Should thick People Be Allowed To Vote?

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Probably shouldn't let the disabled vote either. Or blacks.

[H-O-W-L]

What if you could get all the thick people to do your bidding? With a snappy catchphrase.

Would You Kindly get in grave?

[katzenjammer]

Maybe everyone should be made to take a political compass type test and their vote automatically cast for the party whose manifesto most closely matches the result.

[NoSleep]

Maybe everyone should be made to take a political compass type test and their vote automatically cast for the party whose manifesto most closely matches the result.

So give the vote to whoever's lies match up to the test result.

[Urinal Cake]

Probably shouldn't let the disabled vote either. Or blacks.

Well the disabled sometimes don't have access to vote.  Also some prisoners who are disproportionately black and/or stupid can't vote.  So already happening-  you're on the path here.

[Kryton]

OF COURSE I KNOW WHAT A PARKING METERS IS.

[oy vey]

What if you could get all the thick people to do your bidding? With a snappy catchphrase.

Yes we can and make America great again worked pretty fucking well.

[greenman]

So give the vote to whoever's lies match up to the test result.

The MP's of that party when wear Battle Royale style necklaces that explode if they ignore their pldges, problem would be I spose the guy fitting Johnsons would be in danger as its being put on.

[Alberon]

One Person, One Vote.

And I should be that person.

[Noodle Lizard]

There's no way of saying anything to this effect without sounding a bit fascist, so there's no real discussion to be had, at least not on any official level. Same with having children - it's objectively a bit mad that you're able to take on the task of creating and nurturing a human life with zero qualifications, but you need a diploma to be a hairdresser.

As far as voting goes, I don't know if it even matters anymore. I'm growing less convinced that democracy itself is the "only answer" we've been told it is. It's nice in theory, but inherently so open to corruption and exploitation that it's basically self-defeating. I'm also starting to believe that any entire country (over a few million people or so) is inherently impossible to be represented and governed by one centralised system. Do I have any solution, though? Do I fuck. I think the way we've built the world has made it hopeless.

[shiftwork2]

That Question Time tool who thought his 80k salary was somehow close to the breadline, he shouldn't be allowed to vote.  He shouldn't be allowed to get out of bed.

[imitationleather]

That Question Time tool who thought his 80k salary was somehow close to the breadline, he shouldn't be allowed to vote.  He shouldn't be allowed to get out of bed.

However he should be allowed, nay encouraged, to get in grave.

[hummingofevil]

Flip this on it's head. Should there be regulation on those who are able to stand for parliament, never mind be a minister?

Many of our current cabinet have committed professional and personal wrongs that, if they were teachers or doctors, would have seen them struck off. If Priti Patel is sacked for running a parallel foreign policy, Gavin Osborn for leaking national security briefings, Gove and his coke, Amber Rudd... and.... (add your Tory politician scandal here)... they should be struck off. Banned from MPing for 5/10 years/ life. Etc.

The downside of this is how a cancel culture could prevent anyone with a mispent youth from standing in the first place but surely it is something we should, in principle, as a people be demanding from our "representatives".

[Johnny Yesno]

OF COURSE I KNOW WHAT A PARKING METERS IS.

It's 'Of course I know what a parking meters are'. No vote for you, thickie.

[Zetetic]

Flip this on it's head. Should there be regulation on those who are able to stand for parliament, never mind be a minister?

In practice, how much would such a system still be liable to being used reinforce existing prejudices?

Of the examples you've given, how have existing systems tended to treat these people?

I'm reminded a bit of the national gun control database that the US FBI operate. A laudable goal, broadly, to try to reduce access to firearms by those convicted of violent crimes or prone to dangerously unreasonable behaviour. In practice, it's tied up with criminal and "behavioural health" systems that are extremely racist.

These problems aren't always enough to abandon such systems (although that's easy for me to say), but I think if it's blocking your access to the political system, that's a bit of a problem. (See also, restrictions on voting, here and in the States.)

[Urinal Cake]

Flip this on it's head. Should there be regulation on those who are able to stand for parliament, never mind be a minister?

On a tangent it has never made sense to make the public sector/civil service jump through hoops (KPIs, interviews, pd etc) to prove their worth when essentially they are following the orders of a popularity contest winner who may or may not be qualified for cabinet. The Americans have it better in this regard.

