The deadline to register to vote in the EU Referendum is Tuesday 7th June. It’s easy to register to vote online!
You’ll need to enter some personal information, and you’ll need your National Insurance Number to hand, but it’s really simple and should take less than five minutes.
Sour grapes from Tudor Evans, former Labour Leader and Mayor of Plymouth City Council, who is still in the largest party but outnumbered by all the others:
“So what am I concerned about with this brave new mixture of Farageistas, Cameronites and the Borisistas?
Their manifesto, comprised of 17 things for a two-year programme, lacks any ambition for the city; the document is all about keeping the fragile coalition together.
For example, a central plank of the manifesto is scrapping the executive government of the city and reverting to a committee system.
This would be a disaster for Plymouth which has seen its planning and economic development functions become the most fleet-of-foot and entrepreneurial of any city in the country.
Developers are now used to, and enjoy, the speed of decision making, and certainty that they have been getting and that’s why our investment pipeline is so big.”
Article in Labour Progress magazine
He then goes on to bemoan the committee system in general and a new policy of turning off traffic lights in the city – and absolutely no mention of the voters of the city.
Could be why you lost, Tudor, putting developers first – just a thought.
“… The new revelations come as the Conservative Party take the unprecedented step of trying to oppose a court extension to the police investigation into whether it correctly declared the money they spent in South Thanet. That hearing itself was in a closed court session not open to the public or press.
The Conservative Party bought in James Laddie QC, one of the country’s top lawyers, to attend the closed session at Folkestone Magistrates Court on Tuesday May 24. …
… News
Channel 4 News understands that there are 18 police forces up and down the country that have been given or are seeking an extension to the time limit relating to election expenses.
The Conservative party is currently only attempting to block in South Thanet an extension to the legal time limit that the local police force has to investigate election returns.
Today, new evidence obtained by Channel 4 News reveals that an important battlebus visit on election day to South Thanet, up to a dozen promotional videos made for the local candidate, and a conference room used by a minister to campaign on local issues for the candidate appear to have never been declared.
Get caught up – and read the full story of Election Expenses Exposed here.
The Conservative Party told Channel 4 News: “The Party always took the view that our national Battlebus, a highly-publicised campaign activity, was part of the National Return, and declared it as such. All spending has been correctly recorded in accordance with the law.”
Beat Farage
In the South Thanet contest, UKIP Nigel Farage was defeated by the now Conservative MP Craig Mackinley – by 2,800 votes. He was assisted by tens of thousands of pounds of spending that appears to have been used to help local campaigning – enough to take him beyond the £15,000 cap.
The new revelations come as the Conservative Party take the unprecedented step of trying to oppose a court extension to the police investigation into whether it correctly declared the money they spent in South Thanet. That hearing itself was in a closed court session not open to the public or press.
The Conservative Party bought in James Laddie QC, one of the country’s top lawyers, to attend the closed session at Folkestone Magistrates Court on Tuesday May 24.
Battlebus – final stop
Channel 4 News understands that on 7 May – election day itself – was the biggest campaigning day for the Mackinlay campaign. Staff and activists on the bus appear to have taken part in local campaigning to get out the vote for Craig Mackinlay. He tweeted: “Thanks to @MrMark Clarke and his @roadtrip2015 #battlebus2015 — 60 people on the way to lead charge in #SouthThanet.”
We can reveal that none of the £400 costs incurred by this Battlebus visit appear to have been declared.
Team 2015
Channel 4 News has also obtained evidence of repeated visits by bus loads of Team 2015 activists who appear to have campaigned for Craig Mackinlay MP. These include visits on 4 April, 9 April, April 11 and 12, and 26 April.
We have obtained video footage of the Team 2015 visit on 9 April which shows the then-party’s chairman Grant Shapps encouraging the activists to campaign for the local candidate Craig Mackinlay, who thanks the activists for supporting him.
None of the costs incurred on these Team 2015 visits appear to be on Mr Mackinlay’s candidate spending return, despite clear guidance from the Electoral Commission that the costs of campaigning for the candidate must be declared by them in order to promote fairness.
Links to Conservative party headquarters
In the Broadstairs campaign office – the campaign schedule was photographed by Emily Ashton, from Buzzfeed.
