The Herald Election Site

The Electoral Commission was facing increasing pressure last night to ensure any inquiry into the Holyrood poll is independent.

It had been reported a decision had been taken in principle to appoint an independent expert with international experience to look at the estimated 140,000 spoiled or rejected papers, technical problems and the failure to send out many postal ballots.

But a spokesman for the commission in Scotland dismissed this yesterday as speculation and insisted no decision had yet been taken on the form any inquiry would take.

Nevertheless, a BBC report that a decision in principle to appoint an independent expert had been taken in London prompted a positive response yesterday from Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson, who said: "Public faith in our democratic system needs to be restored."

The election 10 days ago was beset by problems from the outset. Many who applied for postal votes did not receive them until it was too late.

Then voters had to juggle using numbered rankings for council elections at the same time they were juggling with a new single ballot paper for the Holyrood constituency and regional list votes.

The result was that an estimated 3.5% of those who turned up to vote made errors on their Holyrood ballot paper, many putting two crosses in the first column for the regional vote.

Political opponents have criticised the Westminster politicians who made the decision to stick with the electoral plans and who have been silent since the debacle.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson, who said: "Public faith in our democratic system needs to be restored."

Given the fact the idiotic fool got elected, I completely agree.

I think there are so many questions arising from the election farce that anything less than in independent inquiry simply will not do. One of the things I would like to see investigated (apart from the fact that postal voters didn't receive ballot papers in time) is the allegation that (in Govan at least) some claimed that postal votes were registered in their names when they hadn't applied for a postal vote. I really don't like postal votes, the system is far too easily exploited and abused and there is no reason to suppose an electronic vote wouldn't be open to the same abuse. Inconvenient as it may be I really can't see any acceptable alternative to actually going to a polling station to register a vote. I also think, I know I can't prove this, that many of those ballot papers were deliberately spoiled. The possibility has niggled at me ever since the election. And I still believe that many of the errors made were down to plain stupidity and laziness on the part of voters who simply couldn't be bothered to read the instructions, which were clear.

I think there are so many questions arising from the election farce that anything less than in independent inquiry simply will not do. One of the things I would like to see investigated (apart from the fact that postal voters didn't receive ballot papers in time) is the allegation that (in Govan at least) some claimed that postal votes were registered in their names when they hadn't applied for a postal vote. I really don't like postal votes, the system is far too easily exploited and abused and there is no reason to suppose an electronic vote wouldn't be open to the same abuse. Inconvenient as it may be I really can't see any acceptable alternative to actually going to a polling station to register a vote.

I also think, I know I can't prove this, that many of those ballot papers were deliberately spoiled. The possibility has niggled at me ever since the election. And I still believe that many of the errors made were down to plain stupidity and laziness on the part of voters who simply couldn't be bothered to read the instructions, which were clear.

So, Jo, if you're saying that some people are too stupid to vote, then what can be done about it?

' How independent will an [italic]independent[/italic] inquiry be? If there is such a thing in today's control freekery.Hutton report? Fraser Report? More of the same. Manipulation will be the order of the day.Truth and accountibility gone to h*ll in a hand cart. Vested interests will dictate by oh so subtle means that any investigation will be managed in order to ensure that the [italic]right[/italic] conclusions will be reached. Self-serving platitudes of lessons will be learnt or so the injured party,the public will be informed. We're stupid,it's our fault, we will be informed, nobodies to blame,especially those in charge. "Unfortunate" will be the buzz word, uttered several times by the nodding donkeys. Basically a sham will be conducted on the shambles, suitably managed for public consumption. Sad isn't it but even the most gullible amonst us will come to the conclusion that once again, we've been taken for clowns.The fuss will die down,eventually until the next embarrassment rears it's ugly head to take it's place. Nothing but a full judicial public inquiry will suffice and even then doubts will be expressed that parts of that will have been managed. Restore public confidence? Well at least they will have to admit that they lost that.

