politicalbetting.com shows the following results on tonight's leaders debate... ITV poll: Clegg 43 Cameron 26 Brown 20 YouGov: Clegg 51 Cameron 29 Brown 19 Angus Reid: Clegg 46 Cameron 21 Brown 19 One of the founders of Liberal Vision - Mark Littlewood - (and who is canny on the betting side of all things political (and football) is questioning whether this will be the first and the last election to feature "the leaders debate". He may have a point. Several months back when these things were being tentatively brokered Brown may have thought he had little to lose, with the ...
And so it arrived - the most important single event of the election time (before polling day, that is). All the instant polling showed a clear victory for Nick Clegg. As even Andrew Neill has just said on This Week, Nick Clegg gained simply by being on the stage, but gained more by looking as though he belonged there. The day began with a visit to a primary school in Manchester with John Leach, the candidate for Withington - and a bit of a shock winner last time. The school pupils were aged nine and ten and asked a range ...
I cannot tell you how good it is to be able to type the words, "Nick Clegg was the clear winner", and know that not only is it my view, but that it's the public view, too. We've already published the two poll results which matter: those showed Nick was judged to have done best by 51%, with Cameron on 29% and Brown on 19% (YouGov), and Nick 46%, Cameron 26%, Brown 20% (ComRes). Nick Clegg ... it's true, Nick had a couple of advantages going into the debate. He's the least known, so merely being given equal status is ...
Seams like this should perhaps be our new slogan, If Cameron and Brown are anything to go by then I think many Labour and Conservatives supports would be happy to repeated.
It's very hard to watch a political debate objectively when you're a partisan supporter of one of the participants in it. 'No, no,' you find yourself practicising in your head during the most embarrassing moments 'when he removed his trousers and ran round the stage proclaiming he was the Rightful King of Greater Abyssinia, he ...
In the debate earlier tonight, David Cameron claimed ALL Tory MPs paid their money back before reviews began. Not so! * Peter Viggers and Douglas Hogg did not. * Brian Binley also refused to pay back because he said he'd done nothin ...
So tonight we had the historic event of the first ever live leadership debates in the UK featuring Clegg, Cameron and Brown, up close and personal for the nation to see warts and all. What was the verdict? Well so far its been pretty much universal. The Guardian Tracker poll: Clegg: 169,360 votes Brown: 122,380 votes Cameron: 69,930 votes The ...
A few days ago I wrote a post about the Devil's Kitchen. Since then its creator, Chris Mounsey, appeared on the 'Daily Politics' and by all accounts was given a rather hard time. The presenter, Andrew Neil gave Mounsey a mauling over his language on the blog. Mounsey is also leader of the UK Libertarian party. Subsequently, Mounsey decided to create a new blog - Devil's Knife - and discuss politics without so many swear words. Charlotte Gore and David Chiverton have both responded to this new development. Mounsey and others are making the case for a very different type ...
The Telegraph headline on their website is 'Clegg 'wins' Election Debate'. The Times says 'Nick Clegg seizes his moment in historic TV debate' These papers are not natural supporters of the Lib Dems. The Telegraph has been described as the Conservative Party's in house journal. I think I am justified in feeling extremely pleased tonight with my leader, my party and my ability to be the only candidate for Henley who can argue for a clear, costed programme for the next government. Well done, Nick. I hope residents in Henley will consider this when they cast their vote on May ...
As I have commented on the Conservative and Liberal Democrat party manifestos it seems only right to say something about Labour's. If Cameron wants the 'big society' and Clegg is all about unlocking individual potential, the Brown pitch appears to be a combination of both but with an added ingredient: you need the State to help. After tonight's first leader's debate perhaps the polls will start to clarify who might get the keys to number 10 and which message the voters prefer.
The poll commissioned specially for the Sun has 51% saying that Nick won. How are they going to spin that? LibDem's pull wool over voters' eyes? Style over substance win for LibDems? Should be interesting...
I'm massively biased as to who won the first TV debate, I'll be honest, so please don't take my word for it. The polls, however, show a clear story... Yougov/Sun poll: Clegg 51%, Cameron 29%, Brown 19%. (http://bit.ly/bKGEde) Sky poll: Clegg 37%, Brown 32%, Cameron 32% (http://bit.ly/aXLk4u) ITV poll: Clegg 43%, Cameron 26%, Clegg 20%. (http://bit.ly/cJV7b1) Guardian poll: Clegg 59%, Brown 32%, Cameron 9% (http://bit.ly/cUqbsa) What does this mean? Hands down Clegg win. I wonder what this will do to voting intention for Lib Dems. Can't wait for the results.
I must say I was one of those who said it would be boring — and I was half-right. A format too rigid, a style of debating too staid. Frankly, I thought a bit of throttling was in order at times. But I think there can't be any doubt that this showed in this election ...
I must confess, I didn't catch the Leaders debate live. I was out canvassing till right up to the start of the debate. I stopped then because I thought interrupting the debate might be bad form! I was out with our team on the "Lakes Estate" in Winlaton, estates largely made up of social housing but also many "right to buy" properties. A great response and many residents knew our councillors there personally, a tribute to their hard work. All night I didn't find a single Tory voter which shows the total absence of support in these areas. I got ...
Most polls are reporting that Clegg was the clear winner from the TV debate tonight, and rightly so – Clegg was the only one (as usual) to answer the questions whilst the other two leaders bickered with each other as though they are in a failing marriage. Brown consistently addressed Cameron, making out that it ...
The ITV/ComRes poll said it all. It was an instant phone-up poll done straight after the end of the debate – of 4,000 viewers. That's a big sample: Clegg 43% Cameron 26% Brown 20% Sun/YouGov echoes this with: Clegg 51%, Cameron 29%, Brown 19% And why? It has been obvious to many for years that Nick Clegg has extraordinary intelligence, passion and energy. At long last he has been allowed a forum to show that off. He was relaxed – the only one of the leaders to smile at the outset. Perhaps most importantly, he was the only one of ...
Seven Samurai, dir Akira Kurosawa This is, apparently, a great masterpice, and "unanimously hailed" as such according to one reviewer. Nonsense. While it does have its good points and has been undeniably influential, it's not actually a very good film by modern standards. It's not helped by being too long to support its story, and by too many cuts between pointless short shots when nothing is happening. I really wanted to like this, but I couldn't. The Magnificent Seven, dir John Sturges The story, modulo a few details and one extra sub-plot in this remake, is pretty much identical to ...
Those people who have written to the press recently to point out that North East Somerset is a brand new constituency are spot on. In Dan Norris' literature he is giving misleading information to residents suggesting that the contest to become our next MP is between himself and the Tory. In fact, I don't think Dan has mentioned the boundary changes at all publically because statistically he could be the big loser. North East Somerset is a completely brand new constituency which sees the loss of an area to the north of Keynsham, which has had a Labour MP for ...
An ITV poll of 4000 voters has Nick Clegg as the clear winner of the first TV PM debate. Clegg was superb - Sun/YouGov poll result - Clegg on 51%, Cameron 29%, Brown 19%.
