EVERY year, democracy in the UK seems to take another hit, and opportunities to redress identified failures go amiss. Devolved governments ignored at best, and attempts to marginalise increased. The House of Lords expands; a haven for friends, donors – all unelected! Constituency boundaries to be altered to increase the number in London at the expense of Wales and Scotland.
And now another nail in the UK’s coffin: the introduction of an unnecessary ID system that will needlessly damage political equality within the UK. Demanding ID at the doors of polling stations will prevent millions of ordinary people the right to vote – a move which is in total contrast to what happened at the recent Holyrood elections, when 16-year-olds, refugees and foreign nationals with leave to remain had the right to vote, many for the first time.
The Queen’s Speech announced legislation to “strengthen and renew democracy”. To me and many others, it seems the very opposite!
Robin Maclean
Fort Augustus
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