Conservatives
#labourdoorstep was great for a future fair for all
Feb 20th
Today thousands of political activists from all the parties, up and down the country, were out tramping the streets and knocking on doors. It was a bright, sunny day and that pretty much matched the feeling of the team out working for Jamie Hanley, the Labour candidate in Pudsey.
By and large we had an invigorating welcome on the doorstep, giving those that wanted them a copy of Labour’s new A future fair for all booklet. What was really inspiring was that some people already knew about it and were interested after seeing it on this morning’s news.
One of the most telling things is that despite the fact that the election is at most 100 days away people still don’t trust the Tories. Even those that are disillusioned with Labour aren’t inspired by the Tories. At the moment it looks most likely that they will stay at home with a possibility of them switching back to Labour. Unless the Tories do something spectacular between now and the general election it doesn’t feel like the swing voters I’ve been speaking to will swing their way.
Nicholas Winterton makes a hash of defending first class rail travel for MPs
Feb 18th
If there’s ever a case of “it’s time to stop talking” it was Sir Nicholas Winterton on BBC Radio 5. Sir Nicholas was being questioned about MPs being prevented from travelling first class and and came out with the outrageous claim that “someone in standard class has a totally different outlook on life.” Instead of apologising and retracting the statement when given the opportunity Sir Nicholas just kept on digging.
That’s a shame, because he had started off by making quite a pertinent point about using train journeys efficiently by working. I’ve tried both standard and first and it is a fact that it is far more difficult to work in standard.
The most pertinent reason is the fact that the tables are a lot smaller and it’s more crowded. When all of the seats are full there simply isn’t space for four people to get laptops out and work. Especially when you start adding reports, folders, drinks and food to the clutter.
The issue that should be addressed is how badly MPs buy their first class tickets. I’ve frequently travelled first class with MPs I know and their tickets have cost £334 for an open first class return and I’ve paid £94 (or less) to sit next to them on the same journey.
It’s ludicrous to think that MPs can’t plan their journeys like small businesses have to. Their diaries and meetings are no less or more subject to change than any other person travelling for business. There is no justification for using open tickets. Stopping them using first class is pointless and won’t necessarily even save money as an open standard is usually more than a first class advance – £223 on the Leeds to London Kings Cross example I’m using.
You can get first class tickets even cheaper if you follow the ‘split-ticketing’ advice. Instead of attacking those travelling standard class Sir Nicholas should be seeking to introduce legislation preventing the train operator using such unfair pricing that such tactics are necessary.
XP: Cross-posted from my A PR Guy’s Musings website.
General election TV debates: Alan Johnson v. Chris Grayling
Feb 7th
Alan Johnson was on fine form on the Andrew Marr show this morning. Other politicians resort to hyperbole and pointless attacks on the opposition (some Labour MPs are as bad as the Tories and Lib Dems) but Alan is nearly always cool, confident and authentic.
Kerry McCarthy tweeted: “Never underestimate the seriousness of the British electorate says AJ. That’s why polls are tightening. How about AJ & Grayling debate?”
That’s exactly what the British public deserve. Debates between the main party leaders are an excellent start, but in a Parliamentary democracy aren’t enough. We’re not voting for a president, so we need to reflect the fact that we’re voting for a party and a leadership team.
The number of cabinet positions mean that it’s unrealistic to have debates between them all. But it would be possible to have debates between the holders of the main offices – Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary.
It’s doubtful the Tories would be for this as it’s one thing for them to risk Cameron against Brown, but if it’s Miliband v. Hague, Johnson v. Grayling or Darling v. Osbourne then it’s no contest. It would highlight just how weak and shallow the Conservatives really are. Not only can Cameron not trust his would be MPs, he can’t even trust his potential cabinet colleagues.
In the four great offices of state Labour has three potential leaders. The Tories have one leader, one failure and two no hopers.