"The more they attack each other, the more they sound exactly the same." – Nick Clegg I couldn't pretend that I was tremendously excited about the first of the televised Leaders' Debates between Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg. I've never felt that such set-pieces add a great deal to the policy debate as they ...
How many times did the other two say those words tonight? You know what? If you really agree with Nick, don't vote for the other two, vote Lib Dem. As the song says, it's time to take the power back.
Welcome to our first debate post for the Prime Minister's Debates, the first of which just finished. Again, the same disclaimer as last time, any errors are entirely my own as this was written live as I watched it and my opinions are based on gut reactions, not considered balanced analysis. Also, the areas which ...
So the first debate is over and according to the YouGov poll, Clegg won it by a landslide. As soon as the debate was over, I sent a text message to my friends asking them who they thought won. Now I am not saying this is an exact science (they know who I support and may not want to upset me), but here are a selection of their views:Clegg was strongest to me. Brown showed some humour but didn't
The fire at Cherwell Valley Services is a huge blow to the local area, as well as more than 200 staff who face some uncertainty over coming weeks. This is a significant local business and a major facility for the M40. It is reassuring that the owners of the site, Moto, have pledged to open temporary facilities within a few days and I hope that is successful giving comfort to motorists and ensuring the future of employees. The emergency services must be commended for successfully completing a major operation safely and effectively and for keeping open the M40.
An ITV poll of 4000 voters has Nick Clegg as the clear winner of the first debate. All I can say is well done Nick. He was great, confident, relaxed and had the best body language throughout. The figures are Sun/YouGov poll result - Clegg on 51%, Cameron 29%, Brown 19% ITV poll - Clegg 43%, Cameron 26%, Brown 20% I am so pleased.
My immediate reaction to the leader's debate that has just finished on ITV is "whey hey!!!". Brown gave a good performance I think but is likely to only reinforce people's existing views of him. David Cameron was very poor. A flat, almost amateurish, performance. Surprisingly bad. Nick Clegg gave the better performance. He was more human, more energised, and gave the clearer answers. Could have been a bit sharper at times and repeated the same points a few too many times – but overal reallly really good. But more siginificant I think than the individual performances is how this debate ...
Probably a really bad idea... I always knew I was better than the others, so when I survived the explosion I merely took that as confirmation of the fact. I clearly had more survival instinct than the others, who lacked backbone both figuratively and in some regrettable cases literally. It was regrettable, of course, that they ...
Lots of people think Nick Clegg @nick_clegg debated best. If you agree, why not join or help us: http://is.gd/butKA ? Stephen Robinson and Chelmsford Lib Dems is.gd To receive occasional email bulletins about activities and campaigns in Chelmsford, just give us your full name and email address in the first two boxes below.
Time for the post-match spin – what did LDV's readers make of it all? Update: Sun/YouGov poll result puts Clegg on 51%, Cameron 29%, Brown 19% ITV poll shows same result: Clegg 43%, Cameron 26%, Brown 20%
One clear winner on the first leaders debate tonight...Nick Clegg. The talk will now be of David Cameron being "Clegg-lite" rather than the other way round. Nick was an easy winner. The ITV news poll of 4000 people put Nick not just ahead - but a country mile ahead (and am told that You Gov poll for Sun also gives it unreservedly to Nick). Nick had some wonderful touches - simply excellent eye contact with the viewer - talking into the camera time and again - oooh that was good, relaxed attitude (so relaxed he was positively laid back - ...
I'm obviously biased but that aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the leaders' debate which has just ended on ITV. Most importantly it was a useful discussion between the leaders and I trust that anyone watching the programme would have got a very good idea about what the three parties stand for. I would compliment Gordon Brown for his performance. Mr Brown is not a natural communicator but he acquitted himself well and he landed a few good blows on David Cameron. It was gratifying, if perhaps a trifle embarrassing, for any Lib Dem to see how much Mr Brown sought to ...
Halfway through tonight's debate I tweeted that whatever else has happened tonight, Nick Clegg has shown he is in the same league as Gordon Brown and David Cameron. But it was better than that. Nick Clegg was the clear winner of the debate. He was the most responsive to the audience and got in far more policy than David Cameron, who just did just did not have enough to say to fill 90 minutes. Meanwhile Gordon Brown came over like a well-meaning speak your weight machine. My chief memory of the night will be Brown's sheer incomprehension when asked a ...
Just as with the Chancellors' debate, there were no knock out blows in the Leaders' debate tonight. No one seriously believed there would be one. I was concerned that Nick not being in the middle would end up with his being sidelined. My fears were unfounded. It worked to Nick's advantage. The programme came over as one in which Nick was at the top table but where the debate was one in which it
It's that time of the week again and the #bbcqt Live Chat starts on this blog at 10:40pm (show starts at 10:45pm on BBC1). The show is being broadcast live this week so that the panel and audience can watch the leader debates on ITV1 and then respond to how they have gone on the programme. This week I am unavailable during the programme as I am heading back from London following me hosting the leader debate live chat from the Orwell Prize event where we all watched it too so cannot host the chat myself but Lib Dem blogger ...
I made a resolution earlier on to try and blog with as much objectivity as I could with regards to tonight's debate but, quite frankly, I can say nothing other than Nick Clegg stormed it. He was clear, concise and kept out of most of the major rowing the other two got into. He actually answered the questions and had some very good one liners. This Debate was David Camerons to lose and quite frankly he blew it. I am not sure how much of a game changer this will be for the Tories but I would not be a ...
What do Liberal Democrats stand for in Britain in 2010? Read all about it here. And if I were asked to sum it up in one word? Fairness - for everyone young and old, rich and poor. Which of course means some people paying more towards the services we need in order to allow some to pay less. It means have responsibilities as well as rights. It means letting local people make the decisions for
Aren't those crazy Austrians a hip trendy bunch! I don't suppose David Cameron is likely to hug any hoodies in one of these though! Advertisement: --> read more [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Nick Clegg and the other two will be taking part in the first ever party leaders' televised debate on ITV1 tonight at 8:30 p.m. Historic event. Edited to add ... that two 'instant' polls both showed Nick Clegg as the winner: 45% in the ITV's and 51% in the one done by YouGov, with both other leaders way behind (ITV: Lab 20% Con 26%. YouGov: Lab 19% Con 29%).
Here at Lib Dem Voice, there is live-chat co-hosted with Mark Thompson's Mark Reckons blog. Live-blogging action from Lib Dems can be found at: Paul Walter's Liberal Burblings Tom King's The World Forgetting, By The World Forgot Burke's Works' The Bureau of Sabotage Leader Election Debate Live Chat – 1
Joy upon joys! The First Prime Ministerial Debate is upon us. Such a momentous occasion should only be marked with a liveblog. Starting now! 2241: The post-debate spinning is well underway, but there can be no denying it... Clegg was the winner. Cameron underperformed, but was still solid. Brown bored us to tears, but didn't stumble. ...