'
How independent will an independent inquiry be? If there is such a thing in today's control freekery.Hutton report? Fraser Report? More of the same. Manipulation will be the order of the day.Truth and accountibility gone to h*ll in a hand cart. Vested interests will dictate by oh so subtle means that any investigation will be managed in order to ensure that the right conclusions will be reached. Self-serving platitudes of lessons will be learnt or so the injured party,the public will be informed. We're stupid,it's our fault, we will be informed, nobodies to blame,especially those in charge. "Unfortunate" will be the buzz word, uttered several times by the nodding donkeys. Basically a sham will be conducted on the shambles, suitably managed for public consumption. Sad isn't it but even the most gullible amonst us will come to the conclusion that once again, we've been taken for clowns.The fuss will die down,eventually until the next embarrassment rears it's ugly head to take it's place.
Nothing but a full judicial public inquiry will suffice and even then doubts will be expressed that parts of that will have been managed.
Restore public confidence? Well at least they will have to admit that they lost that.

Jo said: [quote]I still believe that many of the errors made were down to plain stupidity and laziness on the part of voters who simply couldn't be bothered to read the instructions, which were clear.[/quote] 142,000 are a hellova lot of lazy voters who left home or office, went all the way to the polling booth, only to express ennui. And if they were stupid in the first place how come they found the polling station? Perhaps they should have followed the example of those didn't vote and stayed at home.

Jo said:

I still believe that many of the errors made were down to plain stupidity and laziness on the part of voters who simply couldn't be bothered to read the instructions, which were clear.

142,000 are a hellova lot of lazy voters who left home or office, went all the way to the polling booth, only to express ennui. And if they were stupid in the first place how come they found the polling station? Perhaps they should have followed the example of those didn't vote and stayed at home.

Stuart W wrote:
So, Jo, if you're saying that some people are too stupid to vote, then what can be done about it?

Edukaishon, Edukaishon, Edukaishon,

[italic]Following on from a voting issue censorship on the Scotsman: re: information on rigging elections.[/italic] Have you looked at newspapers recently? Who will print your story? Don't believe for a minute that you could take any 'information' you may or may not have to anyone. Yes, this blog is available on the internet but can be explained away as nutters on keyboards. Try and get a book printed and see just how high the hurdles are. And before you cite the internet as an avenue. The internet is more controlled than you think and as an example off the top of the head I mention just how quickly George Robertson miraculously pulled material from the web linking him with freemasons, Thomas Hamilton and the horrific Dunblane massacre. The news is stage managed. That's why all the news channels have the exact same headlines matching the newspapers. Research yourself - who owns SMG? Who owns Sky? Look at the board of directors in all the �UK� top companies; it�s the same clowns shifting seats regardless of how those companies perform. Plebes get sacked for inadequacy unlike the toap bouyz. Even the cherished mind-numbing �celebrities� are created winding everyone up with their consistent drivel. Next time you watch BBC news look at the �official sources�. They have one presenter talking to another presenter usually hovering outside 10 downing Street � passing �comments�. Whatever for? Shouldn�t they just be reading the news? And look out for dissenters � there are none. There are no people on the news balancing the argument anymore. We�re all living in Disney world.

Following on from a voting issue censorship on the Scotsman: re: information on rigging elections.
Have you looked at newspapers recently? Who will print your story? Don't believe for a minute that you could take any 'information' you may or may not have to anyone. Yes, this blog is available on the internet but can be explained away as nutters on keyboards. Try and get a book printed and see just how high the hurdles are.

And before you cite the internet as an avenue. The internet is more controlled than you think and as an example off the top of the head I mention just how quickly George Robertson miraculously pulled material from the web linking him with freemasons, Thomas Hamilton and the horrific Dunblane massacre.

The news is stage managed. That's why all the news channels have the exact same headlines matching the newspapers. Research yourself - who owns SMG? Who owns Sky? Look at the board of directors in all the �UK� top companies; it�s the same clowns shifting seats regardless of how those companies perform. Plebes get sacked for inadequacy unlike the toap bouyz. Even the cherished mind-numbing �celebrities� are created winding everyone up with their consistent drivel.

Next time you watch BBC news look at the �official sources�. They have one presenter talking to another presenter usually hovering outside 10 downing Street � passing �comments�. Whatever for? Shouldn�t they just be reading the news? And look out for dissenters � there are none. There are no people on the news balancing the argument anymore. We�re all living in Disney world.

heres a thought, perhaps n/labour possesed by bad opinion poll results decided to spoil most of the papers themselves by adding another X on a lot of the ballot papers to make them invalid I know I filled my papers in correctly but cant guarentee mines was counted as all that needed to happen would be some one to add an additional X to my paper thus making it invalid, just a thought as I would never trust the cartel of n/labour mafia in south lanarkshire.

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