This weekend I had a piece published on Labour Uncut, and following the comments on Facebook, I thought I'd post the link here as well:
http://labour-uncut.co.uk/2011/01/22/votes-for-prisoners-tough-shadow-ministerial-soundbites-dont-help/
The philosophical arguments around prisoner voting have recently been discussed by the excellent Martin Kettle in the Guardian, so all you fans of John Locke might have something to say on this article...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/21/prisoners-right-to-vote
Whilst I'm still refining my view on the issue of prisoner voting rights, the reality is that the franchise will have to be given to at least some of the 83, 780 men, women and children in our prisons, otherwise the government will be facing a damages claim of millions in a time of economic austerity. And with today's 'double-dip' announcement, they know this is something they can no longer afford to put off.
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