When Roman generals rode in their Triumph procession through the city the slave standing behind them on the chariot holding the laurel crown is suppose to have also been tasked with occasionally telling the General, according to Tertullian, "Respice post te! Hominem te memento!" - "Look behind you! remember you are but a man!" in case his ego got too big for him. Well, in my terribly pig Latin, I offer you some advice ahead of the upcoming ITV debate between the three... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ...
This morning I welcomed Nick Clegg to Manchester Withington where we visited Mauldeth Road Primary School in Ladybarn ahead of the eagerly anticipated leaders debate in Manchester tonight. I was glad Nick took time out of his preparation schedule for this evening's debate to come and meet some supporters and see the outstanding work being ...
Dear Friend, This morning, at our first press conference of the campaign, Vince Cable and I announced the fair tax policy at the heart of our General Election manifesto (which will be launched soon). I am asking you to make a difference to our campaign by passing this message on to five friends who are thinking about ...
Lamport? Let me see. I have shown you Shortwood House and the Rectory. But there is more. The first garden gnome in England. I had forgotten this story, just as I had forgotten that Sir John Farr, for years the Tory MP for Harborough, used to live near Lamport. But Jim Hill Media has reminded me, even though he is not too sure about how to spell Isham: Sir Charles Ishman was the 10th Baronet of Lamport Hall. As a vegetarian and a practicing spiritualist, he was considered something of an eccentric. He had inherited a love of gardening from ...
9:00:50 PM: It's great that the debate is coming from the throbbing heart of Granadaland #leadersdebate 9:01:39 PM: Don't think much of the set. Typical tinny ITV stuff. The Channel4 Chancellor set was much better #leadersdebate 9:05:10 PM: Cameron is taking quite a slapping on the Leaders' Slapomoter http://www.slapometer.com/ #leadersdebate 9:13:30 PM: Get your debate bingo cards here: http://www.debatebingo.com/ #leadersdebate 9:15:46 PM: Cameron is the bookies' favourite. Great expectations! http://bit.ly/c88kVB #leadersdebate 9:22:21 PM: I will be witnessing part of the debate via Radio 5 Live – will there be a Nixon/Kennedy effect? #leadersdebate 9:27:08 PM: Liveblogging the Leaders' debate #leadersdebate ...
I will be live-blogging the Leaders' Debate from 8.30 pm onwards. Updates will appear below and I will attempt to keep abreast not only of what is being said by Messrs Brown, Cameron and Clegg themselves, but also by online commentators. ========================================================== 20:04 YouGov/Sun pre-debate poll: Conservatives 37 (-4), Labour 31 (-1), Lib Dems 22 (+4). This is a real boost for Nick Clegg ahead of tonight's debate as that 4 point improvement is greater than the margin of error, indicating real progress for the Lib Dems. 20:10 Lance Price on Radio 4 insists that Tony Blair would never have ...
There's a report on the Hendon Times' website of my doorknocking activities in the constituency. Just to say that I've really been enjoying getting out and about and meeting people locally, and speaking to people on the phone. The internet is a great way to communicate, but there's nothing quite like actually talking to people for real, so that they can question me and tell me what they think. So I hope to speak to many more people as the campaign continues, and "thank you" to everyone who's made the time to speak to me so far.
I borrowed Paddy Ashdown's autobiography A Fortunate Life from Oadby Library today. The return date is 6th May. Not sure if that bodes well or ill for Polling Day.
Today's election campaign has been something of a rest-day for the leaders, with no major set-piece launches or interviews, as all three focus on tonight's televised leaders' debate. The preparations have dominated the political news all day, with intense speculation about who'll win, and indeed whether anybody will win. In the two video clips below, Nick Clegg speaks about how he's feeling ahead of the biggest night of his political life. But how are LDV's readers feeling? Excited, nervous; both, neither? Clegg on debate preparations – Nick Clegg has spoken about his nerves and how he has been preparing for ...
Good news that the British Chropractic Association has seen sense and dropped its ridiculous libel case against Simon Singh. Two cheers for our libel ...
Well, I couldn't *not* do it, could I? Here's my placeholder down now; plenty more to come from 8pm if you fancy joining in with some comments. In addition I'll probably chip in a bit on Mark Thompson's live chat while trying to type AND watch the whole ghastly thing unfolding live from Manchester England England (Front Row on R4 has featured the latest unnecessary West End revival of Hair, and thus there's an earworm). Multitasking, hah. 8.23pm - Radio 4 a little behind the zeitgeist there in the pre-match build-up; "Worcester Woman" is so 2005, it's supposed to be ...
I am at the Orwell Prize 2010 Shortlist event and the shortlisted blogs have just been announced. Here they are hot off the press: Hopi Sen Jack Of Kent Penny Red Madam Miaow Tim Marshall Winston Smith Well done and good luck to them all for the announcement of the winner on 19th May!
In what is another attack on the LibDems and certain sterotypes around them, one Conservative blogger has taken it upon himself to make a spoof blog about a fictitious LibDem candidate. The blog talks about it being a 'local' election and features an older person with a rosette as the so called candidate playing on their ...
You know, if I'd been a mischievous journalist, I'd have been tempted this morning to call a few of the more rentaquote politicians around and tell them that all flights in the UK had been cancelled because of a threat from overseas. Would have been fun to see just what sort of quotes you would ...
Over at the Total Politics website, LDV Co-Editor Mark Pack has penned an open letter to the party leaders ahead of tonight's televised debate. Mark offers six pieces of advice, ranging from the obvious (or you'd think they'd be obvious), such as "Behave" to the more oblique, "Be ready for the worms". Here's an excerpt: "Drunkard", "useful idiot" and "dickheads" - all terms from one of the 2006 Italian debates between Prodi and Berlusconi - are best avoided, as is this quote from a 2004 Czech debate: "You're lying as you always have. That's you all over - a liar ...
I spent a very happy few hours in Woking town centre on Wednesday with a group of student volunteers who have been giving up a week of their holiday time to work with us on the campaign trail. More on them later in the week. We found a good spot near the Wolsey Place shopping centre ...
A lot of the traffic on the Lib Dem blogosphere, and rightly so, about Nick Clegg's chances in tonight's debate. Of course, it is a great opportunity for a leader of a third party to be given equal billing with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition for the first time in British political history. I am confident that Nick will grasp the opportunity. He has surpassed expectations at every turn during the election campaign so far, particularly on Monday during his grilling by Jeremy Paxman and at the manifesto launch yesterday. The public is warming to him, ...
Got out early today to get the ten signatures to nominate me as a candidate for Parliament. Then down to Gateshead Civic Centre to get our paperwork checked. It passed then I had to pay £500 for my deposit (I thought I should pay, to reinforce my confidence we will get more than 5%, the threshold for getting it back!) and I was approved! Labour had returned their nominations and I believe the Tory agent was queuing behind me to get their papers in! I have also heard word that the BNP will be standing. I am a believer in ...
