Tuesday 24 October 2017

Conservative did break electoral law:

will they get more than a slap on the wrist?

Mark Pack has the story:

An undercover Channel 4 News investigation raised concerns about the campaign involving calls made by Blue Telecoms, a firm in Neath, South Wales, on behalf of the Conservative Party.

These concerns prompted an ICO [Information Commissionier’s Office] investigation into the campaign’s compliance with data protection and electronic marketing law.

We’ve found that two small sections of the written scripts used by those making the calls crossed the line from legitimate market research to unlawful direct marketing. We’ve warned the Conservative Party to get it right next time.

Our electoral system depends on trust and all participants sticking to the rules. It should not be possible to buy an election nor cheat ones way to one. In my opinion, the Conservatives broke the spirit of the law in the 2015 general election, though the Electoral Commission passed as legitimate their tactics. Now it has been found that they broke the letter of the law as well as the spirit. It is important that the authorities show their independence and prosecute these offences to the limit.

It is shameful for those of us who live in Neath that this particular illegal operation was based here.

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