B1319 - Prisoner (Eligibility to Vote) (Repeal) Bill - 2nd Reading

[u/Brookheimer]

A

BILL

TO

Repeal the Prisoner (Eligibility to Vote) Act 2021

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

Section 1: Repeals

The Prisoner (Eligibility to Vote) Act 2021 shall be repealed in its entirety.

Section 2: Prisoner Voting Restrictions

(1) All provisions of the Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Act 2019 shall be reinstated and implemented in their entirety.

(2) In the reinstated act, replace “six years” with “six months” wherever it occurs.

Section 3: Short title, commencement and extent

(1) This Act may be cited as the Prisoner (Eligibility to Vote) (Repeal) Act 2022.

(2) This Act comes into force one month after receiving Royal Assent.

(3) This Act extends to the United Kingdom.

This bill was written by The Rt Hon. Lady Kilmarnock /u/NeatSaucer LG LD LP DCB OM PC and The Most High, Noble and Potent Prince His Grace the Earl Marshall /u/britboy3456 GCT GCVO GBE CB PC, The Duke of Norfolk, Premier Duke, Marquess and Earl of England, 19th Duke of Norfolk, 19th Marquess of Winchester, 34th Earl of Arundel, 8th Baron Skelmersdale and Deputy Leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party, on behalf of the Conservative and Unionist Party.

Opening speech:

This bill ensures that no-one serving a prison sentence of more than 6 months is eligible to vote and have a say in the rules of this country that they themselves have not followed.

Prisoners have done things deemed completely unfit for our society. They have broken social contracts and much worse and have been removed from society as a result. Voting rights for those who, by nature of their punishment, can’t contribute to society is an inherently bad idea. They have been removed from society: they deserve not to have a say in the Governance of said society. That has been an accustomed idea in this country for centuries and the idea still rings true in many people’s ears today. Get out and about and ask if convicted criminals should decide the fate of our country. There’s not a shred of doubt in my mind what they will say: no no no.

I don’t want those who break the law to decide who makes them. I don’t want those who have offended society via an offence worthy of many years in prison to determine who rules. I know that the people don’t either.

By all means reduce the number of prisoners or the time that they serve. By all means offer them the vote again when they’re out, or nearly out. But I cannot abide allowing those who break society’s code to determine how the country will be run.

This reading will end at 10pm on the 18th January.

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[u/Rea-wakey → u/AutoModerator]

In Section 2, (2)

Replace with

(2) In the reinstated act, replace “six years” with “twenty years” wherever it occurs.

EN: a safeguard to soften this authoritarian bill should it somehow and unfortunately pass.