Hat Tip to Paul S for pointing me to this dispute on Stumbling and Mumbling. I tend to be on his side here about the supposed wickedness of Syrup in how he interviewed this character. You enter this sphere, you have to face its rules. Any other party. Etc Etc But my question is more basic. ...
In case you missed yesterday's launch of the Lib Dem manifesto – and want to catch up ahead of tonight's first debate – here are two treats for you. First, the BBC report of the launch. And then Nick's speech at the launch ... in full. Lib Dems to unveil 'fair' pledges – The Liberal Democrats present their election manifesto, saying it is a "serious" plan for government voters can "trust". And now here's Nick's speech launching the manifesto: Every manifesto needs to have an idea at its heart. The basic idea that animates this manifesto is something I have ...
I see Ken Clarke believes that the Scottish Conservative manifesto should "strike a chord" with the Scottish people... Alas I think he is mistaken, I think it is more likely to ring a bell- and the dwindling support for the Conservatives north of the border seems set to continue: having hoped for at least five seats, they are now favourites in only two. The Conservatives thus seem set to remain very much a party on the fringes of Scottish politics. People have not forgotten nor forgiven the outrageous way that the Conservatives behaved under both John Major and Margaret Thatcher. ...
I've just spotted this rather fine example of how the "MSM", in this case the Daily Telegraph, make fast and loose with the facts to get a good headline with which to stoke the prohibitionist panic: Law student who worked as an escort girl found dead after taking miaow-miaow A law student who led a double life as an escort was found dead in her flat - after taking a cocktail of drugs including miaow-miaow, an inquest heard. By Laura RobertsPublished: 5:02PM BST 15... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and ...
I was off to Chelmsford again today to help Stephen Robinson become the next MP for the constituency. Stephen and his team are defiantly shaping the campaign.The local paper are holding a rather unusual hustings. They have invited all the candidates to stand on a soap box in the town centre asking questions from passing crowds.Stephen immediately took up the offer as did the Labour candidate.
Three new polls cpublished today: YouGov in the Sun ... CON 41%(+2), LAB 32%(+1), LIB DEM 18%(-2) ComRes for the Independent/ITV ... CON 35%(-1), LAB 29%(-2), LIB DEM 21%(+2) Harris for Metro ... CON 36%(-1), LAB 27%(nc), LIB DEM 23%(+1) What does all this mean for Anthony Wells' UK Polling Report 'poll of polls' average? Well, there's no change from yesterday: Con 38% (n/c), Lab 31% (+1%), Lib Dem 20% (n/c) So far, as Mark Pack has already blogged, the general trend for the Lib Dems is upwards – and that was before yesterday's good publicity for the Lib Dem ...
There's a lot of Vince Cable love out there. You just have to admire the originality of the people who keep these amazing videos coming. Sex Pistols yesterday, Europop today, what will tomorrow bring? Sadly, Dr Cable may be Almighty but he isn't invinceable (get it?) He was grounded, like everyone else in the country by some massive cloud of volcanic ash. Former Scottish Lib Dem Leader Nicol Stephen stepped in to accompany Willie Rennie to visit a motorcycle shop in Dunfermline which has been badly let down by Labour's failure to get the banks lending to sustainable businesses. Nicol ...
funeral yesterday of the Pelton lad killed in Labour's war. None too sensitive of the labour politicos turning up and intruding on private grief a bit stomach-churing for this sensitive lad. Choose life.
Apparently, there are those in Newport East who are surprised by the volume of leaflets emanating from the Liberal Democrats. They will no doubt be interested to hear that there will be more to come. Some of that will come in the form of letters, a few hundred of which were stuffed by me on Monday morning. Yes, there was more clerical work to be done, as Ros's efforts to rally the troops moved on to Gwent. We were met by Mike German, former leader of the Liberal Democrats in the Welsh Assembly, and now focusing his vast experience on ...
[IMG: Three Party Leaders] If you can't get to a TV or are in the car, the you can still catch the Leadership Debate live at 8.30 tonight on BBC Radio 4 or Radio 5
Expectations are horrendously low for Gordon Brown as a result of the fact that most of us have known him as a politician for nearly 20 years and have seen his transformation from clunking-fist to hulking-brooder. In the early 90s, Brown was a fearful opponent to Tory Chancellors. He spun and smeared effectively, and had the ...
After all the anticipation, tonight sees the first of the live televised leaders debates, from 8.30 pm on ITV1. We suspect this may just attract some interest among LDV readers, and so we've teamed up with Mark Thompson of the award-winning Mark Reckons blog to co-host a live-chat for the three debates. Join us here from 8.30 pm (or a little earlier if the excitement escalates to fever-pitch sooner) ... Leader Election Debate Live Chat – 1
Earlier today I wrote about Andy Johnson's research on the importance of where candidates are placed on the ballot paper. I have just spoken to him and it turns out that he presented further, intriguing findings to the British Psychological Society's Annual Conference today. The point I discussed this morning was that, when purely random choices are asked for, it is better to be in the middle of the ballot paper rather than at the top or bottom. As Mark Pack pointed out, research in the past has suggested that it is better to be first on the paper. I ...
Not only that, but a couple of real papers, from the Macroeconomics blog I subscribe to. The first has empirically proven something that motivates monetary thinkers like Scott Sumner, who depend (too much, you might say) on the idea of the Fed working through expectations management. The basic view is very simple: the Fed can achieve ...
Dr Ashley Weinberg from the University of Salford presented a paper about stress in MPs to the British Psychological Society's Annual Conference today, and I have just spoken to him about it. He has been looking at this subject for some years now, and his latest study compared figures he obtained between the summer of 2009 and the spring of this year with those from just after the 2005 general election. In each case the samples contained more than 30 MPs. Although the questionnaires were completed anonymously, Dr Weinberg collected enough demographic information to be sure he was comparing like ...
So the time is finally upon us. At 8:30pm tonight we will finally see the first ever debate between the three main party leaders during a General Election campaign in the UK broadcast live on ITV1. I know they have been doing this in the US for the last 50 years but you know, it takes us a little while to catch up! Anyway, to mark this auspicious occasion, we are running a Live Chat on here which will also be running simultaneously on Lib Dem Voice. Myself and Stephen Tall will be moderating. We will also be running these ...
The Lib Dems are well aware of the stakes. For their moment in the spotlight, they chose a focused, costed and serious political message. The Guardian - 15th April 2010 The Liberal Democrat manifesto contains more extensive and more detailed tax and spending proposals than those of the other main UK parties. Institute for Fiscal Studies - 14th April 2010 The [Liberal Democrats] deserve credit for costing its promises... unlike the Tories who hid their sums because they know the figures don't add up. The Mirror - 15th April 2010 They've got by far the most ambitious tax and spending ...
Following on from Nick Clegg's visit to Luton South in recent month I was pleased to welcome Liberal Democrat President Ros Scott to Luton to visit the Carnival Arts Centre. As the Council portfolio holder for arts when the centre was being planned it was great to return with Ros to meet with the team there to see the great work they are doing. A key focus of the centre is highlighting our diverse and united community here in Luton. With the Luton Carnival just around the corner it was a pleasure to see all the beautiful costumes people at ...
