The hacksaw: underrated tool of democracy

In an unusual situation, it wasn't a fickle electorate or a mislaid box of votes which threatened to derail democracy last weekend in Sligo, but rather a lost key.

When count staff at the Clarion realised that one box was going to prove a little hard to count - mainly because they couldn't open the lock on it - they were forced to resort to a more destructive approach to opening the ballot box. Enter stage left one man and his hacksaw.

The end result? Padlock 0, the democratic process 1.