WITH the government’s election bill already estimated to cost the public £120 million over the next decade, it is vital we get the policy right.
Millions of people don’t have passports and driving licences, so it is good that other forms of ID are being accepted, but the proposed list of acceptable forms of voter ID seems far too narrow. The Electoral Reform Society recently highlighted that a veterans’ ID card looks likely to be an acceptable form of ID when university ID cards aren’t? Can’t we have both?
The proposed forms of acceptable voter ID seems arbitrary, but it risks looking like the government have done the maths on how they think holders of each card will vote. The government should allow for as many forms of valid ID to be accepted.
Linda Graham
Lumphinnans
IF the government are so keen on spending an extra £20 million per election in order to implement ID at polling station, they must allow for as many forms of voter ID as possible. It seems unfair that certain forms of voter ID will not be accepted as valid forms of ID in order to vote, like young persons railcards, when older persons railcards will.
READ MORE: Demand for probe into Tory attacks on Westminster's Standards Commissioner
I’m glad they are planning to extend the list to include veterans ID cards, but why can’t university ID cards also be accepted too? It’s almost like the government have worked out which ID their supporters will most likely possess and based the policy on that!
As the Electoral Reform Society has pointed out, there is a big risk that millions of voters will simply give up on trying to take part.
Peter Glass
Cambuslang
WHATEVER the benefits of the government’s plan to spend £120 million a decade on demanding ID at polling stations, the list of forms of ID that are allowed should be as broad as possible. Ministers recently revealed the unfairness of their plans – older people’s railcards will be accepted, but younger people’s railcards won’t be. Even veterans’ ID cards will be accepted but university ID cards won’t be.
When it comes to who can vote and who can’t, we must not have a system where the list of acceptable ID cards looks based on how the government thinks the holders of those cards might vote.
The Electoral Reform Society has been calling for the government to pause and rethink this bill. I can’t help but agree with them.
Bob Thomson
Glasgow
LOOKING ahead at the TV schedules I see that on the night of Scotland’s critical match against Moldova, the only game on terrestrial TV is that between England and Albania shown on “Scottish” TV.
If the Scotland game is unavailable surely of more interest to a Scottish audience would be either of the games in the same group as Scotland, or maybe even Italy vs Switzerland offering more entertainment value than the game being presented to us.
Am I being too cynical in thinking that the TV schedule is just another attempt in the run up to the next independence referendum to get Scots to identify as British/English as much as Scottish? I am not having it and neither should any Scot put up with this manipulation by the organs of the toxic Union.
Let our voices be heard and our cry be “forever Scottish, not British”!
Ni Holmes
TODAY’S National website carries a disapproving article and picture of Johnson striding down a hospital corridor without a mask, in his usual breach of regulations and common sense.
What I see is four guilty parties – Johnson himself, of course, and three presumably senior employees of the NHS/hospital who among them have been unable to muster the wits and/or courage to tell the man he would not be entertained and allowed on the premises without a mask. Nor, I fear to our cost, is failing to stand one’s ground against Johnson a phenomenon encountered solely south of the border.
Ian Duff
Inverness
IN Lesley Riddoch’s piece in Thursday’s National ('It seems certain we were wrong all along about Boris Johnson', Nov 11) she drops in to the article that China and Russia stayed away from COP26.
I have seen this statement in many articles over the last few weeks but in fact it was only these countries leaders who did not turn up. As I understand it there were literally hundreds of attendee delegates from both countries.
READ MORE: Lesley Riddoch: It seems certain we were wrong all along about Boris Johnson
On the other hand, our media reports ad infinitum on an ineffectual tosser’s movements like Johnsons to and from COP26 as if he were really important to any positive outcomes of the conference.
One more point, I have observed with irritation that Lesley, like many other writers refer to Johnson using his first name constantly. It’s almost a term of endearment, Boris this or Boris that. This horrible, amoral dangerous man is not my avuncular uncle.
Alan Hind
Old Kilpatrick
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel