Good morning . . .
British voters are going to the polls to decide whether the Labour Party and Tony Blair will win an historic third term.
Polls opened across the country at 7:00 AM (GMT) and will close this evening at 10 pm (GMT) - 6PM ET. Results will trickle in for the first hour or so and will pick up about 11:30PM.
Observers say that this campaign was equally dull compared to the 2001 campaign. Most voters in Britain follow the activities in Parliament, especially Prime Minister's Question Time, to decide on a candidate. Polls say that Labour will win again, the only real news is the margin of victory. A narrow victory for Labour will signal a dissatisfaction with the Blair government and his policies in Iraq.
Polls also show the Liberal-Democrats are gaining ground with voters. A larger than expected turn out for the Lib-Dems could signal a tough five years for the Blair government.
This general election also shows a much higher using of postal voting, but there are claims and concerns over a slow count and voter fraud.
The winner of the election is the Party not necessarily an individual candidate. If Labour, as expected, wins the most seats, Tony Blair will continue as the Prime Minister. If there is a surprise and the Conservatives win the most seats, Michael Howard would likely become the Prime Minister.
C-SPAN will be carrying election returns from the BBC beginning at 5pm ET.
UK Election news and comment from The Times and The Sunday Times - Times Online
--
You don't often hear good news on the economy from the liberal media.
A story in today's Washington Post says that the Treasury Department is reporting a $54 billion dollar swing from deficit to surplus due to increased tax revenue.
This will allow the federal government to pay some of the administration's debt.
So, I guess this means the President's tax and economic policies are working.
Tax Receipts Exceed Treasury Predictions
--
While House Majority Leader Tom DeLay says he welcomes a possible investigation by the House Ethics Committee, other members of Congress are reviewing records and changing travel forms to avoid any ethics related problems.
Two members of the ethics committee have recused themselves from an investigation into DeLay.
Reps. Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Tom Cole (R-OK) recused themselves from the investigation because they contributed to DeLay's legal defense fund.
A group dedicated to campaign finance reforms has asked House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) to appoint an outside counsel to look into DeLay's problems.
"Congress has proven that it cannot police itself when it comes to matters of abuse of power. We call on Speaker Hastert to appoint an outside counsel to investigate Mr. DeLay," said David Donnelly of the Public Campaign Action Fund.
Donnelley said that any members of Congress who contributed to DeLay's defense fund or received contributions from his political action committee should be ineligible to participate or vote on DeLay's ethical lapses.
The Public Campaign Action Fund is also circulating a petition, calling on DeLay to resign.
Anti-DeLay Group Demands Appointment of Outside Counsel -- 05/05/2005
--
The list of potential candidates for President in 2008 grows nearly everyday.
You can now, possibly, add the name of Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel to the list.
Hagel, a Republican, is often seen as a critic of the president's on the war in Iraq and Social Security. His credentials are more moderate than conservative which could hurt Hagel's fundraising efforts.
Hagel completed a three-day trip to New Hampshire to "see what people were thinking."
Hagel has said he will not make a decision on running for President until after the 2006 elections.
Lincoln Journal Star Online
--
Congress may require political groups known as '527's to reveal the list of their donors.
Republican Representatives E. Clay Shaw ((FL), Mark Foley (FL), and Phil English (PA) are introducing the 527 Transparency Act.
The bill will require the quasi-political groups to report monthly income and expenditure reports to the Federal Election Commission. The groups are currently required to file the information with the IRS.
The transparency bill would also increase by 30 percent the excise tax on contributions not reported.
Some politicians say the 527s demonstrate the weakness of the bipartisan Campaign Reform Act passed in 2002.
527 refers to the IRS code for these organizations.
Rep. Shaw says the bill currently has no support from Democrats, which is no surprise.
Bill aims to reveal '527' donors - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - May 05, 2005
--
More later.
No comments:
Post a Comment