‘Should we ban the unemployed from voting?’ might be the most Telegraph thing that’s ever happened – 16 spoiled ballots
If you laid all the insanely out-of-touch Telegraph column headings end to end, they’d probably stretch from the Aga factory to that little holiday home in Provence that Sophia and Quentin use to escape the madness and enjoy some decent wines.
This week, we have this special offering from Michael Deacon, who addresses the size of the welfare bill.
Afternoon.
— Roland Smith (@rolandmcs.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 13:21
Deacon cites the father of the welfare state, William Beveridge, who suggested in 1906 that the ‘unemployable’ should be supported at the expense of their rights to vote and have children. The Liberal Party has come a long way in 120 years.
However, Deacon went on to suggest that withdrawal of voting rights – though, thankfully, not forced sterilisation – could be used to prevent Labour from using increases in benefits payments to ‘bribe’ its voting base.
It went down as well as you’d expect.
1.
Change unemployed for retired & see how your readers like *them* apples, Michael
— Law Geek (@lawgeek.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 16:18
2.
I think we should ban MIchael Deacon from voting until we can work out what is going on.
— Jo Kibble (Political Animal) (@politicanimal.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 14:02
3.
“Should we cull the poor?”
— Rich Neville (@richneville.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 17:27
4.
I vaguely remember this guy on Twitter years ago seeming right of centre but normal, but since 2016 everyone on the right seems to have put their evil clown shoes on.
— Paul Cornish (@paulgcornish.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 17:51
5.
That would include Tory wives, I'm assuming?
In fact, women would probably be next, then anyone who doesn't own property, then anyone without a title. . .
— Dr Negrin's Victory Pills (@dr-negrin.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 13:41
6.
The British press are great because they can say shit like this but if you were to post “people in the upper tax bracket should not be allowed to vote” they’ll be rummaging through your bins for evidence you’re a dangerous radical
— Don Quiznostes (@theswolenerd.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 17:20
7.
Yeah! Let’s repeal the Great Reform Bill (1832), reinstate the property qualification so only landowners get to vote, and bring back rotten boroughs!
— Alistair Coleman (@alistaircoleman.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 16:22
8.
Should we ban RWC's from writing on newspapers?
— Alan Rodgers (@bi99le5.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 13:22
9.
Jesus Wept
So anyone retired, anyone whose been made redundant, anyone with a severe disability that means they can’t work.— mseviechops.bsky.social (@mseviechops.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 13:25
10.
Bold proposal from Michael Deacon when you remember who the Telegraph readership actually is.
— Peter Whitewood (@pwhitewood.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 07:18
11.
As someone who WAS unemployed from 2009 to 2013, I would like to tell that pundit to go fuck himself.
Also, the funny thing about being unemployed is that I STILL PAID TAXES, meaning if you take away unemployed peoples right to vote that's Taxation Without Representation.— Witty Librarian Resistance (@paulwartenberg.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 18:34
12.
Standard Britain tbh
13.
I consider billionaires and many multimillionaires unemployed
— Mark Peifer (He, him) (@peiferlabunc.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 17:13
14.
Is this a Eurovision thing?
— Jonathan Roberts (@jonrob5000.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 17:10
15.
I don’t know who Michael Deacon is but he looks like an overprivileged twat, who should keep his opinions to himself.
— Paul Russell (@pwrussell.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 14:39
16.
Should we ban columnists from…
Well, okay, should we ban columnists?
— Neil Norman And His Cosmic Orchestra (@fubsyshabaroon.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 16:53
This option could get a few votes.
Should we ban Michael Deacon from writing 'opinion' columns?
— Gabor Kovacs – ex @HampshireLawyer (@gaborkovacs.bsky.social) 19 May 2026 at 15:10
