Political Thread

[westlondoncarparts]

Although the final declaration has yet to be made, it looks as if significant numbers of people turned out to vote for Sadiq Khan as an act of defiance against the arrogance of the smear campaign that was run against him.

On another matter regarding the conduct of politicians, the Channel 4 allegations about Conservative Party election overspending and false accounting now seems to be moving into the police investigations stage and towards court applications to extend the time limitations on prosecuting electoral fraud. Although obviously innocent until proven otherwise in Court proceedings, any Court determinations that the Conservative Party did break election rules would create something of a constitutional crisis – how can a Government that is in place to create laws break the laws that provide for getting into Government in the first place?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36231138

[astral276]

Anyone running a book on the next Brexit warning from CamerOsbourne?

Water to blood?
Frogs?
Lice?
Flies?
Livestock dying?
Boils?
Hail?
Locusts?
The Sun going out?
Death of all firstborn?

[MPS16]

Anyone running a book on the next Brexit warning from CamerOsbourne?

Water to blood?
Frogs?
Lice?
Flies?
Livestock dying?
Boils?
Hail?
Locusts?
The Sun going out?
Death of all firstborn?

UK homeowners face significant hit from Brexit


Chancellor George Osborne said that homeowners would face a "significant hit" from lower house prices and higher mortgage costs if voters decided to leave the European Union in a referendum in June.

[tony41]

Although the final declaration has yet to be made, it looks as if significant numbers of people turned out to vote for Sadiq Khan as an act of defiance against the arrogance of the smear campaign that was run against him.

On another matter regarding the conduct of politicians, the Channel 4 allegations about Conservative Party election overspending and false accounting now seems to be moving into the police investigations stage and towards court applications to extend the time limitations on prosecuting electoral fraud. Although obviously innocent until proven otherwise in Court proceedings, any Court determinations that the Conservative Party did break election rules would create something of a constitutional crisis – how can a Government that is in place to create laws break the laws that provide for getting into Government in the first place?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36231138

If the law has been broken , surely the "successful" candidates have been elected illegally and the elections must be rerun.

[MPS16]

Anyone running a book on the next Brexit warning from CamerOsbourne?

Water to blood?
Frogs?
Lice?
Flies?
Livestock dying?
Boils?
Hail?
Locusts?
The Sun going out?
Death of all firstborn?

EU referendum: Cameron to warn UK exit could put peace at risk

[olivia8143]

If the law has been broken , surely the "successful" candidates have been elected illegally and the elections must be rerun.

Yes, that's what will happen, unless, of course, the police investigation finds no irregularities (I'm not holding my breath)
btw has the EU thread been deleted?

[westlondoncarparts]

The background to the Channel 4 investigation is that electoral law is in place to avoid the situation where rich political parties can ‘buy exposure’ which less financially well off parties cannot and to try to achieve a reasonably level ‘playing field’ between election participants. Consequently, there are election campaign spending limits both at individual constituency candidate level and also at national political party level. There is also a requirement that once election campaigns have ended participants submit expense returns to the Electoral Commission to confirm that that they operated within legal expenditure limits. The Channel 4 investigation has been looking at whether Conservative Party expense items declared as national expenditure were in fact local constituency candidate expenditure. If they were local items, a number of Conservative Party candidates went over their legal limit and broke the law therefore. They would have also broken the law by submitting inaccurate expense returns.

Obviously everybody is innocent until proven guilty. However, Channel 4 seems to have conclusive evidence that ‘Battle Buses’ stuffed full of volunteers sent by Conservative Party HQ to marginal constituencies did not engage only in general promotion of the Conservative Party but also canvassed specifically on behalf of local candidates, thereby incurring local candidate expenditure which the Conservative Party is arguing should be treated as national party expenditure. This particular issue is what seems to have caught the attention of local police forces.

My understanding of the law (which could be incorrect) regarding electoral issues throws up two possible courses of action.

The first is that application may be made to an Electoral Court for a particular election to be declared void because of irregularities. This provision in the law would seem to be geared towards discrepancies at constituency level rather than towards a complete General Election. This possible course of action under the law is time limited, however, so cannot be brought to apply in the current situation as too much time has passed since the General Election.

The second is that individual election candidates are responsible under the law for operating within the legal expenditure cap and for submitting accurate election expense returns. These candidates may be prosecuted under the criminal law for failures on either account. Again, there are time limits for prosecution but these may be extended which is what various police forces are considering at the moment. It looks likely at present that individual prosecutions will be brought against various Conservative Party candidates / MPs.

[PetBazaar]

UK homeowners face significant hit from Brexit


Chancellor George Osborne said that homeowners would face a "significant hit" from lower house prices and higher mortgage costs if voters decided to leave the European Union in a referendum in June.

Funnily enough, that's more or less what UKIP's Scottish Spokesman said in the run up to our own referendum. So it must be true then.

[harold69]

Huddylion, that beautiful young lady in your pic, is sure growing up. i can remember her at a new born age. Tell her she has an admirer in the USA.

[emmily121]

Yes, that's what will happen, unless, of course, the police investigation finds no irregularities (I'm not holding my breath)
btw has the EU thread been deleted?

Do you mean this thread Olivia