Scottish Elections ruined by vote problems

The Scottish Elections in 2007 for the Scottish Parliament and Local Councils will go down in history as the most inept and inadequate ever. They are worse that those that dogged the 2004 American Presidential elections and to hear Labour, as usual blaming it on anyone else but the Scottish Executive is beyond belief.

At the moment it looks like over 100,000 spoilt ballot papers have been (not) counted in the Scottish Parliamentary elections, no figures for the council elections are appearing yet but they will likely be as bad.

In addition to this the count has been suspended in seven places either because of system problems or recounts because of the vast number of spoilt ballots and what must now be a complete lack of faith in the system.

None of these problems will be news to people who have been reading the Scottish Blogs during the election as they have been highlighted many times.

What happens next, there will be an inquiry and as usual no one will be held responsible, but there is a likelihood that there may be legal challenges as this size of problem has never been encountered before. I foresee a number of challenges that may go on for some time leaving the real result in doubt for many months.

Human rights lawyers will no doubt be rubbing their hands with glee this morning with the thought of how much money they can make from this.
Rumours will soon be going round that Cherie Blair has arrived in Scotland to see if she can get her snout into the trough as Tony has given up his day job.

No doubt there will also be a number of former or budding politicians who will also be looking at challenging the results.

So what does this mean to us the voter (spoilt or not).

Without a doubt it shows that our level of interest in Politics has diminished when we cannot be bothered to learn how to vote. The information has been there and the help has been there. If we can't be bothered to notice that there were new ballot papers and new forms of voting then to an extent we have only ourselves to blame.

However we have also the fact that various organisations warned the Scottish Executive about combining the two types of voting on one day. Whilst it was no doubt cheaper and should have been more efficient, it has confused voters as to whether they should mark with a cross or with numbers. Scotland managed before when the elections were not held on the same day.

Right now we have become a third world country in terms of Electoral Competence, we will be a laughing stock to many countries whom we have looked down on in the past years. This is yet another in the long line of incompetent decisions made by the Scottish Executive and will live on to embarrass them for many years.

The result of the election will not now be known until much later today, though from indications it will be very close. After watching the coverage last night I was appalled at the stumbling and mumbling Jack McConnell after his declaration, if he retains his position as First Minister it may be time to flee the country, he is nearly as much of a joke as the elections. I just hope the SNP do get most seats and we get a change, it can only be better for Scotland.

Update: This story from one of the returning officers is worth a read.

More stories of incompetence appearing all over the place. A Wifie was on BBC Radio Scotland news at lunchtime as I was driving home saying at her Polling Station the plastic boxes had failed/broken and the returning officer was stacking the papers up on the floor next to him. So much for secrecy/security/honesty etc etc etc. Apparently she complained and the officer was rude to her. She is chasing the matter up with Chief Returning Officer.

Another woman from Aberdeen detailed how she had not received her postal vote which is again appearing to be a common problem.

Counts still going on.


Elections marred by vote problems

Aberdeenshire is Labour Free again

All the results for the Aberdeenshire Local Elections are in and the best news is that there are no Labour Councillors in the whole of Aberdeenshire yet again.

State of play after all counts is
Liberal Democrats 24(-4)
SNP 22(+7)
Conservatives 14(+3)
Independent 8(-6)


Aberdeenshire Council - Local Election Results 2007

Bruce Luffman and Marcus Humphrey Retain their seats.

My local Conservative councillors have both retained their seats, Congratulations. Aberdeenshire Council - Elections - Ward -

Spoilt Ballot Party ruins Scottish Elections

As previously warned both the E-Count system and the complications of new voting methods is making a joke of the Scottish Elections. Anniesland has just declared over 7% spoilt Ballots. If this goes on the Spoilt Ballot party will come in either 4 or 5th in the Election defeating the Greens.

This is shocking, it is a travesty and makes us look like a third-rate nation. A total rethink will be necessary and I would suggest their will need to be an Official Enquiry.

Don't also forget with the rate of spoilt ballots the whole election could now be in jeopardy and open to legal challenge. The rate is now overall at about 4-5%.

Countries like Zimbabwe and Nigeria will just be laughing at us. This is just another low point for the Scottish Executive.

Live Blog 3 - Last one just won't edit

From PB

Sean T; there are no exit polls because they’re vastly expensive. I led national polls for Harris for ITN in the 1987-92 period and they cost a couple of hundred thousand pounds even then. Regional polls really wouldn’t be much cheaper, as they still need the sample size and the number of sampling points to be valid.
The audience for other than a general election will not justify the cost for the media. We’re just going to have to keep watching real results - elsewhere and here!

by Robert Waller May 3rd, 2007 at 11:08 pm

23:36 Fog stopping Ballot boxes from Barra. Will be midday before count complete.

23:38 BBC reports turnout may be up to 60%

23:44 SNP contact in Inverness East Nairn and Lochaber still taking down signs,

23:48 5 mins to Wishaw declaration!

23:57 Mr Eugenides reports: Stirling is Michael Forsyth's old [Westminster] seat, and the Tories are trying desperately to take it "back". They require a swing of just under 5% to capture it from Labour.

My man inside the Stirling Tory campaign says - and this is hard information, by the way - that the Tories were ahead on the postal vote, with the SNP pushing Labour into third. With half the ballots now counted, the SNP are in pole position - just - with the Tories second and Labour still third. The remaining votes are, they think, from more rural areas of the constituency, which tend to be more Tory. It's going to be tight.

00:26

Nick Robinson of the BBC says Our boffins behind the scenes are analysing in detail the results in a few key wards. They tell me that the the early signs suggest this may not be as bad a night for Labour in England as had been anticipated. It may instead be the Lib Dems whose support is down on last year.

00:33 Mr eugenides reports

Radio Scotland have Annabel Goldie ahead in West Renfrewshire. Our Lady of the Doilies, much maligned (and rightly so) has had a good campaign: it would be a terrific result if she can come from third to boot out the egregious Trish Godman, of Labour.

00:34 Jack Mcconnell holds Wishaw, majority cut by 3500 and he is struggling to put brave face on it. This is dire, If he is our leader again we might as well flush the toilet on any hopes in the future.

00:38 hearing reports SNP doing well in ABerdeen south (Nicol Stephen), Please god let that be true.

00:43 Nearly 1,000 spoilt ballots in Wishaw. How thick are some people? Jesus.

00:51 Nick Robinson is continuing with the BBC line as follows

Some early signs of how the Tories are doing in the north. The party says that they are on course to become the largest party in Bury and to make gains in Crewe and Nantwich. The official results are not yet in. Sounds good - at first.

These areas used to have Tory MPs and these are councils they really need to take control of. So, the verdict will be likely to be good, but not good enough

00:52 Mcconnell back on the BBC, very nervous and halting, What a Gawwp. Hopes he has won confidence of Scotland. Almost stuttering, and mumbling and now onto pathetic manifesto speak.

00:56 he's getting worse and worse, he is dying on screen, He accuses others of being arrogant but declines to name them, what a prat.

01:01
God he is awful, accusing others of being arrogant but afraid to say who. Worst interview of a winning candidate I think I have ever heard.

