Plaid & Lib Dems consider using Woolas law against Labour
Plaid Cymru and their rivals the Liberal Democrats have joined in an unusual alliance to announce they are both considering legal action against Labour leaflets in the Welsh Assembly election in the Aberconwy seat in North Wales.
And the two parties are thinking of using the law under which Phil Woolas was famously disqualified as an MP last year - section 106 of the .
Plaid accuse the Labour candidate of telling "lies" about the Plaid candidate, , and his record as director of the .
Labour's leaflet in Aberconwy says:
"When the Plaid Cymru candidate became Director of the National Trust in Wales, he moved the HQ from Llandudno to Cardiff."
The leaflet adds:
"As soon as he left the Trust moved their HQ back to Llandudno. That's what he thinks of local jobs!"
Plaid insist however, that in March 2003 "Iwan Huws was appointed as the new Director of the National Trust in Wales. He was initially recruited to work in Cardiff but the Welsh HQ has always been in Llandudno and remains so...
"In 2006 Iwan Huws moved back to North Wales and was based in the Llandudno office. The Cardiff office was always a satellite office for the director. The Cardiff office no longer exists and the future of the Llandudno office is secure. So in fact , the trend was from Cardiff to Llandudno and not vice versa as claimed by Labour!"
The Liberal Democrats, too, according to a statement issued by Plaid, accuse Labour of making "categorically untrue statements about the Liberal [sic] candidate".
The Lib Dems have asked Labour to stop distributing the leaflets.
"Here we go again," says Elfyn Llwyd, the Westminster leader of Plaid Cymru.
"Labour spreading more lies. Clearly they haven't learnt anything from the bitter experience of the Oldham seat in last year's election, where their candidate was unseated unceremoniously and the courts upheld that decision."
A Welsh Labour spokesman said,"We have received correspondence from the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru and we will respond in due course."
I'm Michael Crick, and I'm Newsnight's political editor. My guiding rule is that in any story there's usually something the politicians would prefer the world not to know. My job is to find that out. Follow me on
Comment number 1.
At 3rd May 2011, sionnyn wrote:First Caerffili and Wayne David's skulduggery - now this - not a good day for Labour.
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Comment number 2.
At 3rd May 2011, barriesingleton wrote:MEANWHILE - IN ANOTHER PART OF THE WOOD
I have lodged with Thames Valley Police my assertion that the Conservative 'Liar Flyer' which reads: "THE CONSERVATIVES MUST WIN HERE TO STOP ANOTHER 5 YEARS OF GORDON BROWN" contravenes the Representation of the People Act 1983 - section 115 (false instrument - undue influence). I have had official acknowledgement.
For anyone interested: Woolas fell foul of Section 106, which deals with personal defamation; Section 115 concerns coercion of voters with various pressures - including lies.
Sadly, referenda are outside legal control, explaining the dastardly NO campaign (with which Dave is, of course, completely unconnected).
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Comment number 3.
At 4th May 2011, Ian wrote:If Labour do win this seat, then I can see a clear legal challenge as the offending Labour leaflet (of which I have seen) is to put it mildly, telling untruths. There is absolutely no grey area in what they have said.
I would argue that the seat is now effectively down to a fight between Plaid and the Tories, as I do not see how Labour could hold a victory in a court of law, even if they managed to pull one off.
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Comment number 4.
At 4th May 2011, stanilic wrote:None of them are capable of being honest and none have a political programme relevant to the country's present condition. Why are the public being treated with such utter contempt? What ever became of the concept of public service?
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Comment number 5.
At 4th May 2011, barriesingleton wrote:HIS ARROGANCE AND TRUCULENCE KNOWS NO BOUNDS
Go to 7'45" in.
This is our Prime Minister.
WHAT HAVE WE DONE?
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Comment number 6.
At 4th May 2011, stevie wrote:the Welsh are to the left of Labour...and always have been but not as far as the Scots..
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Comment number 7.
At 5th May 2011, Smeagol wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 8.
At 5th May 2011, Stephen McNally wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 9.
At 6th May 2011, Harry wrote:Crikey, Mr Crick - didn't realise you were into Welsh politics. But a string to every bow is always recommended.
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Comment number 10.
At 6th May 2011, caradog_minchin wrote:Whatever happened this was a great win for the Welsh Conservatives.
Well done Janet Finch-Saunders!
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Comment number 11.
At 6th May 2011, Sasha Clarkson wrote:Ah well, this stupidity seems to have backfired and cost the Labour Party dear!
/news/special/election2011/constituency/html/26665.stm
Perhaps now they will sort out the party machine!
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Comment number 12.
At 6th May 2011, Sasha Clarkson wrote:I realise that any kind of electoral reform at Westminster is unlikely in the near future. However a comparison between the constituency and regional votes in Wales makes interesting reading. All the main parties did significantly better in the constituency than in the regional vote.
/news/special/election2011/constituency/html/wales.stm
/news/special/election2011/region/html/wales.stm
Labour for example got 42.3% in the constituencies, but only 36.9% in the regional vote. This suggests that, net*, at least 8.7% who voted Labour in the constituencies did so tactically, and not out of conviction. The figures for Plaid and the Tories are similar. *The figures in individual constituencies are likely to be higher, but with some cancelling out overall.
The regional vote for the Lib-Dems was only 75% of its constituency vote. I expect those figures were somewhat skewed by Kirsty Williams personal popularity in Brecon and Radnor.
This suggests that FPTP is clearly biased in favour of incumbent parties. A constituency victory with a third of the vote does NOT indicate a mandate for your policies.
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