CONSERVATIVES: 34% (N/C) LIB DEMS: 29% (N/C) LABOUR: 28% (N/C) Changes based upon last time (yesterday). Sample consists of all polls with mid-point fieldwork dates within the last 10 days, including today (n=31). Includes all British Polling Council registered pollsters. The results above are the median figure for each party. Still, very little change. Tonight's ...
The Echo today ran an interesting piece on how women will vote. The vox pop included Louise Ford of Essex Mums. Louise lives in Southend West. This is what she said: A second contribution from Southend West came from Vanessa Dalton (not just a writer and mother of triplets, but also a talented singer) One of the two contributors from outside my patch was Sara Arrow - a virtual friend of mine. And the most convincing contribution from any of the candidates came from my good friend and party colleague, Susan Gaszczak
From the Echo, 3 May 2010.
A couple of days before Britain goes to the polls, and I think it's time for me to pin my colours to the mast. I don't mean I'm going to tell you I'm backing the Lib Dems, because if you haven't noticed by now you've probably got an issue. What I am going to do is say what I think the results will be, both by percentage breakdown and number of seats won and then what that'll mean in the terms of the next government. So, here we go. Percentage: Conservative: 36% Lib Dem: 28% Labour: 27% Seats: Conservative: 280-290 ...
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Today's event organised by Citizens UK and involving the the three party leaders is being reported as a triumph for Gordon Brown. Lenin's Tomb was there and did not see it quite like that: The organisers, though noisily non-partisan and offensively civil toward their guest speakers, were ultimately facilitators for the Prime Minister's travelling stage show. Their questioning of him was laughably meek, and laudatory. The only moment of real interest in the event was when a protester, whom I have since learned was an anti-nuclear campaigner, disrupted Brown's speech. The protester was pretty roughly man-handled and the audience booed ...
Labour's 'big society' video is pretty well thought out. It is not the normal impersonal, direct political campaigning that you usual find with political broadcasts. Nevertheless, the humourist element of the video should not be taken lightly – there is a serious point that needs to be taken on here, something Labour have highlighted quite well. The ...
With the increase in use of Smartphones and Push email and messenger services, is it possible in the not to distant future we will see the eventual end of SMS messenging? With twitter and other services further intergration it just strikes me that some of these services could potentially become more obsolete as others will ...
Out and about in West Edinburgh today. I spent hours delivering leaflets and my feet are very sore. Only 3 more days left and the excitment is building. The campaign has brought opportunity's to share tales with fellow activists. A favourite is one told by Vince Cable at a dinner I was at a few years ago. Vince, Lib Dem Economics sage and National Treasure, represents Twickenham a seat strikingly similar to my own Corstorphine and Murrayfield ward in that both have an International Rugby stadium and both have more than their fair share of very large houses. Vince was ...
Simon Hughes came over to Tower Hamlets this evening, to speak at a packed rally in support of the Liberal Democrat candidate for Bethnal Green & Bow, Ajmal Masroor, the borough's council candidates and myself (Poplar & Limehouse). He has taken a keen interest in the local party as it has developed since the 2005 election ...
My national campaign for Croydon Central is going well. Reaction on the doorsteps has been fantastic and we are seeing a big surge in support for the Lib Dems. This site is for Council issues and not for the national campaign so please visit the Croydon Lib Dems for further information about my plans for Croydon or visit the national site for our full manifesto. [IMG: peter-and-nick-clegg-crop.jpg]
Saturday evening Ian Martin came to dinner and we had a good old reminisce going back to the days when he was Secretary-General of Amnesty International, right the way through to his most recent appointment as Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Nepal. Now that he's based in London we hope to see a bit more of him. Yesterday I canvassed locally in the pouring rain, and found it particularly difficult to access the blocks of flats where the answerphones were all outside entry gates. If residents answered. they generally didn't allow me to enter the building, so I ...
We will raise the starting point of income tax to £10,000. This will be a tax cut of around £700 for most people, this has been accounted for and you can view the details on page 102 of the manifesto. Around 3.6 Million people will be completely exempt from income tax
Where ever I go, people, not normally involved in politics, tell me that they DO want change. That Nick IS the agent of change. A hung parliament WOULD be great. Political reform WILL give people a vote that counts. It will make politicians listen more, talk less. I came back on the tube today from the Trafalgar Square Lib Dem flashmob wearing my " I Agree with Nick" T-shirt. It was amazing (and not to say a tad disconserting) at how many people beamed great big smiles at me. A couple even winked at me (no that does not normally ...
Liberal Democrat Voice has an account and video of today's Liberal Democrat flashmobs. Also on Liberal Democrat Voice, which is clearly having a Good War, we learn that a number of celebrities have endorsed the party. And a pretty cool list it is too, though to my generation, John Noakes or Valerie Singleton would be more impressive than Floella Benjamin. We mentioned the other day that Nick Clegg had visited Redcar. Chris and Glynis Abbott have some photographs of the day. I love the Labour councillor at the end. Mars Hill has a Shirley Williams election broadcast and some television ...
Having moaned that my TARDIS was too full, I set on a quest to find another. The cardboard one I had appears to be the last of its kind – but I did manage to snag this beauty on eBay. It's a Panopticon '93 Officially licensed TARDIS – similar to this one on RetroTrader. Click to embiggen images. It's a little scuffed, but nothing a lick of paint can't fix. Of slight – very slight – annoyance is that it's a fraction too shallow to hold standard DVD cases and have the doors tightly shut. So I've decided to keep ...
