Ever since the “What’s on George Bush’s iPod” story a week or so ago, various papers have carried out mini surveys of other politicians and their musical predilections. This harks back to earlier stories you may recall from ar[…]

Dave’s evocative piece of party activism, reminds me of my own stint as a party activist. I joined the Labour Party when I was 18 (really cheap youth rates) and had been mailshat before the 1992 election so see if I wanted to volunteer. I had j[…]

I was doing a piece on the 2001 election in a similar vein to the one I did on 1992, which has turned from a post into an essay.
* Probably John Major’s best set-piece gag, when he said to Neil Kinnock “‘He draweth out the thread of[…]

It appears that after the election a new crime of postal electoral fraud will come on the statute book. It is incredible that at the moment it is not illegal to apply for a vote in someone else’s name. It is only vaguely illegal (and in reality[…]

Newsnight are trying to say that the Crick-copter is there to track down exciting “under the radar” local stories, why then was Thursday’s visit to Sedgefield filled with the same cliches as every other report from the constituency […]

…or variations thereof (“It’s not racist to only like indie – but pop is better”) could appear on the back of the flyer for the next Poptimism. But “variations thereof” are also popping up all over the web (n[…]

On Saturday April 10th 1992, The Guardian published a results special. It had a full page Steve Bell cartoon that remains the most powerful piece of cartoonery I’ve ever seen. I’m no big fan, and get slightly annoyed by the Bell-love if t[…]

They Work For You is a great site – a much quicker search facility of the Parliament site, all the info from the latter is there at the former, available as RSS with email alerts when particular subjects are raised, or when individuals speak.
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What if she dies before polling day? Would a Thatcher factor benefit the Tories?
In 2001, I worked in a constituency where the Tories were strongly tipped. People reported that the visit of Thatcher was pivotal. Unmotivated activists were reminded t[…]

Asda to launch party political ales. Labour Landslide Bitter – “once deep red, but now with a blue tinge, watch carefully your glass may turn Brown”. Lib Dem Lift-Off Bitter – “the alternative pint”, and then of co[…]