Off Topic The Politics Thread

  • Please bear with us on the new site integration and fixing any known bugs over the coming days. If you can not log in please try resetting your password and check your spam box. If you have tried these steps and are still struggling email [email protected] with your username/registered email address
  • Log in now to remove adverts - no adverts at all to registered members!

Should the UK remain a part of the EU or leave?

  • Stay in

    Votes: 56 47.9%

  • Get out

    Votes: 61 52.1%
  • Total voters
    117
  • Poll closed .
Matt Goodwin
@GoodwinMJ


Centre-left vote in Europe

UK
Lowest since 1935

Austria
Lowest since 1911

Germany
Lowest since 1932

France
Lowest ever

Italy
Lowest ever

N'lands
Lowest ever

Sweden
Lowest since 1908

Finland
2nd lowest

Spain
3rd lowest since democracy

Maybe it's not Brexit or Starmer?
 
I was wondering if Starmer would breath new life into the Labour Party, and give the party a younger and fresher look. Seems it hasn't happened at all. I guess with Corbyn you either liked him or loathed him, but Starmer seems to be too central, and so doesn't appeal to the Labour hardcore. What I don't understand, is how those whose political views are more central, find voting for Boris more appealing than voting for the Starmer. Perhaps its a question of charisma, but after these results he must be feeling the pressure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ELLERS
kiwiqpr said:
Matt Goodwin
@GoodwinMJ


Centre-left vote in Europe

UK
Lowest since 1935

Austria
Lowest since 1911

Germany
Lowest since 1932

France
Lowest ever

Italy
Lowest ever

N'lands
Lowest ever

Sweden
Lowest since 1908

Finland
2nd lowest

Spain
3rd lowest since democracy

Maybe it's not Brexit or Starmer?
Click to expand...
Spain stands out for me from that list. Third lowest centre-left vote since democracy? - they only have democracy about 40 odd years after Franco died in the late 70's. The current government is led by the socialist party leader Pedro Sanchez in coalition with the Podemos Party which is even more left wing than the Socialist party.

The worrying thing about Spain is that the Ultra Right wing Vox party gained 15% of the vote at the last general elections and they are taking control of lots of Regional parliaments and council's around Spain. Vox are mostly taking their votes from people who previously voted the centre right party Partido Popular - Spanish equivalent of the tories. Vox are the equivalent of the Nazis/National Front/BNP and have tapped into a wave of Nationalism surrounding the crisis around Catalan Independence in 2017.

Therefore, whoever has Spain on that list is not very clever as the left are definitely in power in Spain. Something far more worrying is how an extreme right wing party like Vox can attract so many voters from a middle of the road right wing party like the Partido Polular.
 
  • Like
Reactions: QPR Oslo and kiwiqpr
Goldhawk-Road said:
So, everyone has to show photo ID when picking up a parcel from the post office, but Labour think ethnic minorities are too stupid or frightened to organise themselves when it comes to the most material act in our democracy - exercising our right to vote. Nuts
Click to expand...

It's not a minorities piece for me [although I appreciate some are making that argument] - it's about making it as simple to vote as possible. We already have a lower turnout than I'd like (high 60% normally from memory) and I wouldn't want anything put in place that will make it harder for people to vote - especially if it's something as benign as someone forgetting to take ID on the way to vote, or if they don't have ID on them on the way home from work and therefore don't bother to vote etc. It might only put a few people off voting (hundreds, a few thousand? Admittedly guesses) but on the other hand there are extremely few cases of voter fraud in the current system, so there's not really a case for change. In short, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
 
Goldhawk-Road said:
So, everyone has to show photo ID when picking up a parcel from the post office, but Labour think ethnic minorities are too stupid or frightened to organise themselves when it comes to the most material act in our democracy - exercising our right to vote. Nuts
Click to expand...

What was need for this? There are currently more ongoing enquiries into Boris Johnson's behaviour as Prime Minister than there were convictions for fraud at the 2019 general election.
 
Can someone just link to the last time voter ID was debated on here? Would save a lot of time. It’s unnecessary and a very transparent attempt to suppress votes unlikely to go to the government.
 
West WindsR said:
Can someone just link to the last time voter ID was debated on here? Would save a lot of time. It’s unnecessary and a very transparent attempt to suppress votes unlikely to go to the government.
Click to expand...

They're also talking about making mayoral elections FPTP. Now the Tories have become the Conservative/Brexit/UKIP party, most second choice votes are Liberal or Green and would predominately go to the Labour candidate, so must be excluded.
 
Quite Possibly Raving said:
It's not a minorities piece for me [although I appreciate some are making that argument] - it's about making it as simple to vote as possible. We already have a lower turnout than I'd like (high 60% normally from memory) and I wouldn't want anything put in place that will make it harder for people to vote - especially if it's something as benign as someone forgetting to take ID on the way to vote, or if they don't have ID on them on the way home from work and therefore don't bother to vote etc. It might only put a few people off voting (hundreds, a few thousand? Admittedly guesses) but on the other hand there are extremely few cases of voter fraud in the current system, so there's not really a case for change. In short, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Click to expand...

Stroller said:
What was need for this? There are currently more ongoing enquiries into Boris Johnson's behaviour as Prime Minister than there were convictions for fraud at the 2019 general election.
Click to expand...

For me, it's about confidence in the system. At present, there are no checks at all. Anyone who knows someone isn't or can't vote due to absence, infirmity, lethargy etc can go to the voting station and give that other person's name and vote. You don't even have to show the card you're sent through the post. So fraud is exceptionally difficult to detect. The current fraud detection figures are worthless imo. The problem is likely to be much worse.

Voter ID is required in virtually every other country. What makes us right and all those countries wrong?
 
Goldhawk-Road said:
For me, it's about confidence in the system. At present, there are no checks at all. Anyone who knows someone isn't or can't vote due to absence, infirmity, lethargy etc can go to the voting station and give that other person's name and vote. You don't even have to show the card you're sent through the post. So fraud is exceptionally difficult to detect. The current fraud detection figures are worthless imo. The problem is likely to be much worse.

Voter ID is required in virtually every other country. What makes us right and all those countries wrong?
Click to expand...

It may be easy for an individual vote to be fraudulently cast, but organised wide-spread voter fraud would be extremely difficult and is almost certainly non-existent.

It's not a problem that needs fixing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back