A Ribble Valley councillor, sent a racially offensive joke on to a fellow councillor and an ex-Tory parliamentary candidate, who then sent it on to a long list of Tories, including the mayor of South Ribble. The e-mail, as well as being painfully ...
Thre polls published tonight: YouGov in the Sun ... CON 35%(+1) LAB 28% (nc) LIB DEM 28% (-1) Opinium in the Express ... CON 33%(-1), LAB 28%(+3), LIB DEM 27%(-1) ComRes for the Indy/ITV ... CON 37%(-1), LAB 29%(+1), LIB DEM 26%(+1) And one other poll by a non-BPC polling companies, with figures as follows: RNB Research ... CON 37%, LAB 28%, LIB DEM 26% Anthony Wells' UK Polling Report 'poll of polls' shows: CON 35%, LAB 27%, LIB DEM 28% With the Tories just 7-8% ahead of the Lib Dems and Labour, David Cameron will be pinning his hopes ...
Yesterday, when very tired and half-awake, I linked to a piece of conspiracy-theory nonsense because while it looked unlikely to me, it didn't look impossible. Today, looking at it fully awake, it's *clearly* impossible, so I've removed the link. Sorry for this lapse – the stress of campaigning is obviously getting to me.
I should remember to never talk about the weather. Yesterday doesn't appear to have been a blip in the generally sunny election we've been having, and the rain has returned. Typical Bank Holiday weather, of course, including a brief hailstorm, but really scuppers the best laid plans of deliverers and canvassers. That didn't stop electioneering from ...
Out on the General Election Stump at the North Somerset Show, Nailsea Fun Fair and Lower Claverham village May Day Celebration Ok so who won the prize? What a lovely cow... Question from members of the public at the Nailsea Fun Fair Meeting the UKIP Candidate
Both Lib Dem and Tory poster boards are going missing in the Broadland constituency and they seem to be linked to a Land Rover which has been seen in the vicinity of the poster boards on a number of occasions from various sources, particularly in the East of the Broadland constituency. We know from the Tories that they are having similar problems, and it appears that somone is trying to cause a turf war between the Tories and Lib Dems, I have to say, with no success. The Tories know it is not us and we know it is not ...
As I've already mentioned, one of my Fortis Green ward colleagues is standing down at this election - Cllr Sara Beynon. Sara has been great to work with over the last four years, a lovely person and a great member of the Lib Dem team. We're all sorry to see her go. I am standing for re-election on Thursday, along with my fellow Fortis Green Lib Dem Cllr Martin Newton. In Sara's place we have a great new candidate - Sophie Erskine. Sophie also lives locally and has already been getting stuck into the campaigning work. You can see the ...
Mon 3rd
21:15
The LDV Bank Holiday Monday caption competition - the "Nick Clegg meets Tardis" edition
There's no prize at stake - just the opportunity to prove you're wittier than any other LDV reader ... (Photo: Alex Folkes). Here's Nick Clegg campaigning with the Lib Dems' Manchester Withington MP John Leech at a primary school – but what do you reckon Nick's saying, or the kids (or John) are thinking? The winner of our most recent caption competition, the "David Cameron sucks bitter lemon" edition – according to The Voice's judging panel of one - was this one by Jen.
My last but one post about Hung Parliaments – which is really just the IoD on hung parliaments – has done so well over a sleepy weekend that I feel a little embarassed: I really added nothing! So I feel I should try to add something. My own scatter chart for once. I am going ...
More and more people are saying they support the Liberal Democrats. "As a once committed Labour voter I, like so many, have been appalled by the abandonment of the values they advocated while in opposition. For me, their conduct on asylum alone is reason enough never to be able to contemplate voting for them again. "Those ...
On Thursday we have the chance to do something different - to change our country for the better. You will doubtless hear from the old parties - they'll say that a Liberal Democrat vote is a wasted vote. It's not true. The only wasted votes will be votes for the old politics - more of ...
John Barnett, Liberal Democrat candidate for Dundee West, today addressed a hustings meeting sponsored by the University of Dundee and the College Union. It speaks volumes that the SNP candidate did not even bother to turn up. John is pictured at the university earlier today.
Nick Clegg addressed CitizensUK in London this afternoon, an event designed to bring together organisations campaigning for enhanced civil society. Here's an extract of what he said: (Also available online here).
The display of flowers at Seabraes is absolutely superb this year!
Brian Eno, Artist & musician discusses how we need a new voice, somebody to think differently, and that the Lib Dems can offer that. Find out about more people supporting the campaign: http://j.mp/ShowSupport and how you can get involved: http://j.mp/9G0ASr
Mon 3rd
19:55Today's Lib Dem Flashmobs - a planned, spontaneous, orderly uprising. All very liberal.
LDV reported on Saturday that the independent Lib Dem Facebook fan group LibDem2010.com – now numbering well over 163,000 members – had hit upon the idea of organising 'Flashmobs' up and down the country to demonstrate the support for Nick Clegg's party. Well, here's the result from Trafalgar Square, where scores of Cleggites actually followed through with the idea to spontaneously chant "I agree with Nick". LibDem2010.com's creator Ben Stockman posted the following message of thanks to those supporters who made it happen: Ben Stockman ... personally thanks all of the people that rocked up to Trafalgar Square earlier to ...
