Danny Alexander has hailed a Lib Dem councillor’s election in Inverness on a 26.8% turnout, a 0.3% majority and less than a third of the electorate’s first preference. Will he now hail a UNISON pensions ballot majority of 73% in Scottish local government on a 32% turnout? Or indeed a 33% turnout in NHS Scotland with an 88% yes vote?
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury who leads the attack on pensions, has no problem at all with the legitimacy of the Lib Dem councillor’s by election win in Inverness on Thursday – on a 26.8% turnout and by only 7 votes – a tiny 0.3% majority with only 41% of the vote after other candidates’ votes were distributed under PR. On the first preference, the candidate only got 28.6% of the votes.
Neither has he any problem with the legitimacy of his own election in 2010. Out of all the UNISON Scotland members in the NHS who could have voted for strike action 28.7% did so. Of all the people in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey who could have voted for Danny Alexander in 2010, only 26.4% did so.
Time, therefore, for them to stop moaning about the ballot and get on with resolving the dispute.
http://www.strathspey-herald.co.uk/News/Former-Aviemore-ski-instructor-elected-to-Highland-Council-04112011.htm
http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/elections/highlandcouncilelections/byelection-ward20/ward3-results.htm
http://unison-scotland.blogspot.com/2011/11/members-vote-yes-in-pensions-ballot.html
For more see: http://unisonactive.blogspot.com/2011/11/ballot-turnout-hypocrisy-of-tory-attack.html