If he is still our First Minister we should just turn into lemmings and jump off the nearest cliff.

01:10 Dr Hfuhruhurr has information from Gordon that Salmond is neck and neck there.

01:11 Parliamentary vote in Kelvin has over 1100 votes spoilt!

01:13 Dundee West to the Nats from Labour, Meltdown starting hopefully.

01:15 Swing was 6.8% Again spoilt votes very high. This will cause a big problem for the new parliament.

01:17 Everyone remarking on spoilt votes. I spent ages educating people how to vote what is so difficult about it. Next time we will have to take names and go round with the heavy mob.

01:22 Looking really bad for Lab in Wales may it continue.

01:28 Tartan hero reports
1.10am Gordon Jackson has just been overheard saying "there is no coming back from this" ... more or less conceding defeat... Nicola Sturgeon about to be declared the new Govan MSP.
On the three results declared across Scotland, the SNP vote is up 10%, Labour down 1%.

01:39 Tories holding Galloway & Upper Nithsdale.

01:40 With 3 results in nearly 3400 spoilt ballots, last time less than 500. What a disaster!

01:48 , What a prat Bill Butler a rant about heckling made him look stupid. Yet again a huge number of spoilt votes in Anniesland.

01:58 Shock News Spoilt Ballot Party take 4th place in Scottish Elections just behind Tories

02:13 Dundee is now totally SNP, Their first ever city.

02:29 my final entry I have to be up in 4 hours. It looks like Alex Salmond has won Gordon, great result for the SNP and kick in the teeth for the Lib dems. Hopefully this will continue into West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine and the Tories kick out the Lib Dems.

Have fun!

03:10 One final entry as Salmond wins Gordon and says that Postal Voting arrangements were totally inadequate, Also the fact of having the two different elections at the same time has invalidated thousands of votes. It's going to be tight, it will probably go down to the Western Isles tomorrow.

Now must go.

Live blog 2 - Live bloggers in Scotland

23:13 Picked this up from Doctor Vee ,just having a wander around.


23:15 First result from Motherwell & Wishaw expected within 30 mins. ?

23:17 Live coverage of Scottish Elections on BBC Parliament here

Live Blog Time

In rural Aberdeenshire people still voting late on met a couple just walking down at 21:30 and the Polling station was quite busy. Hopefully a good turnout, itching to see change in Scotland.
Might grab a quick wee dram but work and a drive in the morning beckons so it will only be a little one.
SNP claim they are challenging Labour closely in Glasgow Kelvin. Could be the first seat to declare.

10:48 Finally got kids to bed , wife watching Question Time on Sky (Channel 974-988 ) as its not on in Scotland.

22:51 Now got QT up on in internet hoping for Patsy to have a hard time, she would be gone by now if the elections weren't on. She is the sacrificial lamb for tonight.

22:53 just as I write that the question is should Patsy resign, apparently the most asked question!

22:57 Patsy at her patronising worst!

22:58 Caol Ila in hand, tasty

22:59 Patsy getting hard time what a shame!

23:04 newsnight saying indications turnout up in Scotland

23:05 test on PB says

LOL

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/localgovernment/story/0,,2072153,00.html

Guardian story on briefing doc for Labour ministers tonight

“The first of three “key messages” ministers were briefed to explain reads: “This was always a very tough set of midterm elections for Labour. However we fully respect the message the British people is sending us this evening.”
It offers recommended answers to questions about the party’s unpopularity and the handover of power to Mr Brown. Initially, ministers were told they should say: “Let us wait and see what the results are before engaging in speculation. We will know soon enough.” Once the results began to come in, the paper said ministers should reply: “We are midway through an unprecedented third term. All governments experience midterm setbacks at the polls. In the end what matters is we have the right policies to take the country forward and take the tough decisions for the long term.”

Voting is over, roll on the Count

Voting has stopped, now all we need are the results, here's hoping for a change in Scotland.

Live Blogging from Deepest Aberdeenshire

I'll be adding my tuppence worth on what's going on around the UK for a while tonight, but as work calls early tomorrow it may be an early bath.

Thanks to Matt Wardman for the opml file, makes it easy to keep up with all the action.

Voted

How to vote in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

Well after getting home from work, the wife and I have wondered down to the Polling Station and voted.

I surprised myself by adding an extra vote on my council election slip by giving a 3 to the SNP candidate, it might just help ensure that Labour and the Lib Dems don't get in. This is the first time in 30 years of voting I have ever given any part of my vote to anyone else but the Conservatives, which just goes to show how much this country needs a change from the current government.

Whilst the polling station wasn't very busy there were a few people wandering in whilst we were there, so if you haven't voted, get down their and get voting.

Prepare for Patsy!

Patsy (Best Year so Far) Hewitt will be patronising, deceiving and just lying on Question Time tonight at 10:35pm. Please will the rest of the Panel (William Hague, Charles Kennedy, Oona King and Tim Collins) giver her the kicking she deserves.

Some of these stories might help for some hints.

Meanwhile if you haven't voted, get out there and do your democratic duty.


Question Time | This week's panel

Blair 'will not quit yet as MP'

Brown showing what he would do to Blair.

Strange how this story came out today. Will this be the last spin of the Blair top. I'm predicting a kicking for Labour in Scotland so hopefully he will get the message and do the decent thing tomorrow.

Blair 'will not quit yet as MP'

When will the results be known

The following sites have timetables of when the results are projected to be known.

Scottish Parliament and National Assembly

English and Scottish local authorities:

I suspect that I will be in bed when they start to come in as I am working on Friday.

Meantime get out there and vote, vote for change and kick the Labour Party out of Scotland.

Hat tip to Stuart Dickson on Political Betting even if he is SNP.

politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Who’ll win the polling battle of Scotland?

Go forth and Vote!

How to vote in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

The Herald has published details of a Telegraph poll by YouGov perhaps the only poll that forecast the last elections results in Scotland accurately. According to the Herald

A YouGov poll for The Daily Telegraph today gives the SNP a six-point lead over Labour in the constituency vote, with 37% against 31%, with Tories 13%, LibDems 14% and others 5%. The regional vote has the parties on SNP 32%, Labour 27%, Tories 13%, LibDems 10%, Greens 9% and others 9%.

The paper said those figures translated into seats would give the SNP 45 over Labour's 39.

I popped these results into my favourite calculator over at Scotland Votes and they gave the SNP one more seat.

What is even more apparent from these figures is that every vote will count for the first time in a Scottish election. The proportional outcome is expected to see a radical shift in the distribution of power across the nation's council chambers.

So remember how to vote correctly. A good example is shown below.

And finally good luck to Stewart, Bruce and Marcus for today!

How to vote in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

The Herald : News: HEADLINE NEWS

Update: Brethren Cautioned on SNP placards removal

In an update to this story it appears that the 5 people were members of the Brethren Church. Make of that what you will!


Five men have been cautioned by police after Scottish National Party placards were removed in Aberdeenshire.

I wonder who they might have been considering the constituency is Gordon!

Cautions on SNP placards removal

Stewart Whyte or Trough Feeding Lib Dem

Just received the latest version of what purports to be the West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine News. It is in fact an election document from the Lib Dems full of their usual bar charts, half-truths and deceptions.

