Southend West By-Election

[lankeela]

I tuned in to BBC News at 12.00 to find out the result of the by-election - after waiting twenty-five minutes for it to be even mentioned it was given less than two minutes coverage. I think this is disgraceful and is sadly indicative of the BBC's anti Conservative party bias. The report said the Conservatives had 'hung on' to the seat - hardly an appropriate term. Time they lost the licence fee.

[naomi24]

Gromit. I'll make a note of it.

[Gromit]

Lefty bias reporting by the Daily Mail ?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10475009/Anna-Firth-wins-Southend-West-election-held-Tory-predecessor-David-Amess-murdered.html

[lankeela]

Surely the most pointless act is spoiling a ballot paper! Having worked at many election counts the spoilt papers are just put in a pile and counted to ensure they match up with the number of votes cast. Nobody other than the person counting them even sees them and we just count them and put them on the pile.

[naomi24]

Given their readership, I'd guess that's more a case of lefty-bashing.

[ichkeria]

Looks like Boris-bashing to me: and it their case that is really what it is!

[archibaldy]

// Nobody other than the person counting them even sees them //

How has their contents been reported in the news then?

[ichkeria]

I wondered that: they should not have been

[Peter Pedant]

DM as a pinko wet publication
wonders on AB never cease

[lankeela]

When counting certain people are allowed to watch the count from the other side of the table but they are not allowed to touch or question any of the count staff. It is possible they may catch sight of something written on a spoilt paper on top of the pile but my point was that they are certainly not sent to Boris for his amusement.

[lankeela]

Of course, nobody can actually prove what they say they saw written on one so they could say anything!

[archibaldy]

Well no maybe not, but they got reported by the national media and thereby I'm sure Boris now knows their contents also. So not pointless by any means.

[lankeela]

I should clarify my comment above "but they are not allowed to touch or question any of the count staff" - touch referred to the papers not the staff!

[ichkeria]

In actual fact they've ended up splashed all over the Daily Wail, so it sort of worked :-)

[lankeela]

archibaldy he may have been told what they said but as I said above anyone could say anything was written on them.

[naomi24]

Whether it's bashing or not is a matter of the reader's perception. The BBC is well known for its left leaning bias and the report of the spoilt ballot paper will be welcomed by its left-leaning fans as criticism of Boris. The Mail, on the other hand, is known to be right-leaning - and therefore its readership is likely to regard that spoilt paper with disdain and a sour taste in their mouth for the left. Funny old thing ... politics.

[Peter Pedant]

// Surely the most pointless act is spoiling a ballot paper!// the divine lankeela

huloooooo! someone wrote earlier:

thousand spoilt ballots - this does not signify " I am too thick to put and X in a box, I am a fully paid up member of AB"
BUT
" I wish to vote but there is no one on the ballot worf voting for"

AND - altho lankeela denies it: I thought that the spoilt votes were scrutinised to see if they really WERE spoilt or whether a voting intention cd be descerned.

Posh Brian Redhead Beeb presenter went off his trolley when someone on air quoted what he had written on his spoilt ballot paper ( was it "Frack!" or "Hopeless twit!" or even--- crud!) and it came out that spoilt papers were examined....

just a story I never volunteered

[Gromit]

Lankeela

// Of course, nobody can actually prove what they say they saw written on one so they could say anything! //

You really are desperate not to believe. The Spoiled ballot was photographed and is on every newspaper website (including the one I linked to above).

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/02/04/01/53755417-10475009-image-a-135_1643939629819.jpg

The Daily Mail website gets 300 million readers.

[archibaldy]

// he may have been told what they said but as I said above anyone could say anything was written on them. //

The Daily Mail article has a photo of one.

[Peter Pedant]

// the report of the spoilt ballot paper will be welcomed by its left-leaning fans as criticism of Boris.//

Bias in the Beeb is currently being examined by a committee ( set up and chosen and vetted by a Beeb high hat - no oops no sozza that is Boris and the parties committee. The Beeb marxist bias committee really IS independent)

The new MP for SOuthend - a barrister no less - was asked about spoilt votes and responded
"I think you have to expect that....."
and then she looked at the camera ( this isnt too hard for anyone to follow is it - this is after all AB) at the camera as if to say - "all they have to do is look at the spoilt votes in Shropshire to find out what utter booolkoo I am saying"

salop - 72 votes not accepted for the inquisitive

[Peter Pedant]

the spoilt vote photie .....
is against the law
as you go in boys and gurlz - they say no cameras

hey last time I voted newton heef ruff or somewhere
I walked in and a PC was there
and I said - blimey taking terrorism seriously now
and the PC said no i just fancy one of the tellers (ish - posh lod speak)
Dirty boooooooy!