Liberal Vision

Are manifesto sales a guide to election results?

Here’s a thought. I read over on the CNN website that sales of parties manifestos have reached record levels for this election. As they say – no apathy here then.

It reads….

“Now evidence of this comes with news that election manifestos – the documents in which political parties lay out their planned policies – are selling in record numbers, according to book trade media.

 “Political manifesto sales at Waterstone’s have already outstripped those during the entire 2005 election period,” reported UK trade paper The Bookseller.com, “up 160 percent with just eight days to go to the election.”

Andrew Lake, politics buyer for Waterstone’s , one of the UK’s leading booksellers, said: “This is clearly the most important election in a generation. I’ve worked in books for nearly 20 years and have never seen such demand for manifestos.”

The report goes on to say that , the Conservatives have taken 38% of manifesto sales so far,  followed by the Liberal Democrats on 32% and Labour on 30%. What is impressive (and perhaps not surprising given what we have seen in the past few weeks) Liberal Democrat manifesto sales are up a whopping 250% !

Does that count for anything I wonder?

Tags: CNN, general election, manifesto sales

Tory quote “If this was a safe seat we wouldn’t have to do this work”

Aarggggghhhhh. Really.  Joanne Cash – the infamous Cameron cutie standing in Westminster North really did just say that.

I just caught the BBC ONE Local London News. They ran a piece on fight in the seat. Just at the point when I was about to switch over to catch the tail end of the snooker, I was stopped in my tracks. OMG. No . Yes. No ..OMG… Yes!!!

She really did say 

“If this was a safe seat we wouldn’t have to do this work”.

If ever there was an argument for a change to the voting system of this country then this idiot woman is it. In a nutshell!

It’s what I hate about these “New Tory” politicians (and Cameron Cuties in particular). They seem to think that being an MP is some sort of X-Factor for the privileged. Can’t you just tell that they would prefer not to have to talk to the trolls if it could possibly be avoided. Don’t you just know that if they were to be voted in with some huge majority,  90% of the constituency (celebs and millionaires excepted) could go hang. Surgeries would only happen if enough surgical wipes could be supplied. And notes would be taken in beautifully crafted Smythson notepaper – and then handed to some earnest young wannabe to ..what …file?

This ladies and gentlemen is the Tory attitude laid bare. It’s why they dont want PR. Its why they like the old two party system. Why they love first-past-the-post. Ideally you only have to meet grubby people once every four or five years and really only the once every ten if the opposition is inept and your majority is sufficiently robust. 

This  is what people are and down this country are fighting against. 

Big Society?….High Society more like.

May no MP, ever again, feel it acceptable to say in public “if this was a safe seat we would have to do this work”

Of course, lest we forget this was THE Cameronista who, having being parachuted in by Cameron, (nothing to do with the fact that she is married to Octavius Black – an old Etonian mate of Dave’s)  resigned and then “unresigned”following (1) a row with the local party and then (2) Cameron’s intervention (yes in that order) ….. And blood all over the local constituency floor. Hmm David Cameron heavy-handed centralist control? Surely not?

Tags: Big Society, Cameron Cutie, general election, high society, Joanne Cash, Mark Blackburn, Westminster North

What now ?

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 happen). On a personal level, my experience is that Nick, and the Liberals, have captured the zeitgeist. No to the old politics. Yes to something new.

At the moment it looks (very roughly) from the current vote share that the Tories will have around 280 seats, Labour 260, Liberals 80 (based on BBC poll of polls and a very rough conversion to seats). What a frankly ludicrous electoral system when we are talking about Liberals and Labour being neck and neck in the vote share btw.

So, do we think have we done enougth to hang parliament? I dont know….I dont think anyone knows..Margins of error, success in the marginals, the undecideds, the last 72 hours or so of campaigning….

The question I find myself asking is have the Liberal high command (the election campaign strategists behind the scenes) done enough to capitalise on Nick’s brilliant TV performances?

The leaders debates are done now. Indeed it’s been 3 weeks since the first debate when the good ship Lib Dem blasted itself into the heart of politics, bringing a swathe of people and donations flooding to the Lib Dem cause (as surely never before?).  

So here is where we look for the sweat, the toil, the genius of the election campaign planners. Clegg delivered. Will the men (/women) behind him? 