The biggest deception is of course the format and title. Have a look at the image below. The first thing to notice is that nowhere on the front does it say this is a piece of Lib Dem propaganda, no it purports to be "News" and tries to look like a free newspaper.


In fact it has nothing to do with news as can be seen from the next image which is the main headline.
Are the lib dems so dim they don't know who their opposition is. Good though to see that they are predicting a close contest here.

The title is just so typical of the Lib Dems who though purporting to be the "nice" party are in fact the most underhand, sleazy, condescending and just plain dishonest of all the major parties, which when they have Labour to compete against says something.

Perhaps if the headline had said

STEWART WHYTE or the Trough Feeding Lib Dem

it might have been more honest.

Then we could have had a couple of bar charts of number of mortgages taken out by the Lib Dem and then a profit from our money bar chart (£40000 and counting).

If you had any doubt about who to vote for before this should have made your decision just that little bit easier.

Patsy lying and dying in House off Commons

According to Dr Crippen , Patricia (Best year so far) Hewitt is lying and dying in the House of Commons this afternoon.

According to an E-Mail from a BBC producer

Patricia Hewitt is speaking in the House of commons right now - apparently the MTAS security breach was Channel 4 News' fault because they left 2 hours between finding out about it and contact the DoH press office.

She also just said 'there is no evidence that members of the public, or any other authorised people, other than ITN/Channel 4 News accessed the data',. This got enormous laughs and cries of 'yer what? Yer what? Yer what yer what yer what?' from the opposition benches.

Dr Crippen ends off as follows:

Hewitt is being both dishonest and disreputable.

* I am not a junior hospital doctor.
* I am not registered with MTAS.
* In this context I am a member of the general public. I was able to access details of applications on the MTAS site, and did so.
* Many others did so too.

The security of the MTAS site was appalling. Victoria Macdonald is a highly respected Channel 4 journalist and the attempt somehow to blame her, or Channel 4, for the MTAS problems is disgraceful.

This now goes beyond political rough and tumble. Hewitt has lied to the House of Commons.

Time she resigned.

I can only echo those sentiments and judging by the traffic I am getting to this article from the NHS so will many Junior (and other)Doctors.

NHS Blog Doctor: Hewitt on the ropes in the House of Commons

Napier's Commission

As well as being a really useful tool for one of my other interests, Family History, the documents here recently made available online for the first time are a timely reminder of why Scotland would like to be able to have a decent say in it's government and future state.

Even reading the first few pages, when one of the crofters interviewed, refuses to say anything until he has a guarantee that his Landlord will not either turf him out or burn him out, brings a sense of the hardships endured not much over a hundred years ago and which had been in place for many years.

Lochaber College Mallaig - Napier's Commission

Some Light Relief

After "Combeing" the land I have found at least there is one Mackie who knows how to use his head.

Vote early, vote often

According to David Hencke, the Guardian's Westminster correspondent, this Thursdays elections across the country

could go down in history as the point when fraud, corruption and mismanagement made a mockery of the electoral process in Britain.

The reason is because of all the new experimental voting and counting procedures which have not been properly thought out. Worse, some of the experiments have been based on laws that, ministers have just discovered, were not properly drafted in the first place.

I have already taken a look at the demise of the secret ballot here. The BBC has a report here that over 20,000 postal votes have dropped off the register in Birmingham since the last election, when massive fraud was discovered after the elections. And I posted earlier on the new E-Count system where I said

As this is the first large scale use of the system you would have thought the numpties on the Scottish Executive (Labour/Lib Dems) would have had enough sense to at least follow some of the calls of the Electoral Commission who asked for e-counting to be independently verified more than three years ago to boost voter confidence but nothing has been done.

So what confidence can we have in the election counts being correct, secret and fair. It's time to rethink this mess and get back to some semblance of fairness to both voters and candidates, before we become as suspect as countries like Zimbabwe or Nigeria.

Vote early, vote often

Hotmail's antispam measures snuff out legit emails, too | The Register

I see the ever so secure Microsoft are deleting your valid e-mails if they think they might just be spam.

Whilst everyone detests spam it would be nice if valid e-mails , which could be important. did arrive in a timely fashion.

Now whilst you can accept the fact that this might happen occasionally, you would presume there would be some simple way of determining why this might have happened and how it could be resolved, but apparently "Big Brother" Microsoft does not want this to happen.

In the end it's really quite simple, abandon the big ship Microsoft.

Micro Softs Hotmail's antispam measures snuff out legit emails, too

Last gasps from a dying Labour Party

Are these the final plaintive gasps from the dying Labour Party.

According to the Independent, Jack McConnell has launched an appeal for a cross-party alliance of Labour, Tory and Liberal Democrat voters to stop the SNP winning.

Apparently

Mr McConnell said Tory and Liberal Democrat voters should back Labour as the "only way" to stop Alex Salmond, the SNP leader, taking power after a YouGov poll put the SNP on 38 per cent, eight points ahead of Labour, and on course to become the biggest party at Holyrood.

I can think of only one appropriate response to this suggestion. Turn away if easily offended!



Labour braced for dual Celtic challenge

How to Vote in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

The above picture(Click to enlarge) show you how to vote in the West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine constituency for elections to the Scottish Parliament, for Stuart Whyte and the List vote, and also for the Local Government Elections in Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Upper Donside for Bruce Luffman and Marcus Humphrey.

So if you are at all confused just follow the above instructions and all will be well.

Remember not to to fold your voting slips.

This is a follow onto to the entry here about Labour dying in Scotland.

Daily Mail website still down.

I see this Daily Mail website is still down.

You should have a quick look here as Adam Boulton riles Patricia (Best year so far) Hewitt.

MTAS is currently unavailable

Recognise NHS success, says Blair

Should be a short Speech!

Hat tip I'm Backing Blair for the Image.

BBC NEWS Politics Recognise NHS success, says Blair

Labour is Dying. STV to Blame.

No, its not a disease, The Herald has the article attached showing how a combination of events will mean that Labour will suffer during the forthcoming council elections in Scotland. Now this is not something to worry or cry about too much as it their just desserts for years of inadequate and dishonest government.

What is really worrying for all involved in Politics is the fact that only roughly a quarter of people in Scotland know about the new Single Transferable Voting (STV) system and only 4 in 10 had even heard about it. Roughly a third of the population had not even heard that STV was going to be used.

James Mitchell, a politics professor at Strathclyde University, interpreted the findings in the Herald as follows:

"People are not only willing to vote differently in list and constituency votes, but also in local council elections. Given that people are showing some sophistication in using their votes in different ways, you can see this would continue under STV.

"But many people do not understand the system, and it is pretty unlikely they will learn about it by polling day.

"This suggests it would have been better to have local government elections on a separate day, running a more successful public information exercise in tandem with what the parties were doing."

Now I would say that there has been plenty of information available, both via the mailshot, in the media and available online.

Unfortunately most of it has been ignored, as it has arrived or been seen to be part of the great "Election Bumph Delivery" that drops on your doorstep, most of which is permanently filed on arrival by a number of methods.

