That guy is as thick as pigshit but it’s hilarious watching him fail.
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This can’t be real surely 
I grew up gaming with a lot of people who live in countries with a similar system, and the feedback I got was almost universally positive.
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Why stop with kids? If you’re going to have weekend schemes and the like you could make it compulsory for everyone 
Guys like him being where they are show we are not a serious country.
Making something compulsory sounds very undemocratic 
You’re under the impression I actually think that’s the correct thing to do?
Oh dear. Still don’t let that distract you from the above post of mine you haven’t responded to
I don’t think there would be an issue if voting was made compulsory with fines as a consequence for not voting. I think the majority of people would comply without complaint. People are generally very compliant when they have to do something. I think the idea that people would be outraged is far-fetched. As for the minority, if they didn’t comply there has to be some form of fine, in the same way there are fines for speeding, littering, or smoking in the workplace. If you vote, you don’t get fined.
Spoiling a ballot can mean lots of things. I’m talking about categorising and capturing people’s dislike for the political parties and the candidates on offer. I still don’t accept people who say, they are all the same…Parties have different policies and in most seats there are also independent candidates, so there is plenty of choice. Being lazy and not voting because you can’t be bothered is not acceptable and this needs to be addressed. Firstly by education in schools and secondly by the politicians doing more to engage. However, given the time this will take to filter through you need to make an intervention such as making voting compulsory, to address the low voter turnout.
I don’t know why people are afraid of giving young adults, who can work or join the army, the right to have a say in the way the Country is run. To argue against this, seems very undemocratic.
The fines are only an issue if you don’t vote. In the same way that if you pay your taxes, you won’t get into trouble with HMRC and if you stick to the speed limits, you won’t get a speeding ticket when driving. I think your issue is that you don’t like being told you have to do something. Voting carries with it a certain level of responsibility, and as part of a society, we should all be duty bound to vote. 15mins out of the day every couple of years is hardly an unreasonable request.
As for your slur about Count Binface, I happen to think he has some very sensible policies:
- Free parking between Vine Street and the Strand
- Loud snacks to be banned from theatres
- Thames Water bosses to be made to take a dip in the Thames
And, for the avoidance of doubt, no…I was being sarcastic
Some people aren’t interested in politics which means they’re not very knowledgeable so by forcing them to vote means they could be influenced by family or friends or just take a guess.
People fought for the right to vote, not for it to be compulsory.
I agree. The best way to get people to vote is to make it feel worthwhile. When you have a load of people with very little knowledge on the subject, feeling obliged to vote by peers because, grrrrr, this will show them…you get Brexit.
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We got Brexit! We’ve hit rock bottom as a country so what’s the worst that can happen by trying something new? If you keep doing the same things, you’ll end up getting the same results!
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- You think if the government instituted £500 fines and prison terms for not voting that most people would have no problem with that? In fact far-fetched to suggest that bullying people en masse and forcing them into polling stations would be resisted is what I understood you to mean. You preach democracy but you’re anything but democratic.
I’ve always been unsettled by the way you talk about voting and democracy. There was an occasion when we discussed it and your attitude was something like “oh isn’t it so wonderful that we’re all having a debate” and not only was it patronising but now I understand it’s because you think everyone should have to behave in the way you want according to your world view. Insidious stuff.
- Being lazy and not voting is not only acceptable but a key part of a democracy. People have choice in a free society. You can’t force anyone to participate in a democracy and there isn’t a western democratic country that doesn’t because it would be a joke.
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I would say forced voting is akin to a dictatorship. Next step is forced voting for the dictator 
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Compelling people to vote seems authoritarian and contrary to the values of western democracy.
Seems obvious to me, the balance we have now ideal.
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From a personal POV. Do we need more ideas that dick poor people (whom also lack proper representation politically) even more than they already are?
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The only major changes to voting laws must be to make postal/online voting easier, reduce the voting age to 16, bring in proportional representation, ditch the lords and replace it with an elected “upper house” and give all voters a “none of the above” choice to register their apathy towards the choices if that’s what they want to do.
I reckon if you made it democratic and put the idea of mandatory voting to a vote it would be resoundingly defeated.
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Convincing people to vote is a pretty essential part of the democratic process.
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I don’t consider it to be undemocratic. I consider voting to be a civil duty, much like being chosen for jury service. As an extreme of what you are saying, you could also argue that education in the UK shouldn’t be compulsory above a certain age. Surely this is something the individual/family can decide upon, rather than being dictated by the state? The reason it is compulsory, is because there is a benefit of doing it and I consider the same applies to making voting compulsory.
I am also not being patronising. We are having a political debate about the merits of doing something. You are perfectly entitled to your view, as am I. I am simply putting forward the argument in favour of introducing such a measure because I am actually concerned that the majority of those that don’t vote, are people who are from poorer backgrounds and disenfranchised. Decisions made at a national level have a tendency to affect this section of society more, and it concerns me that they don’t exercise their right to vote and are then impacted. Brexit is case and point here.
As for other democracies, compulsory voting has been in place in Australia for some time, and there doesn’t appear to be any moves to remove this. Voter turnout in Australia has generally consistently been around 95% for many decades. Compare this to the UK:
- 2019: 67%
- 2017: 68%
- Brexit: 72%
- 2015: 66%
- 2010: 65%
- 2005: 61%
- 2001: 59%
- 1997: 71%
- 1992: 77%
In our electoral system a party normally only needs 40-45% of the vote to win an election and form a Government. If you only have 60-70% of the population participating, we have a real problem…unless you don’t think this is an issue to be concerned by and it is just how we address the issue that we disagree on?