VOTE RIGGING

Labour’s latest vote rigging antic is to introduce a law making it an offence not to vote. The plans for this were outlined by Geoff Hoon, in a softening up exercise: ‘We need to get people more engaged in political processes, to explain, to take through the argument from the local level. The idea of having a debate about compulsory voting is to get that engagement’.

Mr Hoon expected a ‘modest fine’ for those who did not vote.

The fact that the turnout tends to be lowest in Labour held areas, with Labour voters being most likely not to bother to vote should, to the more cynical, be an indicator of the real reason for this proposal. Labour are already looking forward to the 2009 general election and how they can manipulate the voting process to their own advantage.

If people are not inspired to vote, then they should be allowed not to do so.