Today is the final time you'll go to the polls earlier than the federal government’s shameful and shameless new elections invoice turns into legislation. It was squeezed by parliament late at night time final week within the closing “wash-up” of dangerous payments earlier than the tip of the session.
The invoice’s Trumpish voter suppression is designed to discourage poor and younger folks from voting. Its passing additionally makes these the final elections to be monitored and scrutinised by a genuinely unbiased Electoral Fee. This habitually timid outfit tried to face up for itself: “The independence of the Electoral Fee is significant to the functioning of a wholesome democracy,” it mentioned. However, as of now, Boris Johnson and his allies will set their very own phrases for the fee, together with its scrutiny of finance.
Each voter will want a photograph ID to any extent further, so 7.5% of voters, or 3.5 million folks, with no driving licence or a passport must be decided sufficient to trek to their native council workplace, have their picture taken and fill out an utility with a counter-signature. It’s price noting that the DVLA and the Passport Workplace are in disaster: simply strive reserving an pressing passport slot. Anybody taking a look at our voting patterns would fear about too few folks turning out, not folks voting twice. The chance of “personation” – dishonest on id – is minuscule: in 2017 there was one conviction, in 2018 none in any respect. In a grossly unfair and undemocratic electoral system, the probity and honesty of its operation is the one side to be happy with.
The Tory-led public administration and constitutional affairs committee produced a devastating condemnation of the invoice. They estimated 2.3% of voters could be deterred from voting, or 1.1 million folks, who would most likely be these on low incomes, from ethnic minorities and with disabilities. They warned that an excessive amount of arbitrary discretion could be left to polling station workers to simply accept or reject ID, inflicting queues and rows.
In case you doubt this can be a conspiracy to cease non-Tories voting, take a look at the one ID that's acceptable past passports and driving licences: pensioners will likely be allowed to make use of the older individual’s bus move, Oyster 60+ or Senior 60+ SmartPass – whereas younger folks will likely be barred from utilizing their railcards. The federal government rejected Lord Willetts’ modification 86 making an attempt to incorporate a variety of paperwork for all ages. Older individuals are the principle customers of postal votes – which gained’t require ID. All that is certainly not unconnected with the Tories’ 47-point lead among the many over-65s, and Labour’s 43-point lead amongst below 25s as of 2019.
The Spectator has kindly assembled no fewer than 11 writings and sayings by Johnson excoriating ID playing cards, beginning with, “I detest the thought on precept. I by no means wish to be commanded, by any emanation of the British state, to provide proof of my id … I'll take that card out of my pockets and bodily eat it.” However now ID playing cards serve his solely remaining political function: to get re-elected.
The invoice’s different abomination considerations the comparatively new mayoral and police and crime commissioner elections: it sweeps away the current second-preference system in favour of the unfairest of all, the vintage first previous the publish (FPTP). Why? As a result of Tories usually tend to win below FPTP. There are extra anti-Tory progressive voters, who switch their second preferences to a different progressive social gathering, however not often to a Tory.
As Neal Lawson, who advocates a progressive alliance, wrote eloquently this week, a majority-progressive vote is normally disastrously divided. At this time, in 82% of elections there will likely be at the least two progressive candidates splitting their vote, standing in opposition to only one Conservative, in line with Jon Narcross of the Electoral Reform Society. Proportional illustration (PR) would, to borrow a phrase, “degree up” votes, so that they don’t pile up wasted. PR now will get sturdy public help, in line with YouGov, with 44% in favour, and solely 27% for first previous the publish.
The final week, with seven entrance pages of the Mail and others piling in, making an attempt to make Keir Starmer’s beer and curry on the marketing campaign path as dangerous as Downing Avenue’s 12 events is simply one other grim reminder of the monstrous heft of the rightwing press, used unscrupulously to save lots of its multimillionaire house owners from the perils of Labour in energy.
Labour, if it turns into the most important social gathering on the subsequent normal election, should prepared the ground to electoral reform. Labour is very unlikely to win alone, so this time the Liberal Democrats and all the opposite events should demand PR instantly, as its first act or refuse any cooperation on the rest. There isn't a want for a referendum, simply do it. Referendums are poisonous politics – and the Tories can hardly complain after they have gerrymandered, prorogued and suppressed opposing votes, their mendacious press claque distorting any honest voice, with whole disregard for what's now a damaged structure. Johnson has killed off Peter Hennessy’s principle of a “good chaps” structure, one by which practitioners maintain pricey not simply the foundations themselves but in addition their spirit.
So what ought to progressive “good chaps”, be they male or feminine, do on the shut of a Johnson period? That a lot is evident. They need to be happy to introduce a voting system that may cease any corrupt social gathering with a minority of votes ever governing alone once more with dictatorial powers.
Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist
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