The Government of the People

This is incorrect.

1. Postal votes are opened prior to the day of the election. This is done by people employed by the returning officer. Those opening the envelopes are forbidden from looking at the front of the ballot paper although there are occasions when this cannot be avoided. They are not opened by "party observers". Candidates and/or their agents can observe the opening process.

There are two main reasons for opening the postal votes in advance:

Signatures of the voters from the postal votes are checked by election officials.

It speeds up the counting process once the polls close.

2. The returning officer recruits a team of people who count the votes. They are not "party observers". Again candidates and there agents are able to observe the count. Looking at the piles of votes for each candidate can indicate the strength of support.

All people employed in the election process are meant to be impartial. This goes as far as ensuring that polling station staff we are clothing that is neutral in terms of party colours no party favours may be worn by poll clerks.

I have been employed in all these stages of the election process and my experience is that those involved remain impartial. This is sometimes despite provocation by some candidates and the Party agents; for example I have been accused of not following the count procedure at a local election. Count staff are not allowed to speak to party agents and they are not supposed to interfere with the count. Any problems should be raised with more senior count staff.

 

The next thing the Tories will do ( because they'll be in a long time) is to bring back something akin to the 40 shilling franchise. Anyone who has property over a certain value will be deemed to have a stake in society and therefore entitled to vote. Would make perfect sense.

 

Not tongue in cheek at all. Would not be surprised at all. I got laughed at by one or two on here a couple of years ago when I suggested there were similarities with the failure of democracy in 1933 Germany. So, no, not tongue in cheek. I expect further undermining of democratic and workers' rights as time goes on. In fact, just as a side point its a while since there's been any major trade union legislation.........

 

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me


Martin Niemöller, German Lutheran pastor

 

I've been deeply concerned for years from the march of the extreme right. BNP, EDL, then UKIP, then BXP and now Conservative.

I'll start by saying at this time, i don't imagine a DePfeffel government becoming an ultra fascist and violent governing party. I think we're heading where we're going because of shameless manipulation and opportunism. Of abandonment of simple decency and integrity to influence large sections of society (that his party have disadvantaged) into voting for him. Not even his party, him. He has no fixed views (I happened to see an old column of his rehashed... which was viotriolic in its dismissiveness of ID cards for any purpose... saying if he was forced to use one he'd eat it... maybe he'll get to that before he lays in front of bulldozers at Heathrow or tries a ditch out for size) or values or beliefs other than his own altar of worship, a mirror.

But to support his power, to retain his power, his party are allowing him to deconstruct those things that temper excessive control and power. We were told parliament was sovereign. But that sovereignty is being abused for power only. The people, who he covets so much, are being neutered. The liberal world he allegedly wants is not to be seen. If you looked at the policies and didn't know the country, you wouldn't be out of place thinking you were in Orbans Hungary. Or China. Or Myanmar.

But the danger of a narcissistic opportunist whos daddy didn't tell him no, is not that moment, but what is allowed to follow. With a party hell bent on power, accustomed to increased power, revelling in overt nationalism, under the guise of a peoples government, waging false wars against liberty and decency constantly, with a media in its thrall, with a very low membership base densely populated by far right groups that could manipulate who becomes leader... thats is what could be deeply damaging.

If June goes ahead I'm expecting a GE being called within weeks. I suspect as a way of sorting out the Union, calling Scotlands bluff, but with the intent of absolutely destroying labour and almost surgically removing some of the people who have made dePfeffel most uncomfortable. Yvette Cooper and Ed Milliband.

 

It's not incorrect DR, you have misread it, I did not say party observers opened ballot papers.
The process you describe is correct and as you rightly agree it does give parties a preview of the votes coming in more than two weeks before election day. The Returning Officer recruits a team of people.. yes... but in the main these people are Officers of the Council who work with and interact with the parties and candidates standing for election, they may well be members of the same political party. Opening those returned postal votes as close as possible to the day of the ballot box vote removes the possibility of previews, or as you rightly said getting a look at the indications of support.

 

Very well put

 

Nailed it there. No more to be said. A lot to be done.

 

Wonder what the Government of the people will be saying in a few year's time when everything they have promised has not been forth coming and Brexit will have gone tits up you can lie to the people some of the time but not all of the time.

 

Generally the road to populism leads to either the collapse of the government due to a violent conflict/civil war, or revolution (only recently non-violent). Those leading such governments and their cheerleaders tend to spend their last minutes swinging from lamposts... Many of those that cheered the populists into power are the same people that withdraw their support violently when it affects them too much.

I did read this earlier - and despite some glaring errors - the basic premise of the article is interesting. Why are we (as a nation) cheering on those that are removing our rights and destroying our industries?

https://eand.co/britain-is-self-destructing-and-its-a-warning-to-the-world-b492870ffc28

 

Pretty hard to argue with.

 

That article is spot on. I suggest that everyone should read it and think about it

 

I've just picked up on another policy thats certainly going to be for the benefit of the people just as much as the other ones I summarised (and the denial of protest that was added).

There is a bill about to be pushed through that makes it illegal to deplatform speakers at Universities, in the name of free speech. The slight issue with this is that Universities have been unseating racists and those who preach hate.

So to make it clear, it will illegal for a University to stop a racist, a merchant of hate, a bigotted xenophobe from peddling their bile within their walls.

Power to the people.

 

There are some really big glaring errors though, but some of the sentiment is right. Enabling rage. Giving bloody mindedness room to do it's thing. A plague on everyones houses. Theres certainly lots of that going on.

 

I am sure things vary slightly from across different local authorities.

In my part of the world most staff who are employed in opening postal votes, manning polling stations and at the count are not local authority employees. They are casual workers who are willing to do the work and are required to sign a contract for the pay given(£165 as a poll clerk for a working starting at 6am and finishing after 11pm. I do it because I enjoy it).Training is given particularly for polling station work (a 2 hour on-line training course followed by an assessment which must be passed.).

When I have been involved in postal vote opening, the ballot papers are not sorted by candidate.As I said staff are told to avoid looking at the front of the ballot paper. Thus a candidate or agent will only be able to assess the total number of ballots, not the level of support for each candidate. Only at the count will a candidate be able to assess the level of support by the height of the pile of votes.

As I say this is my experience in my local authority. I cannot imagine that the process would be different in different parts of the country. Who does the work may well differ, although the unsocial hours would not be popular with LA staff in my part of the world.

However, my original point is that there is no reason to ask for photo ID as fraud at elections is virtually non-existent and staff working on elections act in good faith.

 

All well and good but needs representing in a three word slogan unfortunately.

 

We are &%$£@!

 

Stop this fùcking.

 

Welcome to Hell