Tde’z ilex́nz r ɖ last bfr ɖ Tōriz vanḍlîz ǎr deṃcratic rîts
(Transcription of an article published in the Guardian on 5 May 2022)
Ɖ ilex́nzbil wl dtŕ non-Tori s’portrz fṛm votñ n scrap eni oṿsît. Rform z nīdd mor ɖn evr bfr
Poli Tônbi, Ʈrzde, 5 Me 2022
Tde z ɖ last tîm y wl g t ɖ poulz bfr ɖ guvnmnt’s śemfl n śemlis ny ilex́nzbil bcmz lw. It wz sqizd ʈru parḷmnt lêt at nît last wīc in ɖ fînl “woś-up” v bad bilz bfr ɖ end v ɖ seśn.
Ɖ bil’z Trumpiś votrs’preśn z dzînd t dtŕ pur n yuñ ppl fṛm votñ. Its pasñ olso mcs ɖz ɖ last ilex́nz t b monitrd n scrūṭnîzd bî a jenyinli indipndnt Ilectṛl Cmiśn. Ɖs hbić̣li timid ǎtfit traid t stand p fr itslf: “Ɖ indipndns v ɖ Ilectṛl Cmiśn z vîtl t ɖ fuñṣ́nñ v a hlʈi dmocṛsi,” it sd. Bt, az v nǎ, Boris Jonsn n hiz alîz wl set ɖer ǒn trmz fr ɖ cmiśn, includñ its scrūṭni v fînans.
Evri votr wl nīd a foto ID fṛm nǎ on, so 7.5% v votrz, or 3.5 miłn ppl, wɖt a drîvñlîsns or a pasport wl hv t b dtrmind inuf t trec t ɖer locl caunsl ofis, hv ɖer foto tecn n fil ǎt an apḷceśn wɖ a cǎnṭsigṇćr. It’s wrʈ notñ ɖt ɖ DVLA n ɖ Pasport Ofis r in crîsis: jst trî bcñ an rjnt pasportslot. Enwn lcñ at ǎr votñpatnz wd wuri abt tù fy ppl trnñ ǎt, nt ppl votñ twîs. Ɖ risc v “prṣneśn” – ćītñ on îdntti – z miṇskl: in 2017 ɖr wz wn cnvix́n, in 2018 nn at ol. In a grosli unfer n undeṃcratic ilectṛl sistm, ɖ proḅti n oṇsti v its oṗreśn z ɖ wn aspect t b prǎd v.
Ɖ Tori-léd public admiṇstreśn n consttyśnl aferz cmiti pṛdyst a devstetñ condmneśn v ɖ bil. Ɖe esṭmetd 2.3% v votrz wd b dtrd fṛm votñ, or 1.1 miłn ppl, hu wd probbli b ɖoz on lo incmz, fṛm eʈnic mnoṛtiz n wɖ dis’biḷtiz. Ɖe wornd ɖt tù mć arbitrri dscreśn wd b left t poulñsteśn stāf t axpt or rjct ID, cōzñ kz n rǎz.
F y dǎt ɖs z a cnspiṛsi t stop non-Tōriz votñ, lc at ɖ onli ID ɖt z axptbl bynd pasports n drîvñlîsnsz: pnśnrz wl b alaud t yz ɖ oldr prsn’z buspas, Ôstr 60+ or Sīńr 60+ SmartPas – ẃl yuñ ppl wl b bàrd fṛm yzñ ɖer relcardz. Ɖ guvnmnt rjctd Lord Wilits’ amndmnt 86 trayñ t includ a wîd renj v dokmnts fr ol ejz. Oldr ppl r ɖ mn yzrz v postl vots – ẃć w’nt rqîr ID. Ol ɖs z śrli nt unc̣nctd wɖ ɖ Tōriz’ 47-pônt līd amñ ɖ ovr-65z, n Lebr’z 43-pônt līd amñ undr 25z az v 2019.
Ɖ Spectetr hz cîndli asmbld no fywr ɖn 11 raitñz n seyñz bî Jonsn xcorietñ ID cardz, startñ wɖ, “I loɖ ɖ îdīa on prínsipl. I nvr wont t b cmandd, bî eni eṃneśn v ɖ Britiś stet, t pṛdys evidns v mî îdntti … I wl tec ɖt card ǎt v mî wolit n fizicli īt it.” Bt nǎ ID cardz srv hiz onli rmenñ p’liticl prṗs: t gt riilectd.
Ɖ bil’z uɖr aboṃneśn cnsrnz ɖ reḷtivli ny meṛl n p’līs n crîm cmiśnr ilex́nz: it swīps awe ɖ preznt secnd-prefṛns sistm in fevr v ɖ unferist v ol, ɖ antīc frst past ɖ post (FPTP). Ẃ? Bcz Tōriz r mor lîcli t win undr FPTP. Ɖr r mor anti-Tori pṛgresiv votrz, hu transfr ɖer secnd prefṛnsz t anɖr pṛgresiv parti, bt rerli t a Tori.
Az Nìl Lwsn, hu advcets a pṛgresiv alayns, rout eḷqntli ɖs wīc, a mjoṛti-pṛgresiv vot z yẓ́li dzastṛsli dvîdd. Tde, in 82% v ilex́nz ɖr wl b at līst tū pṛgresiv canddets splitñ ɖer vot, standñ agnst jst wn Cnsrṿtiv, acordñ t Jon Narcros v ɖ Ilectṛl-Rform Ssayti. Pṛporśnl repriznteśn (PR) wd, t boro a frêz, “levl up” vots, so ɖe d’nt pîl p westd. PR nǎ gts stroñ public s’port, acordñ t YGuv, wɖ 44% in fevr, n onli 27% fr frst past ɖ post.
Ɖ last wīc, wɖ sevn frunt pejz v ɖ Meil n uɖrz pîlñ in, trayñ t mc Cir Starmr’z bir n curi on ɖ campen trel az bad az Dǎnñ Strīt’s 12 partiz, z jst anɖr grim rmîndr v ɖ monstṛs heft v ɖ rîtwñ pres, yzd unscrūpyḷsli t sev its multimiłner ǒnrz fṛm ɖ perilz v Lebr in pǎr.
Lebr, f it bcmz ɖ bigist parti at ɖ nxt jenṛl ilex́n, mst līd ɖ we t ilectṛl rform. Lebr z hîli unlîcli t win alon, so ɖs tîm ɖ Libṛl Deṃcrats n ol ɖ uɖr partiz mst dmand PR imīɉtli, az its frst act or rfyz eni cooṗreśn on enʈñ els. Ɖr z no nīd fr a reḟrendm, jst d it. Reḟrenḍmz r toxic poḷtics – n ɖ Tōriz cn hardli cmplen ẃn ɖe hv jerimandrd, pṛrogd n s’prest opozñ vots, ɖer mndeśs presclac dstortñ eni fer vôs, wɖ totl disrigard fr ẃt z nǎ a brocn consttyśn. Jonsn hz cild of Pītr Heṇsi’z ʈiyri v a “gd ćaps” consttyśn, wn in ẃć practiśnrz hold dir nt jst ɖ rūlz ɖmslvz bt olso ɖer spirit.
So ẃt śd pṛgresiv “gd ćaps”, b ɖe mel or fīmel, d at ɖ cloz v a Jonsn ira? Ɖt mć z clir. Ɖe śd fīl fri t intṛdys a votñsistm ɖt wl stop eni c’rupt parti wɖ a mnoṛti v vots evr guṿnñ alon agn wɖ dicttorịl pǎrz.
