To think you should have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the facts before being allowed to vote

[Bearbehind]

Ok, I appreciate this is purely hypothetical is it could never be enforced but, it does astound me when a proportion of the electorate, albeit hopefully small, are so clueless they come out with comments like I've seen this morning which included:-

-Looking forward to doing some online shopping for items from the USA as they'd be cheaper now the pound has dropped

-Being surprised that the markets have fallen following the vote to leave and not realising their vote would have that effect

-Thinking this decision might pave the way for Norway to hold a referendum to leave the EU too

It's bad enough we all have to filter through the outright lies, like the money saved on the EU which would go straight to the NHS, and the scarcity of facts but people making decisions when their basic understanding is so poor is downright scary.

[BeYourselfUnlessUCanBeAUnicorn]

YANBU. There should be a test.

I realised this when I had a conversation with a relative a few weeks ago and they were adamant they were voting leave. When asked why, it was because they hated Cameron and the Tories. When it was explained that they weren't voting for a British government but as to whether we should remain a member of the EU, they just shrugged and came out with more crap that meant nothing. They genuinely had no idea what they were actually voting for. Me and someone else tried to give them real information about what it was and would leaving would likely mean, as we are now seeing, and they really couldn't have cared less as their mind was ,ace up and that was that. Astonishing.

I also have another relative cheering on FB about the result. They voted out purely because of immigration. Never mind a lot didn't even come from the EU, but I'm fairly sure she is racist anyway (and I'm not saying every one who voted out because of immigration is racist, she just is).

[mummymeister]

What an absolutely staggering post!

we could revert to Victorian times and only let gentleman with an education and property vote if you like.

People vote for or against based on what is important or what matters to them.

The sheer snobbery of posts like this - "sorry dahhling but you are far to poor or stupid to hold an opinion - public school/Londoners only" really, really upsets me.

[SquidgeyMidgey]

Maybe there should be a list of questions on a sheet that you tick yes or no to and they aggregate the results to see what people want not vs what they think they want.

[Bearbehind]

It's nothing to do with snobbery.

It's to do with decisions being influenced by people who have no clue whatsoever about the very basics of the situation.

In what other situation would that even begin to be a reality?

I'm sure there were dubious reasons for voting on either side so this isn't having a go at the Leave voters- it's the principle.

[SarahJane333]

Oh yes those 17million uneducated fools, tear up their ballot papers!

[mrsfuzzy]

test for voting ? that wipes out a lot of the population then for one reason or another, esp. if they struggle with english [and that's just some of the natives] !

[NickyEds]

"Because I'm sick of immigrants"

"Because I'm sick if all of our laws being made in Brussels"

"Because my dad's generation didn't fight and die to be pushed about by Europe"

....This one's a corker

"Because they never give us any points at Eurovision"

All reasons to vote out given by members of my family.

[Bearbehind]

I said it's not about whether they voted to leave or remain. I have no issue with people who weighed up the facts and made a decision on what is important to them.

I do have an issue with someone who doesn't understand that Norway isn't even in the EU or that a weak pound does not make foreign purchases cheaper for us.

[BeYourselfUnlessUCanBeAUnicorn]

Seriously nicky?! Eurovision!

[NickyEds]

Churchill said that the best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter. He had a point! But it's the best system we have.

[mummymeister]

and that's what scares me Bearbehind. have you ever read animal farm. everyone is equal but some are more equal than others?

you cannot have a qualification to vote. you just cannot have this in a democracy .

otherwise you get groups in power who then start saying no one over 75 can vote, terminally ill cant vote, people with any sort of medicated mental illness cant vote, people who are unemployed cant vote.

can you just not see what an incredibly slippery slope this is.

I don't know about people being too thick to vote but I do know that there are a lot of people who can see no further than the ends of their noses and have no idea how to look forward and predict the consequences.

would you prefer a dictatorship? what happens if one day you are deemed too stupid and the vote is taken away from you?

everyone sees the situation differently and the views of someone who doesn't have a degree are just as valid as those that do.

and who the hell are you to decide who does and does not "have a clue"

what about the remainers posting shit on facebook like "I am booking the removal van" No you aren't.

heaven help us if people like you EVER get into power.

[NickyEds]

I shit you not beyourself

[ghostyslovesheep]

I think their was a massive failure by remain to explain things

I think Brexit offered simple lies that spoke to those who don't take an interest in politics but dislike foreign people and believe immigration is the cause of all our problems (Not austerity measures and cuts) and offered some magic vision of Britain C1850

Remain should have been much more forceful and faced the lies head on - they didn't get the message across and the simple lies won the day

[WeDoNotSow]

Would you still stand by this if you failed the test? Hmmm

[saoirse31]

Yep how dare people who have different opinions to you vote. They should acknowledge your superiority and step aside for you to decide things.

And if you're as charming in real life, possibly people just can't be bothered to engage with you.

[rale124]

You have no right to try and dictate how 'intelligent' someone should have to be before voting.

Who makes this test? Some left wing Labourite bureaucrat who rips up anyone who argues for sensible policies and notes them down as 'xenophobic white van man - ineligible to vote'.

You can't quantify intelligence or knowledge. Whatever 'correct answers' were given it would likely be easy to criticise them as coming from a different prospective and not factually wrong. There are disputes among researchers of all topics it will never ever be a justifiable reason to withhold someone's democratic right to vote.

This bollocks is almost as good as the old people shouldn't be able to vote as they will be dead soon shit.

[katemiddletonsnudeheels]

So if someone proves they have an excellent understanding of the situation, but their stance is still different to yours, they should not be allowed to vote, because their understanding isn't as good as all that, otherwise they'd disagree with you. Yes?

Blimey. Mussolini, eat your heart out!

[mummymeister]

I am far, far more scared of people who say you have to have a certain level of "intelligence" or "understanding of the issues" to be declared fit to vote than I am by leaving the EU or dealing with any of the issues that it throws up.

this point of view seriously scares me. that there are people out there that think this. Wasn't it once National Front policy to only allow the "educated" and those who could "speak the queens English" to vote?

[Bearbehind]

mummymeister I dont think it's too much to expect people to demonstrate a basic understanding of the facts of the situation of the facts they are voting on.

That would only discriminate against those people who truly did not have a clue, it would have nothing to do with them being unemployed/ mentaly ill/ highly educated/ make/ female etc at all.

The Eurovision comment above rather proves my point.

[thenewaveragebear1983]

I told a family friend I was voting g remain because my dh (very well qualified in economics) feared economic struggles if we leave and his work depends on it, they said 'well that's the first time I've heard THAT mentioned as a reason to stay' , it did make me question just exactly how much research they had done to come to their conclusion. I know of only two people who have voted leave.

[LaurieMarlow]

That's not how democracy works I'm afraid

[Laiste]

God honestly - how low are all the pissed off remainers going to stoop today?

[Bearbehind]

Would you still stand by this if you failed the test? Hmmm

Absolutely, if I failed to comprehend the situation to enough of an extent that I couldn't pass a basic test on it then I shouldn't be allowed to influence the outcome.

[GingerCuddleMonsterThe2nd]

Maybe there should be a test for fuckwittery before people can start a thread on MN!

I don't think OP would pass

Condescending bull shit. I can't be bothered to formulate an actual reply to your sheer stupidity and ignorance.

[Grassgreendashhabi]

Yes and maybe some of the wealthy, people that own their own homes, people that can afford higher education need to come down to the poorest parts of the country and live in our world.

Maybe we should be a communist country as I'm getting the opinion the remain voters would prefer this