[thenoise]

Voting forms should be a list of names (just an initial and a surname), no colours logos or political party. If you don't know the name of your local MP/candidate and what party they represent, maybe sit this one out.

[Icehaven]

It's not that important who should or shouldn't be able to vote when so many people find the candidates so largely uninspiring/downright objectionable anyway, the whole system that's led to there being so many ulterior motives for wanting to be an elected representative needs a reboot. Being an MP shouldn't be a career, it should be like jury service, 600 or so people picked at random from a pool of volunteers (and anyone can volunteer) to be in Parliament for a few years, staggered to change maybe a third at a time so there's some continuity, paid the same as you whatever you were already earning, and you can only do it once. With the right technology they needn't even have to physically all meet in Parliament much either, maybe once or twice a year. Something like that anyway, get rid of the absurd theatre and all the party nonsense that surrounds it.

[EOLAN]

Voting forms should be a list of names (just an initial and a surname), no colours logos or political party. If you don't know the name of your local MP/candidate and what party they represent, maybe sit this one out.

Sounds reasonable. Once you don't have an Ireland situation where wannabe politicians post picture placards of themselves on every single lamp-pole possible to get the name and image recognition. Also; would probably need to have several different random ordered electoral forms issued, with voters having different ordering of names. So there won't be a person significantly benefiting from being top of the list.

[Danger Man]

1) Abolish the secret ballot. When everybody can find out who you voted for, the Tories will take a hit.

2) Can't vote until you are 18, can't vote after you are 65.

Thank me later.

[Sin Agog]

It's not that important who should or shouldn't be able to vote when so many people find the candidates so largely uninspiring/downright objectionable anyway, the whole system that's led to there being so many ulterior motives for wanting to be an elected representative needs a reboot. Being an MP shouldn't be a career, it should be like jury service, 600 or so people picked at random from a pool of volunteers (and anyone can volunteer) to be in Parliament for a few years, staggered to change maybe a third at a time so there's some continuity, paid the same as you whatever you were already earning, and you can only do it once. With the right technology they needn't even have to physically all meet in Parliament much either, maybe once or twice a year. Something like that anyway, get rid of the absurd theatre and all the party nonsense that surrounds it.

That's how the Greeks did it...for awhile.  They even went so far as to banish anyone who started to look like they were enjoying the gig too much and thinking of becoming that ultimate evil, a career politician.  'course wimmen had no say in nothin, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to take.

[Icehaven]

That's how the Greeks did it...for awhile.  They even went so far as to banish anyone who started to look like they were enjoying the gig too much and thinking of becoming that ultimate evil, a career politician.  'course wimmen had no say in nothin, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to take.

See I didn't even know that, so the cradle of democracy got it right first time thousands of years ago (apart from the wimmen part obviously) and it's just been downhill since then. Well damn it all to hell.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

1) Abolish the secret ballot. When everybody can find out who you voted for, the Tories will take a hit.

2) Can't vote until you are 18, can't vote after you are 65.

Thank me later.

If, under your rules, you shouldn't be allowed to vote after the age of 65, surely you should also not be allowed to stand for election after that age as well?

Corbyn is 70, the doddery old fuck. His vote is null and void.

[Danger Man]

Ummmmmm.....

[DistressedArea]

Increase turnout and stop the thickos, by replacing the boring old voting slip, with a fun word search:

KLOVETBFRYHJ
BADCROBBINSK
LKHUHRUTSEW
UHGKAYKJGFDJ
KNAJMMMTORY
IGRPBUPOFHU
PKYGUBLIBDEM
SJKTORYOKHOL

[NoSleep]

So only Rachel Riley followers get to vote?

[DistressedArea]

Yeah, and Derek from Derek wouldn't, which doesn't seem very kind.

[thenoise]

How about you have to earn more than £35,000 pa to vote? Or full time equivalent. Same as allowing non-EU workers to live in the same country as their families, a priviledge that we can only afford to offer to the wealthy.

[garbed_attic]

Yes since clever people can be utterly morally bankrupt. All citizens should be allowed to vote. Maybe even babies!