Election fiasco
- 24 Oct 07, 03:53 PM
Was it a guddle* or a fix? That's the question at the heart of about the report into the Scottish elections fiasco.
(pdf file) appears clear: it says, "what is characteristic of 2007 was a notable level of party self-interest evident in Ministerial decision-making". It does not, however, name names, since it goes on to say, "we have had no intention of - and, in fact, have scrupulously sought to avoid - assigning blame to individuals and institutions".
Its author, however, used interviews and a news conference yesterday to spread the blame beyond Scottish ministers and, in particular, Douglas Alexander saying, in effect, that politicians of all stripes played too big a role in the election process. In other words, Alexander presided over a mess or a guddle and not a fix. That's why the former Scottish secretary today apologised, in effect, for presiding over a cock-up (albeit one that he claims all parties were consulted on and agreed with) but has fiercely rejected the implication that he somehow rigged the polls.
This is a debate which has been had endlessly in Scotland ever since May 1st but has only just exploded onto the UK political stage. One reason for that is that Douglas Alexander is not just a cabinet minister, he is a friend and adviser to Gordon Brown. The opposition are targeting him to hurt Brown. Before he reached Number Ten many predicted that Ed Balls would play the role of Gordon Brown's Mandelson figure - the man the opposition attack to weaken the leader. Douglas Alexander has, unhappily for him, discovered that that prediction was wrong.
* Guddle = a state of untidiness or confusion, or an untidy place (informal) . (back to the top!)
PS: My colleague Brian Taylor, 麻豆社 Scotland's political editor, has also written on this subject on his blog.