I am feeling really positive about the support I'm getting from residents in the Village, Knights Hill and East Dulwich. Not only that, I'm buoyed by the tremendous support I've been receiving in Herne Hill and Brixton. The number of people coming up to me to show their support is really moving and although I'm exhausted I'm really excited by the positive local feeling. I came second in the 2005 election with a swing of +9.2% (one of the largest swings in the country; see image below) and with this ground swell of support that both I and my party ...
I delivered leaflets about me in my ward today, with the help of my beloved Mat & the lovely Andrew Hickey. I spoke to a fair number of voters, and lots of them wished me luck. We did nearly all of Norwood Green, which is a gloriously beautiful village with all the amenities one could require (two pubs and a cricket pitch), and we did bits of Hipperholme and the hamlet of Priestley Green, and then we did lots of Hove Edge. Hove Edge is where two of our local tory councillors live. There were lots of expensive tory posterboards ...
The Herald reports: A Labour candidate in a key target seat is to appear in court next month after being charged with careless driving. Thomas Docherty, who is fighting the marginal Dunfermline and West Fife constituency, is alleged to have skipped a red light on June 18 last year, at Carnegie Drive in Dunfermline... He is trying to win back a constituency his party lost to the Liberal Democrats in a by-election in 2006. Labour won the seat at the 2005 General Election with a majority of more than 11,500. You can read the full story here.
Nick Clegg has been in Richmond today. After making a short speech he took questions from voters. The Liberal Democrats have built their message for this election around fairness without much mention of liberalism. Today though, Clegg defined what liberalism meant to him: Giving away powerTrusting people to make their own decisionsStarting off with the primacy of the individualWhatever happens after the general election it is clear that Clegg is now firmly in charge of his party. Perhaps Jock Coats is right and we should expect some 'rigorous liberalism' soon.
there is on solid labour household tho, the sitting new labour mp's mam and dad.
The prize surely goes to Richard Ali, Conservative candidate for Burnley: I've got balls and I know how to use them. The comment was made at a local student hustings.
I have been out delivering most of the day in Buckhurst Hill. With only a few days left, there are still many undecided voters we need to convince to vote Liberal Democrat.I bumped into the Conservative candidate for Buckhurst Hill West. She was out on her own delivering something or other and to be honest (and I know you expect me to be bias) she did look very down heartened. Even when I smiled
Whoever decided to make the last two Tory PEBs identical in style, 75% similar in content, have the same music and the same look in every way has, in my view, made a silly mistake. As soon as the PEB started, my first thought was "I've seen this before". My wife lost interest (and she's not political in any way) and said she'd seen it too. I wonder how many other people felt that too ? The problem is, as soon as someone thinks they've seen it before, they switch off, put the kettle on, lose interest in the finer ...
I will be a guest blogger and commentator on the Election Night on London's leading speech radio station LBC 97.3, therefore, I am looking for other LibDem bloggers who will be observing the election evening (either on a local or national level) from all across the UK. In order to find information, I will be using ...
you may notice a second or two of my clips
So the final weekend is here. This election seems to have been going on for ages. Probably since Gordon fudged his first real chance back in 2007 when we got 'the election we never had'.Luckily, although some may argue that a bank holiday is good after the election so that they have an extra day to unwind after the hectic campaign, we have had a bank holiday before polling day. This means I am
This is a personal plea to all my friends not to vote Labour on May 6th. I don't make it lightly; I've had drafts of this post in my head and on my laptop for weeks, only to be deleted and started over. I don't like singling out one party; I don't like telling my friends things they will find uncomfortable. I've come to the conclusion that this time, I won't be able to forgive myself if I don't speak up, for the sake of my own conscience and for the sake of people who have no vote, but depend ...
It has been suggested that I expand upon what I previously wrote here about the situation in Sri Lanka. As well as being deeply aware of the suffering of the Tamil people, I am very much aware that the Tamil Tigers have been a brutal terrorist organisation, responsible for killing many people. The Sri Lankan government is well within its rights to fight terrorism. However, I question some of the methods used by the government over the years, and I am critical of many aspects of how the post-conflict situation has been handled since 2009. When I call for alleged ...
I don't think that there is a big overlap between those who read my politics blog and those who read my photography blog so here is today's photography blog as a bonus... These photos were taken in Wray village which is to the east of Lancaster. They have a scarecrow festival each year at this time and I was there yesterday. There are themes to the scarecrows. There were some TV detectives and televison entertainment in general was a common choice. The residents put certainly put on a great show. I wonder how much time is given to planning as ...
Not that the press seem to have noticed, but international science journal Nature has just reported that one of the 22 prominent scientists who put his name to a letter to the Independent may not vote for them. Why is this relevant? In 2001 and 2005 Labour won the science vote by a walkover. Nature's survey reveals that this is no longer the case. To scientists and engineers, the solution to the financial crisis is clear. Science, maths, engineering and technology must be at the heart of the project to rebuild our economy. A paradigm shift is needed inside government ...
