How Socialists Win Elections

From the desk of The Brussels Journal on Wed, 2007-09-19 22:23

A quote from the Norwegian daily Aftenposten, 19 September 2007

Drug addicts in the town of Drammen [outside Oslo] say they were offered money or free kebabs to vote for the [governing] Labour Party in the local election last week.

Bent Sandberg was offered NOK 50 (about USD 9) to vote for the Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) in the local election last week. He declined the bribe. “It is nasty to take advantage of society’s weakest people. And to offer NOK 50 is scornful. But I know many people accepted the money,” he told local newspaper Drammens Tidende.

Reports were also coming out Wednesday that some drug addicts had been offered free kebabs to vote Labour. Else Marie Romset is one of the people who accepted money to go to the voting both. On her ballot, someone had already put a cross next to the name of local Labour politician Yousuf Gilani.

 
See also:

Norway: The Country of Peace Meets the Religion of Peace, 18 September 2007

Sweden: Collaboration, Then and Now, 10 August 2007

The Influence of the Immigrant Vote on Belgian (and Dutch) Politics, 28 June 2007

Belgian and Dutch Parties Try to Put Genie Back in the Bottle, 12 December 2007

turkey

Submitted by Paganini on Thu, 2007-09-20 15:31.

interesting comment kahmeelyon

by the way, the ikhwân al-muslimûn (muslimbrotherhood) in Egypt (and ofcourse their branche of Hamas in the PA) have similar tactics. The provide so-called "social structures" for the poor and the sick. A man can receive some money to send his son to school, or to buy medicins for his son for example, but he has to sign a paper in which he promises to live like a 'good muslim' and according to sharia, which means: veil his wife, veil his daughters, don't drink alcohol, and ofcourse, vote for the ikhwân. So-called religious police will check him to see if he keeps his promise. Another tactic: you go to hospital or school of Hamas/Ikhwân, where you get help, but also "religious education"....

Sounds a lot like....

Submitted by oiznop on Thu, 2007-09-20 12:48.

.....the Democrats over here in the U.S..(loading buses with unregistered homeless people to take them to the polls, counting alleged votes from dead people, constantly crying "VOTE FRAUD" or "RECOUNT" if their candidate loses, or claiming that a certain group was prevented from voting, etc.) .....But then again, there is not a whole lot of difference between the Euro Socialists and the U.S. Democrats.....Bunch of scummy weasels.....

 

 

No news

Submitted by Emigrantus on Thu, 2007-09-20 06:50.

The only thing that sets this case apart from all other socialist elections is that this time, the money came out of their own pocket.

Islamists do this too!

Submitted by kahmeelyon on Thu, 2007-09-20 04:07.

I lived in Turkey for a couple of years in the 90s. There, Iranians were known to cross the border and distribute nuggets of gold in exchange for their vote for the local Turkish Islamist party. The good news, at least for Turkey, is that their constitution obliges the military to overthrow any Islamic government.