election

Being rather sad, I forewent a Friday night out to see Boris confirmed as London Mayor. Before the result was announced, I watched a very funny edition of Have I got news for you hosting by Brian Blessed in maniac mood. It was quite fitting really as had it not been for Boris’s appearances on this programme, Ken Livingstone could well still be Mayor. For it was this programme that launched Boris on the national stage. You could argue he would have been famous due to his work at the Telegraph and Spectator but it was HIGNFY which put him in the public consciousness.
 
It was also this programme which helped the public rehabilitation of William Hague of course with a series of hilarious and very professional guest appearances which made the general public release this man isn’t a sad political loser but a clever funny normal bloke.
 
Add in the regular appearances of the likes of Bob Marshall Andrews giving New Labour a slating, and you could say the Conservative Party have a lot to thank the producers of this show for in the last few year. Whether that lasts into a new Conservative government of course remains the subject of debate.

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Colin Byrne, CEO of Weber Shandwick has a great blog called Byrne Baby Byrne which you can read here.

He has also written an interesting piece on Citizen Journalism which as it happens, mentions this blog. It fits in with what I wrote in the Political Book of Blogging where I suggested we could witness a real growth in podcasting in the political field, as the technology provides for a simple medium of getting your message to an infinite audience.

At best 1,000 leaflets may get to 1,000 households. 1 podcast can be round the world in seconds once uploaded, and if you have decent mailing lists can be sent to a target audience at minimal cost, and more importantly very quickly.

Those who use the technology won't necesarily be successful politically, but those who don't embrace this sort of technology make failure more likely.

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According to Gordon Brown in PMQs because only 20 or so people had signed a petition calling for a 2007 General Election on the Downing Street website, that was anotherreason why he was right not to call one.

One wonders what would happen, if say, lots more people asked for the election.

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Unlike traditional radio stations, Tory radio doesn't do requests. However a listener sent us a link to a youtube clip which they wanted played for a certain G. Brown. You can listen to it by clicking the video in the right hand column.

Not sure of the name of the song... I think it's called chick chick chick chick chicken? Can't think what they mean.

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Right that's enough gloating about the forecast I made here that Brown would bottle the election. What will be the fallout from this though.
 
Firstly Brown will have to reassess which of his advisors he can actually trust. Ed Balls, Douglas Alexander and Ed Milliband and the young turks have their paw prints all over the fiasco. Can Brown trust their advice in the future or does he turn to his older heads. Maybe we'll see the likes of Jack Straw becoming more prominent and even the return of Margaret Beckett!! Either way I think we'll see a distinct lack of direction from Brown as he won't know where and who to turn to.
 
Secondly there seems to be a definite change of tone in the media. Brown has got away with so much in his honeymoon which they won't let him do so now. Northern Rock, Government labs causing Foot and Mouth ect. After making his interview an exclusive with Andrew Marr, the media will look to come down on him like a ton of bricks if an problem is even slightly related to him. I also expect the print media to sharpen the knifes especially if he refuses the EU treaty vote. A John Major style hounding could be on the cards.
 
Thirdly, what he's done for the Conservatives is quite priceless. The media guns are temporally off Cameron and on Brown. The Conservatives have policies to sell, a sense of unity and direction, and a target in their midst. In being ready and procuring resources for the election, many marginally seat campaign teams will be better focused at this stage of an election cycle than ever before.
 
In conclusion, this is a cock up of monumental proportions. He's deflated his own side, alienated a huge section of the media and gave the Conservatives a sitting duck target. And this from a man who's supposedly a master political tactician!!!

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I said it would be the polling in the marginal seats that would determine whether an early election would be held, and that has turned out to be the case.

Apparently the poll idicated a hung Parliament, not good news for the Prime Minister, which is why he marched his troops back down from teh hill he had taken them to the top of, only days before.

Where does that leave Brown? Well today's news becomes tomorrows chip wrappers - and he will be hoping that by playing the long game his indecision will be long forgotten. I still believe that a snap election may well have been the best bet for the Government. Time will tell, but there are so many things on the horizon that I think are going the bite the Government on the backside.

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