It stated that on the 9 April, the Transport Minister John Hayes MP visited Manston Airport which was at the time considered a major local issue in South Thanet. It was not a matter considered to be of national significance.
Channel 4 News has obtained evidence that a conference room was booked at the airport Holiday Inn hotel for a Conservative Party event on April 9. The booking was made in the name of CCHQ staffer Marion Little OBE.
None of the costs associated with this event appear to have been declared in the South Thanet election spending return. Nor does it appear to have been declared nationally.
This appears to fit into a pattern of apparently undeclared spending involving senior figures at CCHQ that has been identified by Channel 4 News in previous investigations.
The Electoral Commission is already investigating three by-elections in 2014, which took place in a “regulated period” when all spending should have been declared.
In those by-elections and in South Thanet, Channel 4 News obtained hotel receipts in Newark, Clacton, Rochester totalling some 770 nights of accommodation which were booked under Marion Little’s name and home address.
We have also identified some £4,000 of bookings made by Ms Little at the Premier Inn in Margate.
The law says any money spent promoting the local candidate must be declared by the candidate and their agent on their local spending return. Failure to declare is a criminal offence.
The hearing on whether Kent Police will be given a time extension – already granted to 18 police forces up and down the country – is due to take place on Wednesday next week. …”
http://www.channel4.com/news/new-expenses-scandal-emerges-as-tories-fight-police-in-court
“The Conservative election expenses scandal threatens to plunge the government into crisis, as police forces across the country investigate its candidates’ election spending. Now The Canary has uncovered exclusive new evidence that points to a fresh Conservative election scandal – one that has links right to the top of the party, and raises questions not just over election expenses, but also over whether the Conservatives broke other campaign laws that exist to ensure free and fair elections.
A whistleblower who worked for a telephone research agency hired by the Conservative party in the run-up to the 2015 general election has made several serious allegations. They have told The Canary they were instructed to deny links to the Conservatives when conducting telephone surveys of voters. They have said the questions they were instructed to ask were misleading, pushing answers in favour of the Conservative party. And, while the calls they made targeted voters in specific, marginal constituencies, The Canary has found evidence that the expenses were declared as national party spending – and some do not appear to have been declared at all.
If true, this evidence suggests that the Conservatives may have broken the law on election expenses, and a law that prohibits paying canvassers to support a candidate’s election may also have been breached.
We have also discovered that a separate polling company worked on “local campaigns” in key seats for the Conservatives, but that spending was also declared nationally rather than locally – again, potentially in breach of election expenses laws.”
The chair of the Calderdale Conservatives Association has resigned after growing internal controversy over its accounts being submitted to the Electoral Commission.
A sourced leaked the resignation emails to Political Scrapbook this morning.
In an email sent yesterday afternoon by Charles Moran, ex-chair of the CVCA, said he was resigning after a “breakdown in relations” with the MP and two officers of the Association.
But the main reason for his resignation seems to be launch of a criminal investigation into financial irregularities at the Association.
An email from Councillor Rob Holden, Deputy Chair of the Calder Valley Conservatives, leaked to Political Scrapbook, says that West Yorkshire police seized the accounts in connection with their enquiries.
West Yorkshire Police released a statement to Political Scrapbook this afternoon:
“Police in Calderdale have been made aware of an allegation of financial irregularity. A criminal investigation has now been launched to examine this allegation, and is its early stages.”
In a phone conversation with Political Scrapbook this afternoon, deputy chair cllr Rob Holden confirmed the resignation and the email. He added:
“All I can say right now is that West Yorkshire police have mine and the Association’s full cooperation.
The blog Impolite Conversation claims that Craig Whittaker MP’s office is to be investigated next, but we could not confirm that.”
The emails below give more insight into why the chair resigned, and why West Yorkshire Police is now investigating.
More on this developing story soon…
LEAKED EMAILS
———-
Subject: Resignation CVCA
Sent: 26 May 2016 14:03
From: Charles Moran
To: Rob Holden, Jasbir Singh
Cc:
Dear Rob
It is with regret that I am writing to you to tender my resignation as Chairman of CVCA as of today’s date.
As you are aware, it has taken some time to get to the bottom of the Association’s finances, a task you requested be carried out last October.
