Nobody, least of all the BBC, seems to know the significance of this story. The BBC reports:
Legal action is being considered which could stop the Scottish Parliamentary elections from taking place because prisoners are excluded from voting.
It follows a ruling at the Court of Session in Edinburgh that the elections would be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
The UK Government had set up a consultation process following a European Court ruling in 2005.
But legislation would not be introduced before Scotland's May elections.
It is understood that a number of prisoners are already undertaking legal action to prevent the poll from taking place.
Three judges at Scotland's supreme civil court issued a declaration that the blanket ban on
convicted prisoners voting is incompatible with their human rights...
Could further legal action really prevent the elections from going ahead? But if they do go ahead, there must be a risk that they will be declared non-compliant with the ECHR, but I do not know if this means that they would be declared invalid and have to be re-run. Or will the Scotland Office pull its finger out and rush legislation through Westminster to allow (some) prisoners the vote? Could they do it in time for the prisoners to be placed on the electoral roll? And did nobody foresee that this might happen or did the solicitors in the Scotland Office just close their eyes, cross their fingers and hope it wouldn't?
So many questions and no answers...
1 comment:
Ah, you forget that you live in a country where noone really cares about such things.
Is it wrong that prisoners can't vote? Yes.
Am I going to lift a finger to do anything about it? No.
Look at the Iraq War, thousands of innocents killed and the vast majority of Scots saw it coming and 'strongly' disagreed to it. Did we take to the streets demanding cessation of violence? Did we harangue Tony Blair until he saw sense or changed his plans?
No. A wee token march to ease our guilt and then back in time for a cuppa and to watch the footie.
If people aren't going to be bothered about the slaughtering of the innocents, they won't be too fussed about a few grumblings from prisoners who didn't get to vote this time around.
I agree it could be a big deal with massive implications, but chances are, the people who matter don't really have the energy or the balls to make it the big deal that it should be.
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