Lack of Zac Answering Hack

I have spent a lot of time in Richmond Park and Kingston North, being a Kingston graduate I actually did a training run around the Park for a start.

Of course at the local MP recently became the billionaire Zac Goldsmith. He has questions to answer about his expenses in the 23 days before the campaign. So he came into Channel 4 News studio to answer those questions. It appears that he spend all this time merely asking why he wasn't allowed in to the studio earlier. Not getting on to the questions that are the height of the issue.

It is absolutely car crash TV. It is the absolute avoidance of the issue. It is a sham there clearly is something there to hide because he spends so much time talking over Jon Snow. The fact is that he doesn't even know the difference between the long and the short campaign.



BTW standard across the country for council and general election campaigns on the same day is two sided posters one side for the GE candidate one for the council candidate.

Also the jackets are a capital cost brought in for this campaign. Yes if they get used in further campaigns there is a usage cost entailed, but that is for future campaigns and only if said items get used (for example Corex posters). All of that is very clear in the guidelines and only becomes complicated when people try to hide election costs.

See also Alex Folkes asks some pertinent questions about the rants about re-use.

As for the Trikes apparently "they cost 2p a mile, they can take passengers, carry leaflets and they are surprisingly fast." They were also embossed in Back Zac and Tory. How do I know? Zac told us here. So surely if they are doing all that there has to be some cost involved not none.
Also if they are so good at delivering leaflets it seems a shame that so many were wasted doing away all the greeness of their use.

***BREAKING*** Change in Law Required Says Election Report

The report into the problems encountered on election day where queues of people were waiting for hours to vote and were not issued a ballot paper before 10pm (therefore not being able to vote) requires a change in the law says the Electoral Commission report

There were 1,200 people affected who were still queuing to vote in London, Sheffield, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham when Big Ben struck 10 on May 6th. As the law stands you have to have been issued with your ballot paper when 10 pm comes not merely be in the polling station or in a queue to get into a polling station.

Of course polling station staff will have to wait until every valid ballot paper is deposited in the ballot box before sealing them and sending them on their way to the count, but for a nation of queuers some of the queues to vote didn't go smoothly on the day.

I've queued for Wimbledon and I've queued overnight to get in. The queue there are issued with a numbered card which is checked off as you enter the fenced off approach to the gates, ensuring that nobody jumps the queue and gets there ahead of time, it is a well run and marshalled queue. So surely there must be some way to validate the identity of voters and issue a ballot paper to those who have queued up to vote.

On the night there were suggestions that those in the queue should be let into the building that is serving as the polling station and the doors closed behind them so that they will not be swayed by any news after 10 PM comes. Although to be fair none of us these days are truly fully cut off when we are in a public place like a polling station. But the premise holds that they would not be swayed by any outside influence coming down the queue and you would know who was in the queue at 10 PM as the doors are then closed, like many stores do at the end of the day*. Once somebody has voted obviously a member of staff or police officer will act on the door to let the individual out.

It makes sense, it may require a certain amount of overflow space in some locations to be available, or some other way to identify the people in the queue if that is not possible.

But it is something that can be done and should be done.

* Though not 5 minutes before the advertised closing time as I know happens in some shops.

That Extra Mile

Last night William Hague described the upped offer to the Liberal Democrats as 'going the extra mile' so what must have been lacking before?

His statement said:

"In the interests of trying to create a stable, secure government, we will go the extra mile and we will offer the Liberal Democrats, in a coalition government, the holding of a referendum on the alternative vote system, so that the people of this country can decide the best electoral system."

It appears that before that statement the Tories may only have been seeking an 'confidence and supply' agreement, why else would Hague add the phrase in a coalition government after the word offer? If a coalition was already the default position surely this would have appeared in the phrase a stable, secure, coalition government at the top of the statement?

Then there is also the move from a conference on electoral reform to the Pauline conversion of the Damascus Road of offering a referendum on AV. Why is it that both of the two old parties are most fixated by AV*? The simple answer of course is that while it is electoral reform it is most like the current system and still offers them some hope of forming a majority government on less that 40% of the popular vote.

