Those crazy Welsh voters

Gently appended to the end of a story about Chris Huhne going ballistic over David Cameron's casual use of lying (Yeah, and then Pippa Middleton says to me 'Prime Minister - you is looking buff man. Has you been down the leisure centre?' But like no one heard or nuffink 'cos there was these loud planes from the Vietnam world war or somethink innit.') is a little snippet of anti-AV propaganda placed to give people 'facts' they can casually throw in an argument.

"Candidates who came third in 137 seats at last year’s election could have ended up becoming MPs – overtaking those who came first and second – under the ‘confusing’ AV system, according to Conservative research. Incredibly, in one seat the eighth-placed candidate – an independent called Richard Turner-Thomas in Torfaen in Wales – could have won, researchers said"

This is obviously the working of some spoddy work-placement gimp at Conservative HQ who's been let loose on Excel and not given sufficient reality boundaries. He's managed to count in how many seats it is mathematically possible for the first round of voting to give no clear winner and then what's the lowest initial ranking someone could hold before being elected as the most popular candidate with 2nd, 3rd and more preferences.

These are just mathematically possible cases, not likely cases. Just like it's mathematically possible when the placement fella finally marries his sister their children will be normal. It may be possible, it's not likely. We all know they're going to end up as six-fingered mouth-breathers.

The point's driven home with the shocking revelation that Torfaen constituency candidate Richard Turner-Thomas could have finished eighth in the first round and yet still ended up being returned as the Pontypool MP.

Mr Turner-Thomas - one day all MPS will
wear Central American national costumes

What they don't mention is that the winning Labour MP received 16,847 votes compared to Richard's 607. This would mean he'd have to take 16,241 second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh preference votes off the other candidates. Now as he lost his deposit,  his daughter could only get 43 of her 280 facebook friends to agree to vote for him and his policies seem to revolve around a working knowledge of asphalt specifications it seems unlikely he'd have been stealing votes off of Plaid Cymru, UKIP, Liberals and Conservatives.

Unfortunately it's now too late. This 'fact' is out there seeping doubt and uncertainty into the minds of undecided voters. Maybe this is the new politics we were promised before the election, biggest and bestest liar wins.

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