"Give us a shot, cos we're sick of this lot ... Are you all tired of the norm? Well now is the time for reform ... Cameron and Brown, well take a look at 'em now, We're going to rock those cats out of town"
Three days to go until the most significant General Election in generations. Significant because we have a genuine chance of changing politics, of doing away with the decades-old hegemony of the two old parties. The Liberal Democrats are poised to be at least the second-placed party in terms of the popular vote, if not the first-placed. That result would – because of our broken First-Past-The-Post system – put them in a position to be the smaller party in a coalition or at least to support another party in forming a government in the balanced parliament we can expect to wake ...
What, there's an election on? You mean you aren't here to see how many visitors I had in the last week? Damn. (If you were interested, here's the stats for the week beginning April 25th 2010) Site Views: 752 Unique Visitors: 300 Most Popular Story: Less Fink, More Think Most Used OS: WinXP (34.62%) Most Used Browser: Google Chrome (30.24%) Referrals: 310 Biggest Referrer: www.libdemblogs.co.uk Thanks to everyone who has read and commented over the past week. This week proves to be a very exciting one, for obvious reasons but my blogging will probably be fairly sporadic as I've got ...
So after a morning in Blackheath stalking Nick Clegg, I popped by Trafalgar Square to witness the London Liberal Democrat flashmob. Certainly got some attention from where I was standing and seemed to go very well. Although one man watching asked "This is all very well, but anyone here able to tell me who this Nick guy is?". Bless him.
When all the changes in party support in an opinion poll are within the margin of error. Pretty obvious stuff you'd have thought, but take a look at the Reuters headline for its new marginal seats poll: Poll shows late surge for Conservatives in swing seats Now look at the actual vote shares: Conservative 36% (+1) Labour 36% (-2) Lib Dem 20% (-1) In other words, all the changes are within the margin of error. This is not a poll result that justifies the "surge" headline, even though curiously Reuters does rightly describe the Lib Dem share as "steady" which ...
All together now: Give us a shot, cos we're sick of this lot ... Are you all tired of the norm? Well now is the time for reform ... Cameron and Brown, well take a look at 'em now, We're going to rock those cats out of town" (Created for BBC2's Newsnight, also available on YouTube here).
Today i found out that yet another politician has stolen one of my ideas! Labour have been publishing billboards which are trying to get children to make their parents vote labour. The words I used in my speech at the Spring Conference were: 'Children, get your parents to vote Lib Dem'. How dare Labour do this?? I think i'll be having a word with that Gordon Brown AKA the Prime Minister. Take those signs down-NOW!
Today I went to see Nick Clegg speak in Blackheath. When the battle bus arrived everyone was crowding around but Nick Clegg did not step out of it. Instead, he walked from around the corner. Then after Nick had made his speech a security guard said that Nick was getting into the Jaguar so everyone crowded around it but instead he got on the battle bus! I don't blame the guards for doing this because actually I pesonally, as one person, had caused alot of trouble already by stepping on people's toes when they covered my path to Nick. Even ...
Mark Pack has the story.
The Guardian's live general election blog quotes a Press Association story (which I can't find online) saying that the former Commons Speaker has described the current first-past-the-post system as unfair and said it "fosters disillusion and invites anarchy". It goes on to quote Betty Boothroyd as saying: The 21st century has no place for a system in which millions of voters are ignored because our elections are stacked against them ... After much thought, I believe the case for electoral reform has become unanswerable. If the opinion polls are right, many millions of votes, perhaps more than ever before in ...
The Guardian today seems to confuse application forms for postal votes with the actual ballot papers that postal voters receive: At the weekend David Monks, head of elections for the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives, called for a ban on political parties handling postal votes amid fears that activists are collecting ballot papers before forwarding them on in order to record the results in their canvassing process. This breaches a national code of conduct, but is not illegal. Activists taking postal ballot papers and then recording the voting intention from them would leave them open to legal action (e.g. ...
On a visit to Brecon and Radnorshire to meet serving and former service personnel, Lord (Paddy) Ashdown set out plans to improve family homes for the Armed Forces and make troops' pay fair. Liberal Democrats would double the number of forces' family homes refurbished each year and ensure that no service man or woman goes into harm's way on less basic pay than a new recruit to the police force. Action would also be taken to ensure the Armed Forces have enough of the right kit through a Strategic Security and Defence Review, to take place shortly after the election. ...
Mon 3rd
14:00
At the one world cultural festival in central park. Wide range of different stalls for all the famil...
At the one world cultural festival in central park. Wide range of different stalls for all the family.
The Guardian on Saturday has an interesting little article on the power of election smears. This is in light of the smears by papers on their championed political party rivals such as the Daily Mail's Nazis smear on Nick Clegg. The article examines how much damage a smear actually does. According to studies they found that if a dodgy fact fits with your prejudices then you will believe it and a correction only reinforces your prejudices rather than put them right. So this means that it could persuade people who were moving in a different voting direction back to their ...
The degree to which celebrity endorses for a political party really help is often debated. There is the occasional figure who, through their popularity and respect in which they are held, almost certainly does have an impact on people. More generally, it's the overall pattern which helps show which way the political winds are blowing. On both scores, it's good to see the latest set of high-profile people who have come out as voting Liberal Democrat this time: Floella Benjamin - presenter and children's rights campaigner: "I am supporting the Liberal Democrats because one of their key pledges is to ...
