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The requirement to show photo ID in polling stations, which is expected to be introduced from 2023, looks very much like an attack on voting rights. Evidence of fraud, which the government claims is behind it, is minimal. Between 2010 and 2016, when there were two general elections and a referendum, there were just seven convictions
Besides the lack of evidence of fraud, these include the impact on marginalised groups, whose members are less likely to have suitable documents: 47% of black people have no driving licence, for example, compared with 24% of white people. While in other European countries where ID is used for voting, governments issue national ID cards, in the UK 11 million people have neither a passport nor a driving licence.
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Sure, but a (working) year of 2,500 consultants at £1000 a day is "only" £600m. That's not a significant part of a £22bn (or £37bn) budget.
I'd be interested in seeing the breakdown for the "test" part (which is hugely important, has genuine large costs, and has made a huge difference) and the "trace" part (which has been a shitshow).
As others have said, the "test" side of things has performed nearly 100m Covid tests so far, and they're hardly going to be cheap. At a guess of £50 a pop (remember to have to pay for the analysis part too) that's £5bn.
My point is more that you shouldn't think that all of the £22bn (or £37bn) has been wasted because the tracing part has failed. A large proportion of that budget has gone on the "test" part which is hugely important. It's a cunning Tory trick to tie the wasteful parts together with the necessary parts to hide things. It's everyone else's job to try and untie these and see just how much was frittered away needlessly.
So it's beyond galling when you consider a 1% pay rise for nurses would cost something around £217m for a year (although the pay deal was supposed to cover lots more than just nurses) and was already budgeted for a few years ago. But Tories gotta Tory.
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As an aside Northern Ireland has voter ID due to a past of "vote early, vote often, vote twice" but you get a free voter ID here.
Though even if they want to go that way everywhere, 2023 won't leave enough time to get 11 million signed up.
I have to agree this law is unnecessary and will lead to voter suppression.
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• #63532
That's the point of it. It's blatant. Demographics mean the Tories, like republicans in the US, are at risk. The requirement needs to be fought tooth and nail.
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This needs to be fought tooth and nail.
Oh, a Tori. :)
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It's been going on for a while:
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Irish Times article on the current Royal fiasco has been getting much justified praise.
The contemporary royals have no real power. They serve entirely to enshrine classism in the British nonconstitution. They live in high luxury and low autonomy, cosplaying as their ancestors, and are the subject of constant psychosocial projection from people mourning the loss of empire. They're basically a Rorschach test that the tabloids hold up in order to gauge what level of hysterical batshittery their readers are capable of at any moment in time.
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That’ll do nicely, will borrow that.
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Fucking hell, serving officer in the Met
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Have we had this yet?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56344553
Ghislaine Maxwell's US jail conditions 'are torture'
Is her brother making the point that the US needs to improve prison conditions or that rich white people accused of serious crimes shouldn't be kept in the prison system?
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Horrible case I used to live right on her last known path. One thing my wife said about being in HK was how safe she felt walking late compared to UK. Its sad there has been some victim blaming on line with stupid things like why did she not get a cab, why was she wearing headphones
..... FFS. Pricks -
The way British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell is being treated in a New
York jail is "degrading" and "amounts to torture", her brother has
told the BBC.Ian Maxwell said she was being held under constant surveillance in a
6x9ft (1.8x2.7m) cell with no natural light, and the food was
"basically inedible"."There is no natural light, she is under 24-hour round-the-clock
surveillance with 10 cameras, including one that moves and tracks her
movements," Mr Maxwell said.https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56344553
The cell's 9ft by 6ft and they've got 10 cameras? My arse.
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£5bn on actual tests, fine.
The remaining £32bn is an incomprehensible amount of money.
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FullFact breakdown on the £37bn figure, turns out all the reporting around it is a bit misleading
https://fullfact.org/health/test-trace-march-2021/ -
I think SCUM, ( sometimess said to represent 'Society for Cutting Up Men'),
had this sorted back the '60s:,
(I didn't hear of it until the mid -'80s),
curfew for unchaperoned males.
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@Platini
SiL is one of the tracers on track and trace, it is quite usual for her to do a shift and not have anyone to call. Shambles.