In todays news...

[Yambo]

. . . and Man Utd fans the world over go home happy.

Happy that it wasn't 8

[Mussels]

Ballot harvesting is a really odd one. I remember reading about it and being fascinated by the whole idea when I first heard the term.

It might sound like some sort of smoking gun to say people have been jailed for it, it sounds half a step from vote rigging right?

In fact it's only illegal in something like half the states, might actually be fewer than that. There are many organisations (of both colours) which promote the idea. Supposedly its particularly effective at enfranchising certain segments of the population...for example ethnic minorities and rural communities....so it gets a lot of support in some quarters.

Ahh, so kind of the opposite of voter ID before anyone can vote in UK elections now, despite there only being about 14 suspected votes being used by another person and only one proven instance (one vote as well) in 2019 of it happening.
Then allowing OAPs to use their bus pass but not allowing young people to use their rail card.
I'll leave it for you to guess at which voters thats more likely to disenfranchise.

So 14 votes worth of maybe and one single solitary proven case in 2019 and its a massive issue?

A pensioner needs to prove their ID to get a bus pass, some rail cards are handed out with no name or photo attached.
As for the ammount of election fraud, many people in Tower Hamlets would disagree with you after the mayor was removed for:

The Election Commissioner upheld a number of the allegations, including:

Voting fraud: ballots were double-cast or cast from false addresses
False statements made against Mr Rahman's rival Mr Biggs
Bribery: large amounts of money were given to organisations who were "totally ineligible or who failed to meet the threshold for eligibility"
Treating: providing free food and drink to encourage people to vote for Mr Rahman
Spiritual influence: voters were told that it was their duty as Muslims to vote for Mr Rahman. Mr Mawrey cited a letter signed by 101 Imams in Bengali stating it was people's "religious duty" to vote.

[Count Steer]

It's quite funny. The right wing were soooo agitated about the need to carry ID, now you can't vote without it.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Ahh, so kind of the opposite of voter ID before anyone can vote in UK elections now, despite there only being about 14 suspected votes being used by another person and only one proven instance (one vote as well) in 2019 of it happening.
Then allowing OAPs to use their bus pass but not allowing young people to use their rail card.
I'll leave it for you to guess at which voters thats more likely to disenfranchise.

So 14 votes worth of maybe and one single solitary proven case in 2019 and its a massive issue?

I suspect it's way more simple than that.

If in any given area party A expects ballot harvesting will win them more votes it's an excellent idea which empowers democracy. Party B on the other hand will prove it erodes fairness and promotes corruption.

Drive 100 miles and Party B will become Party A and vice versa.

[Horse]

The Election Commissioner upheld a number of the allegations, including:

a letter signed by 101 Imams in Bengali

Irrelevant to the thread, but ...

Hmmm I wonder whether that was '101 Imams in Bengali Square, Indore'?

Original allegation, Election Commissioner, or BBC journalist?

[Yorick]

Hmm. New king can't be arsed to invite his son to the big day.
Gets his office to email him

Beggars belief.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64854803

[Mussels]

The Election Commissioner upheld a number of the allegations, including:

a letter signed by 101 Imams in Bengali

Irrelevant to the thread, but ...

Hmmm I wonder whether that was '101 Imams in Bengali Square, Indore'?

Original allegation, Election Commissioner, or BBC journalist?

Original allegations by a loser, I don't know if more allegations were made but that's a lot upheld.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-32428648

[Mussels]

Hmm. New king can't be arsed to invite his son to the big day.
Gets his office to email him

Beggars belief.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64854803

Probably done in the best way to stop the pair using it against him, they will milk this for everthing they can.

[Yorick]

Hmm. New king can't be arsed to invite his son to the big day.
Gets his office to email him

Beggars belief.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64854803

Probably done in the best way to stop the pair using it against him, they will milk this for everthing they can.

I don't care about the shite. This is the King behaving like a child.

[demographic]

Well, It looks like the figure of 14 suspected and one conviction I put up was a bit off the mark so lets look at the electoral commisions numbers for election fraud in the UK...

https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/ ... fraud-data

Cases where the suspect was convicted, or accepted a police caution
A caution for false information on a nomination paper
The Police Service of Northern Ireland received a report that a Democratic Unionist Party candidate had submitted a local government election nomination form that included an address that they had previously lived at and not their current one. Once contacted by the police, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council confirmed that the nomination papers had been accepted for this candidate, and it was too late for the address to be removed from the notice of poll or from the ballot papers for the election.

The candidate was not elected, but following a police investigation, they accepted a caution from police.