I would hope that there is a Lib Dem answer to the the last ditch Tory stunts…. The so-called ”contracts” … phoney…..but news-worthy. (And kind of catchy it didn’t feel like some huge great big con) and the “Mr Duracell Man” doing the “never-been-done-before” 24 hour stint on the road.  But I guess I will forgive no “one last big idea” to the nation, if they have, in fact, been pulling off minor miracles in the marginals…

So here I sit…waiting, hoping, yes praying, that the backroom boys have earned their place on the team.  Nick certainly has. Miriam has. Chris Huhne, Ed Davey, Norman Lamb, Paddy Ashdown et al ….they’ve all done their bit…magnificently…..

And, I think it can be said that the people have…the volunteers, the supporters, the bloggers…and yes all those mad flashmobbers today have….

How frustrating it is to sit here wondering if  those in charge of the Lib Dem campaign have. Have they got the resources into the marginals? Have they converted Nicks perfomance into sustained vote share? Have they got one last big idea up their sleeves? This is on a knife’s edge. We need the boys in the backroom to come good now. No pressure guys!

Tags: general election, last 72 hours, lib dems

Lib Dem flashmobs now at Cambridge,Truro,Cardiff,Glasgow…

….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 for links. Best wishes to all.

Tags: direct action, general election, Lib Dem Falshmobs, RATM

Clegg smears backfire on newspapers

How jaded and irrelevant the newspapers have looked through this general election. The TV debates well and truly destroyed the traditional newspaper role as the “gate-keeper” to the politicians. Why read what the editors and columnists of the papers think about the leaders of the main parties – when we can watch and listen to them directly ourselves and form our own views?

We no longer wait for their daily analysis of the previous days events, when news channels, tweeters and you-tubers bring us opinion, digest and so much more in a matter of minutes.

How pompous, arrogant, and disconnected from reality they sounded as they variously announced which political horse they were backing.  In a year where anti-politics reigns – why brand themselves with being part of “that set” of the political ruling elite? Talk about not getting with the times..

So at a time when they are under pressure from increasingly more in-tune, relevant and informative media options, how totally ridiculous for a number of them to engage an ill-disguised smear campaign on rivals to Cameron – and Clegg in particular . Just how daft is that?

Of them all the Murdoch papers are the most odious/inept. Anti Murdoch feeling has been building for months (if not years now) – did no one have the balls to tell him that? Presumably not….. as he has been widely reported as up to his old tricks ranting down the phone at his political editors that its their job to get “his man” (Cameron) into power. What favours does he expect to curry? What influence is he seeking to wield? What legislation changes are on his greedy little mind this time? Maybe he just likes to bask in the knowledge, and maybe brag to his mates, that he somehow “owns” this country. This country is up to its armpits in arrogance..we just don’t need anymore here thanks.

I personally have no objection to newspapers taking a view, having an opinion, seeking to affect peoples views. I much rather they do it openly and forthrightly then make a pretence of being unbiased. I just dont like incompetence. And what I see is gross incompetence.

Not only have their actions started to alienate their readers, and lost them what little respect they had, but they ahve set themselves against the will of the people on whom they rely. At best they face further loss of influence – at worst they face annihilation.

Witness for example one group –  38 Degrees   which is inviting voters to sign a petition against Rupert Murdoch and the tabloid press.  The petition text reads :

“Rupert Murdoch and the tabloid press:
Stop trying to spread scare stories and fear to bully people to change how they vote. We cast our votes for democracy, for a responsible and reforming parliament and a better politics.
The outcome of our elections should be decided by us, the voters of the UK, not by you.

And I can’t see it ending there. Murdoch’s “share of news voice” (combining his TV interests with his newspaper ones) is already considered by many to be a scandal – when other groups ability to expand their media interests are seriously limited by legislation.

So it’s not impossible to envisage  Murdoch’s power being dismantled by an incoming government -emboldened by such petitions as this one. And  I can’t see many people flocking to Mr Murdoch’s defence if/when that happens. They’ll just say – he got what he deserves. And the papers will say “IT WAS THE PEOPLE WHAT DONE IT”  – that’s if anyone is still reading papers of course.

Tags: 38 degrees, general election, newspaper smears, Rupert Murdoch