Campaigning
Eddie Izzard talks about Brilliant Britain with Labour
Apr 15th
While you’re waiting for tonight’s debate (#leadersdebate) between Gordon, David and Nick you could do worse than check out Labour’s latest party political election broadcast with Eddie Izzard:
UPDATE: I didn’t want to admit this at first, but I’ve now just tweeted about the fact that I cried when I first watched this. Eddie’s right. Britain is bloody brilliant. It’s not all down to Labour, in fact it’s mainly down to how brilliant the British people are. But Labour wants to celebrate that brilliance and help people. I’m old enough to have grown up under Thatcher’s Tories and it was bloody horrible. Whatever you think Labour’s faults are don’t let the Tories wreck any hope we have for a brighter future. Trust me, they will, that’s what Tories do. I’ve experienced it.
#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.
Yorkshire Labour Party members on Twitter
Feb 7th
After this afternoon’s excellent Go Fourth Leeds Tweet Up I’ve pulled together a quick public list on Twitter of Yorkshire Labour Party members. It has only got 33 people on it at the moment, so apologies if I’ve missed you off. To get added just tweet to @stuartbruce or leave a comment on this blog.
You can follow the list here and thanks to @johnprescott for organising it all.
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.
“On the ground the yellow team are spiteful and vicious” Guido Fawkes
Jan 31st
The Liberal Democrats love to pretend that they are the fluffy, cuddly alternative to the nasty politics of the Tories and Labour. The truth, as any Labour or Conservative activist could tell you, is that the Lib Dems are usually the dirtiest, nastiest political campaigners around. They never usually trouble themselves with inconveniences such as facts or the truth.
Guido Fawkes reports that The Mirror’s Kevin Maguire has a delightful little tale about overhearing a Lib Dem activist on a train boasting on his mobile about he’d got the Evening Standard to claim Labour has secret plans to shut Kingston Hospital. Lib Dem MP Susan Kramer can now run a ‘successful’ campaign to save a hospital that we never going to close. It’s straight from the Lib Dem astro-turfing play book – whip up an artificial campaign and then claim the victory.
Guido Fawkes comments: “Once again it is another blow to the image of the Liberal Democrats as fluffy and nice that Clegg and Cowley Street constantly spin. On the ground the yellow team are spiteful and vicious.”
Let this be cautionary reminder for voters in the Leeds by-election for Hyde Park and Woodhouse. Labour has an exemplary candidate in Gerry Harper.
It still never ceases to amaze me how indiscrete people can be on train. This incident isn’t too dissimilar from the one I experienced in June when I overheard and Twittered the conversation of two Total executives discussing the Lindsey refinery dispute, which was then picked up and run by The Guardian.
UPDATE: According to Guido it appears that this wasn’t a rogue Lib Dem activist, but that Susan Kramer, the Lib Dem MP, was actively involved in this plot to mislead the electorate.
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).
