UK election fraud probe underway in Galloway seat

[bemildred]

Purely a coinky-dink of course.

Jun 8, 2005 — LONDON (Reuters) - British police on Wednesday began a probe into possible electoral fraud in the parliamentary constituency won on May 5 by George Galloway, the MP who last month angrily defied a U.S committee over Iraq charges.

"We have received a formal allegation of electoral fraud and are investigating," a spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said.

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Galloway overturned a Labor majority of more than 10,000 to win the seat for his Respect party with a margin of just 823 votes.

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Although there had been electoral fraud worries ahead of the election, which returned Blair with a reduced majority in the House of Commons, the Bow and Bethnal Green investigation is understood to be the first.

ABC News

[candy331]

1. I wonder is this legit or is this a witch hunt or payback. n/t

[freedom_to_read]

4. what a coinkidink

They just keep going after this guy. Guess when you speak truth to power, you gotta be prepared for anything.

[bemildred]

5. You don't think they really give a shit about voting do you? nt

[Coexist]

2. and so it begins...

[Dhalgren]

3. Not surprised. Go against the BEFEE and they come after you.

I do not for one minute believe this shit - it's just too fucking convenient for George and Tony Bush...

[Voltaire99]

20. No, it's the other way round: Galloway is going after Blair

In fact, he has instigated matters by alleging New Labour committed fraud. See this piece:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4073864.stm

[leesa]

24. Blair is part of the BFEE

[BooScout]

6. What a crappy article

Go to the BBC and read what's really going on. The fraud is likely on the part of the Labour Party trying dirty tricks to undermine Galloway.

[JohnyCanuck]

7. I was just going to post that. Here's a snip and the link to BBC.

Mr Galloway told a London Assembly committee: "The borough of Tower Hamlets runs its elections in a way that would disgrace a banana republic.

"The people responsible for it ought to be embarrassed and the salaries they are lifting."

Corrupt?

He added: "It became clear to us during the course of the campaign that somebody was involved in a major operation to bloat the electoral register with non-existent electors as part of a dirty tricks operation."

Mr Galloway claimed Tower Hamlets council was in the grip of a "corrupt political culture run by new Labour".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4073864.stm

[Roland99]

9. This guy is smelling cleaner and cleaner each day, eh?

[BooScout]

10. Seee....

Anyone besides me think that ABC is inventing it's own damned news? :eyes:

[Roland99]

15. It's a Reuters feed.

[BooScout]

17. True.........

So why are Reuters and ABC twisting the facts then?

[Roland99]

18. Lack of effort to flesh out the whole story.

Running with initial bits of info in order to meet a deadline.

[BooScout]

19. AKA lazy & piss poor journalism n/t

[Spazito]

11. So it is Galloway that is lodging the complaint

hmmmm, it seems ABC left out that VERY important fact!

[BooScout]

13. Anyone wonder why........

a major US News organization is twisting the facts regarding a British Politician who made our Congress look like a bunch of imbeciles? I guess it must be that Liberal Slant again. :eyes:

[daleo]

12. Typical propaganda by ABC

ABC writes it up as if Galloway was the one under suspicion, when it is actually the opposite. Seriously, how could an independent (or the only elected member of a new party) pull strings to fix an election? You need to be part of a well oiled machine (like the Republican Party in the U.S.) to manage that.

[silvermachine]

14. Reuters article...

...which makes the spin even more blatant.

[anitar1]

21. Reuters had an article yesterday that twisted the

facts, until you read down and saw that Galloway had called the shots. Reuters is in shrubs pocket. So is the rest tof the corporate media. Glad I always read the British papers.

[D-Notice]

8. Galloway did complain

about vote-rigging in the run up to the election, as well as mentioning it in his winning speech.

[ngGale]

22. If I do remember correctly, the postal voting...

was a main issue. Get 'em Galloway - :loveya:

[T_i_B]

23. Bethnal Green & Bow

Bethnal green & Bow is not only one of the most deprived constituencies in Britain, it was also the site of what was commonly considered to have been the diriest election battle this year. Both sides have been accused of skullduggery and to be honest, if East End politics is cleaned up as a result of all this controversy that's all for the better.

Here's an old thread about this in the UK forum.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=191x2874

[Doctor_J]

16. Payback

wow. Too bad they don't investigate election fraud here - only in UK and Ukraine