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Posted by guest on 9th March 2010 at 01:31 AM Official complaint over Iraqi vote in Swinton
by Tom Rodgers
Hazel Blears, the current Salford MP, is set to make an official complaint over the High Electoral Commission's handling of the recent Iraqi vote in Swinton.
Over the three days, a reported 10,000 people flooded into Swinton to cast their vote in the General Elections in Iraq.
But no adequate parking was made available, nor toilet facilities, and local residents had to hear about it at the last minute.
SalfordOnline also understands that the cost of policing for the three day event will come out of GMP's budget for the year.
In a statement Hazel Blears said:
"“I will be making a formal complaint to the Foreign Office about the lack of consultation with the City Council and the police.
"It was entirely unsuitable to hold this polling station in a residential area and I will be asking for an undertaking that the High Electoral Commission for Iraq will meet the cost of policing. I do not believe Salford people should have to pay for it.”
The High Electoral Commission for Iraq reportedly owns the Vanguard Mill on Lees Street in Swinton, and chose the spot for the concentration of Iraqi population.
Their plans for the voting in the Iraqi General Election was to make the voting process transparent, fair and inclusive, inviting Iraqis living in the UK to vote.
SalfordOnline saw at least 200 people on Friday afternoon when we shot our video.
With only two other voting stations registered for the Iraqi elections in London and Birmingham, Swinton received voters from all across the north and from as far away as Scotland.
The voting as we saw it was a joyous occasion with Iraqi families delighted to be able to cast their vote, especially the Kurds, voting for the Gorran (Change) Party, who endured brutal oppression under Saddam Hussein.
But local people objected over the location of the polling station, on an industrial part of Swinton, just off the B5321 Station Road.
Lees Street, outside the polling booth was closed to accomodate voters, and traffic increased, causing unplanned delays to motorists.
The Leader of Salford City Council, John Merry, wrote a letter to the Manchester Evening News last Thursday, the day before the vote began.
Quoted by the paper, he says: “The city council was not consulted about the suitability of the location of the polling station by any of the parties involved in the letting agreement.
“The city council was first notified late last week at which time we expressed strong concerns about this extremely late choice of venue for the polling station and investigated alternative locations."
“Despite our best endeavours we have been informed that it is not possible to relocate at this stage.”
Photos by Albert Spiby
Related Links
To watch video of Iraq election fever in Swinton click here
Read the SalfordOnline debate click here
For more Albert Spiby photos click here
 Comment by Guest 15th March 2010
After Swansea another council, Salford, has decided to ban councillors from Twittering during Council meetings. |
Comment by Guest 15th March 2010
If they are your idea of sane god help us, they don't even operate within a party with a legal constitution. Fortunately it's only the British Numpty Party |
Comment by Guest 15th March 2010
Thank God that there are people like Eddy O'Sullivan and Gary Tumulty to keep the Nation sane |
Comment by Guest 14th March 2010
Sir David Alliance(Lib.Dem) did, if not still own Dorma (Vanguard) Mill. Is it coincidence that he was born in Iraq?
Anyone any information on the methodist church on Manchester Road Pendlebury being converted to a mosque or is this just idle chat?
Guest1 |
Comment by Guest 12th March 2010
Intheknow says: Vanguard is not an Iraqi owned company but owned by a London based company Vanguard Holdings. The same company who I believe have bought the Royal Oak public house on Bolton road just to use as a advertising hoarding for thierstorage company based at the mill. There man at the mill a Mr Peter Davies also has other plans for the area I hear such as the buying up and demolishing houses on Station Road to improve the passing traffics view of the mill. These people are in it for the profit and have no thought for the local people the staging of the Iraqi election being a perfect example |
Comment by Guest 11th March 2010
Hang on a minute, I live near there and passed several times, chaotic perhaps, but I saw no sign of the BNP, where were you?, you bang on about your presence and your outrage etc., you had a very low profile if you were there, saw a video from your lot on Youtube showing the voters and that was it, why were you mithered in the first place. Crawl back to your safe English homes and give us all a rest. |
Comment by Guest 10th March 2010
From thefreedictionary.com: "Touché - Used to acknowledge a hit in fencing or a successful criticism or an effective point in argument." |
Comment by Guest 10th March 2010
not, no need to be lol think that word fits you more than me bro. |
Comment by Guest 10th March 2010
Touché. lol |
Comment by Guest 10th March 2010
sorry i dont seem to be as clever as the person who organised this event |
Comment by Guest 10th March 2010
I could go on =) |
Comment by Guest 10th March 2010
been eatin alphabet soup for tea then i guess |
Comment by Guest 10th March 2010
or "seen" and "saw". |
Comment by Guest 10th March 2010
Thank you for you input |
Comment by Guest 10th March 2010
It seems you don't know the difference between "of" and "have" either. hmmmn. |
Comment by Guest 10th March 2010
Hello BNP member. You might want to learn the difference between "to" and "too", "where" and "were", "there" and "their" and "where" and "was". I think you meant "*TOO* little *TOO* late hazel, the bnp were there with *THEIR* candidate for the whole 3days supporting locals, *WHERE* *WERE* you?" |
Comment by Guest 10th March 2010
let me tell you the BNP were there on all 3 days, the Salford phone was going mad with locals telling us how scared in there own homes they were, you are not a local then because you would of seen us, get your self on our web site, or you tube you will see what we seen,as for bed time? lol you havent even got a clue sun shine, so boy back to your hole. |
Comment by Guest 10th March 2010
"to little to late............were was you?" That has to be a BNP posting, back to your cave little man it's way past your bedtime. |
Comment by Guest 10th March 2010
to little to late hazel, the bnp were there with there candidate for the whole 3days supporting locals, were was you? |
Comment by Guest 9th March 2010
Those were some very lucrative "mistakes". |
Comment by Guest 9th March 2010
Leave Hazel alone. She may have made mistakes in the past,but who hasn,t . |
Comment by Albert.Spiby ( member ) 9th March 2010
I like the idea of a candidate from the Taunton Ukulele Strummers Club standing against Hazel. We could really "Banjo" her then!
Hopefully after May 6th she'll be humming "When I'm cleaning Windows", although I doubt she could clean windows without smearing them. :) |
Comment by Guest 9th March 2010
I just had to google TUSC. I guess it must be the "Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition" rather than the "Taunton Ukulele Strummers Club", which was the first hit. |
Comment by Albert.Spiby ( member ) 9th March 2010
Hazel hopes to be the MP for Swinton after the next election due to boundary changes.
She clearly sees this as a vote catcher! Prove her wrong. Vote David Henry standing under TUSC - Hazel Must Go. |
Comment by Guest 9th March 2010
When was the last time you heard Ian Stewart getting invloved in anything local? He's winding his career down as he steps down in May. So Blears is all you've got. |
Comment by Guest 9th March 2010
Can't you tell an election is coming, but to little to late Liebour, you have ruined this country with your uncontrolled open door mass immigration policy. Had enough, Worsley. |
Comment by Guest 9th March 2010
Because she cares |
Comment by Guest 9th March 2010
Hazel Blears is not the MP for Swinton. On what grounds is she making an "official" complaint...? |
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