So be aware of the new Voting system and use your vote(s) wisely and of course correctly on the Conservative Party.

A reminder this does not apply to Postal Voters whose votes will already have been mislaid/stolen/removed or just in general tampered with.

The Herald : Politics: MAIN POLITICS

Stewart White - SexyMSP.com

After a tip from Iain Dale I find out that my prospective Conservative MSP is/was leading the voting for the sexiest male MSP candidate, this may be a shock to him!

It was definitely a shock to my kids and their friends who were quite amused by this and have maybe helped a bit in the voting! They are pupils of his at Aboyne Academy.

If the results of this vote are anything to go by, he will be a definite for West Aberdeenshire amd Kincardine MSP.

Sexy MSP

Labour getting riled in Hamilton

According to the BBC,

In Hamilton, Labour candidate Tom McCabe was involved in a confrontation with an SNP activist as his leader Jack McConnell appealed to undecided voters.

One possible reason for this is the number of knockbacks he is getting in Hamilton from his constituents. One of these was my wife's Aunt , who when asked by Mr McCabe if he could count on her vote simply replied

"Indeed you cannot"

She has apparently, after years of voting solely for the Conservatives, decided to vote tactically for the SNP and Conservatives to help get rid of Labour. She is also on the trail of educating her fellow older voters on the way to vote as she feels the new voting system is going to cause confusion in these elections.

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Election scuffle as tempers fray

MTAS - RIP for the moment

You've probably seen this on the news or in paper somewhere, but the systems that was being used for Junior Doctors to apply for Training Jobs in the UK has had to be shut down as it had serious security problems. This came at the end of a long list of problems that have beset the system and its implementation.

I have also blogged on it a number of times see here. Dr Crippen has also blogged on it a number of times see here.

So now you maybe wondering who the guy is in the picture, well he's Paul Dacre and that name should ring a bell, he is the editor of the Daily Mail which is part of the Associated Newspapers Group (AN) and is on the Board of the Parent Company DMGT (Daily Mail and General Trust PLC).

So now you are wondering what this has to do with the MTAS system. Well the AN group also owns a few other companies including those who have websites here. One of these is Jobsite which you might have used, whilst looking for a job (clue here!). They also run, for the NHS, the website used to search for jobs in the NHS for England and Wales. It was this experience that gained them the contract along with Method Consulting for the MTAS system. Jobsite actually host and run the website for the NHS.

It is interesting to note that if you search the Method Consulting website here for MTAS, MMC or NHS you get no relevant results, are they ashamed or what?

The MTAS terms and conditions on their website used to have the following (It's not available at the moment!)

This web service is provided by *Methods* *Consulting* Ltd and Jobsite UK (Worldwide) Ltd for the Department of Health as a service for the NHS. The service is subject to the contract between the Department of Health and *Methods* *Consulting* Ltd as construed in accordance with English Law and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.
These terms and conditions apply to all users of the website.
While the Contractor intends this site to be continuously available, virus free, and to contain accurate information, the Contractor does not guarantee that it will. The Department and the Contractor accept no liability for any consequences arising from inaccuracies, viruses, the unavailability of the site, misuse of the site, or any User's inability to access or use the site.

Not bad so far apart from the continuously available bit. It then goes on with the following

Data Protection Notice

The Contractor records statistics about visits to the pages of this site to help us administer and improve the site. The personal data provided by an Applicant on a submitted application form will be passed to Recruiters in order for them to consider the application; it will be stored securely in the site's database and will not be available to other Applicants. The application data held on the site will be deleted 13 months after the end date of the recruitment round for which it was submitted. Appointing Employers will retain the application forms for appointed Applicants separately as part of their staff records.
Statistical data on recruitment activity will be provided to the Health Departments and Deaneries for campaign management and workforce planning.

Maybe that should should read slightly differently as it appears the site is open to all comers to do with as they like.

So what has the Daily Mail got to say on MTAS and the system. The latest article is here, no mention of any link here to the fact the Daily Mail might be in anyway linked to the mess that is MTAS. In fact checking through the Daily Mail site we find no link between MTAS and the Daily Mail or Jobsite. As one commentator in the latest article says:

"This is a system that was obviously failing as a project. They had to produce a very quick and dirty result in order to serve their customers. They didn't even do that properly in terms of the most elementary form of password protection.

"This has to be one of the worst types of public sector security failure that I can think of."

This sort of incompetence on top of all the other problems is nothing short of unbelievable.

Worse is the fact that as Dr Crippen reports

And now a trivial matter. Or a matter that seems consistently to be treated as trivial by the department. What happens to the doctors? MTAS, for all its failings, is their source of information about forthcoming interviews and appointments. There is nowhere else for them to turn.

And finally a quote from Mr Eugenides on this as my language does quite stretch to his levels:

Just stop and think about that for a moment. If I could access someone else's internet banking simply by changing the account number in the requested field, someone at RBS would be fired by close of business. In no other field of endeavour is incompetence and waste so routinely shrugged off as par for the course as it seems to be in the governance of the country.

Imagine a pile of shit so large it could be seen from space: the air black with flies for miles in every direction, rivulets of stinking liquefied effluvium wending their way from the base of the huge cack-heap into every nook and cranny of this land; an all-pervading stench so horrendous that it put families from Inverness to Exeter off their food. Wouldn't you expect someone to clean it up? Wouldn't you expect the arses that had deposited this great heap of filth to at least acknowledge their part in creating it? Instead, Patsy tells us that "fewer beds are a sign of success", that the NHS has just enjoyed its "best ever year" (presumably 2007 is already on course to be a fucking triumph), and that MTAS is the best thing since banana Nesquik.

What has this pile of cack cost us, well apparently over 5 years it will have cost us 6.3mm pounds. Its real cost will be in the damage it has done to Junior Doctors.

Heads must roll for this debacle starting with Patsy (Best year so Far) Hewitt.

NHS Blog Doctor: MTAS - what next?

Cameron's Auntie

Nice to see Annabel getting some praise during this election.

She has been back to her best and is doing a good job, even if this is not showing up in the Scottish Polls. I expect the Tories to do much better than the current polls show, particularly at the council level, as Scotland is notoriously difficult to poll in. The only real and accurate poll will be the elections.

The main problem at the moment is the amount of voters who are supporting the SNP to ensure that Labour and the Lib Dems do not get back into power. Many people want change and are willing to back the SNP to achieve this. The problem, though, may come in 2-3 years when the SNP hold their referendum and it fails. The SNP will then be left to pick up the pieces and work out what their "raison d'etre" is and how they will go forward.

Looking at the other party leaders and how they are getting on, we see, that the Lib Dems Nicol Stephen has shown his true ability and is fading quickly. Jack McConnell is struggling to cope and has had to call in the B team from London to hinderhelp him. The only other major leader doing OK is Alex Salmond and he faces a bit of a battering today from all sides about the SNP's tax policy.

Oh, and just remember to vote to get rid of Labour and their pointless poodles the Lib Dems.

Cameron's 'Scottish auntie' steals the show

Errors of my way? Hoodies Clean Up Shock.

