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Prospective MPs go dating to woo voters
As a group of smartly dressed men and women take their seats, in pairs, at small round tables in the dining room of a converted textile factory in Nottingham city centre, some look nervous, some confident, and others just eager to get started.
But before they can, the rules of “speed dating” must be explained: every 5 minutes one person from each pair will rotate to the next table, until everyone has had a chance to speak to everyone else. A whistle is blown. “Let the first date begin,” cries the host and a hum of conversation quickly fills the basement room.
While there certainly seem to be some attempts at wooing going on, these “daters” have little intention of romance. In fact as I watch, some even appear to try and rile their dates, for half the attendees are prospective parliamentary candidates, hoping to win the Nottingham South seat at a general election expected on May 6, and the other half are voters, seeking to quiz the candidates on their education policies.
This is “political speed dating”, and I wouldn’t be surprised if such events become a more regular occurrence as the campaigning gets under way and politicians seek modern, innovative ways to connect with voters. In an election that is likely to be very tightly fought, such one-on-one interaction, particularly in possible swing or marginal seats, is the kind of opportunity most candidates can’t afford to ignore.
Not the social media election
The general election will not be decided by social media. And that’s official. Sort of.
At the Social Media World Forum at Olympia yesterday, Kerry McCarthy MP (Labour’s ‘Twitter tsar’) and Craig Elder (the Conservatives’ Head of Online Communities) debated the impact of social media on British politics.
Lib Dems bag a Tory – Edward McMillan-Scott
David Cameron’s troublesome Euro MP Edward McMillan-Scott is a Conservative no more and has joined the Liberal Democrats. There is no love lost between the independent-minded Macmillan-Scott and the Tories after they expelled him for defying the party over their (anti-)European policy.
He came to the Liberal Democrat’s Spring Conference in Birmingham on Saturday (March 13) and was more than happy to be pictured alongside his new leader, Nick Clegg.
Will this be the internet election?
With one eye on what happened in the U.S. Presidential election in 2008, and another on the increasing use of the Web in almost every area of British life since the last general election in 2005, the presumption is that the Internet will play a much bigger role this time. But how much bigger?
Some observers are already playing down the likelihood of a seismic shift along the lines of that achieved by Barack Obama. eDemocracy points out the limited the size of the electorate open to any influence, let along that of social media. Meanwhile, Micah L Sifry of techpresident points out how Britain lacks some of the key ingredients that made it possible to build up the use of new techniques in the U.S. — greater freedom in fund-raising, a long campaign, and competition for leadership within political parties.
Brown takes a different tack on Iraq
Tony Blair said he had no regrets about removing Saddam Hussein when he ended his session before the Chilcot inquiry in January. Gordon Brown, not surprisingly, took a different approach.
Perhaps mindful of the anger that Blair’s words had reignited, Brown topped and tailed his appearance by acknowledging the cost in human lives among British soldiers and Iraqi civilians of the conflict.
Tories could be making sterling a rod for their own back
Talking down the pound could have some pretty bad consequences.
Ever since the debacle of sterling being forced out of the European exchange rate in September 1992, British officials and politicians have maintained a stiff upper lip when talking about the pound.
The Conservative government spent billions of pounds and jacked up interest rates to defend the currency back then, but to no avail. The party’s reputation for economic competence was lost, paving the way for Labour’s big win in 1997.
Where did the Tory lead go?
An opinion poll published today shows the Labour Party gaining ground on David Cameron’s Conservatives. The Ipsos Mori poll found support for the Conservatives on 37 percent, with Labour on 32 percent and the Liberal Democrats on 19 percent.
Carried into an election this would give Labour the most seats in the House of Commons, although no party would have an outright majority. The Conservative’s lead has been cut from a high of 28 points back in September 2008.
What is Alistair Darling up to?
Normally regarded as a safe pair of hands, Chancellor Alistair Darling raised hell on Tuesday night by confirming on live television what everyone in Westminster has believed for some time.
That was that there were people who worked for the prime minister who briefed against him after he told a magazine interviewer in 2008 that the country was facing the worst economic conditions in 60 years.
from Mark Jones:
Is social media killing the election poster?
Billboard political advertising is a mainstay of election campaigns the world over. A generation ago, the 'Labour isn't working' poster was credited by Conservative party Treasurer Lord Thorneycroft with winning the 1979 election for Margaret Thatcher. But might the advent of social media mean that its days are now numbered?
Alastair Campbell, Labour's director of election communications at the last election, thinks political advertising is losing its effectiveness:
How big a problem is workplace bullying?
A political row is brewing after allegations of bullying were aimed at Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The claims, made in a book and published in a Sunday newspaper, accused Brown of several abusive outbursts, including grabbing staff by the lapels, shoving them aside and shouting at them.
Downing Street has strenuously denied that the “malicious allegations” are true, while Conservative leader David Cameron has said he expects there to be an inquiry into the claims.
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The Wall
