A change in the voting system ??

[Pat494]

Is anybody in favour of a different voting system ?
I am proposing a meritocracy where one earns extra votes through one's life.
So on achieving the voting age .......1 vote
For passing 2 A levels................1 extra vote
For passing a degree course.........1 extra vote
For top 10% of earners................1 extra vote
For having a £million plus.............1 extra vote

This would encourage the kids and others to work hard AND hopefully get to the sensible decisions by politicians.

Make the votes count a lot more

 

[sminicooper]

Is anybody in favour of a different voting system ?
I am proposing a meritocracy where one earns extra votes through one's life.
So on achieving the voting age .......1 vote
For passing 2 A levels................1 extra vote
For passing a degree course.........1 extra vote
For top 10% of earners................1 extra vote
For having a £million plus.............1 extra vote

This would encourage the kids and others to work hard AND hopefully get to the sensible decisions by politicians.

Make the votes count a lot more

Pat - did you mean to put this in the "joke of the day" thread?

It would be wide open to abuse and only a very short step away from: You are poor, unwashed, uneducated and of the Baldrick ilk, and therefore you don't need or deserve a vote. There are politicians who would love such a system. Come to think of it, wasn't that 18th Century English democracy?

God help us if we were ever ruled again by the likes of the rich and well educated with no means of sacking them.

 

[Pat494]

Pat - did you mean to put this in the "joke of the day" thread?

It would be wide open to abuse and only a very short step away from: You are poor, unwashed, uneducated and of the Baldrick ilk, and therefore you don't need or deserve a vote. There are politicians who would love such a system. Come to think of it, wasn't that 18th Century English democracy?

God help us if we were ever ruled again by the likes of the rich and well educated with no means of sacking them.

Are not being a bit pessimistic ?
Everyone gets at least 1 vote. A few extra won't affect the result too much but would encourage people.

 

[sminicooper]

Are not being a bit pessimistic ?
Everyone gets at least 1 vote. A few extra won't affect the result too much but would encourage people.

Pessimistic? – I would say realistic. I think we'd all like to see more people exercising their vote and thereby increase the legitimacy of the poll - but many people quite justifiably have become disillusioned with politics and its practitioners. Corbyn doesn't have a lot going for him but at least he got the Snowflakes out to vote !

It always concerns me that the thickest tw@t whose only concern is the price of beer has the same voting rights as someone who's examined all the issues and come to a reasoned decision; but I don't know of a better system – and anyway, who am I to decide who is a thick tw@t?

 

[Pat494]

Just looking back a few years :-
the Germans actually voted Hitler into power.
America voted Trump into power.
A complex subject like Brexit was probably too difficult for most to get the right result.

The dissatisfieds perhaps should not have a vote at all.

 

[sminicooper]

Just looking back a few years :-
the Germans actually voted Hitler into power.
America voted Trump into power.
A complex subject like Brexit was probably too difficult for most to get the right result.

The dissatisfieds perhaps should not have a vote at all.

......... the wisdom of crowds! Or is it?

 

[brewski1984]

Is anybody in favour of a different voting system ?
I am proposing a meritocracy where one earns extra votes through one's life.
So on achieving the voting age .......1 vote
For passing 2 A levels................1 extra vote
For passing a degree course.........1 extra vote
For top 10% of earners................1 extra vote
For having a £million plus.............1 extra vote

This would encourage the kids and others to work hard AND hopefully get to the sensible decisions by politicians.

Make the votes count a lot more

No, why should my vote be worth less than someone elses? Are you implying that "stupid" people shouldn't be able to vote on things they know nothing about?

 

[Dowser]

Just out of interest Pat, how many votes would you be allowed in your new system?

 

[Pat494]

Just out of interest Pat, how many votes would you be allowed in your new system?

Only 2 so far but here's hoping.
How about yourself ?

Would I resent a guy with more ? I don't think so really.
I mean it's surely ridiculous that the college professor's opinion carries the same weight as the village idiot's in the present system.

Did Corbyn or May graduate ?

 

[sminicooper]

Only 2 so far but here's hoping.
How about yourself ?

Would I resent a guy with more ? I don't think so really.
I mean it's surely ridiculous that the college professor's opinion carries the same weight as the village idiot's in the present system.

Did Corbyn or May graduate ?

Wikipedia:
Corbyn was educated at a preparatory school before attending Adams' Grammar School. He achieved two E-grade A-Levels before leaving school at 18.

May was educated primarily in the state sector but with a short spell at an independent Catholic school. May then attended the University of Oxford where she read geography at St Hugh's College, graduating with a second class BA degree in 1977.

 

[sminicooper]

Only 2 so far but here's hoping.
How about yourself ?

Would I resent a guy with more ? I don't think so really.
I mean it's surely ridiculous that the college professor's opinion carries the same weight as the village idiot's in the present system.