I saw the original story on this on the BBC website yesterday and thought it was a good story, but I most admit the "real" story behind it and details of how the police now operate is even more fun.

Read and enjoy!

Errors of my way?

Tell me no secrets - Postal Voting

John M Morrison has the following article in Comment is Free at the Guardian. In it he states

Absent voting is fundamentally incompatible with the secrecy of the ballot - and without this principle elections are neither free nor fair.

His contention , which I would tend to agree with, is that the voting is not secret unless it is done in person at the ballot box where it can be done fairly and in secrecy. No one can see your vote and no one can check, if you are being coerced, that you have done what you said you would do.

Continuing on the secrecy theme he points out

Gladstone understood the strange paradox of the secret ballot: the honesty and integrity of the electoral system as a whole is underpinned by giving each individual voter the freedom to lie to family members, neighbours and community leaders about how he or she has voted. Postal voting, by shifting the voting process into the family and the community, reopens the door to the abuses that Gladstone's great reform successfully eliminated.

Basically what he is saying is that the nature of the secret ballot, is, that it allows us to vote in the way that we want, despite outside influences that say voting for a particular party is a betrayal of your upbringing, your colour, your creed or your religion.

He also points out that if France can manage an 85% turnout with no postal voting then why can't we in the UK manage this. They have much the same sort of lifestyles but take the time to vote.

His other problem with the postal vote is how it is administered and used. This has been the subject of many stories in the press , a few are here and here and some more here.

The last article shows how lessons learnt in England are not being followed up in Scotland as ballot signatures are not being checked and date of birth checks on some papers will happen south of the Border, but not in Scotland.
He has the following to say on this

The government pays lip service to cleaning up postal voting, but has no real intention of putting the clock back to the days when it was only available to those voters who could not get to the polling station. Labour's increasing reliance on dodgy postal votes explains why it has resisted calls for individual voter registration, and why it still allows political parties to go around banging on doors collecting up completed(or in some cases uncompleted) ballot papers. Instead of relying on the ballot box and the polling station to stop abuses, it has brought in a voluntary code of conduct for parties on how they should handle applications and postal ballot papers. Behind closed doors, who knows how many people are being influenced or instructed about how to fill in their ballot papers? The police have been briefed to be on the lookout for abuses in the May 3 elections, but how many people are going to shop members of their family/ community to the police for insisting that they vote Labour?

He finishes off by saying

Perhaps postal voting on demand really is as popular as the government says it is. I doubt it. Most people know it is a scam far worse than anything perpetrated in the world of TV phone-ins. When dodgy elections are held elsewhere, in Nigeria, Russia or Zimbabwe, the UK government would be well advised not to be too critical.

I agree with him that we should curtail postal voting, we are already on the way to becoming a third world nation under the current Labour Government, we shouldn't allow our voting system to become third rate as well.

Tell me no secrets ...

Monteith and the Tory Party

Earlier this week I blogged, how, under the leadership of Annabel Goldie the Tories are now the only major party with a realistic cash plan for the Scottish Elections, according to Professor Midwinter.

Well I thought I'd just contrast that with how well the last cash plan shaped under Brian Monteith, who appears, to be as usual trying to put a spanner in the works. Under Mr Monteith's budget Professor Midwinter was scathing as he concluded

"The Conservatives’ budgetary arithmetic does not add up, with a shortfall in their planned savings of around £670 million.

"This DIY approach to public accounting is not good enough.

"The Conservatives need to master the basics of the financial system they aspire to manage. This is a poorly costed programme, which will be difficult to implement without further cuts in public spending, to compensate for the missing £856 million in the current calculations."

Contrast that with what Midwinter had to say about the current plan.

The Tories are the only party to give "modest, fully costed proposals", rather than making "fiscally irresponsible" assumptions. Despite being a vociferous critic of the fiscal policies of the Thatcher government, Prof Midwinter praises the party for setting realistic goals for efficiency savings and costing promises made on issues like crime and education.

He wrote: "This is quite simply the most transparent and realistic set of policy and financial proposals I have read in the lead-up to the current election and far superior to the creative accounting and rosy assumptions in the policy statements of the other major opposition party, the SNP."

So what is Monteith doing now.

According to Scottish Tory Boy, he is briefing, again, against his own party. Have a look here or here.

He also has tried to undermine the Tories at ContinuityIDS, both under his own name and a few others as required.

One wonders if he is not a tad upset about the fact that he got found out when he was cheating us on Taxi Fares after ratting on his leader as the Scotsman said at the time

"I doubt there will be anyone within the group shedding tears over this. We all knew Brian had an enormous taxi bill while he was attacking David over his taxi use and accounts, so perhaps he should have been a little more circumspect - but that's never been Brian's strong suit." - SOURCE WITHIN TORY PARTY

Scotsman.com News - Conservative Party - £850m 'black hole' in Tories' finance

Scottish Election leaflets - Part II

Part I is here.

Now onto the final 2 leaflets we have received. I had to retrieve the Conservative one from my kids who are quite excited about it as the candidate is also one of their teachers at School and we had previously met him when my wife (with some help from the kids) delivered leaflets for him in the 2001 General Election.

Fourth SNP - Dennis Robertson

Not the most inspiring leaflet which is cheaply printed A4 sheet with just one picture, though the re-cycle message on it may explain this.

Not sure if he means this but according to the leaflet he lives

with my wife Ann two, teenage daughters and guide dog Woody.

Yes, the punctuation is just a bit suspect! Either that he is just very Liberal minded!

Explains he knows constituency has diverse interests which he understands and would represent with equal enthusiasm.
On the back are a list of "Its Time" messages and explanations. Basically Nuclear-free Scotland, better future, axe council tax, safer Scotland, revitalise rural Scotland, Scotland to take the lead in Education, back small businesses, healthier Scotland.

Rest are instructions on how to vote, with another unfortunate spelling error, apparently your "Fist" vote (Regional) should be for Alex Salmond, probably for the reason that he will making a better "fist" of it as First Minister.

Not one single mention of Independence or a Referendum, very strange!

Fifth and Finally Conservative - Stewart Whyte.

Again an A4 sheet rather than a glossy, though much better printed than the SNP sheet. This leaflet is very similar to earlier mailshots by Stewart and has an "Election Special" mark.

Main article is about Crime saying Don't stand forIt. This is apparently one of his main motivations for standing. Says Tories will increase Police numbers and cut paperwork. They will also replace Human Rights act, condemns Lib Dems for their less Jail and more Community Service message.

Also asks for end of bias against NHS Grampian, Grampian Police and Aberdeenshire Council who receive 10% less funding than the poulation merits from the Scottish Executive

On the back mentions Education, Affordable Housing and NHS Dentistry (Whats that?).

Generally very locally aimed and much more explanation of issues relevant to the constituency.

The Conservatives have also sent me two bits of information about "No Voice" for the Regional Vote. These are very much aimed nationally for the list votes. Mention of fact that Scotland wants change and that the Lib-dems have only opposed Labour 8 times in 8 years (That's not a voice its and echo). Very professional looking.

So that's them all. Which is the best depends upon on how you look at them. The SNP and Labour ones are a bit of a joke both not very professional and basically looking like they realise they have no hope in the constituency and aren't going to spend much money here.

