International monitors may scrutinise UK elections because of corruption fears

International monitors may scrutinise UK elections because of corruption fears

 
What a legacy Tony Blair leaves behind!   The Guardian newspaper reports,

 
    Britain could be the first western democracy to face monitoring over vote-rigging and electoral fraud, Guardian Unlimited has learned.

 
    A European human rights watchdog is considering plans to scrutinise the UK's council and regional government elections this May following concerns over vote tampering and postal ballots.

 
    The move would prove highly embarrassing for Tony Blair's government, since the majority of countries already monitored are fledgling democracies from the former eastern block.

 
    Despite the protestations of the elections minister, Bridget Prentice, a delegation from the Council of Europe visited London last week following concerns that vote tampering was undermining UK democracy.

 
Read more from The Guardian

 
The influential political blog PoliticalBetting.com -- normally very well informed, because it's for people who, quite literally, are prepared to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to political hunches -- explains

 
    At the heart of the issue is the Labour belief that it suffers most from low turnouts and this has been the driving force behind the series of measures designed to make voting easier.

 
     If more people can be persuaded to vote, it is reasoned, then Labour will do better. That is why one measure after another has been pushed through by ministers without cross-party support and, in many cases, against the strong views of the Electoral Commission.

 
As the measures have worked out in practice, it's become clear that, while they make it easier to vote, they make it easier to rig votes, too, and there have been several high-profile prosecutions of candidates and their agents in local elections.

 
The Guardian explains,

 
    The UK is one of 46 members states that make up the council for Europe, whose conditions for membership are pluralistic democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

 
    The Council of Europe, which was founded in 1949, is a distinct organisation from the European Union.

International monitors may scrutinise UK elections because of corruption fears

 
What a legacy Tony Blair leaves behind!   The Guardian newspaper reports,

 
    Britain could be the first western democracy to face monitoring over vote-rigging and electoral fraud, Guardian Unlimited has learned.

 
    A European human rights watchdog is considering plans to scrutinise the UK's council and regional government elections this May following concerns over vote tampering and postal ballots.

 
    The move would prove highly embarrassing for Tony Blair's government, since the majority of countries already monitored are fledgling democracies from the former eastern block.

 
    Despite the protestations of the elections minister, Bridget Prentice, a delegation from the Council of Europe visited London last week following concerns that vote tampering was undermining UK democracy.

 
Read more from The Guardian

 
The influential political blog PoliticalBetting.com -- normally very well informed, because it's for people who, quite literally, are prepared to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to political hunches -- explains

 
    At the heart of the issue is the Labour belief that it suffers most from low turnouts and this has been the driving force behind the series of measures designed to make voting easier.

 
     If more people can be persuaded to vote, it is reasoned, then Labour will do better. That is why one measure after another has been pushed through by ministers without cross-party support and, in many cases, against the strong views of the Electoral Commission.

 
As the measures have worked out in practice, it's become clear that, while they make it easier to vote, they make it easier to rig votes, too, and there have been several high-profile prosecutions of candidates and their agents in local elections.

 
The Guardian explains,

 
    The UK is one of 46 members states that make up the council for Europe, whose conditions for membership are pluralistic democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

 
    The Council of Europe, which was founded in 1949, is a distinct organisation from the European Union.

International monitors may scrutinise UK elections because of corruption fears
 
What a legacy Tony Blair leaves behind!   The Guardian newspaper reports,
 
    Britain could be the first western democracy to face monitoring over vote-rigging and electoral fraud, Guardian Unlimited has learned.
 
    A European human rights watchdog is considering plans to scrutinise the UK's council and regional government elections this May following concerns over vote tampering and postal ballots.
 
    The move would prove highly embarrassing for Tony Blair's government, since the majority of countries already monitored are fledgling democracies from the former eastern block.
 
    Despite the protestations of the elections minister, Bridget Prentice, a delegation from the Council of Europe visited London last week following concerns that vote tampering was undermining UK democracy.
 
Read more from The Guardian
 
The influential political blog PoliticalBetting.com -- normally very well informed, because it's for people who, quite literally, are prepared to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to political hunches -- explains
 
    At the heart of the issue is the Labour belief that it suffers most from low turnouts and this has been the driving force behind the series of measures designed to make voting easier.
 
     If more people can be persuaded to vote, it is reasoned, then Labour will do better. That is why one measure after another has been pushed through by ministers without cross-party support and, in many cases, against the strong views of the Electoral Commission.
 
As the measures have worked out in practice, it's become clear that, while they make it easier to vote, they make it easier to rig votes, too, and there have been several high-profile prosecutions of candidates and their agents in local elections.
 
The Guardian explains,
 
    The UK is one of 46 members states that make up the council for Europe, whose conditions for membership are pluralistic democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
 
    The Council of Europe, which was founded in 1949, is a distinct organisation from the European Union.