Category: elections

Erlam and others v Rahman and another – WLR Daily

Posted August 12th, 2014 in corruption, elections, law reports, local government by sally

Erlam and others v Rahman and another [2014] EWHC 2766 (Admin); [2014] WLR (D) 374

‘Non-compliance with the requirement in rule 4(1) of the Election Petition Rules 1960 for “setting out with sufficient particularity the facts relied on” did not render the petition a nullity, or compel its dismissal; the court had power under the CPR or its inherent jurisdiction to order the provision of further particulars to remedy the default.’

WLR Daily, 7th August 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

UK prisoners denied the vote should not be paid compensation, ECHR rules – The Guardian

Posted August 12th, 2014 in compensation, courts, elections, electoral register, human rights, news, prisons by sally

‘The European court of human rights (ECHR) has ruled that prisoners who have not been allowed to vote should not be paid compensation.’

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The Guardian, 12th August 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Strasbourg payout ruling due on jail vote ban – BBC News

Posted August 12th, 2014 in compensation, courts, elections, electoral register, human rights, news, prisons by sally

‘The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is due to rule on whether prisoners who have been denied the vote should get compensation.’

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BBC News, 12th August 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Electoral Commission ‘failed to probe crooked Lib Dem donor’ – BBC News

Posted July 18th, 2014 in elections, fraud, maladministration, news, ombudsmen, political parties by tracey

‘The Electoral Commission is refusing to apologise after a watchdog ruled it had failed to properly investigate a Lib Dem donor later convicted of fraud.’

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BBC news, 17th July 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Should prisoners have the right to vote? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted July 1st, 2014 in elections, human rights, news, prisons, select committees, treaties by sally

‘Since 1969 no convicted prisoner in the UK has been allowed to vote. This prohibition was imposed, without debate, by the Representation of the People Act 1969. For two years before that there was no statutory bar to prisoners voting by post, albeit that there were, in many cases, administrative restrictions that prevented them from doing so.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 30th June 2014

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

European Parliament Election 2014: Don’t take selfies in the polling station or you could face prison time – The Independent

Posted May 23rd, 2014 in elections, fines, news, photography, sentencing by sally

‘The selfie, the self-taken photograph and scourge of 21st century discourse, is now enough of a thing that the Electoral Commission has felt the need to issue a warning to those voting in the European Parliament and local elections that taking one in a polling booth could result in hefty fines or prison time.’

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The Independent, 22nd May 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Rules on party political slogans to change amid Rigby row – BBC News

Posted May 8th, 2014 in elections, news, political parties by tracey

‘Rules on the description of political parties will be changed after criticism of the use of a slogan referring to murdered soldier Lee Rigby. The Electoral Commission has apologised to his family for allowing Britain First to put “Remember Lee Rigby” on voting slips in European elections. The watchdog said the use of his name had caused “deep offence and distress”.’

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BBC News, 7th May 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Why unelected judges should get our vote: reflections on Lord Neuberger’s Law Lecture – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted March 19th, 2014 in EC law, elections, judiciary, news, parliament, rule of law by tracey

‘In his Cambridge Freshfield Lecture, Lord Neuberger gave a number of reasons, historical, geographical and emotional, for the view expressed in the Daily Mail and other newspapers that, “it is unacceptable for unelected judges to impose a diktat on a democratically elected parliament”. He said that this was a “peculiarly British” view, aimed particularly at the rulings on EU law by judges in Luxembourg and on human rights by judges in Strasbourg. But I am not going to write about that. No, what troubles me about Lord Neuberger’s citation from the Daily Mail is the complaint about rulings (diktats) being made by “unelected judges”.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 18th March 2014

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014

Posted March 14th, 2014 in elections, legislation, Northern Ireland, political parties by tracey

Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 published

Full text of Act

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Meg Russell: The Byles/Steel bill – unless amended – holds grave dangers for the Lords – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted March 7th, 2014 in bills, constitutional law, constitutional reform, elections, news, parliament, peerages & dignities by tracey

‘On Friday 28 February Dan Byles’ Private Member’s Bill on Lords reform completed its Commons passage. It is now in the Lords, and will be sponsored by David Steel. The bill, which allows retirement from the Lords and expulsion of non-attendees and serious criminals, has been presented as a small, uncontroversial “housekeeping” measure. But as already argued in an earlier blog post, as currently drafted it would in fact introduce a very major change that would alter the Lords fundamentally, and in very undesirable ways.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 6th March 2014

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org/blog

Ukip must be treated like any major party, Ofcom rules – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 4th, 2014 in elections, media, news, ombudsmen, political parties by sally

‘Nigel Farage’s party must be given the same coverage as the Tories, Labour and the Liberal Democrats in the run up to the European elections, the regulator says.’

