Election rigging

29 December

This afternoon could be interesting; Jan is off to collect Kile and Billy to come down here for a couple of hours. Vicky might want to come down as well. We’ve never had so many people in here at one time in here so I’m hoping that I can cope with them all. We’ll soon see …

What do you think about the idea of some of people being asked for ID when they turn up to vote? The postal vote system is being tightened up at the same time, something that has needed doing for a long time, far to open to abuse. The usual cage rattling is being done by various civil liberty groups and individuals who have too much hot air in the lungs to be taken seriously. Thing is, a lot of what this is being brought in for will clash with various culture systems in places like Pakistan and Bangladesh. Some of those involved will not see what the problem is because they are just doing the same as they would back home.

I’m expecting a backlash at some point – and not just from the communities being targeted. In theory postal votes are a great idea on the face of it. There are a lot of people in the UK with dementia, enough to possibly have an effect on a general election. It might not seem so obvious but the odd vote here and there soon adds up to a significant number. That is perhaps why action is being considered. For example; My mother didn’t have a clue what was going on around her. Dave could have applied for got a postal vote for both of them, but he didn’t simply cos he was too lazy. Anyway, if he had bothered, mother could see or hear anything so how would she know and understand what she was being asked? She couldn’t, that means it would be down to down to whoever filled in the vote for her, and that is where the fraud comes in.

Proxy voting can be abused too. My dad used to vote for me in all our elections while I was in the army. It was dad because I knew that I could trust him to vote the way I wanted. Every so often I’d try winding him up by saying I wanted to vote tory and not labour, he’d bit every time and Dave and me would be giggling at his antics when I said it. But perhaps you can see how easy fraud becomes with such on open system. And don’t forget that in some cultures women do not have the freedoms as do our British women.

Most of us cherish our right to vote, and yet few of us know that the right for all men over 21 to vote is less than 100 years old. Women over the age of 30 could also vote at that time and it wasn’t until 1928 that all women over 21 were given the vote. It was 1969 that the voting age was lowered to 18 years of age for both sexes. These rights were hard won and we should cherish them, and use them! So is it really surprising that that when we hear of frauds happening in our voting systems that people are getting uppity over it? No, of course not. Why should these people get away with what is in fact, a criminal offence? Proving it might be a bit of a problem though.
Today’s photo …

Kingsbury Parish Church.

Today’s funny …            
A Truck load of prunes has been stolen.
Police are looking for a man on the run.