Money is tight. We all know that. That's no reason why however we cannot have an ambitious and really progressive tax switch, and that's what the Lib Dems propose... We'd up your annual, income tax-free personal allowance to £10,000. That would take 3.6m of the lowest-paid working people and pensioners out of income tax altogether, and it would mean a £700 tax cut for most other working people. We'd pay for this with measures such as the mansion tax on all homes worth over £2,000,000. Compare that to the Tories' tax pledge: increase the threshold at which inheritance tax is ...
Having been caught red-handed indulging in the crime of treating - supplying free food and drink to voters to influence their vote - Jack Straw is planning to do it again this evening. Treating is a criminal offence for which the maximum sentence is a year in prison. As a corrupt electoral practice, it also carries disbarment for life from both the House of Commons and House of Lords. Straw has already flagrantly broken this law in an election rally at Jan's Conference Centre on 25 April. Several hundred Blackburn Muslims were given free meals at a vote Jack Straw ...
One month ago I made my way to Watford for some leafleting, envelope stuffing and Nick Clegg spotting. What a difference a month makes. In Watford there was a large crowd, carefully managed but cheerful with a quiet, respectful media. At Blackheath there was a mass of people pushing and shoving to see Nick Clegg, excitement palpable in the air and angry Labour supporters desperately joshing to get on camera (of which there were a great amount). Foreign journalists jostled to get good positions and questioned people as to why they were voting Lib Dem. I heard a Spanish journalist ...
Can't believe it's so long since I put anything on here. Gordondum and Daviddee Agreed to have a battle; For Gordondum said Daviddee Had spoiled his nice new rattle. Just then flew down a smiling Clegg All bright & shiny yellow; Which frightened both the heroes so, They quite forgot their quarrel.' And then did the only thing they have ever agreed on: joining forces to crush the Clegg. Don't let it happen VOTE LIB DEM [with apologies & acknowledgments to Lewis Carroll]
A quick explanation for people who are new to pouring over the details of polls and, as several people have commented, are confused by the conflicting figures given for whether a party is up or down and if so by how much in a poll. Different polling companies use different methods, so comparing – say – an ICM poll with a previous BPIX poll isn't comparing like with like. Therefore when looking at a poll it makes sense to calculate up/down figures based on the previous poll by that polling firm. However, polling firms often do work for more than ...
Ian Swales and supporters get ready to greet Nick Clegg Ben Sheperia, Steven Abbott and Chris Abbott Ian Swales and the Battle Bus Nick Clegg and Ian Swales face the cameras George Selmer, Becky Selmer and Glyn Nightingale watch on as Nick and Ian enter the hall Nick Clegg addresses the audience Nick Clegg listens to Redcar Folk... ...but who let these Labour Councillors from Middlesbrough in? Pictures by Amanda Proud
I am filled with anger at the latest news from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I know that no British government can wave a magic wand and solve every problem, but more can and must be done by the international community, including Britain. My party's Shadow Foreign Secretary, Ed Davey, put it well in his speech at the Lib Dem party conference. This is the sort of foreign policy I want to see for Britain, as outlined in the speech - why not read it and see if you agree with me? With the Lib Dems remaining ahead of ...
I have been thinking about the big society for a while, as I'm sure many people have been who have been trying to figure out exactly what it is suppose to be. What I have been considering is if it is actually better to call it the "active community" as that seams to be the ...
Rob of W asked me to expand on my comments regarding the amount of social housing in Westminster so here's a few more facts and figures. CityWest manages 22,000 homes on behalf of Westminster Council, of which 9,000 have been sold to private tenants. This information comes directly from CityWest. Of the remaining 13,000, there ...
The usual fascinating discussion at the Shadow MPC. Here, for me, is the nub. Or one of the nubs: Roger Bootle said that business investment would not occur in the face of strong excess capacity. Peter Warburton disagreed and said that businesses do not view investment potential in the same way as macroeconomists do. The ...
Here then are the scores on the doors for 2010 so far, listing the number of reports I've made: 127 graffiti 21 dumped rubbish from the corporate sector 65 dumped rubbish from private individuals 2 road name sign issues 5 utility cabinets issues 9 street lights not working 19 pot holes 24 other issues ... for a grand total of 272 reports so far this year, a rate which if kept up through the year would produce a total of 816 by 31 December, the same as the projection from last month. And there I was thinking last month had ...
Posted by Chris Coatham Memorial Hall was packed for Nick Clegg's visit to Redcar last night. The enthusiastic audience even included Labour Councillors from Middlesbrough Barry Coppinger, Len Junier and John McPartland who assured me they had been invited by the BBC. I wonder why? They are pictured above seated directly behind Pat Swales, wife of Lib Dem Candidate Ian Swales. The UKIP candidate for Redcar also sneaked in. Retiring MP for Harrogate, Phil Willis, making his second campaign visit to Redcar, warmly welcomed the Labour and UKIP observers and impressed us all with his knowledge of the area and ...
Many things are uncertain over the coming days. Will there be a hung parliament? Will Labour finish third? Will Cameron pull it off at the last? Are the Liberal Democrats on the brink of a role in government? How would a coalition government look? How would electoral reform change the way our political process takes ...