Official Conservative policy – Tory candidates not to be trusted
Feb 6th
It’s official you can’t trust Tory party candidates. The Conservative Party has so little faith in its own Parliamentary candidates that it’s had to issue official advice to candidates to check before they say anything about policy. Tory wanna-be MPs can’t Twitter, blog or use Facebook to talk about policy without checking first.
When I read and tweeted about the Daily Mail Fail story this morning I didn’t quite believe it. But confirmation came shortly later when Tory staffer Craig Elder tweeted “PPCs are free (and encouraged) to tweet what they like. But they should double-check if commenting about national policy.”
This ‘rebuttal’ is even more alarming than the original Daily Mail story. It effectively confirms that Tory candidates can’t be trusted to know something as simple as their own party’s policy! Now I know Dave and Boy George keep having gaffes and making it up on the hoof, but you’d have thought that Tory candidates would be bright enough to keep up on their own without spoon feeding from Central Office. Or maybe it’s just that the real views of Tory candidates are so much to the raving right that Dave is worried that voters might find out what they’re really like before the the election and scupper his chances for power.
You don’t need to look far to see some of the most extreme raving right nonsense to emanate from Dave’s acolytes:
This is going to be the most unpopular blog I’ve ever written, but here goes. MPs should set their own salaries. They should be free – encouraged, even – to take on additional jobs. And the fuss about how much they can spend on their kitchens is silly and demeaning.”
Daniel Hannan, Daily Telegraph blog, 16 May 2008
You just need contrast the Tory’s ‘Command and Control’ model with Labour’s approach of genuine engagement with voters to see that Cameron’s cuddly Conservatives are all spin and no substance.
Don’t trust David Cameron, I’ll cut the NHS, the BBC…
Jan 7th
We’ve had the brilliant spoof of the Conservatives’ David Cameron poster, but now thanks to the Evening Standard’s Paul Waugh we’ve got this brilliant real life improvement to a poster at King’s Cross:
In case you can’t read it, the graffiti states: "I’ll cut the deficit, the NHS, the BBC, Ordnance Survey, Anything whatever in fact, We should not be allowed to govern again."
David Cameron: because I’m worth it
Jan 7th
Listening to David Cameron on the Today programme this morning I heard him as good as admit that he’d been airbrushed by dodging the question and blaming those who produced the advert.
It’s not exactly the sign of a great leader that at the first time of trouble you blame the troops.
And another hat-tip to John Prescott and Go Fourth for this brilliant spoof advert (now picked up as a story by Gemma Charles in Marketing magazine).
Gordon must not go
Jan 3rd
Ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you how vehemently opposed I was to Gordon Brown becoming Labour Party leader. It wasn’t because I didn’t rate or like Brown. I rate him extremely highly. He’s the one you’d always want on your team. He’s the one you’d always ask for advice. He’s the one whose counsel you would treasure. It’s just that I never thought of him as a leader. A leader is someone you’ll trust and follow even if your own instincts say something else. A leader is a communicator. A leader is someone who inspires. Gordon isn’t that sort of leader.
But he is the leader that we’ve got. It’s far too late to regret our mistakes. Sheerman, Clarke and Pope need to accept that. We must rally around Gordon and fight to win. Because Labour can win. No matter how poor a leader Gordon is, he’s still a gigantic political figure who gave sterling service as chancellor. And he’s surrounded by cabinet colleagues who bar two or three would all be capable of stepping up and leading the Labour Party and the country. Contrast this with what the Conservatives have. Cameron is it. He’s the best they’ve got. He’s all they’ve got. Who have the Tories got to replace Cameron? The boy George? I hardly think so. William Hague is a possibility, probably the only possibility.
And how popular are the Tories under Cameron? The simple answer is that they aren’t. They might be leading in the polls, but by nowhere near enough. People aren’t making a positive choice in favour of the Conservatives. They’ve lost faith and turned away from the Labour Party.
Labour can still win the general election. But only if we present a clear vision for the future. It’s not enough simply to point to our record or what people would lose under the Tories. We need to offer them something more.
