X Marks the Box

A Thankless Task for 5 Years?

2010-05-23T03:55:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite political stories is that of the new MP in the 1950s who shuffled nervously into the Chamber and, looking across at the Opposition benches, remarked to the great Winston Churchill, "At least you get a good view of the enemy from here." To which Churchill replied, "That, my boy, is the Opposition. The enemy are behind you."

This kind of thought must be going through the minds of David Miliband, Ed Miliband, Ed Balls, John McDonnell, Andy Burnham and Diane Abbott right now as they jostle to get their nominations for leadership of the Labour Party. (And there surely can't be any more candidates. They need 33 MPs as backers so mathematically, allowing for a few who will not back anyone at this stage, we must have reached critical mass.)

Leader of the Opposition is a strange job in a way. Everyone knows - as David Cameron once acknowledged in an interview - that it isn't really the job you want. The whole thing is one massive application process for the job of Prime Minister. There have been eight full-time Leaders of the Opposition in the last thirty years - but only two of them (Blair and Cameron) have gone on to the top job.

Sensible people must be hoping for a strong Opposition this time round. The insipid nature of Labour's opposition in the 80s and early 90s, and the limp and ineffectual Tory opposition under William Hague, Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard, contributed to their adversaries' victory as much as any strengths of the government did. Voters didn't really care much for either of these long-running governments after 8 years or so, but the alternative didn't appeal much either.

Labour Uncut has the lowdown on the latest state of play with nominations.

And this looks like an interesting conference...

You Can't Always Get What You Want

2010-05-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

...all democracies are based on the proposition that power is very dangerous and that it is extremely important not to let any one man or any one small group have too much power for too long a time.

Aldous Huxley, interviewed by Mike Wallace for ABC in 1958.

Here at X Marks The Box we are not politically tribalist, and positively encouraged the "floating voter" to get out there and find someone whose box they could mark last week.

We ascribe to that philosophy, which can annoy many dyed-in-the-wool supporters of one party or another, that a change in government is good for democracy, regardless of your personal opinion of the result. We'd have said the same in 1997.

There's been a lot of tin-tack-spitting and raging over the installation of the Liberal Conservative coalition (much of which presents itself as disapproval of the process of coalition but which may, in fact, just be sour grapes that the Lib Dems went the "wrong" way).

But a first-past-the-post democratic system such as we have - for now - means that a lot of people don't get what they want. That, unfortunately, is life.

Those of us who were children during the 1970s first became aware of governments being in power in a sort of perpetual pendulum move - John O'Farrell describes this vividly in his excellent book Things Can Only Get Better. It was Conservative (Heath), and then Labour (Wilson), and then Conservative again (Thatcher). And then the Conservatives went and upset the apple-cart by winning again. And again. And, er, again... And then Labour did the same thing, winning three times over.

One has sometimes had the impression, over these unusually extended periods of record-length government by one party or the other in the last 31 years, that there's nothing some hardcore party activists would like better than the opposing party/parties simply to implode, or just vanish like the morning dew. All sides need to realise that this simply isn't going to happen any time soon.

And surely a period in opposition does every party good from time to time? The Labour Party could emerge renewed and invigorated under one Miliband brother or the other, and sweep to victory in 2015 with a radical agenda for reform. Who knows?

We'll be keeping an eye on things here.

A link to the Huxley ABC interview is here if anyone is interested.

And we encourage everyone to read the (in places surprising) Coalition Agreement, the full text of which the BBC have put up on their website here. It helps, after all, when being vocally For and Against things, to know exactly what one is For and what one is Against.

Dave Agrees With Nick

2010-05-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

So, what a pickle, eh?

The first hung parliament since 1974, and we're still no closer tonight to knowing who the Government will be. Or are we?

Anyone interested in knowing how things panned out from hour to hour last time - complete with hilarious detail of Jeremy Thorpe tramping across farm-fields and the sitcom-like escapades of the Carringtons - should go and take a look at the formerly secret memo here which sets it all out in detail. Thanks to the Margaret Thatcher Foundation, it's now all public. And if you want a useful summary of everything that happened back then, you'll find it here.

As for today - many people are getting very hot under the collar about the current piece of Realpolitik in which the Lib Dems find themselves engaged. What, exactly, should they do instead? Refuse to talk to anyone? How grown-up would that be? Is it the principle of 'consorting' that the objectors don't like, or the fact that their own party isn't being represented?...

Like it or not, a Conservative minority government is not being offered at the moment. The current position is that, as the sitting PM, Gordon Brown has every constitutional right to sit tight unless and until the other parties show that they could produce a stable Government.

At least, I believe he does. Where is that British Constitution exactly?...

FAQ for voters

2010-05-06T05:32:00.000-07:00

Some questions I've been asked by first-time voters.

Can I vote at any Polling Station?
No. You have to vote at the one you are "called to", i.e. the one on your card.

I've moved since getting my polling card. Where do I go?
Still go to the Polling Station on your card. You don't have to tell them you have moved but you will only be registered to vote at that Polling Station.

Do I have to take my polling card in?
No. Just give your name and address to the person on the desk.

Can I take my children into the Polling Station with me?
Yes. They may not see or write the cross (or other mark) on your paper though.

Do the ballot slips have just the candidates' names on, just the parties, or both?
They have both.

What do I do if I've forgotten to post my postal vote?
You can take it down to the Polling Station. It will still count.

I've heard there are people in party rosettes outside the Polling Stations asking for names and addresses. What's the deal with that?
They are "tellers" - activists for the various parties who are keeping track of who has voted. This is perfectly legitimate but you don't have to give them your name and address if you don't want to. The only people who need to know it are the staff on the desk inside the Polling Station itself.

What time do the Polling Stations shut?
10 o'clock pm.

Can I vote late?
No.

A Quick Round-Up

2010-04-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Would you like to let the Guardian website know how much (or little) political activity there has been in your neighbourhood? Well, then you can do so here.

UK Polling Report has an excellent FAQ about polls - or rather a TFAQ, as it is the questions which are asked all-too-frequently. Go here for a run-down on why people get the wrong end of the stick about polls.

Latest voting intentions in the Guardian poll of polls.

The Indie's Deborah Ross goes out on the stump with the BNP. With hilarious consequences.

The BBC reminds us what life was like under the last hung parliament. It's 1974 and they're having hoops.

And finally, in another echo of elections past, The Daily Politics interviews the Monster Raving Loony Party.

Did I Say That Out Loud?

2010-04-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

It’s not surprising that the advice given to today’s politicians is to err on the side of caution, treat every microphone as if it’s a live one, and always remember – someone, somewhere is watching and listening. Gordon Brown's little indiscretion with a radio mike today wasn't the first such incident, and it won't be the last.

How about a quick look at some other occasions when our politicians revealed maybe a little too many of their human foibles?...

Sing-along-a-Redwood

John Redwood was a pretty unpopular Welsh Secretary, and he is increasingly irritated these days to see the clip replayed of the time in 1993 when he very obviously didn’t know the words to the Welsh national anthem. Like someone in church suddenly confronted with one of those ‘modern hymns’ with the awkward tunes, John bobbed his head from side to side and mouthed something which he hoped resembled the noises which were coming from the people around him. Sadly for him, the cameras’ close-up revealed it all.

Bombing Russia

Ronald Reagan – the man who said with a straight face that there could be a ‘limited nuclear war in Europe’. He believed literally in the Biblical prophecy of Armageddon and cheerfully asserted, during his 1984 re-election campaign, that our generation could be the one to see it. Not surprising that lots of us just wanted to hide under our duvets with a can of spam and listen to Frankie Goes To Hollywood. But his best-known gaffe is perhaps the one which sealed many people’s opinion of him for all time as a dangerous warmonger. On a radio soundcheck in 1984, Reagan declared, ‘My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.’ So that’s what you get, people said, for putting an actor in the White House. We can laugh now, but at the time we thought this was as bad, as frightening, as stupid and as cringeworthy as an American president could possibly get. Which just goes to prove Karl Marx’s aphorism that history repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as farce...

George and the ‘asshole’

While seeking election in 2000, cutting-edge world intellectual and campaigner for peace George W. Bush caught sight of a New York Times reporter he didn’t especially like in the crowd. Dubya muttered to running-mate Dick Cheney that the reporter, Adam Clymer, was a ‘major-league asshole’, to which Cheney responded, ‘Yeah, big-time’. All caught on camera and microphone.

Life’s a beach

Labour Leader Neil Kinnock started his reign with a little walk on Brighton beach for the media with wife Glenys in 1983. All well and good, until he tripped and fell at the water’s edge, getting a good soaking and giving TV folks a classic piece of footage to replay at each subsequent Kinnock ‘stumble’. However, it doesn’t end there. Twenty-four years after his tumble in front of the cameras, the now Lord Kinnock took a wander down to Brighton beach again. This time, he received a four-letter barracking from the pensioners described later as ‘semi-clad’ who were protesting there about the government’s ineptitude over pension schemes. Gritting his teeth afterwards, Lord Kinnock asserted that the protestors were ‘very decent people’ and had been ‘dreadfully let down by the system.’

Master of the entente cordiale

In 2005, before Jamie Oliver had started to pull apart school dinners, another critic of the British menu came bounding on to the scene – France’s President Chirac, who remarked in what he thought was a private chat with Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder that, ‘The only thing that [the British] have ever done for European agriculture is mad cow disease… You cannot trust people who have such bad cuisine.’ This was said while waiting for the decision on which city would host the 2012 Olympics, so maybe Jacques went for some fish and chips afterwards to cheer up. Or some vintage wine, made with sour grapes.

Don’t cross the Mersey

The ever-diplomatic Boris Johnson, the man who now runs London, wrote an infamous Spectator article in which he accused the city of Liverpool of ‘wallowing in its victim status.’ He should have known that hell hath no fury like a Scouser scorned, and within the week his leader Michael Howard had packed the wild-haired Shadow Culture Secretary on the train up North – off to the land of Brookside, the Albert Dock and the Cavern Club to apologise in person. Radio stations, TV studios, local papers – all were collared for Boris’s penance as he tried to pour oil on a troubled Mersey. It seemed to do little good. ‘I think coming here makes things worse. It's not the right response at all,’ said Mike Storey, leader of the city council.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the House of Commons

2010-04-24T04:21:00.000-07:00

There's a brief lull in the campaign. Labour are gearing up to try and win more votes by... making Gordon Brown more visible. (Strokes chin.) We don't want to point out the flaw in that plan, but... Nick Clegg is having a day off to spend with his family, who unfortunately ended up stranded in Spain. Serves them right for taking a holiday outside term-time. And David Cameron is saying something about unelected PMs having to hold elections within 6 months, no doubt with the odd Blair-esque "y'know" and with his sleeves rolled up.

So, it seems an opportune moment to allow ourselves to round up a little satire.

First, remember Gordon saving the world?

Then we have a bit of fun at the expense (no pun intended) of Mr Clegg.

After that, David Cameron goes all Jarvis Cocker for three minutes.

And let's not forget the Greens trying to be taken seriously.

We are nothing if not even-handed here at X Marks The Box.

(We realise we haven't linked to any UKIP satire, but there is nothing we could find which is funnier than their own manifesto.)

First of the Summer Wine

2010-04-19T09:45:00.001-07:00

So, we're well into the campaign now - anybody bored yet? Even self-confessed political geek Iain Dale admits to a little ennui at this stage!

First, let's pause for some music.

Right, having got that feeble topical joke out of the way... the Leaders' Debate - aka the Compo, Clegg and Foggy show - has certainly kicked things into touch.

Gordon Brown, thanks to being the most experienced man on the podium, seemed relaxed, perhaps to the point of not being engaged enough.

David Cameron was oddly lacking in fire and a little "rabbit in the headlights" at times.

Much has been made, of course, of Nick Clegg's sterling performance and his party's subsequent amazing poll boost - but will it last? And if it does, will he still get away with addressing the audience directly down the camera, as if giving a Party Political Broadcast?

That seemed quite odd, as did the lack of any rough-and-tumble engagement from the audience. Of course, scrupulous election-period broadcasting regulations meant that this debate could not be conducted like an edition of Question Time, sadly.

So, what will the next week bring? Will the Lib Dems continue to lead the fray? Can the Conservatives rescue their ailing campaign? Will Labour capitalise on the knowledge that, with the parties as tight as they are in the polls, they could end up with the lowest share of the popular vote and yet the most seats? Will volcanic ash cover everyone and stop any politicians getting out on the road? One thing's for sure - anybody getting an overall majority is looking a little doubtful now...

Soft Soapbox?

2010-03-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

Well, the date may not have been announced yet but the election is as good as in mid-campaign.

In 1992, John Major won the election unexpectedly, a win which some commentators attributed in part to the "honest John, man of the people" image he cultivated by going up and down the country doing no-frills speeches on a soapbox (actually a reinforced crate), dealing with hecklers and letting a crowd gather around him - in contrast to the now-infamous, legendary bombast of Neil Kinnock's Sheffield rally.

David Cameron, anxious to shake off the aura of 'poshness' which he openly fears will cost him votes, has been doing the "blokey" bit which Blair seemed superficially to do well.

Shirt sleeves, questions in the round, almost a dropped aitch or two - all present and correct in his encounter with the Lewisham College students. He was heckled, and dealt with it well - but surely any politician should be able to do this. It seemed informal and casual, and he made the point that the questioners were not pre-picked - although that's not to say the session wasn't very carefully planned. The students were polite, but took him to task. Many of them looked bored, while a good many of them seemed attentive. He was at least trying. Cameron gives the impression of answering questions, of saying, "well, this is what I believe, even if you disagree with me," and then quickly moving on to the next questioner. It could be an effective tactic.

Cameron came out of it well, but more for the presentation than for the substance of policy. It's quite sad that we find it refreshing, even grudgingly, that a politician can get among the people and answer questions in this way. Surely this should be the norm? The most interesting thing about the whole exchange was his comment that "this is what you're going to get from me." There is more of this to come.

It may not quite have been a "soapbox moment", but he gave the impression of coming clean. It remains to be seen if it'll wash.

X Marks the Box ebook giveaway ends

2010-03-05T00:49:00.000-08:00

Thank you very much for downloading to everyone who has downloaded the free ebook of X Marks the Box.

The giveaway has finished now and after only three weeks we’ve had more than 8,300 downloads which is fantastic. I very much hope you’ve enjoyed the book and that it’s helped you think about how politics really affects you – writing the book certainly helped shape my opinions. If you’d like to read the book in the old-fashioned paper format we have a special offer running with Waterstones and the links are below. So all that remains to do now, when the election finally comes, is to VOTE!

The print edition is published today and available at 40% off at Waterstones – only £4.79 – here.

The ebook version is now also for sale, also at 40% off at Waterstones, here.

Please keep up with everything X Marks the Box-related at book’s Facebook page here.

Getting with the Times

2010-03-03T01:59:00.001-08:00

X Marks The Box is pleased to announce that the Times Online will be doing a live chat with Daniel Blythe from 1-2pm today (Wednesday). Come along and ask some searching questions.

Link here.

The last day of the free ebook giveaway

2010-03-03T00:47:00.000-08:00

Today is the last full day of the giveaway of the free ebook version of X Marks the Box.

At the time of writing this, almost 8200 people have downloaded the ebook since we launched three weeks ago.

Daniel Blythe will be doing a live Q&A session with The Times at 1pm today - sign up to be reminded a little while beforehand here.