Whilst there are still outstanding issues with the accounts I have submitted to the Electoral Commission,it is a best estimate and I have also copied it to Andy Stedman at Compliance.
The reason I have been unable to accurately finalise the accounts is as a result of missing records that have been requested from the Treasurer on several occasions and have not been supplied.
Attached to this email is a copy of a Chartered Accountant’s report which states that the accounts are not being kept as they should be. There are issues regarding the recording of cash receipts, lack of cash recording with no receipts issued for payments received, missing invoices and a lack of authorisation for expenditure. Clearly the Executive has a responsibility to correct these shortcomings.
You will also be aware of the toxic nature of my tenure as Chairman, due to the breakdown in relations with the MP and two officers of the Association. This situation is unacceptable and steps need to be taken to separate the Parliamentary Party from the Voluntary Party.
The fact that the MP is able to not only access the Association’s funds without authority from the Chairman or the Executive is a matter of grave concern. The Constitution is clear that all funds are controlled by the Association and its Executive, the fact that two officers are able to withdraw funds without authority is clearly in breach of the rules.
The fact that I, as Chairman, am not on the mandate and neither are you, the Deputy Fund Raising and Membership, is also a matter which I consider to be unacceptable.
Whilst it has been difficult for me as Chairman for the past year, I can’t help feeling disappointed that once again we have failed to take outright control of Calderdale Council, largely as a result of resources being diverted to a safe seat at the expense of target seats. We lost one of the target seats by less than a100 votes.
Above attached is a schedule of missing information, Chartered Accountant’s report and a copy of the estimated accounts that have been sent to Compliance and the Electoral Commission. Would you mind ensuring that these documents together with my email to you are circulated with the AGM calling notice to all members when you decide to call it please?
Regards
Charles
———-
Subject: FW: Resignation CVCA
Sent: 26 May 2016 14:27
From: Rob Holden
To: Brighouse Campaign Centre
Cc:
Dear member.
I am writing to you further to receiving the resignation of Mr Charles Moran as Chairman of the Calder Valley Conservative Association. I feel saddened that he has felt the need to stand down but thoroughly understand his reasons following his extremely poor treatment by certain members of the Association. The accounts (albeit incomplete) have finally been filed with the Electoral Commission.
Attached are the findings of the financial review that I requested back in October 2015 and I have to say that they do not make great reading as far as record keeping and propriety are concerned.
Yesterday the accounts of the Association were seized by the Police in connection with enquiries they are currently undertaking; the officer from the fraud and financial irregularities team has been assured that they will receive the ongoing co-operation of the Association with their investigation.
I am currently in discussions with the Area Chairman regarding the next steps concerning the AGM etc. and as soon as possible I will provide everyone with an update.
I would like to thank Charles for the considerable contribution that he has made to both the Association and the party as a whole and hope that now the financial review has been completed, lessons will be learned and we can move the Association forward.
Kindest regards
Councillor Rob Holden
Deputy Chairman, Calder Valley Conservatives.
Further information on MP and missing invoices here:
http://www.impoliteconversation.co.uk/police-seize-calder-valley-conservative-association-accounts
The Conservatives have raked in nearly £9 million than Labour in donations in the past 12 months – amid mounting speculation there could be a snap general election. …
… According to the official data, most of the Tories’ money came from companies and wealthy individuals.
They include a £569,300 cheque from telecommunications firm Lycamobile, £150,610 from Sun Mark Ltd, more than £500,000 from former stockbroker Alexander Fraser, and £333,000 from Tory peer Lord Glendonbrook.
The Conservatives also received £554,000 from the National Conservative Draws Society – a weekly fundraising prize draw for party members.
Trade union Unite were Labour’s largest single donors, giving the party around £3.5 million in the past year. They were followed by the GMB, who donated £2.7 million.
In total, the main unions gave the party £11.4 million in 2015/16.
Good luck to our sister Facebook group “South Devon Watch” with their meeting of many, many local minority and independent people and groups, who meet in Totnes this evening, to build on the East Devon Alliance conference (“Who Cares What You Think?) last month.
“The flurry of officially backed statements warning about the dangers of Brexit will come to an end on Friday, when Treasury officials enter a four-week “purdah” that prevents any activity that could be perceived as an attempt to sway the outcome of the 23 June vote.
