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Geoff Hoon and Compulsory Voting Kurt Nimmo | 9th Oct 2005 If Geoff Hoon, the British Commons Leader, has his way, British citizens will be forced to vote for their rulers. If not, they will be fined, as they are in the other “great democracy,” Australia. “Mr. Hoon, who returned to Britain yesterday after studying the Australian compulsory voting system, said that voters there were fined about £10 if they failed to give a good reason for not voting. He had not found it to be a hugely controversial system,” reports the Times Online. Obviously, for Hoon and the Aussies, the fact there the political deck is stacked with corporate purchased insiders, corrupt politicians, and war criminals is not “a good reason for not voting.” “One of the most well-known compulsory voting systems is in Australia,” explains Matt Rosenberg. “All Australian citizens over the age of 18 (except those of unsound mind or those convicted of serious crimes) must be registered to vote and show up at the poll on election day. Australians who do not vote are subject to fines although those who were ill or otherwise incapable of voting on election day can have their fines waved.” “Mr. Hoon admitted that his idea appeared ‘authoritarian’. He said: ‘That is an obvious criticism that has been made. But on the other hand we do require people to do all sorts of things by legislation such as using seatbelts. My concern is that if turnout continues to fall requiring people to vote in a democratic election every four or five years does not seem to me to be a major attack on people’s civil liberties.’” Of course, we shouldn’t expect Hoon to reach the conclusion that the reason increasing numbers of people do not vote is because there is nobody to vote for—or nobody who represents their interests. As an authoritarian, Geoff Hoon is unable to understand that forcing people to do things against their will—such as voting or wearing a seatbelt—is the very essence an imperious, authoritarian government. But then guys like Hoon believe it is their birthright to push people around. It’s their raison d’être, as it is for all power-mongering dictators. “Generations of people have regarded voting as a duty. My Mum and Dad have never, ever, missed a vote. They regard it as something you do. That generation is being replaced by people who, even in their forties, have never voted. They say ‘I don’t vote’ as if they are proud of it. We have to find ways of changing that attitude.” How arrogant. Not voting is “something you do” as well. No doubt thousands of Britons don’t vote precisely to send the message they are fed up with the government and domineering twits like Geoff Hoon—and no doubt they are proud of making this conscious decision not to vote for the same old rogue’s gallery of authoritarian elitists and objectionable sociopaths who start wars and actually get a thrill—as Tony Blair does—out of killing people in far away places, including their own soldiers. On another tyrannical note: “A combative Mr. Hoon declared yesterday that the Government would not ‘roll over’ in the face of objections from retired law lords and must provide the police and the security forces with the powers they wanted. He hoped that ways would be found of keeping the main parties on board.” In other words, the power to turn Britain into a police state, or more of a police state than it is already. Not only does Mr. Hoon want to give the police “the powers they wanted” (to smash down doors and hold people without official charge) but he wants the people of Britain to vote for their own emasculation or face criminal fine. I don’t think Bush and his rubberstamp
Congress will pull the vote-or-become-a-criminal trick here in America.
It’s not necessary. In America, the vote is rigged by fudging the
tallies on computers. But even if it wasn’t, the result would be
the same—be the president and Congress Democrat or Republican—because
the entire system is owned wholesale by mega-corporations and their
crime syndicate agents, a small elite plutocracy runs the show here.
Occasionally they allow a Ralph Nader or Michael Badnarik or David Cobb
to enter the “race” but this is simply to give the impression
we live in a so-called democracy. If sincere challengers arise—for
instance, Paul Wellstone—they have “accidents.” |
