One idea might be a people’s vote but this time without a campaign at all, on the grounds that people could make better use of their time preparing for their vote by informing themselves. What if we went further and invoked a principle that has spread into many areas of life in the last couple of decades, namely ‘informed consent’, and said to people, if you are going to make this major change, you really do need to know what it is you are endorsing, so if you want a ballot card, you need to take an exam?
Pie in the sky? In practice, it probably is, though it’s not a bad principle. After all, anyone not born in the UK who wants to become a British citizen and thus be entitled to vote as well as pay tax here has to take the life in Britain test that many of us would fail. A basic but rigorous test, with a time limit for completion, could be devised, on the EU’s rules and institutions, and the proposals themselves. If they passed the test people would be able to print off their barcoded voting form in the way you print off any machine-readable ticket, take it along to the polling station, have it checked off and vote as individuals who have thought things out for themselves.
it would have taken a wee while at the count.
