24th October 2007
Local Government Committee Bid to Call
Gould
Following the publication of the
independent report into May’s Scottish elections fiasco, Convener of
Holyrood’s Local Government Committee, Duncan McNeil MSP, has today invited
inquiry head, Ron Gould, and the Electoral Commission to give evidence to MSPs.
Commenting
after today’s statement by the First Minister on the Gould report, Mr McNeil,
said:
“We
have to accept this report has highlighted failings across the board and face up
to our responsibility as a parliament to address them.
“We
have already let the people of Scotland down by pursuing a politicians’
agenda. Was it the people who
called for a new voting system for the council elections? Or local government and Scottish Parliament elections on the
same day? Or a single Holyrood
ballot paper? Or electronic
counting? No.
These were all the demands and obsessions of politicians.
“And
continuing to behave like cardboard cut-out politicians – hysterically rushing
to blame each other – will only confirm the public’s contempt for us.
Rather, we should be looking at how we can address these issues on a
cross party basis. I have therefore
today written to Ron Gould and the Electoral Commission in my capacity as
Convener of the Local Government Committee, inviting them to give evidence to us
on their findings.
“While
our remit is such that any investigation can only focus on the local government
elections, I will be discussing with parliamentary colleagues whether it can be
expanded, even temporarily, to give us the opportunity to look at the Scottish
Parliament elections too.”
ENDS
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