More bother

GNU BRITAIN

BBC News reports that voting in Big Brother is more popular than voting in a General Election for 18-34 year olds - except that it depends on how you read the figures, since you can only vote once in a General Election, whereas multiple voting in reality shows is allowed (and positively encouraged).

There's a wizard scheme in this, isn't there? Simply charge people to vote in a GE - say, 50p a vote. That really would strike a blow at voter apathy. You'd make damn sure you voted, if your money was going towards it. The cash raised could go to the Treasury - or to a good cause, instead.

Cynics may argue that rich people will simply spend millions of pounds trying to ensure that the party of their choice gets elected. Oscar's answer is that this already happens!

FOOTNOTE: Jim Bliss, over at Where There Were No Doors has a jolly good rant about BB in the context of Orwell's original novel. His joke about the synagogue vandal is groanworthily amusing, too.