Both Labour and the Conservatives wish they were still in a two party system are are delusional about conceding any ground the multitude of other parties that have fought hard to make small inroads under FPTP. They still are thinking it is their right to govern are are willing to concede the littlest option but not the fairest.

So was it really an extra mile or merely a jump of panic?

* To be fair the latest wooing from Labour is a referendum later on STV after whipping through AV.

Has Dave Blown It?

Is Dave, or more to the point the Conservative Party about to blow their chance of power for the second time in this election?

In the hour it has taken me to get from work to home there is a faltering in the talks between the Tories and Lib Dems. Gordon Brown has wasted no time in removing himself as an obstacle in potential talks with Labour. The talks with Labour are starting tonight so is the clock ticking on a Cameron premiership? Is there going to be a rainbow over Westminster?

But hang on just as I'm typing this George Osborne has just offered a referendum on AV. But as both Labour and the Conservatives are aware, that is not the preferred option as outlined in the Liberal Democrat manifesto the preference is for single transferable vote. As the Guardian pointed out earlier AV is only marginally more proportional that first past the post.

William Hague has just tried to cast off his Damascus road conversion to proportional representation as letting "the people decide the best system". If you really want the people to decide the best system why not offer them the best system, the one that balances up a local accountability with proportionality.

Earlier we learned that agreement had been made on reducing the number of MPs, the Lib Dems being more radical than the Conservatives on that cut, that would need a redrawing of the boundaries anyway. If that is the case what is stop asking the boundary commission to draw up multi-member STV constituencies instead.

AV on constituencies, like we have now, may be disproportionate to the Tories as second preferences may go to the 'progressive alliance' but STV will at least reward them for strength where they are considerably strong. Maybe it is time for the Tories to truly wake up to what is the best and fairest way of electoral reform.

What Will the Next 24 Hours Bring?

As I resume post-election blogging I'd like to start by pointing out that even as a candidate in last Thursday's election I have no more access to the information of what is being discussed in London than any other party member. Therefore what I am about to type is based purely on the media reports of the last few days.

The statements last night from Danny Alexander and William Hague both focused on how the talks were working through the economic questions. This is the key stage of supporting any Government forward from this point. It is possible that the Liberal Democrats could agree to support a sound policy to deal with the deficit without entering a formal coalition. If this area can be resolved it would be possible that Cameron could lead a minority administration without the need for further support. It would also put the banks and markets at rest over what they see as uncertainty.

However that would then leave him requiring support on other issues and policy implementations when they come up. I'm sure that other areas of dispute, as Alex Wilcock put it the other day the other 3 key principles of our manifesto are up for discussion. All through the election Nick, myself and all our candidates emphasised that these four elements of fairness were the core of what we were standing for. Many of you have expressed to me your opinions on that going forward. These could well be the deciding points for how formal or informal the relationship between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems might be.

Somebody has raised the issue with me of have the Conservatives got the right to law down the law over Scotland. That may be one place where our 11 Scottish Lib Dem MPs may end up having a say. But we were voting in a UK wide election just the Conservatives have lost the trust of the Scots since the Thatcher years.

Whether there is a full blown coalition or a deal of "confidence and supply" one thing does appear clear a deal with Labour is off the table as Nick Clegg said last night that such a deal would be illegitimate in the public's eyes.

One possible scenario could be however, a confidence and supply agreement with the Tories and using the first opposition day to get a vote on proportional representation (if the Tories do not give on this) if Labour back that, Caroline Lucas, the Northern Irish parties and Scottish and Welsh Nationalists would also leading to a majority in the house on the issue.

Value of Your Vote

On May 6th 2010 it took on average

• 33,350 votes to elect each Labour MP
• 34,989 votes to elect each Tory MP
• 55,131 votes to elect each Plaid Cymru MP
• 81,898 votes to elect each SNP MP
• 119,788 votes to elect each Lib Dem MP

Yes there were hundreds of people disenfranchised across the country due to the queuing issues, but the figures above show a far larger disconnect between the value of the vote based on who you vote for. Time for a change and a fairer politics, time for electoral reform to include proportional representation or else the two old parties will continue to shore things up for their own benefit and not that of the people.