There appears to be a general election, so I thought I'd join the mountain of information, misinformation and propaganda clogging up the media. I find a lot to dislike in most policies from all parties. Mind you, policies are at best a suggestion, rather than a programme, bearing no resemblance to the 'finished product' of implementation. Ideology having been long defunct, it is rhetoric that
Mon 3rd
11:00
Traders expect a 8.1% swing against Labour in Islington South & Finsbury: betting spreads explai...
For those of you who follow the political betting markets as I do, you will probably agree that they provide a much more accurate view of things generally than opinion polls do. For those who don't there's a simple explanation why – if you are going to put your money where your poll is, you're ...
Like many others I have noticed the FT is trying to guess where the Lib Dem gains could be. Yesterday I posted that former Southport Young Liberal is being tipped to win in Ealing by the Evening Standard today I notice that the FT has mentioned Serena Tierney as a 'long punt'.(I can think of some nicer ways of describing Serena) who was a Young Liberal with me in Leamington back in the early 1970's Talking of betting tips I see that Ladbrokes have called the Southport constituency.. Meols Ward Lib Dems have the story
Pushed for time, but want to keep up-to-date with how the campaign's going? Here are today's must-reads ... Clegg's journey to the promised land (The Independent) A profile of Nick Clegg's campaign: ... when he arrives at Oxford Brookes University the hundreds of students packing the hall greet him, if not like a rock idol, with an excitement seldom, if ever, generated by a British politician in these times. The journalists squeezed into the front of the bus include two senior German correspondents urged by their offices to explain the Clegg phenomenon. ... It is as if Clegg realises, at ...
So reports The Times: Nick Clegg mounted his most sustained assault on the Labour heartlands yesterday with a journey from Burnley to Redcar in which he pitched the Liberal Democrats as the party of the northern working class. It was a bold thrust from a Westminster School old boy at the head of a party that has thrived in more prosperous parts, and he seemed to recognise the scale of the task as he made his appeal in a church in Burnley. "I understand that for some people it feels like almost a betrayal not to vote Labour but to ...
Something has been bugging me in the last few weeks. The narrative of this election campaign is still being played out in the media and by leading Tory and Labour politicians largely as a two horse race. A complex three dimensional picture is constantly being interpreted through a two dimensional filter. The most stark manifestation of this is in all the "Vote Clegg, get Cameron" and "Vote Clegg, get Brown" stuff. Before I continue I should just say that what I am about to write in no way assumes what the election result will be (lest anyone accuse me of ...
The Conservative Party is well and truly reverting to type in its efforts to beat back the Lib Dems and win an overall majority. Every time I see a Tory on television, they are banging on about immigration and putting more people in jail. I am rather grateful to the election campaign for reminding me just how unpleasant the Tories really are. Whatever your views, I do not see how anybody can disagree that the Lib Dems deserve credit for bringing out into the open the question of what we do about Britian's illegal immigrants. I have long argued for ...
Bruce Anderson is becoming a caricature of the golf club saloon bar bore. After his enthusiastic espousal of torture, he now gives us this piece: Actually I agree Cameron could be our De Gaulle: a posturing, arrogant mountebank with a cult of personality, repressive right wing views and an overweening sense both of his own importance and of his country's true place in the world. Only genuine nutters like Anderon would see that as a reason to vote for him.
By Friday 7 May we will know how accurate the polls have been. In the meantime, here are some questions to bear in mind when trying to interpret the polling data: Are the polls reflecting what is going on in the marginal seats?Are the polls accurately reflecting the level of support for the Conservatives or are people not admitting that they will vote Conservative?If the polls are right, it appears some people haven't made up their minds while others have changed their minds. Will they vote or stay at home?Will the Lib Dem vote stay at around 28% or drop ...
The Guardian reports: The Conservatives last night withdrew a leaflet targeted at Muslims that claimed Labour was complicit in "a whole saga of atrocities" in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Lebanon. The leaflet, published by Tories in Blackburn, where their candidate, Michael Law-Riding, is up against the justice secretary, Jack Straw, also predicted Straw would be likely to criticise Muslim beards and caps, after he asked Muslim women to remove the veil in his constituency surgeries. It was distributed carrying the name of the Blackburn Conservative party agent... A spokesman for the Conservatives stressed the leaflet had not been sanctioned by ...
They will change the voting system so that it is no longer a winner takes all affair. We propose a change to the STV system which will still provide constituency links (in multi-constituency districts) but will mean that every persons vote counts and no longer will a party with less than 50% of the vote ...
I have been wondering why I'm so frustrated with this election. Partly it's the lack of substantive policy discussions, but mostly because I've been sorely tempted by what the polls have been showing. Lib Dems in the high 20s. Such a result would be unprecedented in modern British politics. And yet I'm still disappointed. So ...
A friend of mine drew attention to a big spread in the Tory supporting Sunday Times. It is about the new election battleground created by the debates and the growing popularity of Liberal Democrats. It highlights Blaydon as a "key marginal" where the Liberal Democrats are a "serious threat" It states that Blaydon is "the best chance of a gain in the Tyneside conurbation" and this [seat] could fall" encouraging stuff but its votes in the box that count. The campaign is going well but it is really important that people get out and vote to make it happen. People ...
