Vote Early, Vote Often
Tom Harris - one of the candidates in the race to become Labour's new Scottish leader - has issued a challenge.
Tom is calling on his rivals - so far only Johann Lamont and Ken MacIntosh - to join him in telling their respective supporters to vote only once - in the forthcoming leadership contest.
Well that seems perfectly sensible.
'But how can Labour members have any more than one vote to start with? - I hear you ask.
Well this goes back to Labour's bizarre way of electing its leaders - both north and south of the border - Labour's electoral college.
Because the electoral college is split into three sections - members of parliament (1), individual party members (2) and affiliated trade unions (3) - which each have one third of the total votes cast.
So not only are some votes worth more than others - see today's earlier post 'The Fourth Dimension' - some Labour voters belong to all three sections.
Which sounds mad - and is mad.
Tom Harris is quoted as saying:
"I am issuing a challenge to Ken and Johann to back me on this. They should only vote once and should tell their supporters to vote only once. If they do not agree, then they should have to say why."
Quite right Tom - I'd vote for that, if I had a vote - but only once of course.
Tom is calling on his rivals - so far only Johann Lamont and Ken MacIntosh - to join him in telling their respective supporters to vote only once - in the forthcoming leadership contest.
Well that seems perfectly sensible.
'But how can Labour members have any more than one vote to start with? - I hear you ask.
Well this goes back to Labour's bizarre way of electing its leaders - both north and south of the border - Labour's electoral college.
Because the electoral college is split into three sections - members of parliament (1), individual party members (2) and affiliated trade unions (3) - which each have one third of the total votes cast.
So not only are some votes worth more than others - see today's earlier post 'The Fourth Dimension' - some Labour voters belong to all three sections.
Which sounds mad - and is mad.
Tom Harris is quoted as saying:
"I am issuing a challenge to Ken and Johann to back me on this. They should only vote once and should tell their supporters to vote only once. If they do not agree, then they should have to say why."
Quite right Tom - I'd vote for that, if I had a vote - but only once of course.
