http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200southlondonheadlines/tm_headline=chance-to-quiz-tory-candidate-for-mayor&method=full&objectid=19681700&siteid=50100-name_page.html

Chance to quiz Tory candidate for mayor

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SOUTH Londoners can put their questions to the Conservatives' mayoral candidates next month - but will need to call a premium-rate phone line to register to vote for their favourite.

It has also been revealed that the company running the £1-per-minute phone line was fined £30,000 two weeks ago after inviting viewers to take part in a live competition during a prerecorded show of Channel 4's Deal or No Deal.

The Tories have organised a series of hustings across the capital where voters can quiz their four candidates for the May 2008 London mayoral election.

[...]

The first hustings takes place at Park Plaza Riverbank on the Albert Embankment, Lambeth, on September 10.


But those who want to vote for Boris or the other candidates - Andrew Boff, Victoria Borwick and Warwick Lightfoot - will have


to stump up the cash on an expensive call just to register to vote in the US-style contest.

[...]

But the Tories brushed off the incident and the cost of voter registration and urged South Londoners to take part in the selection of their candidate.


A Conservative spokesman said: "The whole idea of the primary is to open up the political system and try to tackle the growing political apathy in the electorate by giving them a decisive say in who we put forward in the London mayoral election.


"It does cost to register to vote but we are certainly not making any money out of the phone lines.


"We looked at online registration, which would have been a cheaper option, but it was open to fraud."


To attend the hustings at the River Park Plaza, Lambeth, on Monday, September 10, at 6.30pm email emma.gold@ conservatives.com. [25cf] To register to vote in the primary call 0906 555 5050
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Quote:

"It does cost to register to vote but we are certainly not making any money out of the phone lines.

Yeah, right! In your friggin dreams.......... >:(

idb wrote on Sep 12^th, 2007 at 10:46pm:

..."It does cost to register to vote but we are certainly not making any money out of the phone lines.

Why not? Do they not understand that someone is making the money? If not then they should not be in charge of the country. If they simply hope that by not mentioning that they are helping someone else to make money and so that is all right then they should still not be in charge.
Just as they do not appear to be in command of this fiasco.

I agree with comments about the profits from the premium line but isn't there a silver lining here?

It may be my imagination but it seems that more & more journos are alert to the scams we have consistently documented on this website over the years. For the first time many organisations are forced to defend their position and punters may vote with their dialling fingers

Victory of a sort?