The Lib Dems is glossy and full of the candidate and pictures of him, but little real substance, This appears to be the Lib Dems all over.

The Conservative one is much more homey and squarely aimed at local issues.

I know which way I will be voting! Vote Stewart Whyte Conservative.

P.S. I'm still to see any of the MSP candidates in person round my village during the campaign and little sign of any advertising. Stewart Whyte did personally deliver leaflets round our area about 8 weeks ago but no hint of anybody else. Bruce Luffman our local Tory Councillor also hand delivered the leaflets for both local and MSP elections to the whole of our village as well as stopping for a chat with residents.

Frankie Boyle - Dysfunctional Comedian

Scotsman on Sunday Headline

"SNP win in polls but lose erection"

Honest that's the headline on this article. In fact the whole piece is about as intelligent as the article headline and has about as much to do with Politics as Tony Blair has to Honesty.

I believe Frankie Boyle, the author, is supposed to be some sort of comedian, looking at this it appears he may not yet have got out of short pants. His jokes are as old as Ming (gosh I haven't heard that one before) and short of either humour or irony.

What this is doing in the Politics section of a "Quality" Newspaper is beyond me, it is neither Politics or Political humour, it is just drivel.

Thank goodness there are, at least, some decent articles on the election available here

Scotland on Sunday - Politics - SNP win in polls but lose erection

Tories the only party with realistic cash plans

Yes you've guessed it the only party with realistic cash plans are the Scottish Tories.

According to Professor Arthur Midwinter who is visiting professor at the institute for Public Sector Accounting at Edinburgh University,

The Tories are the only party to give "modest, fully costed proposals", rather than making "fiscally irresponsible" assumptions. Despite being a vociferous critic of the fiscal policies of the Thatcher government, Prof Midwinter praises the party for setting realistic goals for efficiency savings and costing promises made on issues like crime and education.

He wrote: "This is quite simply the most transparent and realistic set of policy and financial proposals I have read in the lead-up to the current election and far superior to the creative accounting and rosy assumptions in the policy statements of the other major opposition party, the SNP."

He continues in similar vein

"The report is well written and lucid, and returns to traditional Tory concerns, such as families, decentralisation to local government and the primacy of law-and-order issues, with little right-wing rhetoric favouring pro-market approaches across the public sector.

"The Conservatives' return to the centre ground increases the prospects for influencing developments - even outwith a coalition."

He does have some criticisms and said

the Scottish Conservatives are wrong to cite low growth and increased local taxation, which have in fact improved. He also said their policy on mutualising Scottish Water, cutting council tax for pensioners and allocating hospital resources to follow patients must be redrawn.

Annabel Goldie, the party leader, pledged to stick to

"credible" plans to influence the next Scottish Parliament: "We know from the doorsteps that our policies are being well received and are in tune with the voters' concerns about the bread-and-butter issues."

So as usual we see the Tories coming out with simple sensible policies based upon sound finances. Professor Midwinters comments for the other parties are below

Condemned the SNP's plans as

"an uncosted wish-list with a £1.8 billion black hole at its heart".

He has also criticised the Labour Party for merely

"muddling through" rather than taking important decisions on the economy

and he accused the Lib Dems of

"confused political and economic theorising".

Tories 'only party with realistic cash plans'

Blair sends Cabinet into Scotland

Apparently Mr Blair in a final realisation that he is about to be kicked out in Scotland is sending the "Big Boys" into Scotland, thereby sidelining poor old Jack McConnell our humble First Minister.

According to the Times

Tony Blair has ordered his Cabinet colleagues to clear their diaries and spend time in Scotland over the last ten days of the election campaign in a desperate attempt to turn the tide on the Nationalists.

I should think Alex Salmond will be laughing all the way to Holyrood at this. I don't think Blair has quite cottoned onto the fact that Labour is dying in Scotland at the moment and sending up the Blair lackeys will just make it worse. The examples of Milliband and Gordon Brown being seen in Scotland should make quite a few more votes move away from Labour.

The Times goes on:

Downing Street says that Mr Blair wants to plant the message in voters’ minds that, while they may consider voting SNP because they “fancy a change”, that cannot be viewed as a safe vote because of the SNP’s independence aim.

This is again shows the lack of understanding of what is going on in Scotland. After 10 years of mis-government and the woeful Lab/Lib/Dem coalition at Holyrood, it is not that Scotland "fancies" a change, it is that Scotland demands a change from their current corrupt government.

Now I'm not saying vote SNP to get this change, but with our voting system, I am saying vote anything but Labour and their trough feeding lackeys the Lib Dems. It is time to send a message to Blair/Brown that they are no longer wanted in Scotland or indeed in the rest of the UK.



Blair sends Cabinet north in late challenge to SNP

Scottish Round Up

Well worth a good look at this week, and for the next few weeks, good links and some great entries to be seen this week. The Round up is being published three times a week for the next few weeks during the lead up to the Elections.

Find it here.

Scottish Election Leaflets - Part 1

Previously I blogged about the Labour Election Leaflet in my Constituency of West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine here.

Well now I have received the aforementioned liesleaflet from Labour and along with it the rest of the candidates literature.

A quick review of the leaflets seen so far seems like a good idea so that I know who to vote for.

First the BNP.

Well I haven't actually seen the leaflet as my kids tore it up and permanently filed it. Well done!
I have obviously had them trained well. They are only standing in the list for the North East of Scotland and should end up last after the independents.

Second Labour - James Noble.

What more can I say. Leaflet says very little, attacks Lib Dems Tax policy, Says Labour is brimming with ideas on how to take Scotland forward. Not much else. He has little/no biographical details and lives in Aberdeen rather than the constituency. Apparently, from other sites, he is 21 and works for the Scottish Parliament in Aberdeen. Website is http://waklabour.org.uk/ not sure if wakLabour is ironic? Looks like a no-hoper being given some experience.

Third Liberal Democrats - Mike Rumbles. Sitting MSP

Nice glossy document, no mention of mortgages! Says the Lib Dems have made the difference at Holyrood. Many quotes from papers. Main theme is straight from Lib Dem Manifesto, Greener Scotland, Safer Scotland, Local Health Care, Young People Matter, Bright Future etc. No costings on any of these. Apparently he has helped "thousands" of constituents in the constituency at regular advice surgeries, this maybe a slight exaggeration! Mentions he was member of Standards Committee , a bit ironic? Says it will be a straight forward fight between Lib Dems and Tories. Some Biographic details. Best looking leaflet so far.

More later on once I can find the rest, but my Kids have taken to reading them. Sad?

British Forces at War: An American Tribute

After the Battle: “Squaddie” from 5 Platoon, 2nd Battalion, “The Rifles” Battle Group.


Via Rogue Gunner the following article starts:

Basra, Iraq

The explosions from enemy rockets and mortar fire have been constant companions for the small contingent of Coalition forces based at the former Basra Palace, on the banks of Shatt al Arab River. In the past five months, more than a thousand bombs have been fired at this small base, all while these British combat troops, Romanian soldiers and a small contingent of Americans continue their attempts to stabilize Iraq. The nearby US Regional Embassy office also is frequently targeted.

