Dodgyknees Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Joined UKIP today, fantastic party who care about everybody. Delighted. I'm lying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted January 16, 2017 Moderator Share Posted January 16, 2017 2 hours ago, peterms said: I see Roger Helmer wants May to scrap Schengen. Er, hang on a moment, Rog... Why isn't he also calling for us to leave the Euro and get the pound back as our proper money? He's a secret Europhile, that's why. A lightweight. Take back control! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 1 hour ago, Amsterdam_Neil_D said: Anyone think they will win the Stoke By-Election ? Probably not. Not totally out of the question, but Nuttall doesn't seem to be making the massive breakthrough most commentators assumed was inevitable because of his northern accent. My main prediction is a crap turnout. Hunt was returned with 19% of the eligible vote in 2015, the lowest in the UK. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post peterms Posted January 23, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted January 23, 2017 This sounds about right. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 What's a "Analcyst" ? I don't know what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Forget it, I am a bit slow today. I get it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) On 16/01/2017 at 14:06, HanoiVillan said: My main prediction is a crap turnout. Hunt was returned with 19% of the eligible vote in 2015, the lowest in the UK. I think the main problem is that the Polling usually takes place in school's. Purposely placing them in these secret bunkers where, with the best will in the world, only a small % of the population know what or where they are is a diabolically cynical move orchestrated by criminal and political masterminds only before seen in things like "Die Hard 2" and "Goldeneye". Edited January 23, 2017 by Amsterdam_Neil_D Dark Matter pump failed. Re-routed through GPC card. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 2 hours ago, Amsterdam_Neil_D said: I think the main problem is that the Polling usually takes place in school's. Purposelessly placing them in these secret bunkers where, with the best will in the world, only a small % of the population know what or where they are is a diabolically cynical move orchestrated by criminal and political masterminds only before seen in things like "Die Hard 2" and "Goldeneye". See also the continual, bizarre insistence in this country on holding elections on a Thursday, when the vast majority of people are at work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 They stay open for 15 hours a day, they're all over the bloody place, and I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes. Having to work on polling day is a pretty shit excuse not to vote. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 19 minutes ago, Davkaus said: They stay open for 15 hours a day, they're all over the bloody place, and I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes. Having to work on polling day is a pretty shit excuse not to vote. It doesn't matter whether it's a 'shit excuse'. The reality is that turnout is much higher in countries that hold their polls on a weekend. If we want people to vote, there's an easy change. Put it another way: what's the positive argument for holding them on a Thursday? If you come up with any other reason other than 'it's traditional' I'll be surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) I don't really care one way or another, I'm certainly not going to insist that we should vote on a Thursday. I'm slightly skeptical that it'd lead to a noticably higher turnout though. Have any of the countries with higher turnouts than us also gone from weekday to weekend voting and seen an immediate increase in voter numbers? Edited January 23, 2017 by Davkaus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted January 23, 2017 Moderator Share Posted January 23, 2017 44 minutes ago, Davkaus said: Having to work on polling day is a pretty shit excuse not to vote. It makes me cross. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Groan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 39 minutes ago, Davkaus said: I don't really care one way or another, I'm certainly not going to insist that we should vote on a Thursday. I'm slightly skeptical that it'd lead to a noticably higher turnout though. Have any of the countries with higher turnouts than us also gone from weekday to weekend voting and seen an immediate increase in voter numbers? It's a fair question. I know that many countries do vote at the weekend in order to maximise turnout: However, although I seem to recall seeing analysis of countries changing their day of polling before, I can't find any now. The only reference I can find to day of polling and it's impact on turnout is in this paper 'Voter Turnout Since 1945: A Global Report', which states on p116: 'There is an active debate, especially in older democracies on how to increase voter turnout. Some of the factors that may increase turnout would require complicated changes in electoral laws and even in constitutions, while others, like changing the day of election, would require little effort but could have a significant impact. Of the 86 countries that Freedom House labelled as democratic in 1996, and that held election in one single day almost half of them had their latest election on Sunday. Saturday and Monday were the second most frequent election days. More recent figures also suggest that about half of the countries hold their elections on a non-business day. A study in 2000 suggested that weekend voting increases turnout rates far above statistical relevance. One analysis found that turnout figures would on average increase between five and six percentage points if Election Day for national elections changed from a weekday to a rest day. When it comes to elections for the European Parliament (which feature extremely low turnout in most EU countries), the same change could account for a nine percentage point increase.' However, frustratingly it doesn't provide a reference for the 2000 study. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted January 23, 2017 Administrator Share Posted January 23, 2017 1 hour ago, HanoiVillan said: See also the continual, bizarre insistence in this country on holding elections on a Thursday, when the vast majority of people are at work. I vote on whichever day is convenient for me. It's why postal votes are a thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 4 minutes ago, limpid said: I vote on whichever day is convenient for me. It's why postal votes are a thing. And that's fine, but I guess not everybody is as organised or has such a predictable schedule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted January 23, 2017 Administrator Share Posted January 23, 2017 Just now, HanoiVillan said: And that's fine, but I guess not everybody is as organised or has such a predictable schedule. You only have to apply once and you don't need a reason - that's not much organisation and schedule isn't relevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Just now, limpid said: You only have to apply once and you don't need a reason - that's not much organisation and schedule isn't relevant. Well, it is if you don't think you'll need a postal vote and then your schedule changes on election day and then you can't attend. This whole discussion depends on your priors. My priors are that a] voting is important, and we should do more of it, b] that therefore it should be as easy as possible, and c] removing pointless barriers to it is worthwhile. Consequently, I prefer compulsory voting, but while I know that is pretty unlikely to happen in the UK, removing barriers to voting (like holding ballots on a Thursday) is a worthwhile effort in the meantime. I'm very glad that postal voting exists and clearly it's a good option for many people, but its existence shouldn't mean the end of the discussion. For whatever reason, many people don't take up the option for a postal ballot. I still want to get as many of those people to the polls as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted January 23, 2017 Administrator Share Posted January 23, 2017 @HanoiVillan You should apply for a postal vote now. Don't wait until you might need it. The only thing you are missing out on is having to attend some local civic building and queuing to use a cubicle. You'll get a vote through for every election for which you are eligible which will tend to improve "turnout". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 15 minutes ago, limpid said: @HanoiVillan You should apply for a postal vote now. Don't wait until you might need it. The only thing you are missing out on is having to attend some local civic building and queuing to use a cubicle. You'll get a vote through for every election for which you are eligible which will tend to improve "turnout". Absolutely. But I'm not trying to make a personal point. Postal ballots are great. But unless you're suggesting a 'postal only' system, then encouraging postal voting can happen in conjunction with other turnout-encouraging measures. This doesn't have to be an either/or choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts