Options for ridding records of static electricity

@slaw How do i go about trying your mats
Thanks, Mike

Fruitloop
Just click on his name and select message user.
He will hook you up I am sure.
If you look at my system, you will see a picture of my Avid TT with cover on it and the mat on the platter is one of Slaws MyMat 

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/6466

@chayro  I second the suggestion for Gruv Glide, it is a really excellent product that seems to work as advertised. It does indeed knock back static initially, but one will find that with repeated playings, static still will build up, particularly with the LP12 felt mat. Nonetheless, one could re-apply Gruv Glide and this would work.

@slaw Nice to know that you are a manufacturer of mats, explains a lot. Too bad i did not realize this before.

A mat will do absolutely nothing to contain static. Lewm you answered your own question. The electrons are coming from the air. The stylus rubbing the groove enhances the transfer of electrons. Because diamond is not conductive there is no path to ground.
I have owned two Linns in the past. All you have to do is put felt pads at the front corners where the cover contacts the base. The cover should not contact the base anywhere except at the hinges and the felt pads. (you can get them at Home Depot.) I suspect the reason why people think things sound better with the dust cover off is because the echo they get adds a tube like distortion and a false sense of space. If you use the dust cover and pay attention to image specificity you will notice that the individual instruments are better defined. Just play a good recording of a string quartet. I use ESLs and subwoofers. The system is very sensitive to just about anything. Now even if you think there is a slight degradation in sound quality, record preservation is more important. When you play a record without a dust cover and no path to ground dust is pulled into the record rapidly where it is ground into the vinyl. This is a great process for the record cleaning industry. A conductive sweep arm costs 20 bucks. If you have trouble setting it up message me.  Play some new records with the dust cover on and a sweep arm. Watch what happens. No static build up, no dust, records stay perfectly clean, no build up on stylus. You might have to clean all your old records once to see the same effect on them but you will and you will never look back. 
The problem comes with turntables that are not suspended and vibration of the dust cover is passed directly to the structure that has the platter and tonearm attached. Making a usable dust cover for these tables is a bit more complicated and expensive but it can be done as I talk about above. If I ever manage to get a Dohmann Helix I will have to go through that maneuver as the whole darn turntable is suspended. 
Another advantage of using a dust cover all the time is limiting exposure of the tonearm to dust. Dust is the enemy of delicate bearings that are not sealed. Interestingly this is the one area where uni pivot arms have a distinct advantage not that I would ever buy another one.  

Woops, I forgot to mention. Putting ANYTHING on your records is plain silly. You will just grind dust into the stuff and make mud. Just watch what happens to your stylus. It will gum up faster than ever unless it is the same hoax perpetrated by Last which is just a type of Freon that evaporates entirely. Great racket. Turns all your money into vapor.