Letters: The wonderful new world of retail voting

These letters appear in the 8 May edition of The Independent

How exciting! What joy! We could have a voting system designed by a “retail expert”, all shiny and interesting, with bright lights to attract us and “call forward” systems so we wouldn’t have to waste our precious time waiting to vote (“Why it’s time to ditch the tatty mythology of polling stations”, 7 May).

Perhaps we could have “vote once and get another vote free” offers, or loyalty cards so that if I vote for the same party two elections running I get a free cup of coffee in a special party mug. Maybe I could sign up to a sort of electoral direct debit, so that my nominated party could simply take my vote whenever there’s an election, saving me the anxiety of having to do anything at all.

And there’s more! Things could be run by a “system administrator” with lists of millions of email addresses at their disposal so that citizens could be asked to vote on everything, leaving local officials free to “sort out the details” (Jason Leonard; letter, 7 May).

The “systems administrator” would have to “simplify” the issues (well, I clearly cannot be relied upon nor expected to think about these things myself, for goodness sake) and then put them to the populace for a decision.

I could be sitting on the toilet and get an email asking me to vote on, say, hanging, or leaving the EU, or how often the bins should be emptied. “The System” could learn about my preferences, so that I could get specially targeted communications from selected partners, with offers I might be interested in. How fabulous! I just can’t wait!

Tony Salt
Welton, Lincolnshire

In advocating referendums for everything, Jason Leonard reprises a concept promoted by Peter Cook in his 1970 film, The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer.

In it, Cook plays a charismatic politician who, under the guise of increased democracy, requires the electorate to participate in an endless series of plebiscites. As they grow increasingly bored and weary he offers them a final one in which they have the option of “no more plebiscites”, thus passing all power to him.

Naturally the grateful voters choose this. I suspect that this would happen today if the experiment were to be carried out.

Nigel Scott
London N22

Has anyone else noticed that the country seems to have been much better run over the past few weeks, ever since the election was called and Parliament dissolved?

Why don’t we just abolish the political parties and let the Civil Service get on with it, without all the fuss.

Trevor Davies
London E3

Tough fight for real food

Grace Dent (5 May) points out all the idiocies that have turned television cookery into a spectator sport, and she outlines the variable attempts now made in schools to provide pupils with a basic life-skill.

When Home Economics was replaced by Food Technology, the process began of normalising quick-fix ready-meals. It has long been said that the big food-manufacturing companies exerted influence when the National Curriculum was devised. These firms must also be pleased at the “picture-on-a-plate” dishes produced by perfectionists on Masterchef, knowing how unrealistic such cooking is for most of us.

Jamie Oliver faces a massive challenge in encouraging generations raised on processed foods to start, and persevere with, cooking from scratch. He has formidable opponents.

S Lawton
Kirtlington, Oxfordshire

No votes for ‘Europeans’

This morning (7 May) I went to the polling station to learn that I cannot vote in the general election. I was told it was because I am “from Europe”. My reply to the official at the polling station was: “So are you: this is Europe”. It turns out he was legally in the right

This is unsettling, though. I was born in Italy and moved to London in 1998, where I have been living since (over 16 years). My three children were born in London and their first language is English. I own two houses here, and I have been running a company in the UK for 13 years, which employs 10 UK residents and contributes a substantial amount in tax to the exchequer.

I didn’t apply for a UK passport, although I would be entitled to, simply because I don’t have to. I can live here as I am a EU national and despite the state of denial from the vast majority of people in the country, this country is part of Europe.

I found it shocking and outrageous to be asked to pay tax, but to be denied the fundamental right to help decide what should be done with the tax I pay.

Cristiano Bianchi
London EC1

Churches’ mission to save the planet

It appears that religious leaders have suddenly woken up to the dangers posed by climate change to God’s creation (“A third of Catholics will go green if Pope does”, 4 May). Pope Francis worries that climate change will affect the poorest countries, but he seems oblivious to the much stronger link between climate change and overpopulation, an issue where the Catholic Church could make a difference.

Meanwhile the Church of England announces its intention of disinvesting in fossil fuels, which sounds laudable until you realise that they are only proposing to sell £12m of investments in tar sands and other methods of extraction with a large carbon footprint.

Extraction is not the main issue. It is the burning of more than 10 billion tonnes of carbon annually that is the problem. They need to get out of that.

Dr Robin Russell-Jones
Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire

Bullingdon memories

Your two-page spread (5 May) repeats many of the myths about the Bullingdon Club, and perhaps I could correct a few of them.

The club photos are often used to lampoon the Conservatives, but you will also find many prominent Ukip members lurking in them. For example, a very senior former official and donor is in the 1959 photo, and a Ukip MEP appears in an early 1970s shot.

Not all members purchase the distinctive coat and indeed, the future Lord Rothschild was wearing black tie in the 1959 photo.

Membership was not so exclusively drawn from Eton and Harrow during the 1970s and 1980s as the derogatory comment about George Osborne’s school would suggest. Several members were old Amplefordians and many other schools were also represented during that period. I imagine some members calling the heir to a 1629 baronetcy an “oik” was in fun, because they at least should be able to differentiate between class and money.

M G Bignell
Sherborne, Dorset

Never mind universities and their modern logos (letters, 2 May). Edinburgh University used to do a lovely striped graduate necktie, but replaced this with a blue two-tone polyester job with the corporate logo splashed all over it.

One of the signs of going to a good university is not having to shout about it.

Ian McKenzie
Lincoln

Propped up by nationalists

How can it be legitimate to say a Conservative/Lib Dem/DUP coalition would be constitutional but a Labour/SDP one would not, if the latter two parties had the largest number of seats? In the 19th century the Liberals were in government with Irish Party support and no one called that unconstitutional.

V Crews
Beckenham, Kent

Yes, actually, I am a racist’

Has anyone, anywhere, ever admitted to being a racist?

The send-em-back brigade invariably preface their views with the ritual declaration, “We’re not racists.” Anyone launching into a drunken rant against black people or Jews can count on their friends to rally round, stoutly maintaining that “he hasn’t a racist bone in his body”.

What exactly is a racist, and do they exist?

Julie Hinds
Harrogate

DNA dragnet for dogs and drunks

Perhaps councils could extend the new canine DNA database scheme to include people. That way, in addition to locating miscreant dogs, they could also ascertain the identity of the drunks that urinate in doorways and vomit on the pavement after a night out. Rather than a fixed penalty notice, a more suitable punishment would be a community service order spent street-cleaning.

Thomas Williams
Dorney, Buckinghamshire

Just pay at the border

The Australian government is investigating a price-based immigration system to replace its points-based system. Refugees would be exempt; £25,000 is suggested as a possible entry fee to Australia. How much could the United Kingdom charge?

Dr John Doherty
Stratford-upon-Avon