Here is the latest poll figure from each polling company for the Lib Dems, compared with the figure in its first poll in March (excluding those companies without a recent poll or who didn't poll in March): Angus Reid: 18%, 22% (+4) BPIX: 18%, 20% (+2) ComRes: 20%, 21% (+1) Harris: 18%, 23% (+5) ICM: 18%, 20% (+2) Opinium: 16%, 17% (+1) Populus: 21%, 21% (nc) YouGov: 16%, 18% (+2) And some good news from the Lib Dem – Tory marginals in the marginals poll run in today's Telegraph: The poll found that the Tories would pick up 74 of ...
Being a parliamentary candidate gives one great privileges and opportunities. This includes visiting local breweries. Hesket NewMarket Brewery has a very special place in my heart. I helped organise Tim Farren's 2005 campaign in Westmorland and Lonsdale and we celebrated Tim's victory with two barrels of their excellent beer. If we win this one we might have to order an extra barrel!
David Cameron has tried to downplay the value of the three leaders debates by claiming without audience reaction and interaction they may be meaningless and sterile. Of course, as the Lib Dem's have pointed out on the radio this morning, it was Cameron's team and the Tories who insisted on this sterile environment for the debates. Isn't it just typical of how vaccuous Cameron is ? If he really wanted the debates to have more meaning, why were his team so keen to lock them down to be so restricted ?
Late afternoon and evening was spent in the unique Cumbrian mountain village of Alston. The biggest issue here is transport. If you look at the sign on the picture you'll see that Alston relates to the north east as well as Cumbria. Alston is quite simply a long way away from anywhere else which gives it a unique character and means that issues of rural isolation, important in the rest of Cumbria, are even more relevant to this town. It was difficult to deliver our newspaper in Alston as everyone was so friendly and wanted to chat! We were even ...
I will be Liveblogging the Leaders Debate later here, starting at about 8ish. Well, hell, it doesn't often happen. I've installed a whizzo device (plugin) which allows me to Tweet updates which will accumulate in a blog here entitled "Live Blogging the Leaders debate". But there is already a vast debate going on about what hashtags to use! I will be using #leadersdebate unless someone comes up with a better/more gernerally used one. Why can't it be simply #ld ? That would be brilliant – Liberal Democrats. Other suggestions are: #gonick , #bbcdebate , #leadersdebates. Any others? I like #leadersdebate ...
I was really disappointed to read two new articles on the ongoing ugly spat over donations and expenses between Mike Weir and Alberto Costa. Angus residents really do deserve better from their prospective representatives. I highlighted how this spat has become national news in my previous post, which you can read by clicking here. The whole sordid affair reflects badly on Angus and I had hoped that the matter would end there. Unfortunately the argument has continued to rumble on. Firstly The Daily Record highlights how Alberto Costa's campaign received £10,000 from Swiss banker, Henry Angest, funnelled through a City ...
Nick Clegg, in one respect, has already won. Being able to be on the stage despite the fact that he has zero chance of being Prime Minister is a great coup. In some ways though, he deserves it. This is still a parliamentary system, and Clegg is representing Lib Dems up and down the country. What ...
There have been suggestions that finding £5 billion from more effective compliance measures is a 'pie in the sky' figure. So here's another organisation who claim that it can be done. Here's what they have to say... Our objective is to reduce tax losses by an additional £4 billion in 2010-11 and tax credit losses by £1 billion by 31 March 2011. What we are going to do. 1. Improve support for those who are willing and able to pay the tax due and claim what they are entitled to 2. Improve support for those who are willing but need ...
I want to be the voice for change and fairness and fight for the issues facing those who live and work here. I feel the country has been let down by Labour and that South Norfolk in particular would suffer under the Tories who are out of touch with the ordinary person on the street. Their policies are all about looking after their wealthy supporters. Their stranglehold on South Norfolk must be ended. The following is my personal contract with the people of South Norfolk and, whether you vote for me or not, please hold me to it if I ...
Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have launched in their latest crusade by seeking to indict the Pope. It's not the humourless arrogance that I mind; rather it's the muddling up of issues and the ignorance of the law. Contrary to what Dawkins and Hitchens (and Monbiot) argue, putting the Pope on the dock will not bring any justice. The accusation of crime against humanity is not based on
The link is to Birmingham's Resiliance Team's website which deals with various issues including the Icelandic Volcano.The subsection is here with a nice picture (if a bit small) of the volcano itself.Birmingham's civil contingency processes have been working quite well in recent years.
Labour seem to want to have it both ways – keep the FPTP electoral system (well change to AV which helps Labour mostly) yet sometimes say EVEN IN LIB DEM SEATS or where the Tories have no chance that it's between a Labour or a Tory Government. My answer is to give the correct figures last ...
The "no applause" rule imposed on the studio audience for the three leaders' debates has been widely ridiculed. The only purpose it serves is to protect the leaders from audience scrutiny. So here's how a leader could get tonight's historic first debate off the ground with an instant plus to them: Spend the last 5 seconds of your opening remarks stating that this rule should be scrapped, and ask the other leaders if this is OK with them. First, this would go down well with the public. It would show a willingness to shake things up. Second, it would go ...
David Cameron has it all to lose. Ahead in the polls, looking comfortable, managed extremely well by his backroom team, and financed to the hilt. He could say nothing else and cruise to victory, of that I'm still certain. Despite that, Cameron, is going to win the debate, and he will do so simply by looking ...
Post-mortems there will be aplenty in the coming weeks; it seems to be a near certainty that regardless of the outcome on May 6th the present Labour Government will not continue in its present form. Even if Brown somehow defies predictions and Labour remains the largest party following the election, it seems near-impossible on present ...
Nick Clegg has done an interview and video clip for ONE Vote 2010, a campaign group "committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa". Here's a sample: What would you do to secure a global climate deal that helps people living in poverty? Would you ensure that climate funding is additional to current and promised aid flows? The Liberal Democrats have long been at the forefront of the environmental agenda and have a record of campaigning for ambitious action on the environment and climate change. At the heart of our thinking on climate change is ...
It's tired already. The soundbites, the leaflets, the screaming newspaper headlines - when it's this hysterical from the start, what will it be like come May? So what's the real truth? Voting Lib Dem might let Labour in! Voting Tory might let Labour in! Voting Green might let Labour in! Voting UKIP might let Labour in! Voting Labour might even let Labour in! Voting Lib Dem might let the Tories in! Voting Labour might let the Tories in! Voting Green might let the Tories in! Voting UKIP might let the Tories in! Voting Tory might even let the Tories in! ...
For those who planned a holiday now to avoid the election, this must be a terrible day. Airports closed due to ash in the air from an Icelandic volcano. Airspace closed, planes grounded. Holidaymakers stuck in the UK. Maybe this is Iceland's reply to the UK's decision during the banking crisis to use terrorism powers to seize Icelandic assets.This morning I had a very useful meeting with
When they released their five rules for bonuses, I was worried that they were getting involved in a hate-auction rather than trying to design sensible policies. Ben Chu of the Indie took the other view, saying "I think I prefer it when sales people are paid a fair wage and have some professional pride in the quality ...
Total Politics asked me to pen some words of advice to the party leaders ahead of tonight's first TV debate. Here's what I said: Dear Party Leader, The impact on campaigns of debates in other countries shows how your debate could be not only be historic but also campaign changing. Lower expectations The lower the expectations voters and journalists have of your debate performance before it takes place, the more likely you are to come out as triumphant. So follow the well worn tradition and get your PR people to invert their usual insistence to all and sundry that you ...
The Liberal Democrat Manifesto was launched yesterday. It's being produced in all sorts of versions, including audio and Easy Read. Here is a link to the manifesto on the website.
It would be fair to say that,as a bureaucrat, my natural environment is a clerical one. Envelope stuffing, leaflet batching, these are the tasks that this bureaucrat was designed to carry out. And so I was pleased to discover on arrival at the headquarters of the Cardiff Liberal Democrat campaign, that there was clerical work to be done. I was reunited with my jacket, wallet, Oyster card and the Party mini camcorder in a touching ceremony, before throwing myself into a flurry of envelope stuffing on behalf of Dominic Hannigan, our candidate for Cardiff South and Penarth. There was plenty ...
All the official paperwork is done. I am now validly nominated as the Lib Dem candidate in the Garston and Halewood Constituency. It's always a relief when the paperwork is sorted.. and four days ahead of deadline too!
For a small nation that has the most extortionate priced beer the world has ever seen, Iceland is certainly punching above its weight on the world stage of late. As if they weren't happy enough to contribute to the financial downfall of a number of our councils and other public offices and the mighty West Ham ...
I know I am biased but I really do think that this party election broadcast from the Lib Dems is excellent. Uplifting, direct and gets our key policies across very clearly as well as being stylistically impressive. It is no doubt helped by the beautiful haunting Brian Eno track used throughout. Oh, and I am assured that every single piece of paper was cleared up afterwards!
News reaches me that the Conservatives have failed to put a candidate up for an East Riding of Yorkshire Council by-election on the May 6th. The ward, Willerby and Kirk Ella, has been held by the Conservatives since the last lot of local elections but one of their councillors had to resign. In failing to ...
This General Election has a totally different feel to previous ones. One of the biggest changes for candidates has been the proliferation of media. In past elections, an ordinary parliamentary candidate either had to do something very idiotic to get press coverage (not recommended) or try to squeeze into the shot when a major visitor was in town, such as a party leader. Hence many shots in the past of local candidates standing as close to their party leaders as they can, grinning over their shoulder whilst their leader is being interviewed in the hope that they might be spotted ...
A quick round-up of stories in the news recently: In January 2010 the Electoral Commission, the independent party finance watchdog, began a case review following concerns raised in the independent auditor's opinion about the adequacy of the 2008 statement of accounts of the British National Party. The case has now become an investigation. However, it is important to note – particularly during an election period – that no conclusion has been reached and therefore no assumption should be made as to whether a breach of the rules has occurred. (Electoral Commission) A [WALSALL] CONSERVATIVE councillor has been suspended and is ...
Today Marjory Bisset (Green candidate) and I have signed a pledge to conduct a Clean Campaign. We invite John Redwood, Mark Ashwell, George Davidson, Ann Zebedee and "Top Cat" Owen to sign up too.
Henry Porter writes in The Guardian: By far the best undertakings on liberty come in the Liberal Democrat manifesto, which is hardly surprising, given that it has been stalwart in its defence of liberty under all three of its leaders since the last election. Nick Clegg's attack on Labour's authoritarian streak is especially welcome and will be significant if there is a hung parliament on May 7, which - astonishingly - is what 32% of voters desire. The party will introduce a freedom bill, regulate CCTV, reduce local council surveillance, restore the right to protest, protect free speech, offer guarantees ...
Regular readers of my blog will know that my previous posts have highlighted the less-than-honest tactics of the Islington Labour party in the current fight in Islington, particularly in the south which is a highly marginal seat. Just take a look HERE and HERE. So no surprise to learn that they've been up to their usual ...
Mark Prisk is the Conservative MP for Hertford & Stortford (a currently safe seat). He is a "a born and bred Cornishman" (in his own words). Indeed, before becoming MP for a Hertfordshire seat he tried and failed to win a seat in Cornwall in 1997. Fortunately for Mr Prisk, all the seats in Cornwall are held by the Liberal Democrats and consequently there are no Conservative MPs. So to boost their campaigning presence, David Cameron made Mr Prisk "Shadow Minister for Cornwall" in 2007 (somebody set up a local PriskWatch site then but it doesn't seem to have been ...
Ok not quite the Runes although I do really want to know what the Druids do make of Dave's policies. However, yesterday Gordon Brown said he's made a mistake over the banks, he listened to them and not to anyone else's opinion. Yeah listening to business telling you something is a great idea is not always the best way to form stable policy. Now who is it that David Cameron has been promoting as being behind his tax policies? Oh yeah, that's right business. Is there another opinion? Actually yes. Over 50 economists are warning that Tories plans for cuts ...
There is a second election taking place in Luton South on 6th May. A by-election for the local council is taking place at the same time as the general election. Confusingly the by-election is in the South ward of Luton Borough Council which is in the parliamentary constituency of Luton South. It is all happening down south! The by-election is happening because Labour councillor Michelle Kiansumba was thrown off the Council because she has failed to turn up to meetings. She hadn't attended a meeting for more than six months. Although she did continue to claim expenses from the Council. ...
I've blogged before about how if you are under 40, nearly half the seats in the country have never changed hands since you were born. That isn't a system that gives real power to people's votes. Nor is it a system in which MPs are held accountable for their behaviour. Now this great map has been put together illustrating the point (click on map for larger version): [IMG: Map showing how few seats change hands under first past the post] Credit: http://www.astr.is/electionmaps/index.html
Being able to see the approach to Edinburgh Airport from parts of the office there is a bizarre emptiness to the sky at the moment.There are not only no vapour trails but also no planes making their approach or take off from Edinburgh airport. This is the result of the volcanic explosion in Iceland and although the thick doesn't affect mainland Britain, it may be marginal in the northern Shetlands, there is ash present in the air. International civil aviation is to declare a no fly zone as the ash, rock or glass in the air may affect aircraft engines. ...
News reaches us via intrepid legal blogger Jack of Kent that the British Chiropractic Association has dropped its legal action against science writer Simon Singh by issuing a 'notice of discontinuance.' As Jack succinctly puts it: The case is over.Too right - a great many congratulations to Simon, and to the thousands of people that now support the Campaign for Libel Reform.Simon's case may well
The Western Mail's Chief Political Reporter has taken an objective and hard-nosed look at all the party's manifestos and found some fault with all of them. His article today however on the Liberal Democrats' offering is worth reading: Agree with their plans or not, at least the Lib Dems have done what we have a right to expect of all parties aspiring to high office: they've set out what they would do in quite precise terms. Why couldn't the other parties have done the same? Indeed!
