Labour may challenge Scots vote

 

Allan Wilson was defeated by the SNP's Kenneth Gibson

 

A Labour candidate may take legal action over the Scottish parliament election results, the BBC has learned.

Former minister Allan Wilson, who narrowly lost in Cunninghame North, is discussing the possibility of a court challenge with Labour party solicitors.

 

The move comes as the SNP, who won most seats in Thursday's elections, begin informal coalition talks.

 

Any potential case would be taken by Mr Wilson as an individual, but could lead to other challenges being mounted.

 

First Minister Jack McConnell said he did not want to comment on the situation in Cunninghame North.

 

Spoiled papers

 

"If there is to be a challenge at the local level in any constituency it would be a matter for the local candidate and agent," he told BBC Radio Scotland's Sunday Live programme.

 

"They themselves need to take the decision about whether to pursue a challenge."

 

Up to 100,000 ballot papers were counted as spoiled across Scotland in the election.

 

Former Press Association political editor Chris Moncrieff said lawyers would say this had scant legal basis, "but the very scale of spoiled papers may alter their view".

 

There is definitely the need for an investigation into the conduct of the election

 

SNP source

 

Labour finished with 46 seats in the 129-member Scottish Parliament. Alex Salmond's Scottish National Party narrowly emerging as the largest group with 47.

 

Labour's Allan Wilson lost Cunninghame North to SNP candidate Kenneth Gibson by just 48 votes.

 

But the SNP dismissed the prospect of a court overturning their victory.

 

An SNP source told the BBC: "There is definitely the need for an investigation into the conduct of the election, which is why Alex Salmond has called for a judicial inquiry.

 

"But there is absolutely no evidence that this has benefited any one party." The source described the potential action as "sour grapes".

 

Technical failures, confusion about how to fill in ballot papers and problems with postal votes have all been blamed for the unusually high number of spoiled ballot papers.

 

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This is a fukkin' joke right...?? The Labour Party created the conditions and confusion by which the poll fiasco happened in the first fukkin' place and now the b/astards cry foul now that they dont like the fact that their gerrymandering still didn't give them a clear majority..... <_< This Govt really is a total disgrace and a sham, Britain is the embarrassment of Europe after Thurday's poll in Scotland.... Are we living in Mugabe's Zimbabwe or Florida in 2000...??

 

There needs to be a full, frank and totally transparent investigation into this, Alex Salmond has already promised this... Clearly HE has nothing to hide.... Nu Labor are using law to overturn Democracy when they dont get the answers they like, how typical for a fukkin' Party of Lawyers..... <_<

 

 

 

It was the Labour run Scottish Office and the Labour dominated Scottish Executive who wanted to run the Holyrood elections and the local elctions on the same day because they thought it would guarantee a better turn out of their members to vote in the new Single transferable votes for Councils.

 

They also insisted on having the regional list vote for Holyrood on the same paper as the constituency ballot. They did this because in previous Holyrood elections they thought they lost list votes because people gave them the constituency vote and gave the list vote to other smaller parties like the greens etc.

 

From all accounts, the separate council ballot paper went through with far fewer spoilt papers and the count went well.

It was mainly the complexity of the Holyrood paper but partly the confusion with the new council system which was at fault. Labour created chaos and now cry foul. No wonder the people of Scotland tried to oust them!

Unbelieveable :manson: Labour created this and should live with the result

 

I really am expecting come the next election if Labour look like they are going to lose power for them to engineer a threatened terrorist attack so that they can declare a state of emergency and suspend/cancel elections :rolleyes:

Well Labour had good teachers - watching Conservatives draw up boundaries to make very uneven constituencies but all equal in one way - that they enhanced the chances of returning a Conservative MP at the next General Election and other tricks - Shirley Porter has already been mentioned.

 

All political parties spin and try to turn any situation to their advantage.

 

The SNP had their own little perfectly legal "edge" in the Holyrood vote. In the "list vote" party description, they put "Alex Salmond for First Minister. SNP", the others just put their party name. The list of parties was alphabetical, so in most cases, the SNP came at the top instead of further down the ballot paper.

 

Allan Wilson may pay for his lawyer/barrister, but who's paying for all the rest? Us!

Edited May 6, 200718 yr by Baytree

Well Labour had good teachers - watching Conservatives draw up boundaries to make very uneven constituencies but all equal in one way - that they enhanced the chances of returning a Conservative MP at the next General Election and other tricks - Shirley Porter has already been mentioned.

 

A previous regime doing something wrong or officials of a previous regime doing something wrong is not IMHO a defence for an existing regime to do something wrong

This is a joke. But just bloody typical of how the Labour Party thinks it has a divine right to rule in Scotland.

 

So what are they going to argue?

 

1) Some voters were confused and couldn't fill in the ballot papers correctly

2) All these spoiled ballots would have been from Labour voters

3) It's obvious as everyone knows it's the Labour voters who are r*t**** and can't read instructions....

 

 

Yeah right. That'll carry weight in a court. :rolleyes:

 

This crowd make Mugabe look like a champion of democracy.