Scottish National Party in the 2007 election

[Twerto]

nah had to wash me hair

[peeriebryan]

Email received from Radio Shetland

 

Just wanted to let the Forum know that Radio Shetland is broadcasting an election special on Friday 4th May between 0710 and 0800. It'll also be available on-line at bbc.co.uk/radioscotland under the listen again link.

 

Thanks

 

Radio Shetland Online

[KOYAANISQATSI]

Didn't get a ballot.

phoned to ask why, was told I hadn't registered, told them I had, was assured I had not.

Funny but I could have sworn it was me who posted me and my partners form, she got hers but I was left with not even a golf club to go in and complain with.

Perhaps the illuminati are on to me.

ah well good luck with YOUR government, I shall have to remain self ruled for another term, fine by me I found their rules rather tiresome anyway.

pardon my french but "baise le système"

[PoolHaddock]

...I was left with not even a golf club to go in and complain with.

 

You should register fir the postal vote. It's lot handier.

[tarotangel]

...I was left with not even a golf club to go in and complain with.

 

You should register fir the postal vote. It's lot handier.

 

That's if you got your ballot papers on time

[peeriebryan]

What a farce!

 

SNP's Nicola Sturgeon won my current ward (Glasgow Govan), a traditional Labour stronghold, despite the fact that her slim majority (3.5%) was half as much as the discounted votes, which most pundits are putting down to confusion regarding the voting process

 

I've spoken to a few Labour supporters around Govan today who voted SNP as a 'protest', never expecting them to win the seat. Some others didn't bother to vote because they were sure Labour would get in again. Just goes to show that every vote counts!

[Fjool]

every vote counts

 

Doesn't it just! Check this:

 

Tied English council election decided on coin toss

 

An English municipal councillor held on to his seat after the election was decided by the toss of a coin, the BBC reported on Friday.

 

Christopher Underwood-Frost tied with Liberal Democrat John Birkenshaw after each polled 781 votes for the ward of West Lindsey district in Lincolnshire, eastern England.

[peeriebryan]

Yeah, I read about that. Imagine how gutting it would be to lose through the toss of a coin

[Fjool]

Or to have to be in office with that only-won-on-a-coin-toss stick to be beaten with. It's not exactly democratic is it? It's fair, but not democratic.

 

If they'd asked everyone who hadn't voted for either of them to choose, the results might have been more credible.

[derick]

Hmmmm. Fae da Scotsman

http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=698352007#new

 

Who is responsible for the design of the parliamentary ballot papers?

- The Scottish Secretary, Douglas Alexander [Labour Westminster MP fur Paisley, Scotland Secretary and protege of Gordon Broon], sanctioned the single ballot paper after a consultation. He claimed it would "make things easier for voters". Aye right.

 

Why were the council and Holyrood elections held on the same day?

- The Scottish Executive believed it would increase turnout.

Da Arbuthnot Commission recommended Parliament and Local Government elections should be held on different days. Da Lib/Lab Executive chose ta ignore dat. AND ta introduce multimember wards AND 1,2,3 style voting. All on da sam day. Dear God.

 

Hitches in the electronic counting system delayed several declarations. Why was it brought in and how much did it cost?

- With a complex council voting system being used for the first time, ministers decided a computerised system would be quicker. DRS landed an £8.9 million contract to "e-count" elections in Scotland. Bully fur dem.

 

What is DRS?

- Based in Milton Keynes, DRS Ltd was set up nearly 50 years ago and has run electronic vote-counting systems in London, Norway and Mali. Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock is a non-executive director. The company says he was not involved in the awarding of the contract. Whit is da point o a Director at doesna direct????

 

Alex Salmond is promised a full independent Judicial Inquiry inta dis election.

Douglas Alexander says a Judicial Inquiry is 'not needed' an da Electoral Commission should conduct an "independent†inquiry

 

Note - Da Electoral Commission's Scottish chief officer is wan Andy O’Neil, an ex COSLA (Labour controlled) an 'ex' Labour Party member. Aye Right!!

 

conspiracy or c*ckup? ?? No sure.

 

An dat's afore we start on Postal Votes

 

If we recall, Labour canvassers in Leeds wis catched in some very dodgy practices 'helping' elderly voters fill in postal votes, collecting said votes in, and 'delivering' dem tae da polling stations. Except non Labour votes which could be delivered tae da bins. A 'wired' undercover journalist happened ta be on haund. See Times article. Same stuff in Birmingham - see BBC article

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1719907.ece

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4410743.stm

 

Full Independent Judicial Inquiry required.

