Monday 13 September 2010

PHIL WOOLAS FACES COURT CASE OVER ALLEGED ELECTION MISCONDUCT


Today in England for the first time in 99 years, a court will hear a case against a sitting MP’s right to be that sitting MP.

In a case alleging “corrupt practices” but this time based on the 1983 Representation of the Peoples Act, a Liberal Democrat will contest the election to the seat in Oldham East and Saddleworth of none of other than my dear friend, female underwear purchasing, and Joanna Lumley fearing, Phil Woolas. (He has an interesting life does our Phil!)

Elwyn Watkins will allege that Woolas’s campaign literature, contained, contrary to that Act, sections that were “false statement
s of fact in relation to the candidate's (his) personal character or conduct”.

Woolas’s election leaflets contained allegations that his opponent received foreign donations, that he had support from Muslim extremists and that he had engaged in vote-fixing. The Liberal Democrat said two publications contained many misleading and erroneous allegations about his personal character and reputation.

Given that Woolas’s majority was just over 100, Mr Watkins’ claims of character assassination may well have had a enough of an effect to change the result.

I don’t know what would happen if the judges (there are two) were to find in favour of Mr Watkins. A by-election would hardly be a reasonable course of action given that the government is now in place and Mr Watkins’ party is a part of the ruling coalition. It’s likely that, with no hope of influencing the make-up of the government, any re-run of the election in the constituency would be unable to recreate the conditions of the General Election.

It may be that the judges have the power to overturn the election result and appoint Mr Watki
ns to the seat.

I have no idea what Mr Watkins is like. I’m not fond of the government that his party forms part of, but Woolas is a grinning idiot, way too pleased with himself, to cocky and self assured by half and the leaflets are certainly inflamatory.

On reflection, based on the fact that the member for this constituency will make no difference to the overall make up of government, my dislike of campaign material that berates other candidates instead of laying out what THIS candidate stands for....and, I admit, my passionate dislike for Phil Woollas, I hope the judges find for Mr Watkins.



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23 comments:

  1. Phil is a total, complete and first class moron.

    When he was made to look like a schoolboy by the avenger - I say it was better than corporal punishment for the little git. Still ... I do want to punch him ... is it just me?

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  2. "my dislike of campaign material that berates other candidates instead of laying out what THIS candidate stands for"

    Typical Labour leaflet then Tris!

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  3. Na Dean... it's nearly evryone. I'll hold him; you hit him.

    He's just the kind of guy you automatically dislike. Condescending git.

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  4. Nick Thornsby, a local Lib Dem blogger, has been given media accreditation for the case. If you are interested you could follow his updates here:

    http://nickthornsby.wordpress.com/

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  5. Yes Billy. Seems typical Labour. I wonder how it is going...

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  6. Oh right Caron... thanks... and nice to see you here at the Republic.... Don't think we've had the pleasure of your company before.

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  7. Woolas Good man! top man!........One of Labours finest he will win because he deserves to.

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  8. Niko, yer nuts but yer oor NUT!

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  9. One day soon I will buy you a beer or an Ouzo or whatever, within reason and the law, that you want.

    You make my day when you post because, I have seen through your masquerade.

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  10. Whatever you say Niko, whatever you say....

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  11. Yep Bugger, and we're lucky to have him... I wouldn't change him for all the tea in Estonia.

    :¬)

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  12. Tris
    today i worked alongside an Estonian got a bit of help from a latvian had to see a Bulgarian dentist (thats a story and no mistake) and scrounged a lift home of a polish man......


    PS had a cup of tea with a geordie....whey man!

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  13. Tris...Now let me see if I understand this. Making "false statements of fact in relation to the candidate's personal character or conduct" is actually "AGAINST THE LAW" in Britain??? I can't comment on this case. But good Lord Tris, character assassination and political lies are the sacred foundation stones of American political democracy. Tom Jefferson did it. Not that long after he finished writing the Declaration of Independence, he was paying off some newspaper reporters to slander his political opponents. (You simply don't win a revolution and then get elected President without breaking a few eggs.) And today, the Tea Party crowd are pointing out that Mr. Obama was born in Africa, is favoring his radical fellow religionists the Muslims, and is the living reincarnation of Adolph Hitler (or Joseph Stalin), and is promoting a Nazi (or Communist) political agenda. And such political tactics might be illegal...ILLEGAL????.... during a political campaign in Britain? Amazing!!! ;-)

    There are unconfirmed reports that there was a time when American politicians talked about their own fine character, and their own policy issues...rather than sliming their opponents' character and issues. But I doubt that it's happened within living memory. ;-)

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  14. Whey indeed Niko.

