requests for duplicate birth certificates, all because of the new voter ID rules. £11 a pop.

[Tubby Isaacs]

- How are the polls? (part 94) We still gaining?

- Um, we're gaining within the margin of error, Prime Minister.

[The Weeping Angel]

Approval ratings are in the toilet as well.

[mattomac]

On this voting thing won’t a lot have postal votes anyhow.

It also mentions the Young but to do pretty much anything at 18-25 you’d need ID.

I would expect it to hit the 35-60, of course it might hurt the Tories anyhow, a crap story to probably go with a crap night.

Hopefully Labour shelf it in their first months in office if it makes it that far.

[Andy McDandy]

Problem is that the argument for voter ID is well rehearsed.

"We need it to counter election fraud!"

"But there's hardly any election fraud going on"

"But even one case is one too many when democracy is at stake!"

"But isn't disenfranchising people just as bad...?"

"LOOK AT THIS LEFTIE, EVERYONE! LABOUR WANT TO RIG ELECTIONS! THEY CAN'T WIN FAIRLY, SO THEY RELY ON THAT LOT WHO BREED LIKE RABBITS AND ARE LIKE SIX FAMILIES TO A ROOM TO STUFF THE BALLOT BOXES!"

[Youngian]

Make it easier for the maximum number of people to vote is the lib/left version of gerrymandering. And it may not always advance their side but it’s the right thing to do.
Some thoughts:
Automatic registration: Forget to pay your council tax and you will know that we are all already registered.
Abolish Thursday voting: Make Friday a bank holiday and leave the booths open until Sunday evening. Encourage entertainment and bbqs outside polling stations.
Online voting: Is that safe and have public confidence? Worthy of support in principle.
Equal value for the party you vote for: You don’t even have to go too far down the PR road but have some kind of regional top up system and secondary voting.

[Andy McDandy]

With some of those I can already hear the screaming from the Mailites. Postcode lottery, that lot don't pay tax, leftie entertainers, duty not a festival, not another bank holiday, the economy can't take it...

We could rebut them all in moments, but what we're competing against is the noise of a very well rehearsed mob.

[Watchman]

I prefer brainwashed to rehearsed

[Tubby Isaacs]

Rishi was on to “you lot want to surrender to the EU” at PMQs. The one group where he was showing some polling promise was with Con-LD-Remain types.

Let’s see if he can piss them off as well.

[Watchman]

(No) “Surrender”; a word he picked up from the DUP

[Tubby Isaacs]

My seriousness and pragmatism must be showing through by now, surely?

To a point, Prime Minister.

[mattomac]

There seems to be a slight shift on all polls this week so far, it’s just away for the Conservatives mind

[Tubby Isaacs]

Um, we're fighing back, Prime Minister. Fighting back.

[Youngian]

I get the Reform switchers as the Tories look madder by the week. What’s the story for the Green and LD switchers?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Margin for error.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Missed this one earlier.

- How's it going etc?
- Holding our ground as regards Labour, Prime Minister.

[mattomac]

It’s called not reading anything into one poll, the trend has generally been static with the slightest of upticks for Labour this week.

[Bones McCoy]

[Crabcakes]

Fair play to Sunak - he’s actually engaged with reality and made something shit slightly better.

And, it forces Johnson’s hand. If he stands against it, he forever lashes himself to the very worst of the ERG nutters. If he bottles it, his comeback dreams are absolutely dead.

Either way, it’s the very first step on the road back from brexit or another big nail in the coffin of the Tories. Or both.