Like many others, I am gobsmacked by the Tory plans to hold open selections for the mayoral candidacy with anyone allowed to vote by text message. Paulie has a good, succinct post about it.
My first thought was about how tempting it would be for non-Tories to flood the system with votes for the person most likely to lose but surely they have thought of that – although in the past they have been capable of making such selections themselves easily enough, and if it happened they could always do what Tony Blair did to Ken the first time round and rig/ignore the selection process.
But then I thought of another consideration. How much will these texts cost, and will a proportion of the cost go into the Tory party coffers? It could have a greater impact on party finances than it does on the democratic machinery. The thought that I would be contributing to Tory revenues would certainly put me off making any satirical votes.
No Comments so far ↓
Like the collective mind of the Daily Mail, comments are closed.