Our party political broadcast is up on Youtube, and I have to say it is the best one I have ever seen. No cheesy, animated jokes like Labour's, no cringe-inducing case studies like the conservatives, just an explanation of our policies by our leader in person. read more
Already this morning we've had a Conservative (Caroline Spelman, according to the BBC) very kindly remind us that David Cameron is only a human being, so nervousness is only natural. And not a lot of people know that. A bizarre thought came into my mind about 10 minutes ago too. What if Gordon Brown has been ...
Labour Assembly Member, Alun Davies has taken to twitter like a duck to water, however he does get carried away. Sometimes he provides a pithy insight into current events such as this one, at other times he appears to be just pouring out bile for the sake of it. His latest faux pas however has proved to be a tweet too far and has landed him in hot water in the Welsh press as well as giving the sitting MP for Blaenau Gwent some useful publicity. The Western Mail has the full story. They report that Alun has had to ...
YouGov: Con 41% Lab 32% Lib Dem 18% Others 9% Communicate Research: Con 35% Lab 29% Lib Dem 21% Others 15% Average: Con 38% Lab 31% Lib Dem 20% Others 12% Forecast House of Commons (on uniform national swing) Conservatives 298 seats (+88 seats) Labour 268 seats (-81 seats) Liberal Democrats 51 seats (-11 seats) Others 33 seats (+4 seats) Hung Parliament (Conservatives short by 28)
Pushed for time, but want to keep up-to-date with how the campaign's going? Here are today's must-reads ... Liberal Democrat manifesto: Tough but fair (Guardian) There's a warm welcome for the party's manifesto from the two progressive quality papers. Here's the Grauniad: Right now, the Liberal Democrats are in the midst of what may be the most important 48 hours of their entire election campaign. The manifesto launch suggests that the Lib Dems are well aware of the stakes. For their moment in the spotlight, they chose a focused, costed and serious political message. Unlike the design-led offerings of their ...
After the amazing campaign that Obama conducted, from relative obscurity, suspicion of being a terrorist and being up against the full force of the Hillary Clinton Primary campaigning team, there have obviously been many people trying to emulate various elements of his campaign and style in general. Every party leader has trying to use some of ...
Well - it's been a long time coming - but tonight's the night. The three Party leaders will be in the nation's focus at 8.30pm tonight on domestic issues. Will a sweat drop on Gordon's lip lose him the election? I would hope it would be more his track record: closing our post offices, threatening to close the Whittington A&E, underfunding our children in Haringey schools unfairly - and dithering - not only over the election that never was - but also dithering at a crucial point over what to do about the economic melt down. If he had followed ...
So Chris Mounsey AKA Devil's Kitchen has decided to delete his entire blog history and start again in a less vituperative style following yesterday's appearance on The Daily Politics where he was torn into by Andrew Neil for his blogging style. There is some further blog reaction here, here and here. I can understand his decision. He mentions that his boss appeared to be none too pleased about the exposure he was getting following his appearance and of course he won't want to do anything to jeapordise his career. At the same time I can't help feeling a little sad. ...
The national manifesto released yesterday promised: "On council housing, we will change public sector borrowing rules so that councils are freed to borrow against their trading income. The Chartered Institute of Housing predicts that, with social housing grant, councils could build 100,000 extra homes in the first five years after self-financing, if public sector borrowing rules are changed. Even without grant, they could build half this number. Our pledge on empty homes will also deliver an extra 100,000 social homes." Sarah Teather MP commented: "Liberal Democrats have spent the last thirteen years calling for reform of the outrageous Housing Revenue ...
I've written previously about my expectation that we'd see a worm grace the stage during the televised party leader debates. However, whilst I speculated about the worm being in Channel 4's charge, looking to a traditional TV broadcast was just too old school of me. In fact, there will be a worm – but it's a Facebook worm. As their news release explains: With Britain's first ever prime ministerial debate taking place on Thursday, Facebook's 23 million UK users are being invited to participate in a mass "dial test" which will enable them rate the debates in real time and ...
When we come to prepare our manifesto for next year's local elections in Darlington, I shall be pressing for that document to include a promise of radical changes to Street Scene for major improvements in its performance.Here is one local resident's view of the mess that is commonly known as Street Scene in Darlington:"(Despite their claims) the Council do NOT litter pick in North Park four times
It is when a newspaper gets marketing and graphic design experts in to pass their judgement on the political manifestos that you know that political spin has started to eat itself. However, given that all the manifestos have most probably been put together with the aid of such experts I suppose it is fair comment. The two brought in by the Western Mail, Mike Jordan, a director at Newport-based design agency Bluegg and Jonathan Deacon, of Newport Business School, give an independent verdict on what each of the parties are trying to do and how well they have succeeded. Their ...
Slightly busy with the election at the moment! But I did find time to watch Paxman's interview of Nick Clegg on Tuesday. Interestingly Brown and Cameron had both refused to be interviewed by the terrifying Paxo, but having seen Nick's robust performance they have now realised that they have to submit as well or look like cowards. During Clegg's interview Paxo produced one of our local leaflets about the Save Kingston Hospital campaign. He tried to suggest that, by supporting our campaign, Nick was wrong-footing similar campaigns in other areas. The response was straightforward - he supported all campaigns to ...
Little time for updating this blog: there's an election on, you know: thousands of leaflets to deliver and doors to knock on, over 200 emails, and growing hourly, from voters and pressure groups to reply to (not to mention Churches Together's list of 58 questions!). However, a few highlights from our first week of full-on canvassing: knocking on the door of an elderly lady who helped run the
Today is the 21 Anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster in Which 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives. My thoughts are with the families and friends who lost their loved ones on that fateful day in Sheffield in 1989. My thoughts and admiration are also with those who tried so bravely to save the lives of ...
The advantage of visiting a campaign is that, at a pinch, you can fulfil just about any role for a little while and, on arrival in Hereford, it turned out that there was a bit of leafletting to be done. Now whilst I may not be the fastest across the ground, I'm persistent, and so I was happy to get out into the afternoon sun and do a little to help Sarah Carr defend Hereford and South Herefordshire for the ravening hordes of Conservatives. I was accompanied by Steph, whose husband, Chris, is a fellow member of the East of ...
[IMG: The railing that has been removed] Six months ago I decided to launch a campaign against Stroud Green's ugliest railings, with this post on my website. Since then I have been waging an email war with Haringey to try to get this ugly and pointless railing removed from near the Larrik pub (facing on to a quiet side street called Mount Pleasant Crescent). My quest has involved numerous false starts and set backs, and I have been passed between quite a few different council officers. Initially I was told it was not possible for anyone to inspect the railing ...
