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To answer that specific question specifically, I would say that it is not for me to decide what the UK Government does in its area of government.

I would be open to it being part of the consultation, as we are with everything. However, at the end of the day, the Government makes decisions on various aspects; the Government is against voter ID and, even if the Government was for it, we would probably not get a majority to get it through this Parliament of minorities.

I have already explained a couple of times, and I gave an example of why I believe that it would cause confusion. Even if elections were not on the same day, staff members would need to be retrained to ensure that they knew what levels of ID were available and how people could identify who they were.

The problem—as you quite rightly say, Mr Doris—is that people could be turned away. We have all been at various polling stations when someone has not been on the voters roll and we have seen how upset or aggressive they can be, and in certain situations that can escalate.

In a democracy as mature as ours, I do not think that we need that level of voter ID, because the public understand the process and have not abused it. We would be treating the public with disdain and causing unbelievable confusion, because the position is that we cannot guarantee that there will not be two elections on one day here in Scotland. We know that that would be a problem, having experienced it in the past.

I will bring in Iain Hockenhull after I comment. On the whole, personation is not seen as a major issue. If we consider the issue from the perspective of the various communities that we live and work in, there has been a handful of such situations over decades. We have all heard various stories of that happening in mass cases, but that has not been proven. There have been only minor cases. We would be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. We are trying to solve a problem that is not a major problem, and I do not see how voter ID would help with the situation that you mention, convener.

I have said previously that the issue is murky, Mr Mountain. I am not convinced that that is the way forward.

I am all for open government and open dialogue, but you are trying to dictate what will be in my consultation.

I am happy to include in the consultation most things that we have discussed so that we get an open and frank discussion. However, there are various red-line points, such as voter ID and the expatriates situation, with which I have severe difficulty, as I think most people would.

I said, “Good for you, Edward.”

Ms White, the answer to your question is that it is as clear as mud. [Laughter.]

Was that the question? I do believe that—