Democracy and Principles in Proportional Representation

So the general election, the effects of which I still feel in too many muscles, has resulted in a hung parliament, so what now?

As some who for as long as I have been politically active and aware know that our current electoral system is anything but fair I have seen yet another example of just how unfair that system is. The difference is that this time many of the people in our country are also aware of just how unfair that has been too.

Also I'm someone who has long been a supporter of a single transferable vote electoral system to elect multiple members to constituency as the best way to get that imbalance between votes and seats resolved. With such a system comes the result that you are going to have parties that have to act together to get things done, that is the nature of the beast. Of course the people have spoken in a certain way about certain keys issues and cast their vote accordingly.

The issue that arises after a vote is what are the key principles that a party stands for that cannot be written off to work along side another party. In this election the Liberal Democrats have had those 4 key principles outlined clearly all along.

• Fair taxes
• Fair start for our children
• Fair chance for our economy
• Fair deal for politics

Also through this election, and again yesterday, Nick Clegg had always said that the party with the clear mandate from the people, should be allowed the chance to attempt to form the next government. Political commentators at times wanted him to define whether that meant votes or seats, he refused to speculate saying it would be clear at the time. Indeed it is as the Conservatives have both the lead in seats and votes.

So that does lead to the question of the four key principles and where the two parties are separated. On our children and economy we are closest, though with the economy there is a major difference on when it is prudent to start making cuts in government spending, although the majority of the population have back the Labour and Lib Dem notion that it should not be straight away.

On taxes the Conservatives were not looking to alleviate the burden on the poorest, indeed what they were aiming for was to further relieve tax on the richest with their inheritance tax proposals.

However, it is on fair politics that the biggest gulf exists, but it is the one point that the public are feeling most strongly about. They at the moment really want their vote to count. Turnout was actually up across the country this time, people wanted their voice to be heard. The Tories talk of electoral reform in the last 24 hours has been but a mere tinkering around the edges. David Cameron is merely offering a conference on electoral reform. Personally I think it is not enough, for a second election in a row one party has got 1 in 4 votes yet has only 1 in 10 seats, while a party with 36% of the vote has 49% of the seats.

We no longer live is a two party system, indeed we have two parties taking their first seats in Westminster the Greens and Alliance Party, and two more losing their places Respect and the Ulster Unionists. First past the post works where there are two parties but most seats in this election where contested by four or more parties, never mind candidates. There is a need for change in how we cast our vote and how that vote represents the views of the people. Also then how that view is reflected in Westminster itself.

There is a need for parties, the people and other influences to realise that the voice of the people is no longer clearly advocating one way to do things, but several. That parties will need to work together but they must represent the views of those who have voted.

For thirteen years the Labour party have kept electoral reform on the back burner, bringing it up again to the fore only as the election approached. Therefore David Cameron's statement yesterday to merely kick it into the long grass of another conference is not enough, it is only a way of dodging the fundamental issue of what is wrong with our political system. People are already saying that for the Liberal Democrats to forego our principle on this is not acceptable, that is true of those who have turned to us from elsewhere on this occasion as well as our long term support.

I think it is time to draw that line in the sand and not cross it.

Time to Get Voting

Polls are now open. They will stay open to 10pm this evening giving you 15 glorious hours in which to cast your vote.

In this election, more than many before. your vote can make a difference. Make it count for a change that works for you and vote Lib Dem.

One final comment, some of you have been letting us know that you have not received your polling card. DON'T PANIC you don't actually need this to cast your vote, just turn up at the polling place (station if you are outwith Scotland) and give them your details and you will be allowed to vote.

Also if you have yet to return your postal ballot you can hand it in at any polling station in the constituency today as well.

Final 48 Hours #lef #ge2010 #libdems

I have been neglecting this blog a little over the last few weeks. I hope my regular readers will appreciate that this is because I have been dealing with the hundreds of email and letters that I have received in the course of this campaign. (I still actually have a few to reply to now)

I would like to thank the many people who have offered me their support either in person about the constituency, via email or twitter. All have been greatly appreciated and if you haven't already sent in a postal vote remember to turn up to vote between 7am and 10pm on Thursday. Your polling station will be on you polling card.