    I know lots of people who get bent out of shape by all these foreigners in Scotland, but personally I find it educative and enlightening... and it's hand if you can get a lift from them too...

    Mind you, I draw the line at Geordies!!!

    Only joking Niko, Geordies are the salt of the Earth! I worked alongside one at Jobcentre Plus, and it was only her friendship that made it even vaguely possible to get through a day in that nuthouse!!

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  15. Sums up Labour's philosophy power at any cost very similar to other Unionist parties only they have an extra brain cell between them.

    503 error = numptie log in details thats why you have never seen it before tris, duh.

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  16. LOL Danny...

    There are times when I wonder how America manages to exist... then I remember that it has a special relationship with Britain....

    I guess it's only when you get caught, like this twerp, that it becomes a problem. As you will have noted for many stories on here the British political class is as corrupt as your average African dictator! (With apologies to African dictators!)

    It's just that one among their number has complained about another among their number..

    If you are so bored as to be interested in this dullard's story from across the seas, Caron has provided a link above, to an accredited source...

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  17. CH:
    Phil obviously wanted to be re-elected. I suspect that he thought that there was a chance he might get another pasting from the glamorous Ms Lumley, who is now a Nepalese goddess along with her many other achievements. He’s kinky that way.

    Ah... I’m none the wiser about 503... btw.... duh! ;-)

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  18. Actually people it is no illegal to slag off and lie about your political opponent in this country.

    That is exactly what Councillor Kelly and his daughter did when she was standing against the sitting councillor in my ward that left the Labour party and stood for the Socialists.

    They put out a load of lies and slandered the guy and won the seat as a result. He took them to court and the Sheriff basically said you can print what you want in your leaflet as it is political and not personal.

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  19. Tris....Actually, having a law against political lies is quite a good idea, since mere shame at being caught in a lie is meaningless to a politician. Politicians have no shame, and their capacity for hypocrisy is unlimited.

    In the area of character assassination, it helps these guys to have a somewhat unsophisticated electorate too. There is a famous story (but surely apocryphal) about a really dirty race in the 1950 Florida Democratic Senate primary between the challenger George Smathers, and the incumbent Senator Claude Pepper. Smathers won the nomination after a vicious campaign of personal attacks on Pepper. The story is that Smathers charged Pepper with being an EXTROVERT. One who practiced NEPOTISM with his sister, a sister who had been an acknowledged THESPIAN in New York City. Furthermore, it was charged that during his university days, Pepper had openly MATRICULATED, and had practiced CELIBACY before marriage. Finally, it was charged that Pepper's brother was a HOMO SAPIEN.

    The story is too good to be true of course. But it was indeed a dirty campaign that Smathers won by over 60,000 votes.

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  20. Billy:

    Nothing would surprise me about the renowned Cllr Kelly. I didn’t know, but I should have, that there would be a dynasty.

    If that is true then maybe Wool arse will get off with it. After all he accused the man of being in the pay of terrorists, but from a political point of view... that is to say he wasn’t personally taking money from Muslim extremists, but his campaign was....

    So maybe the odious Ghurkha denier will live to be made a fool of by some other actress, or maybe next time it will be a footballer, Mr Rooney for example, or a pop star, or possibly a passing dog or snail... who knows.

    I wonder if he still purchases ladies apparel now that he has to pay for it himself?

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  21. Good story Danny...

    I didn't realise that the 1950s' American political world was so full of total perverts!!

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  22. LOL Tris.....and of course the best stories are about the worst politicians.

    As for Smathers, he turned out to be a pretty good Senator (by southern standards). He had been a Congressman, and was recruited by President Harry Truman to mount the primary challenge against Claude Pepper in the Florida Senate race. (Pepper had headed an unsuccessful effort to dump Truman as the Democratic nominee for President in 1948.)

    Smathers was a close friend of John F. Kennedy, and managed a part of JFK's presidential campaign in 1960.

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  23. If that's true there must be some really good stories about politicians in teh UK Danny, for without doubt they are POOR (in quality I mean, somehow they seem to manage to make up for that financially).
    .

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