message for "indigenous Caucasian" people.

[BlackToffee]

they certainly do, and it wouldn't be a case of approving of someone's voting intentions, merely assessing their understanding of the principle issues involved. This can be kicked off with a compulsory subject in the school curriculum (along the lines of the Gen Studies A Level).

As for the not being able to read English issue, of course there would have to be foreign language test available (in the same way that there are 48 versions of every leaflet produced by your council these days), having said that, there are already proposals to make English Literacy a requirement for citizenship and therefore the vote.

Its a nice idea. It has one major failing. You are assuming that people want to vote. My daughter has voted, more or less due to moaning from me and the wife.

If you said to her "before you can vote you need to take a test" she'd say, "stuff your vote, I ain't voting then" Voting will become, by default the preserve of the rich and famous.

You need better political education in schools and to rid this generation of poisonous self seeking MP's.

 

[gordonjblair]

Its a nice idea. It has one major failing. You are assuming that people want to vote. My daughter has voted, more or less due to moaning from me and the wife.

If you said to her "before you can vote you need to take a test" she'd say, "stuff your vote, I ain't voting then" Voting will become, by default the preserve of the rich and famous.

You need better political education in schools and to rid this generation of poisonous self seeking MP's.

no, by your example it'll become the preserve of the interested and motivated (who are probably the best placed to make an informed and rational decision)

 

[Nebbiolo]

no, by your example it'll become the preserve of the interested and motivated (who are probably the best placed to make an informed and rational decision)

Hmmm. That rational decision might not be in the interests of anyone but the voter. After all, the majority of Mail and Express readers are very proactive in political matters. The majority that voted Hitler into power were similarly motivated. Lazy people are lazy, but that doesn't mean that they are not equipped to make unselfish decisions, and vote for a party that is good for them and the country as a whole.

Perhaps compularry voting is the way to go?

 

[BlackToffee]

no, by your example it'll become the preserve of the interested and motivated (who are probably the best placed to make an informed and rational decision)

I'd agree with you if the intellectualisation of racism didn't come from the same class as those whom you want to give some god given right to vote.

Or we'd have a perpetual liberal government, urgh

 

[monty]

What do you guys think of a compulsory voting system carrying a absention box.....................big fines for not taking part that also allows the elector to tell all political partys what they think. Such a system would also measure the amount of apathy within the electorate...................would this favour the BNP?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

The thing is though, democracy operates by allowing those that benefit most from a government the chance to inflict their will upon those that just want to be left alone to live their lives. For instance in the 2005 election more than twice as many public sector workers voted Labour as Tory. Likewise the wealthy tend to vote for those that offer lower taxes.

 

[monty]

The thing is though, democracy operates by allowing those that benefit most from a government the chance to inflict their will upon those that just want to be left alone to live their lives. For instance in the 2005 election more than twice as many public sector workers voted Labour as Tory. Likewise the wealthy tend to vote for those that offer lower taxes.

Turkeys don't vote for Xmas mate

 

[BlackToffee]

It's not a debate when it's about one set of debaters on the offence and the other on the defence.

I will put my hand up and say that I am not a supporter of the BNP, I think their policies are disgraceful and lack a certain aspect of reality. I don't think I belong in this country because 17,000 years ago my ancestor was born.

That kind of [Poor language removed] is bollocks. And one of the many foolish things Nick Griffin says and because of the foolish stuff he does say the odd oasis of sense will be forever masked by his rhetoric.

Anybody who is born in this country is a British citizen, anybody who applies for British Citizenship successfully is a British citizen, and it's those citizens who deserve to get any rights over any asylym seeker or border jumper (and those who have expired visas),

I don't agree that anybody in the EU should have rights in this country because they are not citizens, Maggie Thatcher didn't want to lose the sovereignty of this nation but nobody called the Tory government racist or nationalist - but that is what she was and the next government is likely to be Conservative.

Now I don't think that as a nation we should turn our back on those seeking reguge in our nation, we help people because we are an advanced country with a strong heart and in comparison to many other nations, we have good systems. Great education, healthcare, transport links.

But...

I don't believe that should mean that we should have the piss taken out of us, which is what happens. We are a soft touch. It's easy to get into this country. It's harder to get in some nightclubs to be honest.

Not sure if I'm getting off the point of the thread, but we have issues with soft immigration laws, it's not racism, it's about sustaining a nation and taking care of all it's citizens before it worries about other countries citizens.

I don't have a problem with the general points you are making. I could argue about the soft touch idea. If we are talking about refugee's Africa actually has more refugee's, dependant how you want to slice the cake.

Even if you don't buy that idea, Germany has more immigrants than the UK.

 

[Nebbiolo]

What do you guys think of a compulsory voting system carrying a absention box.....................big fines for not taking part that also allows the elector to tell all political partys what they think. Such a system would also measure the amount of apathy within the electorate...................would this favour the BNP?

I favour it, Monty. I think it allows the people that are too poor, bedraggled or miserable the chance to vote. I'm pretty sure that if it was introduced, left-wing governments would be the norm. That's fine by me.

 

[Nebbiolo]

I don't have a problem with the general points you are making. I could argue about the soft touch idea. If we are talking about refugee's Africa actually has more refugee's, dependant how you want to slice the cake.

Even if you don't buy that idea, Germany has more immigrants than the UK.

It's a myth that the UK is this soft touch with immigration. Good point, BT.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I favour it, Monty. I think it allows the people that are too poor, bedraggled or miserable the chance to vote. I'm pretty sure that if it was introduced, left-wing governments would be the norm. That's fine by me.

Fine by you, not by me. Isn't it a rather anti liberal idea that ones will should be imposed upon another? b)

 

[GhostOfDixie]

It's a myth that the UK is this soft touch with immigration. Good point, BT.

Be interested to see some figures about this.

 

[chicoazul]

We should be communists really.

 

[GhostOfDixie]

We should be communists really.

Do you mean your not?

 

[NeoNaoNeo]

We should be communists really.

My Dad \/\/as a Young Communist.

true story