...is to find a candidate in the General Election with a website worse than this. Of course, it could be argued that the site reflects the candidate – many people find Phil Woolas to be particularly offensive, so his having a website that feels like a calculated and co-ordinated offensive against your eyes is pretty appropriate. ...
Compare and contrast these election campaign launches: Liberal Democrat candidate Qurban Hussain launched his campaign for Luton South by speaking about local and international issues at a packed public meeting at the Dallow Community Centre; "Over 400 people from all walks of life in our community attended the open meeting to show their support for the Liberal Democrats and my campaign to proudly represent our home in Westminster. During the meeting local residents themselves made speeches about the change our town and country needs and why they are supporting the Liberal Democrats." Labour candidate Gavin Shuker launches his campaign by ...
Yesterday, Vince Cable was at Nick Clegg's side as the Liberal Democrat manifesto was launched. Today he is in Scotland visiting Willie Rennie's campaign in Dunfermline and West Fife and Fred Mackintosh's in Edinburgh South. With a hat tip to the lovely Dr Chocoholic and with thanks to whoever it is who set up In Vince Cable, welcome to Scotland, Vince:
It is a sad reflection on the state of our democracy that the mis-named "Prime-Ministerial" Debate which is to take place tonight is the lead item on this morning's BBC Radio 4 News. "What," as Tony Benn might say, "about all the issues?" Hardly any commentators have pointed out that these debates are a retrograde step and pose a serious danger to our democracy. Here's why: they place too much emphasis on the "personality" of the leaders. Would Clement Attlee have accepted an invitation to a TV debate with Churchill had the facility been available, and if he had, would ...
My wonderful PR students at Edge Hill University are doing two great campaigns this year. One is for a West Lancashire charity called Home Start. The other is for the National Blood Service in Liverpool. In Liverpool their brief is to persuade employers in the Business District and City Centre to make it easier for staff to give blood at the Moorfields Centre. There's lots planned but this week they were not only out in Exchange Flags with the Blood Service van and stall - they also called in to Radio City and Radio Merseyside to get some coverage for ...
The Ladywell Village Improvement Group (LVIG) is hosting a hustings for Council hopefuls, and since part of Ladywell falls within the borders of Lewisham Central there I will be. The meeting takes place at 7.30pm on Wednesday 21 April at the St.Mary's Centre on Ladywell Road, SE13 (also within Lewisham Central borders). People are invited to submit ...
At the start of the Arnold Vinnick v Matt Santos debate in the final season of The West Wing Arnie while answering the first question says 'let's throw away the rule book and have a real debate'. I don't think that is going to happen tonight in the first of three Prime Ministerial debates on ITV, although I suspect that anyone brave enough to do so might just swing the vote in their favour. Instead we have the 76 rules to govern the three men who sek to be the next Prime Minister. The thing is unless you live in ...
You may have stumbled across a Facebook Group We got Rage Against the Machine to #1, we can get the Lib Dems into office!. The Group wasn't set up my Lib Dems on their page the founders say: "the group wasn't set up by lib dems, it was set up by Ben Stockman. He sent Jon Morter (creator of the RATM group) an email asking if he would mention the group. Jon liked the idea... and that's how it started - now we're growing at over 35% a day and rising!" And raging against the machine of the Labservatives is ...
It appears that, on occasion, there are risks in treating people in a vile manner. Yesterday, the leader of the Libertarian Party and angry blogger, Chris Mounsey aka Devil's Kitchen, met with a terrible fate, when his past unpleasantness caught up with him. In a brief interview with Andrew Neil, he was admittedly ambushed with a quote from one of his more angry postings, in which he expressed the wish that a union leader he disagrees with should "bleed to death". As someone who believes for the most part in playing the ball rather than the man, you might reasonably ...
I don't read Devil's Kitchen. Mat does, but I don't. I never found his tone or attitude quite to my tastes. BUT I was glad he was there, and always felt comforted that there was a place in the blogosphere and the wider world for a writer of his obvious talents. Today, DK was archived in favour of a new, cleaner, more wholesome DK... And I'm bloody petrified. If even DK can't hold out against the conformist hordes; if even a party where it says on the back of our frigging membership cards that we will fight to ensure nobody ...
Will be on BBC Essex at 9am on a panel taking Qs with http://www.labservative.com/ candidates. Listen live: http://is.gd/bt4B9 Labservative | Homepage www.labservative.com for more of the same
David Cameron is obviously getting his knickers in a little bit of a knot over the first of the leaders debates this evening with breaking news that he is already moaning about the structure of the debates saying that "the debate could be slow, sluggish, and may short-change the public." Why Cameron is going down ...
I didn't expect to hear much else about Paul Wiffen after his previous comments after all wouldn't you keep your head down and not try and offend anyone. However I noticed on Miss_S_B's blog that he has gotten in trouble again for different comments this time about the Queen. Now unfortunately I haven't been able to ...
I am quite frankly sick and tired of hearing some of the comments that keep coming my way regarding the Liberal Democrat PPC for Woking Rosie Sharpley and her alleged inability to complete the role of MP. She has been branded "almost inarticulate, and has suspect ethics. How anyone could feel proud to have such ...
Today the Liberal Democrat General Election Manifesto was launched. There are four key elements are: 1) Fair taxes: Raising the personal tax allowance to £10,000 which would reduce taxes for everyone earning £10k or more by £700. This is not an overall tax cut - but a redistribution with those on high earnings paying more. They will do this as result of a reduction in tax loopholes they currently exploit, for example reducing pension tax relief to the basic rate. There will also be a new mansion tax on houses worth more than £2m and some extra environmental taxes. 2) ...
The Liberal Democrats unveiled their manifesto yesterday but it was not to universal acclaim. David Cameron was telling the cameras that liberal voters should support him. You can see from my daily blogs that I spend a lot of time criticising the Tory position. There are plenty of reasons why liberal voters should vote for the Liberal Democrats. Gordon Brown still thinks we are called the Liberal Party. This may be a sign of ignorance if he is unaware of the Party's name but I don't think that this is the case. I think it is more likely that he ...
I grew up with the idea that it is best to come first on the ballot paper, but research being presented todaya paper being given at the British Psychological Society's Annual Conference suggests this may not be the case. Dr Andy Johnson of Coventry University is presenting preliminary findings of his research into whether position of a candidate's name on a ballot paper can influence people's voting. In his study 720 students took part in a mock election. They were asked to vote for one 'candidate' on a ballot paper of six candidates. Each candidate was represented by a meaningless ...
Tonight on ITV, Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron will be going head to head in a TV debate. This is the first of three debates that will be taking place in the run up to the General Election on May 6th.
Tonight on ITV, Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron will be going head to head in a TV debate. This is the first of three debates that will be taking place in the run up to the General Election on May 6th.
Tonight on ITV, Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron will be going head to head in a TV debate. This is the first of three debates that will be taking place in the run up to the General Election on May 6th.
Tonight on ITV, Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron will be going head to head in a TV debate. This is the first of three debates that will be taking place in the run up to the General Election on May 6th.
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