Daily Archive

British political comic relief continues to be supplied in ample amounts by the Liberal Democrats.  First, a reminder.  The BBC, September 2005:

Some of the greatest governments of the future will be Liberal Democrat, party president Simon Hughes has said.

In a speech to the party’s conference in Blackpool, Mr Hughes pledged to “deliver Liberal Democracy” across Britain “soon” and “in our time”.

But he warned it would only come if the party increased the “breadth and depth” of its support.

Mr Hughes also hailed the Lib Dems general election result and attacked the UK’s “rigged electoral system“…

Presumably, this following is one means to “deliver Liberal Democracy” and end the UK’s “rigged electoral system“. The BBC reports, November 23:

Two Liberal Democrat councillors from Lancashire have been jailed for trying to rig a local election.

Manzur Hussain, 58, and Mozaquir Ali, 44, defrauded dozens of voters during the 2004 local government elections.

The men, who were sitting on Burnley Council at the time, collected signed proxy vote forms door-to-door and filled them in themselves…

Most amusing of all, the judge’s comments:

…Judge Andrew Gilbart QC said it was “ironic” that many of the voters who were duped said they would have voted Lib Dem anyway…

Yes, they tried to rig a vote they probably would have won anyway. Do political operatives get any slicker?  However, ”George Booosh” not having been involved, national Liberal Democrats of stature (please, no laughing at that assertion that such people may actually exist) evidently feel no urgency to offer a view on this little matter of members trying to “rig” an election.

The lack of neo-con involvement may be one reason for the party’s quiet. But leader Sir Menzies Campbell has also been a bit extra-busy of late criticizing democracy itself. For instance, as he told us back in June:

…The heady talk in Republican circles of a ripple of democracy through the Middle East has been quietened…

That “ripple” perhaps having “been quietened” is, to Sir Menzies, obviously a good thing. After all, we wouldn’t want any democratic ripples out there. And as those former Burnley councillors’ actions abundantly demonstrate, his local Lib Dems are evidently quite willing to make extra sure democracy here, in England, is controlled carefully.

…Under my leadership I am challenging our party to be bolder, to be more ambitious and to be more thoughtful…

Sir Menzies might indeed also be relieved.  He is asking for great things from the party.  Yet even before his leadership began, it may well be said that in their action Messrs Hussain and Ali were already “bold”, “ambitious” and “more thoughtful”.