Did Corbyn or May graduate ?

Some of the world's finest brains once thought that the Earth was flat!

Give "experts" more voting authority than your average Joe? - Not if I have anything to do with it

 

[Dowser]

Only 2 so far but here's hoping.
How about yourself ?

Would I resent a guy with more ? I don't think so really.
I mean it's surely ridiculous that the college professor's opinion carries the same weight as the village idiot's in the present system.

Did Corbyn or May graduate ?

Beat you by one Pat.

There's more to life than academic ability and riches. People can be valuable contributors to society without this criteria.

In fact just because you're clever and rich doesn't make you a good person. There are many who are quite the opposite.

 

[Pat494]

Beat you by one Pat.

There's more to life than academic ability and riches. People can be valuable contributors to society without this criteria.

In fact just because you're clever and rich doesn't make you a good person. There are many who are quite the opposite.

Hard to quantify a " good " person.
Now if that were not so I would be more than happy for them to have an extra vote.

A bit like the scouts and brownies add on badges.

 

[Pat494]

Some of the world's finest brains once thought that the Earth was flat!

Give "experts" more voting authority than your average Joe? - Not if I have anything to do with it

Surely you would rather support good decisions than bad ones ?
Average Joe has usually agreed with the Tabloids.
Trump appealed to the average Joe and er...........? They elected him.
Looked like so much nonsense to the educated but they were fewer in numbers.

How about zero votes for convicted criminals for the same amount of years as their sentence after they leave jail ?
Reward good behaviour.

 

[sminicooper]

Surely you would rather support good decisions than bad ones ?
Average Joe has usually agreed with the Tabloids.
Trump appealed to the average Joe and er...........? They elected him.
Looked like so much nonsense to the educated but they were fewer in numbers.

How about zero votes for convicted criminals for the same amount of years as their sentence after they leave jail ?
Reward good behaviour.

Don't worry Pat – just pulling your chain for a bit of Tuesday entertainment

Support good decisions – of course! The trouble is, every time you try and tweak the system some smart ar$e will abuse it. As for convicted criminals: seeing as they broke the rules and infringed law-abiding citizens' rights, then they should lose those rights of protection – including the vote while they are under sentence. As far as I can see these days you can flout the rules that most of us abide by, with in many cases, very little disadvantage. It's just a good job that the great majority of people are decent, honest and well-meaning citizens.

 

[Mr. Charts]

Dunno about extra votes for higher education as I've come across plenty of academics whose common sense and judgment was less than that of a flying ant, but anyone stupid enough to vote for Corbyn and his extremists should be banned from voting for life due to ignorance, gullibility and being a clear and present danger to freedom.

 

[sminicooper]

Dunno about extra votes for higher education as I've come across plenty of academics whose common sense and judgment was less than that of a flying ant, but anyone stupid enough to vote for Corbyn and his extremists should be banned from voting for life due to ignorance, gullibility and being a clear and present danger to freedom.

Unfortunately, if Corbyn and his lot (especially McDonnell, and his chief adviser Milne – who still thinks that the German Democratic Republic was a wonderful institution) ever gained power they would effectively do that to the people who failed to support them.

I wonder how many people really appreciate how dangerously close Theresa May brought us to to that situation last June?

 

[Mr. Charts]

When she appointed that buffoon Foreign Secretary I realised her judgment was completely shot. When she also gave key jobs to Davies, Fox and Truss, I almost wanted to shout "come back Cameron, all is forgiven".
We are in a mess.
Let's hope JC never gets the chance to put the mess in messiah.

 

[timsk]

Hi Pat,
Your idea to award people with a better education and higher income with increased voting rights is deeply flawed I'm afraid because, as Richard rightly points out, it assumes that this group is smarter than everyone else. Well educated and wealthy people can be found in all sides of the political divide, but more of them vote Tory - as this is the party that represents their interests. Conversely, poor and less well educated people are represented by Labour - but that doesn't mean this group are all stupid or that their opinions don't count.

If you want a meritocracy, then you'll need to devise a system that is inclusive of all members of society and is based around their contributions to it - regardless of their education and income. E.g. teachers and nurses aren't big earners - but their importance and value is without question. Bin wo/men and care workers don't need to be particularly well educated to perform their jobs well but, without them, society would be in a right ol' mess. Literally!

As for me, what would I do? Well, I'd reform the voting system to one based on proportional representation and, at the same time, make it mandatory for everyone over 18 to vote. I'd also invest in software systems / Apps etc. to make it easy to vote via mobile or PC etc.
Tim.

 

[piphoe]

the problem is in a nutshell if there is one is charisma. greed is 2nd. and neither are going away anytime too soon in our elected politician. its about policy for ME, and ethics don't care how "smooth" or how good-looking you. are dropping the mike here.