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Daily Telegraph, 4th March 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014

Posted January 31st, 2014 in elections, legislation, lobbying, third parties, trade unions by sally

Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 published

Full text of Act

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Association de médiation sociale v Union locale des syndicats CGT (Union départementale CGT des Bouches-du-Rhône and another intervening) – WLR Daily

Posted January 17th, 2014 in EC law, elections, law reports, trade unions by sally

Association de médiation sociale v Union locale des syndicats CGT (Union départementale CGT des Bouches-du-Rhône and another intervening) (Case C-176/12); [2014] WLR (D) 2

‘Article 27 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, by itself or in conjunction with the provisions of Parliament and Council Directive 2002/14/EC, could not be invoked in a dispute between individuals in order to disapply national provision.’

WLR Daily, 15th January 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Voter proof of identity should be mandatory, says election watchdog – The Guardian

Posted January 8th, 2014 in elections, identification, identity fraud, news by sally

‘Voters should be required to show proof of identity at polling stations, the UK election watchdog has said in a report that has been welcomed by the government. The Electoral Commission has concluded that a further tightening of the rules is necessary to restore public confidence following fears of ballot-rigging. At present, voters do not need to produce ID or even a polling card to vote as long as they have registered and know their address.’

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The Guardian, 8th January 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

No rational basis for denying all prisoners the vote, concludes joint Parliamentary Committee – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted December 19th, 2013 in bills, elections, human rights, news, prisons, reports by tracey

‘The Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill today published its report.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 18th December 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Prisoners serving less than a year should be allowed to vote, says Parliamentary committee – The Independent

Posted December 18th, 2013 in bills, elections, human rights, news, prisons by sally

‘Prisoners serving sentences of 12 months or less should be given the vote, the Government is today told by an all-party parliamentary committee.’

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The Independent, 18th December 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Prisoners ‘damn well shouldn’t’ be given right to vote, says David Cameron – The Guardian

Posted December 16th, 2013 in compensation, EC law, elections, freedom of movement, human rights, news, prisons by sally

‘Prisoners “damn well shouldn’t” be given the right to vote, David Cameron said as he called for the powers of European court of human rights to be restricted.’

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The Guardian, 13th December 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Short Cuts – London Review of Books

Posted December 12th, 2013 in bills, charities, elections, lobbying, news by sally

‘The Lobbying Bill – due to complete the Lords committee stage before Christmas – is intended ‘to ensure that people know whose interests are being represented by consultant lobbyists who make representations to government’. Part One provides that lobbyists must disclose the names of their clients four times a year in a public register; there will be a registrar to enforce compliance, and sanctions for non-compliance. This should make ministers more cautious about promoting policies that favour special interests, and should make special interest groups more cautious in their dealings with ministers. Those who want to engage in this type of lobbying, and can afford it, can properly be expected to bear the costs of regulation.’

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London Review of Books, 19th December 2013

Source: www.lrb.co.uk

Senior judge: European court of human rights undermining democratic process – The Guardian

Posted December 4th, 2013 in detention, elections, human rights, interpretation, judges, judiciary, jurisdiction, news, Northern Ireland, prisons, Supreme Court by sally

‘The European court of human rights exceeds its legitimate powers, usurps the role of politicians and “undermines the democratic process”, one of the UK’s most senior judges has warned.’

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The Guardian, 28th November 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Miranda, Prisoner Votes & Judicial Review Myths – The Human Rights Roundup – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted November 13th, 2013 in airports, benefits, bills, detention, disabled persons, elections, freedom of expression, human rights, judicial review, media, news, prisons, select committees, terrorism by tracey

“This week, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill took evidence , and there were notable comments from the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the body which monitors compliance with the European Court of Human Rights. Meanwhile, Baroness Hale weighed in on the proposed judicial review changes and, continuing along the judicial review vein, David Miranda (pictured) began his claim on Wednesday.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 11th November 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com