I cannot agree with Andy Beckett’s condemnation of voter ID (After this week’s squalid experiment, see voter ID for what it is: a Tory scam to steal elections, 3 May). The basic principle of voter ID is not objectionable: we all agree that Europe has much more sophisticated political systems and mature political cultures than Britain, and voter ID laws are commonplace across Europe. France, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Italy all require their electors to present identification when voting. Are all these EU members also enemies of democracy?
Furthermore, it is difficult to square claims that the progressive vote was suppressed with the fact that the Conservative vote collapsed and Labour – and leftwing politics in general – were hugely successful last week. Clearly, the hypothetical fears that the progressive vote would be curtailed were simply not borne out in reality.