They Work For You have a fantastic little app that matches you with answers from the actual candidates in your constituency. You put your postcode in, and then you do the usual agree/disagree thing, and it matches you with all the candidates who have bothered to answer. Unsurprisingly, I match best with Hilary Myers (Lib Dem), and then Kate Sweeny (Green). Even less surprisingly, Steph Booth (Labour) hasn't bothered to answer, like she hasn't bothered with Jason Elliot's candidate interviews, and hasn't turned up for most of the candidate debates. You might think this says something about her commitment to ...
News reaches me this morning of a group called the "Young Briton's Foundation", a supposedly non partisan organisation, who are delivering leaflets in Broadland with no imprint on them, with the clear aim of the content aimed at scaring people off from voting Lib Dem. This is starting to make me think the Lib Dems are doing a lot better in Broadland than the Tories expected ! Update: It is claimed by one commenter to this blog that the Young Britons Foundation has as its president Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, who is well known for going on US TV to ...
Yes, I know I appear to have skipped a leaflet, but I failed to count the tabloid that went out at the start of the campaign in my previous count up of leaflets. So this is the latest leaflet going out in Broadland. My guess, with three days left, is that this is the final leaflet aside from "Good Mornings" and "Knock Up" leaflets in key areas.
Interesting piece on the Financial Times Westminster blog (free registration may be required) by Alex Barker trying to second guess the Liberal Democrats targets. The exercise has seemingly been done to facilitate a visit to the bookies so I would repeat his warning at the end: It goes without saying that our tips are almost certain to be worthless duds. Please do not try this at home or at work unless you're looking to give money away. Still as an exercise it does have a certain fascination even if he has not ventured across the border into Wales: The strategy, ...
The SNP are standing as they say at this election your local champions, saying that more Nats will get a stronger voice in Westminster. However, one of the answers from our local SNP candidate throws serious doubt on their ability to achieve that. One of the questions asked at the Linlithgow hustings last night was is £180,000 in expenses an appropriate amount for an MP. This was £7,000 short of the greatest amount our Labour MP had claimed when he was the UKs most expensive member. As I pointed out none of the four of us sat at the table ...
David Cameron intends to form a minority government, ruling out a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Canada has had a minority Conservative government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper since 2006, so perhaps the Canadian experience gives a taste of what Britain might go through over the next few years if Cameron gets his way. Harper has been able to cling on to power for several reasons: After three elections in just over 4 years the coffers of the opposition parties are exhausted (as in the UK, the Conservatives' backers have deeper pockets), and so is the public's enthusiasm for election ...
[IMG: http://www.wikio.co.uk] [IMG: Yellow map] Almost half the country said they'd vote Lib Dem if that then meant that Lib Dems would form the next gov't... which, of cause, if they did vote Lib Dem then it would! Compare that to, under the same conditions, only 25 % would vote Conservative and 19 % Labour! Ignore the negativity from the other two parties: Vote Lib Dem, get Nick Clegg! [IMG: Obama]
So David Cameron is measuring 10 Downing Street for curtains already, and announces he'll ignore the Liberal Democrats in hopes of stitching up a deal with the Ulster Unionists at Westminster. What happened to his "invitation to join the government of Britain" then? Or is the invitation for Conservatives only? Cameron's presumptuous attitude to the people is symptomatic of everything that's wrong with politics in Britain. It's time to take power away from those who hoard it; to challenge vested interests, and break down privilege. After the credit crunch and the recession, it's now clear that the banks are the ...
UKIP leader Lord Pearson does not seem to have read his own party manifesto in this BBC interview featured in Left Foot Forward . Do watch it for a giggle. UKIP leader clueless From BBC News via Left Foot Forward
I've been working very hard to answer the letters and emails I've received during this election campaign, particularly those sent by people who live in North East Cambridgeshire, rather than by national pressure groups. As I've previously remarked, these have covered a wide range of topics, but one that has cropped up recently is the needs and views of older people, on which quite a few residents have written to me. Our senior citizens make a huge contribution to our community and to the economy, not least because of all the unpaid work they doing looking after grandchildren. There's an ...
I have just noticed that at least one of the Green Party candidates for Stroud Green ward at these elections doesn't seem to be very confident about her chances of getting elected. Jayne Forbes is standing for election in Stroud Green here in Haringey next Thursday, but at the same time she is also standing for election in South Bermondsey ward in Southwark. She's also standing for election to Parliament in Barking on the same day... wonder where she will be spending polling day?? There's nothing illegal about standing for election in more than one place - and it's not ...
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Alex Barker has been using his skill and judgement to work out where Lib Dem strategists think we may record surprise victories on Thursday. He recommends some bets on the strength of this work: Tory weak spots: The Tories are on the defensive on some seats where they had been pretty confident of winning with an increased majority. Some Tory MPs face expenses problems (Eastbourne) others are just unused to dealing with a Lib Dem onslaught. I've taken Wells at 7/5 and Weston-Super-Mare at 7/4.
In the four-seasons-in-one-day weather of the Aberdeenshire coast I get into the rhythm of the election campaign. The mechanics of leafleting, avoiding the problems that dogs and tight letter boxes may bring. My mind wanders as the repetition of gate opening, walking to the door with folded leaflet ready, posting and returning builds up. First tens, then twenties, odds, evens, side streets, all build up into a pattern. Then walk one, walk two, walk three; the slight tiredness of being in the open air, the wind, the sun, the occasional spits and spots of rain. Thus leafleting. With canvassing, the ...
