Do Pakistanis pervert polls?

Despite the onset of geriatric amnesia, I recall that in the old days it was not a good career move for a politician to be caught lying, even if being economical with the truth is part of the stock-in-trade. At the least it would have involved a grovelling apology on the floor of the House.

 

Jack Profumo was not ruined for discussing Africa with a call-girl, but because he told the most egregious lies to the Commons.

 

Times have changed.

 

The Attorney- General, discussing vote-rigging with the Daily Telegraph, said that much of the problem lay with constituencies having a large ethnic minority vote.  He said ‘…they also come from societies where they have been brought up to believe you can only get certain things through a favour culture.

 

‘One of the things you have to make absolutely clear is that that is not the case and it’s not acceptable.’

 

Asked if he was referring to the Pakistani community, Mr Grieve said: ‘Yes, it’s mainly the Pakistani community, not the Indian community. I wouldn’t draw it down to one. I’d be wary of saying it’s just a Pakistani problem.’

 

In Pakistan it is normal for vote-rigging to take place, despite the best efforts of international monitoring teams; it is difficult to detect because the rigging takes place before the actual poll. I know because I supervised both the Bhutto and Sharif elections in the Punjab and Sind.

 

But who suggests that Asian vote rigging is a problem in the UK? Why, the Electoral Commission itself. It says ‘ There are strongly held views, based in particular on reported first-hand experience by some campaigners and elected representatives in particular, that electoral fraud is more likely to be committed by or in support of candidates standing for election in areas which are largely or predominately populated by some South Asian communities, specifically those with roots in parts of Pakistan or Bangladesh.’

 

Between  2010 and 2012, there were no less than 946 cases reported to the police; it surely follows that there were many more that were not. Modern criminal profiling is able to track with great accuracy where the crimes are being committed. No prizes for guessing the chief offenders.

 

Burnley, which has a large Asian population, heads the list with three different elections compromised. But others include Hackney, Peterborough, Bradford, Slough, and Walsall. In Derby five Asians received prison sentences. Six were jaied in Slough and Peterborough.

 

Five were jailed following the Birmingham scandal, the first such case for over 100 years (the Returning Officer had to resign; she is now top dog at HMRC).

 

Tower Hamlets, which registered over 7000 new voters in just a  month before a recent election, seems to be almost permanently immersed in election fraud; it has already started to prepare for the elections in May.

 

So what is the cause of this epidemic? Tony Blair, mostly. To encourage larger turn-outs he relaxed the law on postal voting, so that this was available almost on demand whereas previously the voter had to be either immobile through sickness or disability or on official duty.

 

In close-knit communities nothing is easier than for the leaders simply to collect-up all the postal ballot papers and vote for their candidate. Supporters of all main parties have been implicated. The offence is so prolific it can alter not only the constituency result but also the national outcome in these hung-Parliament times.

 

Step forward Narwaz Numpti MP. Inevitably he accused Mr. Grieve of racism, insulting the Pakistani community and all that guff.

 

Did Mr. Grieve rebut it? No, he issued a shame-faced and gutless apology.

 

So no longer is lying by politicians reprehensible. Telling the truth is the new offence.

 

So there we have it; the truth is lies and lies the truth.

 

Welcome to 1984.