A dramatic surge in IDF attacks (indirect fire: rockets and mortars) began here in September 2006, subsequent an increase in British troops. Locals cite Iranian influence behind the attacks, while British officers say this is the most IDF’d base in Iraq. The dozens of bombs that exploded on the base in the first five days of my embed with a British infantry platoon punctuated those claims.

Full article continues:

EU Constitution "Lite"

Angela Merkel is trying to push through a "lite" version of the trashed EU Constitution by weasel-wording the original version. She says in the letter leaked to the Times:

“Every effort will have to be made to restrict change to what is absolutely necessary to reach an overall agreement and to ensure ratification by all member states.”

She then posed a dozen key questions, including: “How do you assess the proposal made by some member states to use different terminology without changing the legal substance — for example with regard to the title of the treaty, the denomination of legal acts, and the union’s minister of foreign affairs.”

In the same way, she asks whether to “replace the full text of the Charter of Fundamental Rights by a short cross reference having the same legal value”. As proposed by Mr Blair, the replacement for the Constitution could be presented as a treaty that amends the Nice Treaty of 2001, she said, “with the necessary presentational changes resulting from the return to the classical method of treaty changes”.

Mr Blair was trumpeting on about this the day before here. He says in the interview with European newspapers and the Financial Times,

that the plan proposed by Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, will not be a “constitutional treaty” that alters the relationship between Europe and member states, thus avoiding a referendum. But he steers clear of saying how far the treaty will go in extending qualified majority voting and installing a permanent Council president.

So here we go again having failed to get this through the normal methods of democracy and having been thrown out in both France and Netherlands, a few changes will make it all right and nobody has to approve it let alone put it to a referendum

Let me quote from the inimitable SeanT on PoliticalBetting

Unbelievable. They are nakedly - brazenly - trying to bring back a Treaty already voted down in two states, and this time trying to avoid a referendum by minor cosmetic changes. Utterly disgraceful. If you believe in Europe - and many good, honest people do - you cannot want your project to proceed in this fashion: by deception of the people, by treachery, evasion and sleight of hand.

Just give us a vote. That’s all we want. Whoever wins, wins. But let us vote.

Blair is the most disgusting man in the history of modern British politics. May he rot in Hell, if Hell will have him.

I'd agree with SeanT all the way on this.


Merkel revives a slimline constitution

Court rejects scroats voting bid

At last some sense from the Judges up here in Scotland they have thrown out the demand by some scroats in Jail to be allowed to vote in Elections. I had blogged on this yesterday here.

Just what we needed more murderer's and robber's involved in Politics.


BBC NEWS | Court rejects inmates' voting bid

Campbell warning on independence

I see Menzies Campbell has sort of said that the Lib Dems should not go into coalition with the SNP, if the SNP wish to retain their insistence on Independence.

Now I can't quite see the SNP wishing to drop that particular point as it is their main campaigning point.

However, he also put in a few get out clauses which is fairly typical of the Lib Dems, who appear to be able to move the goalposts at the drop of a thumb.

After the election when Labour has been properly buried the Lib Dems will do anything to try and stay in coalition, they won't worry too much about again being the whipping boys in any coalition, as long as they can get their snouts deeper into the Holyrood trough they will be happy.


BBC NEWS | Scotland | Campbell warning on independence

Blair’s Collie supports him in Scottish Elections at Beau Bo D’Or

This should raise a few smiles.

Beau Bo D'or has the following take on the likely SNP win in Scotland.


T

Blair’s Collie supports him in Scottish Elections at Beau Bo D’Or

Scroats in court fight for right to vote

I see those darling convicts are crying about the fact they are not allowed to vote.

As they have been convicted and sent to prison, they have no rights to the niceties of society which they have offended against.

Human rights my arse.

If you can't do the time don't do the crime.

The Scotsman - Scroats in court fight for right to vote

Whats killing 15-19 year olds around the world

What's the biggest killer of 15-19 year olds around the world?

Not AIDS, cancer or any other disease, its something much more simple.

According to The Lancet its Road Traffic Accidents.

Shocked me, I know that it's always hitting the headlines round this area but this is worldwide.

How much do we spend educating kids about this? I'll bet its a fraction of what we spend of Drugs and Sex education.

I drive about 25,000 miles a year and see the results of crashes too often and it's mainly youngsters in modified cars.

Education of the dangers of driving and in particular speed and drinking must be hard hitting to be effective, there is no point just saying don't do it, it must be graphic and preferably personal to a particular area/school.

Most schools round here have had a teenager die in a road accident in the past few years, pictures and stories about these accidents should be used to try and make kids understand what is going on. Show them the results and make them think.

Remember the car in the wrong hands is a lethal weapon, not just to yourself but especially to others.

Road safety here and here.

The Scotsman - ? is world's biggest killer of teenagers

Royal Marines Piss Take.

A quick piss take of the Marines, may not be the best of ideas as my Father-in-Law is an ex-marine and my Brother-in-law is still serving!

Thanks to the Rogue Gunner.

Deny the Holocaust at your peril

The Devils Kitchen is highlighting a new EEC Diktat that will soon probably be a new European Law. He quotes from the Times:

Laws that make denying or trivialising the Holocaust a criminal offence punishable by jail sentences will be introduced across the European Union, according to a proposal expecting to win backing from ministers Thursday.

Offenders will face up to three years in jail under the proposed legislation, which will also apply to inciting violence against ethnic, religious or national groups.

One further point worthy of special mention is the following:

Diplomats in Brussels voiced confidence on Tuesday that the controversial plan, which has been the subject of heated debate for six years, will be endorsed by member states. However, the Baltic countries and Poland are still holding out for an inclusion of “Stalinist crimes” alongside the Holocaust in the text – a move that is being resisted by the majority of other EU countries.

So the killing of 20 million people is obviously OK. What's next? Will we also have the denial that there is a Civil War in Iraq (650,00 dead and counting by the day) written into the law as well.

Have a read of what he has to say and a variety of other bloggers including Iain Dale

The Devil's Kitchen: Deny the Holocaust at your peril

Stockings for Leslie Grantham?

I see Leslie Grantham will be getting the stockings out again, but this time not to rob and murder a german taxi driver but to sell them on the Black Market as he appears in the stage version of "Dad's Army".

'Dad's Army' on the march again for theatre audiences - Independent Online Edition > Media

Labour Own Goals again

According to Curious Hamster over at A big stick and a Carrot those sleaze merchants at Labour are at it again but this time in my Constituency of West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine.

After being caught out with their "Ordinary Voters" in their Party Political Broadcast mentioned here they have made a similar error in the Election material for their Candidate James Noble.

Apparently their two "ordinary" voters are in fact Scottish Labour party local council candidates. No mention of this is made on the leaflet, which I have yet to receive/file permanently. Both stooges are presented in a way which suggests that they are local people (true) and unaffiliated supporters of Mr Noble (false).

Remember to vote Conservative.

Stuart Whyte should be your pick in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine for the Scottish Parliament elections.

