Roll up: £1000 bribe to vote.

Voters who go to the polls in local elections could win prizes worth £1,000, it was revealed yesterday.

Such an incentive would be much bigger than anything suggested so far under the 'votes-mean-prizes' scheme being considered by Justice Secretary Jack Straw.

Whitehall officials had previously hinted the prizes would be relatively modest, such as free entry to council-run gyms and swimming pools.

The new prize, which would be awarded to the winner of a draw open only to those who voted, could take the form of a large plasma television.

Other possibilities include an annual subscription to a plush private gym.

Alternatively, ministers could follow the example of incentive-voting trials carried out in California.

There, a free doughnut is handed out to the first 8,000 voters to arrive at the polling
station.

The votes-mean-prizes plan was unveiled last month by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears in a White Paper on increasing participation in local democracy.

It put forward the idea of incentives to increase turnouts in local elections.

In this year's polls in May, only 35 per cent of the electorate voted.

The amount of money on offer to winning voters was disclosed by Communities Minister Parmjit Dhanda in a written answer to MPs.Thumbs up for cheap bribes to the plebs from Gordon...

**A bribe by any name is exactly that, a bribe designed to get thick lazy people out not to vote but to sign up for another fucking lottery.

A better idea might be to rebuild the connection between voters and councils, between voters and MP's who claim only to listen when they come for re-election.

One only has to look at unelected PM Gordon who after each fuck up swears he will change, start listening and then carries on not listening...

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