Plans for Philippa Stroud to exorcise Alan Duncan at a ceremony in the market place at Oakham this afternoon have been condemned by Rutland's most celebrated fictional peer. Lord Bonkers writes exclusively for this blog: Though we still use the back foot LBW rule here in the Church of Rutland, we have no time for This Sort of Thing. Mrs Stroud should keep her hands off Mr Duncan, who is a considerable tourist attraction and has every right to lead his live as he chooses. If she does arrive at Oakham, I have no doubt that the robust good sense ...
In the United States a President is elected on the first Tuesday of one year and, if he is a new president, takes over the government in the second half of the following January. This "lame duck" period of some ten weeks is probably rather too long for modern conditions. However, the British system, under which, if a prime-minister's party is defeated on a Thursday and, given a clear winner, the new man or woman takes over on the Friday, is much too short. Even under the "normal" circumstances of the past, when one party has had a clear majority, ...
It's been a rather shocking 24 hours really. The story about Philippa Stroud wasn't all that shocking; "Evangelical Christian tries to cure gays" is not really going to knock you over with it's bizarreness. No, what has shocked me is how quickly the Tories have accepted her statement of innocence without even the most cursory of cheks. "I make no apology for being a committed Christian. However, it is categorically untrue that I believe homosexuality to be an illness and I am deeply offended that The Observer has suggested otherwise. I have spent 20 years working with disturbed people who ...
@cnps 991 # nexus one free on a £40 a month (18months) tariff with Vodafone and in shops: http://www.vodafone.co.uk/nexusone – desire £5 less a month # RT @helenduffett: Revolutionary Nick Clegg graffiti http://flic.kr/p/7WrQdG # "95% of users love the ow.ly bar's utility." was this a survey of the ow.ly office? # RT @jamesgraham: Won't voters be confused by Tory claims that the LDs and Lab plan to bring back hanging? Way to alienate your core vote! # @gift_of_the_fab had you not seen the Vogue clip on the Fox website? in reply to gift_of_the_fab # why does the NUS really believe ...
General Election fever has hit Wales - I have barely had time to find the time to write this article. In between trips to Wrexham, Newport, Ceredigion and Cardiff (not to mention campaigning my own constituency) I have knocked on plenty of doors and spoken to plenty of voters who are really receptive to our message. There are two things that jump out to me in this election, how much Labour have collapsed in Wales, one of their heartland areas, and how important young people will be to the election. In 1997, Labour ruled the roost in Wales, but it ...
Liberal Democrat research has revealed why Tory leader David Cameron was so reluctant to discuss his party's plans for Inheritance Tax in last week's leaders' debate. Vince Cable said: "At a time when the gap between the richest and poorest is so great, it beggars belief that David Cameron wants to give the wealthiest estates a £6bn give away."
David Cameron's Conservatives have become nearly four times as dependent on the City of London since he took over as leader. The Tories have raised more than £15m from companies and individuals connected to banking since he was put in charge. One in 10 Tory candidates is a former banker or has connections to the banking industry. Commenting, Nick Clegg said: "The Conservative Party will never reform the banks and rebuild our economy because they are completely in hock to the City of London."
....NEWCASTLE, LONDON, MANCHESTER, BIRMINGHAM, GLASGOW,DERBY, BRISTOL... and who knows where else... As "Vicky" said on our comments section earlier..." ...these aren't organised BY the libdems they're organised by grassroots supporters who are doing it out of love and a will to show their support for the libdems — the flashmobs have been popping up all over the country as people decide to organise them. Most of then have been organised by someone who has realised there isn't one near them and thought 'ok, I'll do one' ..." . You've just got to love that attitude. See previous post and comments ...
Via Twitter, Tom Griffin alerts me to an article by Philip Stevens claiming that by ruling out supporting Gordon Brown, Nick Clegg has thrown away his negotiating position for forming a reforming coalition government with the Labour Party. There are only two problems with this article: Stevens clearly has no idea how the UK ...
Charlie Brooker writes ... As he continues walking through the supermarket, the pictures carry on moving, but the sound appears to be stuck on a loop, because Gordon's repeating the same words. "Hello, good to see you." "It's great to be here." "This is a good store, isn't it?" "How old are you?" "That's a good age." "Which football team do you support?" The same handful of phrases, over and over again, for five minutes.
No I'm not talking about John Pugh but Jon Ball who the Evening Standard had suggested could win his Ealing seat. Jon comes from Southport and his father, Ashley, lives in Birkdale. The other evening I noticed that someone had printed off some Lib Dem posters from the internet and put up 3 of them in the bay window. I called with some day glow orange ones (I know that everyone else fight in yellow but we were still fighting in red into the 1970's) to replace them. And who was internet savvy voter-Jon's father. Good luck Jon
We had our hustings meeting in Morecambe yesterday and it was it was good to see a packed hall taking part in the democratic process. I am grateful to the organisers for playing their part. I have read the manifestos of the three major parties but it was interesting to see how the candidates interpreted their policies and to see how well they spoke in front of an audience. I am afraid that the event was not completely positive. The UKIP candidate had a prior engagement and regular readers will know that I would have liked a few answers from ...