Civil servants will no longer be able to publish reports such as the Treasury analysis on Monday that stated that in the event of a vote to leave the EU, output would fall up to 6%, house prices would tumble and half a million jobs would be lost. …
…
Election law and business
The Political Parties, Elections and Referendum Act 2000 covers activities by companies and individuals that are purposefully promoting a particular outcome from an election or referendum. The rules have been in place for every general election since 2001 although are being subject to greater scrutiny in the City as the referendum on EU membership is such a rare event. A breach of the law could lead to fines and even imprisonment.”
“David Cameron appeared to acknowledge that some expenses may not have been declared in compliance with the letter of the law. …
… Asked if Lord Feldman would have to resign, Mr Cameron told ITV’s Peston on Sunday programme: ‘Well, I don’t believe we have done anything wrong. If there were mis-declarations or things left out we have to put those in place, but I’m confident we can answer all the questions that are being put to us.’
An investigation by Channel Four News and the Daily Mail has revealed concerns about whether the accommodation costs of activists bussed around the country by the Tories to campaign in key constituencies were recorded properly.
In many cases, expenses appear to have been recorded as national expenses, or not recorded at all, rather than added to the costs in the constituencies where the campaigning took place.
Deliberate breach of spending limits by individual candidates – usually around £15,000 – is a criminal offence punishable by a fine or even a one-year jail term.
Any MP found guilty would be barred automatically from holding public office for three years, triggering a new election. In theory, the Conservatives could lose their 12-seat majority if cases are proved. …”
“10 police forces are now investigating whether the Tories breached election spending by failing to record accommodation costs for activists”
They are those who are registered to vote at their university polling stations when they may have returned home or gone on holiday on the day the vote takes place – Thursday 23 June 2016.
If they are out of the UK on polling day, they can register for a postal vote otherwise they can register to vote at their homes.
The deadline for registration is 7 June and for postal votes (for everyone, noy only students) 8 June.
Oh, how he must wish he HAD lowered the voting age, as research shows young people overwhelmingly favour Bremain!
And how will he EVER live down joining a dating app to try to drum up support!
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/17/uk-prime-minister-david-cameron-signs-up-with-tinder.html
“Fighting corruption is a vital aspect of good governance. Yet, it is also a highly persistent phenomenon, indicating that tackling corruption is not always at the top of an incumbent politician’s agenda. One way to solve this problem is to engage in “corruption performance voting”; that is, to use elections to punish incumbent politicians for high levels of corruption.
But do voters actually engage in this kind of voting behavior? Alejandro Ecker, Konstantin Glinitzer and Thomas M. Meyer show in the linked post that while some voters do engage in “corruption performance voting”, the segment of voters that are willing to hold incumbents accountable is limited by their partisan preferences, their expectations about future government, and by the characteristics of the country they live in.”
Source: http://www.democraticaudit.com/?p=21766
In orher words, corrupt politicians receive a “get out of jail” free card from voters who put their allegiance to parties first.
A long but fascinating (and chilling) article about how the Conservative Party set about winning the general election:
After totally ignoring those who pointed out that too few people were registering to vote at the last election after electoral registration rules changed (particularly here in East Devon where our Electoral Officer “lost” around 6,000 voters from the electoral roll) David Cameron is now begging people to register to vote in the EU referendum:
“Twenty-eight million UK households will be targeted this week in a mass campaign to encourage people to vote in the EU referendum, after David Cameron warned of “terrible” economic consequences if the country votes for Brexit.”
At the time of the General Election, many political pundits pointed out that those who did not register were thought to be most likely to be Labour supporters and speculated that this was the reason a major campaign had not been organised by the Government.
Now that the EU referendum appears so close, the government has done yet another u-turn and started this drive to urge registration!
Bet they are now rather annoyed that they didn’t give the vote to 16-18 year olds, most of whom are said to favour remaining in the EU. But, at the time, the reason given was that they were not politically sophisticated enough!
“Too many PCC voters left in dark
Following the elections for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) we feel two key lessons must be learned, one negative and the other more hopeful.
The first, sadly, is the negative. After the 2012 P&CC when the turnout was a miserable 15% the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) said:
“From the start the PCC elections were marred by controversy, with the government shirking its responsibility to provide voters with even the most basic information that the elections were taking place.” One of the ERS’s three key recommendations was: “Never leave voters in the dark about who or what they are voting for – ensure information on candidates is provided in mailings to voters.”
