Charity tax plea

The votes in the local elections will be counted by electronic machines provided by the firm, Logica. However, it has been shown that electronic counting is susceptible to hacking.

I think the political parties are sleepwalking into a scandal as I have not met anyone who has heard of, or thought about, the possible problems.

Searching Google for “electronic vote counting” will show that fears of rigging are not paranoid fancies. I have asked Aileen Campbell MSP, the minister responsible for setting up vote counting, for comments on the security of the system.

She has previously stated that the new system will add to the “transparency” of the count.

It is an unfortunate phrase given that the count will be done by opaque black boxes where, unlike manual counting, no overview is possible.

Suppose the election of George Galloway had been counted electronically, with no manual checking. Do you think conspiracy theories would have been circulating as to the possibility of that count being hacked?

Do you think they would have been believed? Do you think the independence referendum should be counted electronically? There is still time to arrange for a parallel counting of some of the votes and, if enough people complain, it can happen.

John Cowie

St Colme Road

Dalgety Bay, Fife

In reply to your correspondents Howard Lewis and Jeremy Livingstone (Letters, 3 April), I can assure them that they do have support for their idea of voting for anybody other than their sitting Edinburgh councillor at the forthcoming elections.

The trams fiasco – which has made a laughing stock of, and gone a good way towards bankrupting, Edinburgh – has shown that our current civic “leaders” are not fit for purpose.

Anything would, in my opinion, be better than what we have now.

We need new local government officers who appreciate they have responsibility to our beautiful city and to the people that they represent.

I have not decided yet, but if the late “Screaming Lord” David Sutch of the Monster Raving Loony Party was standing in my ward he would definitely have one vote.

Walter J Allan

Colinton Mains Drive

Edinburgh