LD Fools Day: Fitch, Pack or Farmer Most Foolish?

Early this morning Mark Pack ran the latest episode in an old old story on Lib Dem Voice. This concerned a batty Lib Dem pretender who was beaten in an election but where some votes were not counted. 4,000 or so according to the Press Association, as reported in the Worksop Guardian.

The logically-challenged Lib Dem loser and time waster, a Mr Fitch, petitioned all the way to the High Court that the election ought to have been re-run.

Reading the Press Association and other reports and indeed Salford Cllr Steve Cooke's post comment at LDV, immediately above my own, leads me to the conclusion that ALL THE VOTES WERE COUNTED and that the unintentional omission to count some at the proper time MADE ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE TO THE RESULT.

Clearly if it had made a difference the decision would have been different. In fact there wouldn't have been a petition at all, just a recount and an overturning of any incorrect results, something which this Lib Dem pretender didn't even ask for.

The only question to solve now is whether the waster John Fitch or the disingenuous Mark Pack is the more foolish here. Both confirming the Lib Dem predeliction for stunts and shameless weaselry.

Fitch seems to be petitioning to have another shot at winning a seat: AGAINST THE WISHES of the electorate. Because of a genuine procedural error. And one that made no difference.

As to Cllr Steve's puzzlement on the numbers 9,099 votes sounds like a huge turnout now that wards are more standardised at c 10,000. The missing 1,000 reported when the BBC covered the matter sounds far more accurate and around what you might expect for one of five or six polling stations.

In that report we find the following:

Mark Farmer of the Liberal party, who was a former councillor in the ward, said the only way to put the mistake right was to have a re-run of the ballot.
Three Labour councillors were elected in the Abbey ward. The party took control of the previously hung council winning 38 seats.
"The problem we now face is that result cannot be overturned locally it has to go to the High Court to decide if the result will count or if there will be a re-run of the election," Mr Farmer said.

Presumably it's Lib Dem party, rather than Liberal? But let's add Farmer to the mix. Which of the three is the most foolish?

Well done to Cllr Cooke for rising above this folly. The High Court have also decided not to award a re-run to a bad loser.