For the many of you who I've met or written to but are still undecided I'd like to remind you of why your vote is important in this election.

You can make a change in this election, you can make our country a fairer place. A vote for me would ensure that your local voice in Westminster will make sure that you have:

• Fair Taxes that put money back in your pocket
  
• A Fair Start for every child
• A Fair Future creating jobs by making Britain greener
• A Fair Deal by cleaning up politics

For taxes the Liberal Democrats would make the first £10,000 you earn tax free, a cut of £700 for most people, lifting 3.6 million low earners and pensioners free from tax completely. It will be paid for by closing loopholes that unfairly benefit the wealthy and polluters.

For our children that includes ensuring children get the individual help they need by cutting class size. Made possible by investing £2.5bn in schools targeted to help struggling pupils. Plus we'll give schools the freedom to make the right choices for their pupils.

To enable a fair future we will break up the banks and get them lending again to protect real businesses. We have been and will be honest with you about the tough choices needed to cut the deficit. We'll encourage green growth and jobs that last by investing in infrastructure.

Finally as part of that fair deal we'll put trust back in politics by giving you the vote the right to sack corrupt MPs. Restore and protect hard-won British civil liberties with a Freedom Bill. Overhaul Westminster completely; fair votes, an elected House of Lords, all politicians to pay full British taxes.

As I said in closing in the last hustings on Sunday night a vote for the Lib Dems will give Britain the government and the voice that the people actually want. Of course the above are just the highlights of our manifesto, as many of you who have spoken or written to me know there is a lot of details into specific areas, you can read more details here in our manifesto.

I probably won't be online much between now and the close of poll at 10pm on Thursday so I may not get back to you by email, but you can find my contact details on the party website and I will try to give you a quick answer.

Despite what you may have heard speculated about in the press this election in Linlithgow and East Falkirk is wide open. It's why one of the parties appears to be making silly, or maybe deliberate, mistakes. None of the parties can really tell you how it going to go because that is up to you if you vote here. There are still a lot of people making up their minds how to vote, even now, so vote for what you believe.

Also despite what the others are telling you a vote for the Lib Dems here can lead to you getting a Lib Dem MP. You don't get either of the other two, you'll get Nick Clegg and Vince Cable and the team, with your new Scottish voice (with a Northern Irish accent) standing up for you.

This Thursday you can make your vote count for real change and vote Liberal Democrat. I'm the second name on the ballot paper.

I'll see you online again in the wee hours of Friday morning.

Condemnation Given: But Stung By Accusation in the Tail

There is an issue of SNP posters being defaced and removed in the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency, I am using this blog post to publicly condemn such action. I know that nobody involved in my campaign has been involved in such action and I trust that from my experience that neither the Labour nor Conservative camps would have been either.

However, I also take offence at the strong and untrue wording of the SNP agent Martyn Day over on the SNP candidate's blog. While asking quite correctly calling for the three candidates to join in publicly condemning such action he also says:

"[The SNP] will not lower ourselves to the kind of gutter politics we so often see coming from the London parties"

In the nine years I have been involved in local politics I have never known any of the five major parties to go around defacing and removing other parties' posters. To throw such a comment in at the end of such a statement asking for an apology and clean campaign is sinking to just such a level.

I would actually like an apology for such an accusation being made by the agent, who is also a local councillor and should know better. To cast an accusing finger so publicly to all the other parties is not in the keeping of the friendly co-operative approach that local politics in this area is renowned for.

I have and will continue to fight this campaign on policy and the ability to serve the people of this constituency. Those are the sole criteria on which the voters should decide who will be their next MP.

An SNP MP Will Cut Your Local Voice

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 would have a say in what was the appropriate limits of your MP's expenses from now on, or on their salaries, this was a matter for an independent commission.

