Demanding the right to vote

SOME of Scotland’s most reviled and dangerous sex offenders, held in Peterhead Prison, are campaigning to be allowed to vote, as part of their human rights, in a move which is bound to cause outrage in many quarters.

It is a throwback to a ruling by the European Court on Human Rights in 2005 and due partly to Britain’s failure to bring a piece of legislation from the 19th century, the 1870 Forfeiture Act, up to date.

The fact that their campaign is being led by notorious “limbs in the loch” killer William Beggs will cause further disbelief.

We must not forget that prisoners, even the most hated and repulsive, have certain rights. So did their victims, of course, but they were cruelly and mercilessly abused. Therefore, many would argue that these criminals have forfeited their right to influence society.

There is a counter-argument that allowing prisoners the vote aids their rehabilitation and offers them new ways to deal with issues.

While this is tolerable for relatively minor prisoners, many would draw the line at Beggs and his followers.

An influential prison block-vote to rival that of a trade union, for example, or votes for the worst killers and sex attackers, would alienate public opinion.