Labour and the Electoral Commission

OK...this is going to be a rant.

So....the Labour Party (Scotland sub-branch) would like the Electoral Commission to run any Scottish constitutional referendum. Why? To stop the Nats 'rigging' a plebiscite, they say. Well, they should know about rigged Scottish referenda, after the one they orchestrated in 1979. But let's dig a bit deeper - why, exactly, do they want a body whose remit does not include non-Westminster plebiscites to supervise our one? There's an obvious answer I'm afraid, and in classic Labour style it involves cronyism, self-interest and cash.

Let's first consider who set up the Electoral Commission. Yup, that's right - the Labour Westminster Government. Who funds the Electoral Commission? You do, via the Labour-controlled Treasury. And who was it who decided that there was "insufficient evidence" to prosecute Wendy Alexander for her crime in accepting a political donation from overseas, despite Alexander writing a thank-you letter to the donor at his overseas address - a cast iron piece of evidence if there ever was one? Yup....Labour's Electoral Commission.

They set it up. They run it. They fund it. So....is it any surprise that Labour want their wholly-owned subsidiary, the Electoral Commission, to 'supervise' (ie rig) a Scottish constitutional referendum? No. Should the SNP roll over and accept it? No way.

R of S