Before me however Tam Smith plucked a figure of £60,000 out of the air. He was going to save money by not running a local constituency office and only holding one surgery a week. It would also appear from that amount that he would be hard pressed to employ more than one member of staff whether that was at Westminster or locally to help him out. He had already agreed with me that answering all the election correspondence by yourself was a time consuming matter, so one wonders just how he would survive on such a tight self imposed restriction.

There are ways to save money under the independent expenses cap and I will be aiming to do that. Booking travel tickets well in advance to save money. Looking for London accommodation that is accessible from Westminster but not necessarily within walking distance of the Commons where rents*are extortionate. So that would be somewhere that is within cycling distance, having cycled in London as a student I know that things have improved since then. I'll also use panniers to carry my papers etc not a chauffeur driven car like David Cameron.

Yes there is a limit, but that is not what you should spend to. You can be frugal within the rules and within the limits and that is what I aim to do if elected. But you also need to provide a suitable level of service to your constituents.

That is why if I am elected on May 6th I will also run a local office. Just the one mind, I don't agree with Michael Connarty that you need two to be able to deal with two different council areas, two health boards, two police authorities etc. You merely need staff that are able to pinpoint which part of the constituency someone is in and deal with the correct authority. I think it is important to have a staffed local office so that local constituents do not have to call a London or mobile phone number to get hold of you during working hours.

What Tam is looking to do is cut the service you would receive from an MP if he were elected, rather than aim to give you value for money. He is also going to be cutting the effective voice of local people.

* Yes under the new rules I would have to rent once elected, no more buying of second homes.

Quote of the Day - on SNP Policies

"the SNP strategy fails to impress. The idea that we send a bunch of Scottish MPs to Westminster purely to turn the screw, so that we do better at the expense of other parts of the UK, smacks of the churlish small-mindedness we must avoid."

For today's Scotland on Sunday where they back the Liberal Democrats as a "real vote for change".

On Labour they summarise:

"putting aside the obvious pitfalls of failing to learn the lessons of history, it falls on the matter of trust. Brown has become a tragic figure who can do no right, but even if he is jettisoned by his colleagues, we can no longer trust Labour to govern."

Of the Tories

"For them there is also the matter of trust: do we trust David Cameron in his message that the party has changed and left behind its more divisive social attitudes*; or do we suspect that underneath it remains the same old Tory party? And then there is the practical issue of a vote in Scotland: how many seats are the Tories actually able to win here?"

Speaking of the Lib Dems they say:

"Make no mistake that this time around a vote for the Liberal Democrats is not a protest vote, one that can be cast casually because it will have little impact on the eventual outcome, but is a vote that could have extremely far-reaching consequences. It could increase the chances of a hung parliament, and there have been dire warnings about what that would mean for the economy. But those warnings have been exposed as barely credible.

"The highly respected Institute for Fiscal Studies, in its analysis of the parties' financial plans, said the Lib Dems had the smallest black hole of the main three in their funding schemes, and that there were no hidden tax rises on top.

"Another consequence of a vote for the Lib Dems is the potential for bringing in the greatest constitutional reform this country has seen in a century."

* Check out here or here to see what some selected Tory candidates social attitudes have been fond to be.

Bo'ness Hustings Online #LEF #GE2010

Just before I took to the platform for this evening's hustings I was told that it was to be broadcast live to the internet. I just had time to tweet the url before taking my seat.

I was going to blog up the hustings but I was wondering when I might have the time. You may want to take a look here while I find the time to get around to a blog entry. Apparently it will be available all week.

But well done to St. Andrew's for getting their hustings out there beyond the confines of the building.

By the way, there was a question about the gaffe of the day from the Prime Minister.

Are You Voting Today? #LEF

Thousands of postal ballot papers across Linlithgow and East Falkirk (and indeed the country) will be arriving on doorsteps, including mine, over the next 30 hours.

Many people are likely to be filling them and sending them off when they receive them. I obviously want the majority of them to look like the above.

Read this blog, read the Liberal Democrat Manifesto to find out what I'm standing for if you don't already know.

Time to Be Making Your Mind Up

It looks like those nice people at Total Politics have been raiding Mr Dale's record collection, at least I hope it was his and now mine. They've even picked up a Diamond and some Bucks Fizz.