 

Westminster still controls da wey da Scottish Parliament election is run. Did you keen dat? You do nou.

 

PS - congratulations ta Tavish. No dat keen on da guy, but 66% oda vote is pretty impressive

[derick]

Joost spotted dis fae 'Miss H' on Scotsman board - explains a lot I tink.

 

83. Miss H / 8:53am 5 May 2007 This is my perspective as someone who was at a count for both council and parliamentary campaign.

 

People may not realise that there are always a fairly large number of spoiled ballot papers. I don't know how many regional ballot papers were spoiled in 2003 but if we assume it was the same as the constituency ballot papers that means that the total number spoiled last time round was about 30,000. So that is an increase of 70,000 this time.

 

There were a huge number of 'anomalies' in the electronic parliamentary count, which slowed it down considerably. Most of these anomalies were very straightforward. People putting ticks instead of crosses, people whose crosses went outside the box etc. These would never have been regarded as anomalies under the old system. There were also screeds of papers which had been folded. Well, people are in the habit of folding ballot papers so it was inevitable that this would happen.

 

Where I think we start to see the influence of STV in the parliamentary count was in the number of people who voted 1 and 2 instead of using a cross. Sometimes in the same column on the parliamentary paper. That was matched by a fairly high number of ballot papers in the council count which started with a 3. In my view these papers should have been allowed - by changing the 3 to a 1 and following the progress thereafter.

 

Did the higher than average wastage of votes affect the result?

 

In our constituency I don't think so. We did a sample of the anomalies and the result was comparable with the actual result given. So I personally am satisfied that the result reflected the way people voted. That may not be the case in other constituencies however. So there may be a case for a re-count in certain constituencies if the candidates and agents from those constituencies have a concern. A blanket recount would be a waste of time and money.

 

However I am utterly convinced that we should not do this again!

 

We must hold the council elections on a different day to the parliamentary elections in future and I am also quite against the idea of electronic counting now. Unless we can resolve the issue of the high number of anomalies, I do not think that there is any point in doing it the parliamentary vote electronically.

 

For the STV vote - yes we should do that electronically. That count actually worked better than the parliamentary vote, which is bizarre when you think about it because I would have expected the STV count to cause the problems, not the parliamentary count.

 

But the 2 elections should definitely be held on separate days.

[JustMe]

Holding the elections on the same day is presumably more cost effective and is liable to increase the turnout. There is another way to split them up and that would be to have each election in a different room in the same building or at the opposite end of the same room. With a bit of thought voters could be guided from one to the other without confusion.

[Mcdilly-Willy]

Voting for another party in protest i.e. voting for SNP to get at Labour; whilst hoping that SNP don't gain more seats? Wheres the logic?

 

The best thing to do in that case would be to not vote at all!

 

It's people like that who are ruining democracy; not spoilt votes. Vote for your principles.

 

This also could be a case of the media spinning this story. I wonder how many people spoilt their ballot on purpose?

[islandhopper]

Westminster still controls da wey da Scottish Parliament election is run. Did you keen dat? You do nou.

Huiibuii ... we are comming nou to the "reserved matters". Let's read again the Devolution (Scotland) Act again to find out what else comes under the "reserved matters" ... funny things are written down there ... as existing Scottish Law ...

[derick]

Actually dey ir places - Spain, Ukraine, Thailand, whaur ballot papers haes a 'none of the above" option. If AA da candiates is rubbish, an NOTA gets a majority, ballot can be rerun (various weys o doin it).

 

I cannot see whit wey we need 3 completely different voting systems. Eennou we hae Constituency first past the post, Regional List X single vote multi-member costituencies, and 1-2-3 multi-member STV for local authority. Total nonsense.

 

Single member constituencies elected by 1-2-3 STV at ALL levels wid simplify things a great deal. First candidate ta reach a majority wins - redistribute second, third choices til you get dere. No fully proportional but least unpopular candidate wins.

 

Yis, da media is spinning things - the Scots are too stupid incompetent blah blah (despite da fact Westminster controlled da election!) It's da Scottish Parliament building aa owre ageen. Tarnish by association an indirect smears.

 

Whit major UK politician haes da most ta loss fae a successful SNP led Government? You dunna need da Lone Ranger an Tonto ta see whit door da da tracks leads tae!! Allo, allo, allo, as Yates of the Yard might pit it.