Dear All
I think it is pretty much well known that lying is for some in the Labour Party part of their election strategy.
And for former immigration minister Phil Woolas, he has went well over the score and lost his seat as an MP because of it.
An election court has ruled that he knowingly made false statements about an opponent in May's general election.
When are people going to learn that telling the truth does so much more damage?
Phil Woolas, now ex Labour MP is to be barred from the Commons for three years and the election contest for his Oldham East and Saddleworth seat re-run.
As well as losing his seat, his staff are now unemployed.
So, what was it he was up to?
The specially convened election court had heard that the Labour MP stirred up racial tensions in a desperate bid to retain his seat.
This was the strategy used by campaign team to 'make the white folk angry' by depicting an alleged campaign by Muslims to 'take Phil out'.
He is the first to be forced out in this manner in 99 years but he isn’t going quietly and wants a judicial review.
I would say his goose is cooked because the evidence is damning, a pamphlet and two mock newspapers distributed in the final stages of the election.
Is his defence I done it but it wasn’t that bad?
Or everyone lies so what’s the big deal?
Woolas won on May 6 by just 103 votes.
His solicitor, Gerald Shamash said:
“This election petition raised fundamental issues about the freedom to question and criticise politicians.”
Talk about living in denial.
After the hearing Phil Woolas said after the verdict:
“The court has found that the election leaflets put out on my behalf contained three statements which breached Section 106 of the Representation of the People Act 1983”.
Too late, you’re done!
One Labour Activist said she found his campaign literature featuring the word 'extremist' 15 times, 'upsetting' and threatened to resign so even hard core members aren’t supporting Woolas.
For Red Ed Miliband who appointed Phil Woolas as shadow immigration minister in his first shadow cabinet it is a sign of a 'terrible misjudgment', he knew that Woolas was going to Court.
Phil Woolas is a big political scalp and we will have to wait and see what Commons Speaker John Bercow will decide, does he initiate a by-election for Oldham East and Saddleworth immediately or wait for further legal proceedings.
I think he may be tempted to sit on the fence and take soundings.
He won’t want to rush into things because it may be used by the Woolas legal team as interfering in the Judicial Review.
Certainly, an interesting case and red herring mooted by Woolas team of restricting political speech is nonsense, the truth cannot be gagged, because it is a human right to have freedom of expression.
Lying for personal political gain to obtain public office isn’t a human right; it’s akin to criminal fraud because they are trying to obtain a pecuniary advantage by deception.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obtaining_a_pecuniary_advantage_by_deception
And Phil Woolas and those of his campaign team involved should be charged with that crime as well.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
I think it is pretty much well known that lying is for some in the Labour Party part of their election strategy.
And for former immigration minister Phil Woolas, he has went well over the score and lost his seat as an MP because of it.
An election court has ruled that he knowingly made false statements about an opponent in May's general election.
When are people going to learn that telling the truth does so much more damage?
Phil Woolas, now ex Labour MP is to be barred from the Commons for three years and the election contest for his Oldham East and Saddleworth seat re-run.
As well as losing his seat, his staff are now unemployed.
So, what was it he was up to?
The specially convened election court had heard that the Labour MP stirred up racial tensions in a desperate bid to retain his seat.
This was the strategy used by campaign team to 'make the white folk angry' by depicting an alleged campaign by Muslims to 'take Phil out'.
He is the first to be forced out in this manner in 99 years but he isn’t going quietly and wants a judicial review.
I would say his goose is cooked because the evidence is damning, a pamphlet and two mock newspapers distributed in the final stages of the election.
Is his defence I done it but it wasn’t that bad?
Or everyone lies so what’s the big deal?
Woolas won on May 6 by just 103 votes.
His solicitor, Gerald Shamash said:
“This election petition raised fundamental issues about the freedom to question and criticise politicians.”
Talk about living in denial.
After the hearing Phil Woolas said after the verdict:
“The court has found that the election leaflets put out on my behalf contained three statements which breached Section 106 of the Representation of the People Act 1983”.
Too late, you’re done!
One Labour Activist said she found his campaign literature featuring the word 'extremist' 15 times, 'upsetting' and threatened to resign so even hard core members aren’t supporting Woolas.
For Red Ed Miliband who appointed Phil Woolas as shadow immigration minister in his first shadow cabinet it is a sign of a 'terrible misjudgment', he knew that Woolas was going to Court.
Phil Woolas is a big political scalp and we will have to wait and see what Commons Speaker John Bercow will decide, does he initiate a by-election for Oldham East and Saddleworth immediately or wait for further legal proceedings.
I think he may be tempted to sit on the fence and take soundings.
He won’t want to rush into things because it may be used by the Woolas legal team as interfering in the Judicial Review.
Certainly, an interesting case and red herring mooted by Woolas team of restricting political speech is nonsense, the truth cannot be gagged, because it is a human right to have freedom of expression.
Lying for personal political gain to obtain public office isn’t a human right; it’s akin to criminal fraud because they are trying to obtain a pecuniary advantage by deception.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obtaining_a_pecuniary_advantage_by_deception
And Phil Woolas and those of his campaign team involved should be charged with that crime as well.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Hi George
ReplyDeleteWhat you make of the comments over on newsnet scotland on the wendygate affair... 'crimanal gangs in Glasgow have strong links to the Labour Party'.
Smearing anyone who gets in there way.
ReplyDeletehttp://newsnetscotland.com/politics/928-labour-and-the-smear-gone-wrong-
Dear Cynicalhighlander
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link, proves what I have been saying for a while, the Labour Party will be playing dirty.
Having been subject to a smear campaign I know how David Ferguson feels.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Dear Anon
ReplyDelete'crimanal gangs in Glasgow have strong links to the Labour Party'.
Hopefully one day the ordinary people of Glasgow will decide to take their city back and kick Labour out.
Then there should be an independent forsenic audit of where and who Glasgow City Council pays money to.
I would have a permanent unit because the Labour Party has so many of their people in Council positions.
Newsnet Scotland does good work, very impressived by their stories.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
There's quite a lot of electoral fraud in Scotland.
ReplyDeleteThere's quite a lot of electoral fraud in Scotland. You should ask the Asian SNP members who signed up only asian people and paid their memberships. This was done to try and put two anonymous asian candidates on the Glasgow list Mr. Laird. I don't see an investigation ordered into this by wee fat Eck.
ReplyDeleteThe SNP seems to operate as one man one vote, rigged elections.
Explain in a thousand words of less Mr. Laird.
I voted SNP 2007 and will not in 2011, if they won't defend the integrity of their own elections, then they shouldn't be the Government of Scotland.
The SNP have no control over the conspiring, corrupt and criminal Electoral Commission operating for you know who!
ReplyDeleteI'll be voting SNP. All the way. Every day.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that's equally educative and engaging,
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