In Devon and Cornwall the 2016 turnout was a lowly 22.8%, artificially boosted by elections held on the same day in the major settlements of Exeter and Plymouth. Outside these areas the percentages were still mainly under 20%. We consider it has permanently damaged the reputation of the Cabinet Office (that little understood organ of control at Downing Street’s right hand) that they simply refused in the four long years between 2012 and 2016 to consider the ERA’s urgent suggestion for even one single mailshot. Why?
However, on a more hopeful theme, there is an immense positive to be found by digging a little deeper into the voting numbers. The Conservatives polled roughly 69,000 and Labour roughly 66,000. But the aggregate vote of the two Independent candidates (Devon’s Bob Spencer taking about 41,000 and Cornwall’s William Morris about 22,000) shows us that even at an election when the party machines were cranking hard a similar share could be gained by two independent individuals working entirely from their own initiative, with slim resources and having to operate across an immense area including no fewer than 16 Parliamentary constituencies.
The country knows that we are stuck now with an increasingly divisive party political context until the general election fixed for May 2020. However, the more extreme parts of the Conservative agenda – from academies to planning, junior doctors to refugees – are being repeatedly confronted now by collective independent voices uniting outside the Parliamentary system. Last week, in our part of the country it was showed that even on a low turnout, the independent cause more than about just protest – we too can score in substantial numbers at the ballot box.
The question we now ask the West is this: how for the sake of the next generation do we harness all this Independent goodwill and spirit to convert sentiment into candidates and candidates up to office at county elections in 2017 and for Parliament in 2020?
It seems to us that without an organised coming together of all independent minded reformers as soon as possible the Conservatives will “get the vote out” in 2017 and 2020 too. Surely if ever there was a time for the Independent minded to take up the challenge it is now.
Paul Arnott, Chairman
Ben Ingham, Leader
East Devon Alliance”
No, not the things the blue bottoms sat on – the places it visited during the General Election.
“Do you live in one of the 24 seats whose Tory candidates were helped to victory by the RoadTrip campaign buses?
Amber Valley, Broxtowe, Bury North, Cannock Chase, Cheltenham, Chippenham, Dudley South, Erewash, Kingston, Lincoln, Morecambe and Lunesdale, North Cornwall, Northampton North, Nuneaton, Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, Pudsey, Sherwood, South Thanet, Sutton and Cheam, Thornbury and Yate, Torbay, Weaver Vale, Wells or Yeovil.
If you do, consider contacting your local police force to make a complaint about your candidate’s spending declaration – and to remind the police that they can apply to the courts for an extension to investigate the allegations.”
“News release published: 12-05-2016
The Electoral Commission has today (12 May) announced that as part of its investigation launched on 18 February 2016 into Conservative Party campaign spending returns, it has made an application to the High Court for a document and information disclosure order. The application, which names the Conservative and Unionist Party as the Respondent, is made under paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 19B to the Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000.
Why the Commission is taking this action
Using its powers under PPERA, and in line with its Enforcement Policy, the Electoral Commission may issue a statutory notice requiring any person, including a registered party, to provide us with specific documents and/or information as part of an investigation. This places the recipient under a legal obligation to provide the required material. However, if the recipient does not comply with this statutory notice, the Commission may apply to the High Court for a disclosure order which if granted would be the court compelling the Respondent to release the required documents and information to the Commission.
The Commission issued the Conservative and Unionist Party with two statutory notices requiring the provision of material relevant to its investigation. However, the Party has only provided limited disclosure of material in response to the first notice (issued on 18 February 2016) and no material in response to the second notice (issued on 23 March 2016). That follows the Commission granting extensions of time to comply.
Bob Posner, Director of Party and Election Finance & Legal Counsel at the Electoral Commission said:
“If parties under investigation do not comply with our requirements for the disclosure of relevant material in reasonable time and after sufficient opportunity to do so, the Commission can seek recourse through the courts. We are today asking the court to require the Party to fully disclose the documents and information we regard as necessary to effectively progress our investigation into the Party’s campaign spending returns.”
The Commission will make no further comment on the investigation, in line with our Enforcement Policy.”
East Devon Watch 
