Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The BNP use Ballot Act of 1872 to get free publicity and raise the spectre of ballot box tampering at the General Election















Dear All

In the General Election, Nick Griffin may win the seat of Barking in London.

The seat is currently held by Margaret Hodge of the Labour Party, who has an unimpressive history and baggage, collected through her political life.

The seat may fall if the BNP plays on people’s fear of immigration, law and order and MP expenses sleaze.

Electoral fraud, especially postal fraud has made the news recently so is a hot topic.

The British National Party is so concerned about fraud at the general election that it intends to place its own seals on ballot boxes.

They have invoked the Ballot Act of 1872 and will apply its own seals in an effort to avert tampering.

They claim that in the past ballot boxes have been opened and their votes spoiled or removed.

BNP spokesman John Walker said;

"We know it happens. We just cannot prove it”.

The Ballot Act of 1872 states;

"the presiding officer of each station, as soon as is practicable after the close of poll, shall, in the presence of the agents of the candidates, make up (the ballot boxes) into separate packages sealed with his own seal and the seals of such agents of the candidates as desire to affix their seals".

They claim that by councils delaying general election counts until the day after voting means greater opportunity for someone to tamper with boxes.

So, considering that no other political party does this, the BNP have stolen a march in the publicity stakes.

It will be interesting to see if Nick Griffin, a sitting MEP in Europe captures the Barking seat.

But the story of the election will be the collapse of the Labour vote and the high profiles Labour casualties on both sides of the English and Scottish border.

I wonder if the Nick Griffin hadn’t been banned as an MEP from using House of Commons facilities would the BNP be trying so hard to get into Westminister?

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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