When I was a youngster, my mother warned to be very wary of strange men offering me sweets. At the time I thought she was simply referring to my errant father and perhaps the strange bloke at number 32 who kept owls, but now I realise she also meant Lib Dem Chief Executive, Chris Rennard.
You see, cuddly Chris has been accused of “using children” by putting out a guide on how to use kiddies to sell the Lib Dem message (presumably by holding placards saying things like “I want to be in a porn movie when I turn 16″).
MP Eric Pickles (who is thought to have had a few too many sweets himself), Conservative Shadow Minister for Local Government is incandescent at the guide and this morning put out this message:
“Just a day after Sir Menzies Campbell launched his local elections campaign, the Liberal Democrats have been immersed in controversy over their elections handbook. The official Party manual, endorsed by Liberal Democrat supremo, Lord Rennard, calls on their council candidates to peddle sweets to children to entice them to deliver election leaflets. It recommends, “shout at all the local kids you can see and hear… then proceed Pied Piper like round the estate doling out badges and toffees and leaflets”
I’m all in favour of getting more young people into politics, but surely this is going a bit too far?
simeonmccack@googlemail.com
editor[at]recessmonkey.com
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It’s worse than Pickles tells it:
It’s called the ‘Freitag method’, not just deeply sinister but Germanic too.
Brandy Hart said this on April 5th, 2006 at 3:32 am
Isn’t this one for Mr Plod? I seem to recall “treating” in return for assistance at elections is a corrupt practice which debars one from office and can put de bars on de windows. Welcome to Brixton nick - LibDems winning here!
erm... said this on April 5th, 2006 at 3:55 am
First post. Having read the leaflet I don’t understand what the Tories are complaining about. It has safeguards. The tories don’t have deliverers in my area so they just use Royal Mail so perhaps there is jealousy!
Cuthbert said this on April 5th, 2006 at 4:48 am
>> Isn’t this one for Mr Plod? I seem to recall “treating” in return for assistance at elections is a corrupt practice which debars one from office and can put de bars on de windows. Welcome to Brixton nick - LibDems winning here!
You posted the same thing on Iain Dale’s blog, and you were wrong there too. “Treating” applies to voters - which presumably children aint!
Votes@seven-and-three-quarters said this on April 5th, 2006 at 5:13 am
Oh give it a fucking rest. The suggestion that getting children to deliver leaflets in return for sweets is in indication that Lib Dems are paedophiles is pathetic.
It’s illegal to offer tea/biscuits/treats etc to voters on polling day. If paying people for electioneering services, such as leafleting, is illegal then using phone banks is out, getting printers to produce leaflets is out, using paid deliverers of any kind is out, etc.
Steve said this on April 5th, 2006 at 5:17 am
Steve,
I should point out that I’ve never suggested that Lib Dems are paedophiles. Poo-eaters maybe, but not paedophiles.
SM
Simeon McCack said this on April 5th, 2006 at 5:27 am
As a matter of fact I didn’t post anything on Iain Dale’s blog, so it is clearly not just me who thinks the LibDems are behaving in a somewhat questionable fashion as usual.
My crack team of legal sources tell me treating is defined as: Any person who corruptly by himself or by any other person either before, during or after an election, directly or indirectly gives or provides, or pays wholly or in part the expense of giving or providing any meat, drink or entertainment, or provision to or for any person in order to be elected, or for being elected, or for the purpose of corruptly influencing such person to give or refrain from giving his vote at an election, &c., shall be deemed guilty of treating.
Doesn’t say anything about dishing out sweeties to voters, but it does forbid the dishing out of sweeties in order to influence voters. If an army of urchins stuffing leaflets through doors is not supposed to influence how votes are cast, one might ask - to quote Kenneth Williams - what’s the bloody point?
erm... said this on April 5th, 2006 at 6:07 am
Come on, doling out sweets to random kids on estates to get them to do what you want? It doesn’t make them paedophiles but it’s hardly a good way to teach the children how to (a) avoid paedos, (b) get involved in the political process, (c) stand up for integrity, (d) decide what decisions to take politically. On top of which it sounds rather like exploitation and manipulation of those too young to think for themselves.
Edward said this on April 5th, 2006 at 6:11 am
It is in fact legal to pay people to deliver leaflets providing that the cost is declared on the election expenses. I think the reference to the Freitag Method is meant to be ironic, to illustrate how it should not be done. I accept though that it is badly worded. The part of the passage you did not quote is that which stresses in large letters that children should NOT be used to leaflet unaccompanied by an adult and certainly should not be used without the parents consent.
Peter black said this on April 5th, 2006 at 7:43 am
Given that Peter Black printed pretty much the exact same rebuttal on my blog, I have the feeling he must be the party’s official rebutter on this issue today.
Assembly Member with special responsibilities for rebutting sweetie bribe allegations. It’s probably an official Ministerial Portfolio for the Lib Dems actually.
I tend to think Lib Dems whole approach to politics is generally ironic, but it just sounds like a very rubbish excuse in this context.
Kerron said this on April 5th, 2006 at 8:13 am
Why are the Lib Dems so weird…..does any one remember the child snatcher from chitty chitty bang bang.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 2 - Ming’s Revenge!
JimboJones said this on April 5th, 2006 at 10:45 am
I’m amused by the fact the LibDems have to bribe people to deliver their literature!
Just goes to show they don’t have any support.
“Winning here”?
More like “Whining here”!
Eskimo Nell said this on April 6th, 2006 at 10:23 am