A conviction for false information on a nomination paper
South Wales Police received a report that a candidate for a local council by-election (Neath Port Talbot Council) submitted a nomination form that included forged signatures. This was not discovered until after the close of nominations, and so the candidate remained on the ballot paper.
The candidate was not elected.
Following a police investigation the suspect pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial and was:

sentenced to 6 months in prison, suspended for 12 months
given a 15 days rehabilitation requirement
ordered to complete 180 hours of community service
ordered to pay costs of £2,366
A conviction for false information on a nomination paper
Norfolk Police received a report that an independent candidate submitted a local government election nomination form that included a signature from a supporter that he knew was false.

The candidate was elected, but following a police investigation he stood down and was:

fined £3,300
not allowed to stand for election for five years
A conviction for using someone else's vote at a polling station
West Yorkshire police received a report from polling station staff that a man had voted twice in the European Parliamentary election.

A polling station staff member became suspicious and went to the police. The police then arrested and interviewed the voter. He admitted to voting twice, once using his own name and once using his son’s name. He was:

sentenced to 8 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months
given a fine of £50
not allowed to vote for five years
A conviction for tampering with ballot papers
The Metropolitan Police received a report of a disruption at a polling station within the Erith and Thamesmead constituency at the UK Parliamentary general election. Someone entered a polling station and after being told that they were not entitled to vote, took hold of the ballot box to stop anyone else from casting their vote. Owing to the individual’s disruptive behaviour, police arrested the offender and took them away from the polling station.

Following a police investigation the individual was charged with taking or interfering with a ballot box and pleaded guilty at court.

He was sentenced to a 24 month rehabilitation activity programme and ordered to pay £620 in costs.

A caution for using someone else's vote at a polling station
West Mercia police received a report that someone had voted at a polling station in the European Parliamentary election, but they weren’t on the electoral register.

The suspect knew that he was not on the electoral register and could not vote. Instead, he gave his father’s name to polling station staff and was given a ballot paper and cast his vote.

A polling station staff member suspected the voter was not who he said he was. They raised their concerns with the police who interviewed him under caution. He fully accepted that he had voted using his father’s name.

He accepted a caution from the police.

[Horse]

a letter signed by 101 Imams in Bengali

Irrelevant to the thread, but ...

Hmmm I wonder whether that was '101 Imams in Bengali Square, Indore'?

Original allegation, Election Commissioner, or BBC journalist?

Original allegations by a loser, I don't know if more allegations were made

"A letter signed by 101 Imams in Bengali"
Or
"A letter signed in Bengali by 101 Imams"

Picky, I know, but this sort of thing just jumps out at me

[Mussels]

Hmm. New king can't be arsed to invite his son to the big day.
Gets his office to email him

Beggars belief.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64854803

Probably done in the best way to stop the pair using it against him, they will milk this for everthing they can.

I don't care about the shite. This is the King behaving like a child.

The same email probably went out to all the prospective guests, but only one decided to make an issue of it.

[Yorick]

Probably done in the best way to stop the pair using it against him, they will milk this for everthing they can.

I don't care about the shite. This is the King behaving like a child.

The same email probably went out to all the prospective guests, but only one decided to make an issue of it.

Would you email your kids?

[MrLongbeard]

I don't care about the shite. This is the King behaving like a child.

The same email probably went out to all the prospective guests, but only one decided to make an issue of it.

Would you email your kids?

Nah, we use messenger instead

[Mussels]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62542537

UK workers are going into the office an average of 1.5 days a week, with only 13% coming in on a Friday, a survey suggests.

It never feels like that when I get on the train and it's almost as crowded as they were before the pandemic. I don't think I've ever tried a Friday though.

[Pirahna]

It never feels like that when I get on the train and it's almost as crowded as they were before the pandemic. I don't think I've ever tried a Friday though.

Not everyone works in an office.

[Ant]

Ngozi Fulani has announced she is stepping down as CEO of Sistah Space due to the 'abuse and backlash' she has received recently.

Absolutely nothing to do with the late accounts, massive unexplained increase in turnover, accusations of discrimination and abuse etc?

[JackyJoll]

Not everyone works in an office.

Some just sit there!

[irie]

Not everyone works in an office.

Some just sit there!

For some WFH means just the same.

[Ant]

Not everyone works in an office.

Some just sit there!

For some WFH means just the same.

My WFH day is just that. I start with a good wank, then a few coffees, then I pootle about for a bit in the garage, whilst my cheeky auto scheduled emails trick people into thinking that I'm actually doing something work related.