But I see some of my favourite people in there. Some of the highlights, Harry Cole losing his skirt, Iain Dale failing his audition, plus Mark Thompson, Helen Duffet and others putting on their dancing shoes allegedly.

As nominations closed this evening the ballot papers will be getting made up shortly it really is time to make you mind up.

Lord Mandelson is Speaking in Parceltongue

Lord Mandelvort seems to be somewhat confused in what has actual happened since Wednesday/Thursday of this week. He says that the surge is because people are turning to 'the Lib Dems, whatever they might stand for'.Thing is that over the last few days they have seen that it is the Labservatives that are Dallying and are not clear about what it is that they believe in.

He then really does speak parceltongue that most confusing of languages to mere muggles in giving three reasons why people should vote.

For three reasons. Voters will be reluctant to embrace a party that would cut tax credits, scrap Child Trust Funds and even offer an amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Second, a hung parliament may seem attractive to some but it may give disproportionate power to a small party holding the balance of power and bring its own danger. Important legislation, for example on fighting terrorism which the Lib Dems are likely to oppose, would be difficult to get through.

And third, in these uncertain economic times, we need a strong, centred and united government – not one that might be rocked from side to side by Lib Dems chopping and changing their point of view.

Party Election Broadcast

The new Liberal Democrat party election broadcast has just aired again after the BBC news. You can view it below.



Very post apocalpyic in feel and music, maybe the Labour party did use this manifesto cover after all.


But all is well as Nick Clegg tells us that there is hope he walks past the car of Sarah Jane Smith's car, the Doctor cannot be far away. Thank god he has changed and no longer has the voice similar to the one over Labour's broadcast last night.



Also as Cllr Nick Barlow points out always better to use a party supporter's music* means they are not too Keane to disown the usage. Wonder if Professor Brian Cox will allow us the use of a certain other song for a more upbeat follow up

* Brian Eno's An Ending (Ascent) from Apollo used in the 28 Days Later soundtrack.

Harry Potter and the Vote for Liberal Democrats

Well now that Harry Potter and more to the point Daniel Radcliffe the star who plays him are over 18 it is the first time he can vote in a muggle election. The good news is that as the election approaches Daniel is more definite in who he will be voting for than last summer when interviewed in Attitude. According to the Daily Mail the young star said:

In next month's US edition of Vogue, Radcliffe – who will be able to vote for the first time at the General Election – discusses his affiliation to the party. 'I'll be voting Lib Dem, without a shadow of a doubt,' he said. 'Nick Clegg rang me and we had a good chat. He’s seriously impressive.'

A Lib Dem spokesman said: 'We are delighted to have Daniel as a supporter and it’s great he has said he is going to vote for the Lib Dems. Daniel’s fanbase reaches far and wide, young and old.'

Good to have the Harry Potter star onboard to expelleramus Labour.

Just Which Sort of Future Business Gordon?

Earlier today Gordon Brown launched the Labour manifesto with the words, we're in the "future business". Now me being a sci-fi fan know there are two types of future as I tweeted*. There is the Utopian sort look at Star Trek for an example where the earth lives in harmony. Or there is the apocalyptic type see Mad Max for a prime example.

Therefore one has to wonder if these may well be the cover of their manifesto before airbrushing.



* Apoligies for the predictive text error at the start.

Nick Clegg Says Fair Tax

Did you know that the poorest 20% of the population are paying a higher proportion of their income in tax now than in 1997?

Did you know that the richest 20% of the population are paying a lower proportion of their income in tax now than in 1997?

So when Gordon Brown attacks the Tories for giving tax breaks to the rich he should look at his own record.

That is why today Nick Clegg is talking about a fairer tax for Britain. Lifting the personal allowance threshold to £10,000 putting £700 into the pockets of low to middle earners. Lifting 3.5m out of tax altogether. In a tax switch that will be paid for by closing loopholes that exist, cutting down on tax avoidance a mansion tax on the value of homes over a £2m threshold and aviation taxes.

Hey if everyone else is going back to the 80s with election material, I think we need these T-shirts.