The Conservative Party likes to portray itself as the party that opposes unnecessary regulation and that protects our liberties from state interference. Yet, they are very fond of regulating any group they disapprove of: protesters in public places; school teachers; universities and so on.
I voted in my Parish Council and Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead elections this morning. For the first time in 53 years I was required, in order to vote, to produce an approved photo ID. This is a new requirement, introduced by our Conversative government to “protect” elections from voter fraud. This is a protection from a problem that simply does not exist. I rather think what this new requirement is designed to protect is the Conservative Party and its share of the vote.
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| The list of acceptable forms of ID at polling stations |
The only part of the UK that has required voter ID before now is Northern Ireland, where the sectarian political situation is quite different from England, Scotland and Wales. Of the 21 forms of ID permitted: six are commonly held by people over 60 and only two (the PASS card and the Scottish National Entitlement Card, which is issued to adults of any age) by young people. The Conservatives have a very substantial share of the votes of older people; their young voters are far fewer.
Am I cynical to suspect the motives behind this new requirement?
This is what Republicans in the US are trying to do in many states. The multitude of tiny barriers they can erect, saying that it's just simple protection from fraud, amounts to voter supression. Photo IDs, restricting vote-by-mail, limiting drop-off boxes, closing neighbothood voting stations, putting up work road blocks near polling stations on voting day, using fewer voting machines to make the lines longer and not being allowed to give water to a voter standing in line are all attempts to supress the vote. Your Conservateves look like our Republicans, not interested in a fair vote, just interested in staying in power.
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