A Big Stick and a Small Carrot: Fools

Doubts raised over e-count system

I see Scotland maybe on the way to an interesting count for the May Elections, with the new Electronic Counting system in use for the first time on such a scale.

As this is the first large scale use of the system you would have thought the numpties on the Scottish Executive (Labour/Lib Dems) would have had enough sense to at least follow some of the calls of the Electoral Commission who asked for e-counting to be independently verified more than three years ago to boost voter confidence but nothing has been done.

Even the company that produces the system has welcomed the call.

DRS head of elections, Sonia Anderson, said: "As an organisation, we would be hugely in support of an independent accreditation programme if e-counting is to become in the longer term an adopted technology that returning officers have the freedom to use as opposed to manual counting."

However, Deputy Scottish Secretary David Cairns said the system had been thoroughly tested and a hand recount was still an option if things go wrong.

So there we are a fairly new voting system and a new Election Count method, should make the tighter results a bit more open to challenge like in Florida.

Remember Labour has a wonderful track record with IT systems!

P.S. DRS the people who supplied the system might just want to check their website because as far as I can see they are in breach of the Companies Act as every company should list its company registration number, VAT number, place of registration and registered office address on its website as a result of an update to the legislation of 1985.

You'd hope an IT company might get their Website correct!

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Doubts raised over e-count system

Vote 2007

On the trail of getting people out to vote and get more interested in Politics here are some sites that maybe of some use.

BBC Voting Site here.

BBC Scottish Election Site here.

Scotland Votes site here.

Scottish Politics site here maybe slightly leaning to the SNP!

Aberdeenshire Council's Election website here for a list of candidates in local/Holyrood elections.

And finally the most important here.

That's a good starter and try any number of the links on the blog for some more indivdual views.

BBC NEWS | Politics | Vote 2007

Chocolate the key to uncovering PC passwords

According to a train station survey of 300 office workers carried out in London, the disturbing statistic that 64 per cent of those surveyed would hand over their office computer passwords for a bar of chocolate "and a smile".

Good-looking, chocolate-bearing researchers apparently had to probe a bit harder with the IT professionals than random train platform suits in order to get passwords, but the questions were simple.

Researchers asked IT conference delegates if they knew what the most common password is and then asked them what their password was. Only 22 per cent of IT professionals revealed their "Open Sesame" at this point, compared to 40 per cent of non-techie commuters. If at first they refused to give their password, researchers would then ask if it was based on a child, pet, football team, etc, and then suggest potential passwords by guessing the name of their child or team. By using this social engineering technique, a further 42 per cent of IT professionals and 22 per cent of commuters inadvertently revealed their password.

Even after all the stories in the press and internet people are still amazingly lax about passwords and use them willy-nilly. They use simple to guess ones and don't change them. They use the same password for every account, be it for Bebo, or their Bank and then they wonder why their accounts are emptied.

If in any doubt follow the simple advice here. Don't forget don't use the same passwords for all types of accounts. Use a number of passwords and use them according to the type of system you are using.

For example for a simple logon to a newspaper or something simple with only some basic details at risk, use a fairly simple password and don't bother too much about it.
For a system that stores more useful information like addresses use another and change it at least yearly.
For E-mail accounts use another and change it every 90 days.

Finally for Banking or really personnel information use a good long password according to all the rules and change it often (at least every 90 days), don't use it for anything else and don't store it on your computer or anywhere else!

Don't forget all the other Online Guidelines and stop taking chocolate from passing blondes!


Chocolate the key to uncovering PC passwords | The Register

Simple Guide on how to Vote in Scotland

The attached "cartoons" should show you how to vote in Scotland in the forthcoming elections.

A written version is available here.

Whatever the instructions, just remember, a vote for Labour is a vote to continue destroying this great country of ours, a vote for the Lib Dems is the same as a vote for Labour, though open to offers from any parties who can help them get their snouts back into the trough.

If in doubt just vote Conservative, you know it makes sense!


Vote Scotland - Vote Scotland Walkthrough

Great Bowls of Fire

Must pop down to B&Q for a new toilet today then!

Free repairs to flammable toilets

Austin Mitchell on Blogs

Austin Mitchell has the following to say on Blogs (on his Blog!):-

Don`t join the chorus of praise for the Blogsphere as a new dimension of democracy which will liberate the people from dependence on old media.

Crap. Blogging is a forum for gossip, character assassination, sensation and expose. It is inherently anti-government and conservative because prejudice is easier to get over than serious explanation. Just like Talk Radio.

So the strongest practitioners are Republicans like Drudge or rank Tories like Ian Dale and Guido Fawkes, leaving this as the only voice of sense, semi-socialism, freedom, truth and justice.

What he means is that Blogs aren't working for Labour (Nu or Old), as they just can't work them out.

As has been seen many time they can't find the right level to pitch their Blogs at, and end up coming across as zealots and humourless dried up old sticks.

Austin Mitchell's WeBLOG :: Blogs

The Brown Bottom - How to lose 2 billion pounds

I wrote earlier on the Iraq Dossier problem that has been awaiting release of information under the Freedom of Information Laws. Now we have details of another fight with the Labour Government and in particular the Treasury to release information about the selling of Gold back in 1999 that has cost this country an estimated £2 Billion.

The article says

The Sunday Times has been battling the Treasury for 18 months to obtain documents revealing the advice it received on the sale of gold, writes Holly Watt.

Under freedom of information laws, the paper has asked for statistical information relating to the decision to sell gold; minutes of ministerial meetings; official correspondence and studies into the aftermath of the decision.

Before the 2005 election the Treasury rushed out comparable information about the Conservatives’ darkest economic hour, Black Wednesday, but it took it five months to turn down this request, although it is required by law to respond within 20 working days.

Among five exemptions it has claimed to block publication is that “such information relates to the location (past or present) of the UK’s gold holdings, which, if made known, could increase risks to security”. This information is on the Bank’s official website.

Seems that Labour don't like these laws now as they are exposing their soft underbelly as we see the lies and spin they have been using to deceive us during their 10 year reign.

According to the article we have a wonderful new name for the lowest gold price in 20 years, it's now referred to as the

"Brown Bottom".

No jokes about nappies now please!

Another Minister involved in this story was a rather more junior Patrica (best year so far)Hewitt who according to the Times in answer to a written parliamentary question placed by a Labour backbencher.

“Today we are announcing a restructuring of the UK’s reserve holdings to achieve a better balance in the portfolio by increasing the proportion held in currency. This will involve a programme of auctions of gold,” she said.

“The Treasury intends to sell 125 tons of gold, 3% of the total reserves, during 1999-2000, with the Bank of England conducting five auctions on the Treasury’s behalf. Auctions will be held every other month starting in July.”

The answer was later shown to be wholly misleading as the government actually planned to sell 400 tons before 2002, representing more than half the country’s gold.

Hewitt’s figure of 3% referred to “total reserves” which, apart from gold, included tens of billions that the government borrows on the international currency markets, rather than the gold reserves actually owned outright by Britain.

So as usual Patricia has been bending the figures to suit Labour's needs.

Just another example as to why no-one should vote Labour in the upcoming elections.

Goldfinger Brown’s £2 billion-News-Politics-TimesOnline