**NB: I wrote and published this before the results of the Labour leadership election were announced.** It looks like there will be a bit of a discussion about how Labour elects its leader in the next few weeks, especially if Ed Miliband wins. I don’t propose to explain it (not least because I’d get something …
Two rather arcane points about Labour’s leadership election process Read More »
As a member of the Labour party, I have felt surprisingly unengaged with the Labour leadership election. I guess I was a bit tired after a tough general election (that I worked tirelessly for here in Brighton) and also I had to concentrate on some other projects. That said, I did go to events down …
I can’t generally do name dropping. Not least because I don’t have names worthy of jettisoning in public. And I obviously shy away from playing the posh school card (for so many reasons). But this tickled so much, that I have to share. I donned black tie and headed back to the alma mater last …
At the weekly ritual of Prime Minister’s Question Time, where Britain’s head of government is held to account, PM David Cameron condemned comments and pages on Facebook from users supporting murderer Raoul Moat. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, said: “It is absolutely clear that Raoul Moat was a callous murderer, full stop, end of story. …
The British Prime Minister isn’t a Community Manager Read More »
I received an email last week, as a Labour party member, telling me that I could attend hustings of Labour leadership candidates in Southampton or London. Thanks. Why not Brighton, I thought? But then, I am merely 50 miles from London and have hardly any cause for complaint. I took a look at all the …
It’s more than a month since the General Election and I have one last post to make in my Election Notes series. I’ve been sitting on it because I was unsure exactly what I wanted to say. I made some notes at the time. This is a verbatim extract from the Sunday after the General …
Before I close off the Election Notes series, I have a few more posts to make when I have a moment. Yesterday, I finally cleared some snaps off my phone and put them on flickr. You can find the set here. Here are several of my favourites.
I thought this graphic might be interesting to political geeks out there. It’s the visitors to nancyplatts.com (Brighton Pavilion’s Labour candidate) in the run up to the general election. I’ve taken the numbers off: consider this indicative. I didn’t really know what to expect trafficwise but this is quite useful and entirely as you might …
As the Cleggsurge shows, those TV Debates really have made a massive difference to the General Election. Personally, I’ve found them a little dull. Cameron kept pushing for them and must surely be regretting that. He wasn’t as good as good as he reckoned he’d be. As a former secretary of the Eton College Debating …
Anyone who cares about democracy is in favour of anything that breathes life into politics. That could be electoral reform, Twitter, public meetings, canvassing, men dressed in chicken suits. There are actually lots of ways of encouraging discussion and debate. All are good. I’m just not sure about hustings. I’m certain that they don’t deserve …
The postal votes are out there now. In Brighton Pavilion, something like 10000 voters will be voting postally. It’s astonishing. It’s also tantalising to wonder what those ballots cast could tell us but that must elude us. The postal vote packs went out last week and a great percentage have been returned already. It does …
I walk down a street and the first thing I wonder is how the doors are numbered. I haven’t taken a go on Facebook Scrabble for 4 days. I’ve skipped my beloved pub quiz several times and that NEVER happens. Red garments are being worn more. Blue and green ones. Not so much. My jacket …
Election Notes 27/04/10/: It must be election time because… Read More »
Do you know David Hare’s play The Absence of War? It’s a thinly veiled account of Kinnock’s experience in the 1992 campaign. In the play, Labour leader George Jones loses to a man rather more like David Cameron than John Major. I saw it at the national theatre many moons ago with John Thaw as …
Election Notes 26/04/10: Fast forward to May 7th? Read More »
As any activist knows, canvassing isn’t really about persuasion (although it does sometimes turn into a discussion, and quite right too). It’s predominantly a data collecting exercise. Where is your support? Make sure you solidify it. Get your people out on polling day. That’s why I love a Tory on the doorstep. I thank them …