VOTE RIGGING
The general election is now underway. The democratic process used to be considered something sacrosanct and to be treated with respect. But not any more.
For this election is a rigged election. Quite apart from Labour trying to ensure permanent government over England by allowing Scottish and Welsh MPs to vote on English affairs, and quite apart from all the misuse of government monies and prestige to promote government policies - the outcome of this election will be influenced by postal voting.
As we know very well, postal voting is open to fraud. Indeed we have known this for some time, but the comments of Richard Mawrey QC have finally driven home the fact with such force that the Labour government can no longer ignore it.
The judge read out a government statement saying that they would not be bringing in any changes to deal with postal ballot fraud, because ‘the systems already in place to deal with allegations of electoral fraud are clearly working’.
The judge said: ‘Anyone who has sat through the case I have just tried and listened to evidence of electoral fraud that would disgrace a banana republic would find this statement surprising’. He condemned the government statement as demonstrating ‘a state not simply of complacency but of denial’. He said: ‘The systems to deal with fraud are not working well. They are not working badly. The fact is that there are no systems to deal realistically with fraud and there never have been. Until there are, fraud will continue unabated’.
The case related to the systematic rigging of the postal votes in Birmingham by Labour activists. The judge had described the fraud as ‘widespread’ and said: ‘The system is wide open to fraud and any would-be political fraudster knows that it’s wide open to fraud’.
In other parts of the country, the Liberal Democrats have also been involved in similar activities.
Criminal enquiries are currently underway in Reading, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire relating to theft of ballot papers, forgery, and personation (where ballot papers are filled in despite the voter being absent).
The Electoral Commission has stated: ‘We do not believe that electoral fraud is confined to Birmingham, to the Labour Party or, most importantly, to particular communities. This is a problem that we believe may be widespread in this country. We have seen cases recently in Blackburn, Guildford and Hackney involving people from very different backgrounds and each of the major parties. We dispute the view put around that there is little fraud because people are being charged.’
And so the fraud will influence the vote in only 4 weeks time. Nor is it only fraud that is the problem with postal voting. Intimidation and even death threats have been made. Migrants have been told that unless they voted Labour by postal vote, then they would be deported.
Record numbers of postal votes have been applied for in the forthcoming general election. In some areas the applications have tripled.
It is postal voting that is the problem. Labour are in favour of it as they believe that it will induce the more apathetic voters to vote. They hope to try and stop their own vote from collapsing, and so are prepared to compromise our democracy for their own political ends.
The Birmingham judgment coincides with the recent dirty tricks row in Watford. Russell Eagling received a phone call with a ‘robotic’ voice, telling him that it was phoning from Labour. It asked Mr Eagling as to his voting intentions, which he answered by pressing buttons on his phone. Mr Eagling, a Liberal Democrat supporter, replied ‘Labour’ out of curiosity. Two weeks later he received a letter and a postal voting form from Watford’s Labour MP, Claire Ward, whose majority in only 5,555.
The letter said: ‘If you have no desire to see the Tories win there is one thing you can do ... I’m enclosing a form for you to vote by post. It’s a certain way of making sure your vote counts’. Mr Eagling said: ‘It strikes me that they are breaking the rules. I am confident I received this letter as a result of the phone call’.
Automated phone calls are legal, only if they are used to gather information. They are banned under EU law to promote or sell a product, and this includes political parties.
Matthew Taylor, the Liberal Democrat MP, said: ‘Labour is acting no better than a crooked double-glazing salesman’.
Yet most disquieting of all is that Labour can obtain postal ballots for other people. The separation between state and the ruling political party no longer exists.
So the UK, and England in particular, will proceed into a rigged election. This is truly appalling.
For this election is a rigged election. Quite apart from Labour trying to ensure permanent government over England by allowing Scottish and Welsh MPs to vote on English affairs, and quite apart from all the misuse of government monies and prestige to promote government policies - the outcome of this election will be influenced by postal voting.
As we know very well, postal voting is open to fraud. Indeed we have known this for some time, but the comments of Richard Mawrey QC have finally driven home the fact with such force that the Labour government can no longer ignore it.
The judge read out a government statement saying that they would not be bringing in any changes to deal with postal ballot fraud, because ‘the systems already in place to deal with allegations of electoral fraud are clearly working’.
The judge said: ‘Anyone who has sat through the case I have just tried and listened to evidence of electoral fraud that would disgrace a banana republic would find this statement surprising’. He condemned the government statement as demonstrating ‘a state not simply of complacency but of denial’. He said: ‘The systems to deal with fraud are not working well. They are not working badly. The fact is that there are no systems to deal realistically with fraud and there never have been. Until there are, fraud will continue unabated’.
The case related to the systematic rigging of the postal votes in Birmingham by Labour activists. The judge had described the fraud as ‘widespread’ and said: ‘The system is wide open to fraud and any would-be political fraudster knows that it’s wide open to fraud’.
In other parts of the country, the Liberal Democrats have also been involved in similar activities.
Criminal enquiries are currently underway in Reading, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire relating to theft of ballot papers, forgery, and personation (where ballot papers are filled in despite the voter being absent).
The Electoral Commission has stated: ‘We do not believe that electoral fraud is confined to Birmingham, to the Labour Party or, most importantly, to particular communities. This is a problem that we believe may be widespread in this country. We have seen cases recently in Blackburn, Guildford and Hackney involving people from very different backgrounds and each of the major parties. We dispute the view put around that there is little fraud because people are being charged.’
And so the fraud will influence the vote in only 4 weeks time. Nor is it only fraud that is the problem with postal voting. Intimidation and even death threats have been made. Migrants have been told that unless they voted Labour by postal vote, then they would be deported.
Record numbers of postal votes have been applied for in the forthcoming general election. In some areas the applications have tripled.
It is postal voting that is the problem. Labour are in favour of it as they believe that it will induce the more apathetic voters to vote. They hope to try and stop their own vote from collapsing, and so are prepared to compromise our democracy for their own political ends.
The Birmingham judgment coincides with the recent dirty tricks row in Watford. Russell Eagling received a phone call with a ‘robotic’ voice, telling him that it was phoning from Labour. It asked Mr Eagling as to his voting intentions, which he answered by pressing buttons on his phone. Mr Eagling, a Liberal Democrat supporter, replied ‘Labour’ out of curiosity. Two weeks later he received a letter and a postal voting form from Watford’s Labour MP, Claire Ward, whose majority in only 5,555.
The letter said: ‘If you have no desire to see the Tories win there is one thing you can do ... I’m enclosing a form for you to vote by post. It’s a certain way of making sure your vote counts’. Mr Eagling said: ‘It strikes me that they are breaking the rules. I am confident I received this letter as a result of the phone call’.
Automated phone calls are legal, only if they are used to gather information. They are banned under EU law to promote or sell a product, and this includes political parties.
Matthew Taylor, the Liberal Democrat MP, said: ‘Labour is acting no better than a crooked double-glazing salesman’.
Yet most disquieting of all is that Labour can obtain postal ballots for other people. The separation between state and the ruling political party no longer exists.
So the UK, and England in particular, will proceed into a rigged election. This is truly appalling.
posted by erc @ 11:50 pm
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