And don't forget that the book will be in shops very shortly! If you've signed up for the free ebook you'll receive an email in the next couple of days including a special offer to buy the print edition at a reduced price - so keep a look out for that.

If you've any queries, questions or would like to ask Daniel something - become can of the book on Facebook and post your comments there. And if you know anyone who would like to read the free edition - let them know now before it's too late!

Follow My Leader...whoever he is...

2010-02-27T14:24:00.000-08:00

It's said that if you show a picture of a high-profile Opposition spokesman like George Osborne or Chris Grayling to the person in the street, they'll have trouble identifying them. This could well be true. And if it's true of the second biggest party, the Tories, then just think what a problem the smaller parties have with 'recognition factor'.

The Liberal Democrats took a humorous approach to the problem a few years ago when they realised that they had just enough MPs for a pack of cards. Their current leader Nick Clegg is probably worrying in private about losing a few of his Aces to his fellow players next time round... (By the way, what is he doing in that photo? Fans of FlashForward will find it very disturbing indeed.)

What about the minority parties - the Greens and UKIP, for example? Would you know the leader of UKIP if he walked up to you in the street? Probably not. Fair enough, really, as Lord Pearson has not been as high profile as his, ahem, colourful predecessor Nigel Farage.

One person who doesn't know his name is a lady called Julia Gasper. Or at least, she didn't, live on air on BBC Radio Oxford this week. Fair enough, you may be saying. Not a lot of people would be able to name the leader of UKIP. Yes - but unfortunately, Ms Gasper is the UKIP Parliamentary Candidate for Oxford East in the forthcoming General Election. Each of the other candidates in the studio - Steve Goddard for the Liberal Democrats, Andrew Smith for Labour and Edward Argar for the Conservatives - did a decent job standing up for their respective bosses. But Ms Gasper, who had just corrected presenter Bill Heine for a slip of the tongue in which he referred to Nigel Farage as the current and not the former leader, sat in silence when challenged by Mr Heine to put everyone straight by giving her current leader's name. It was one of those awful, cringeworthy moments of radio. Ms Gasper ran out of laughter and sat in silence. One can be pretty sure that the other candidates in the studio knew the answer and probably almost wanted to help her out...

X Marks The Box imagines that a crash course awaits her at UKIP HQ this weekend.

February round-up

2010-02-26T08:42:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who has been downloading X Marks The Box. We have had over 6000 people doing so and it's good news that it has provoked such interest.

It's always good to see young people challenging the stereotype that they are apathetic. In many of the schools I've visited to talk about the book, I've met teenagers who are very interested in politics, certainly intend to vote and ask interesting questions. Such as: "Are people voting less because they are more apathetic, or because they are more content?" As they say - discuss! That sounds like an ideal candidate for one of those Clever Oxbridge Questions.

Another example is an article on The Periscope Post at the moment, written by Jennifer Lipman, who takes Obama's "yes we can" mantra as her starting point and applies it to British politics.

One answer given to people who say they are not happy with the candidates on offer is to become one themselves. But without a party political affiliation, how is this possible? The Independent Network is a non-profit organisation providing support to candidates who are not members of political parties, and is well worth a look. Supporters and endorsed candidates are asked to agree to the Bell Principles - a code of conduct for elected representatives formulated by Martin Bell OBE and the Independent Network. They also have a blog.

We are teetering ever closer towards the announcement of the election date. X Marks The Box will be here to monitor all the developments from the informed citizen's point of view - and of course to keep encouraging you to use your vote.

Daniel Blythe on X Marks the Box

2010-02-24T04:27:00.000-08:00

Pick a Date

2010-02-21T04:40:00.000-08:00

Well, we've been here before. X Marks The Box would be foolish to join in any of the speculation about the election date, so we content ourselves with pointing towards the expert views: Mike Smithson at Political Betting has edged away from his earlier certainty about May and is now giving 8th April serious consideration. On the betting markets, William Hill still favour May 6th but are cutting the odds for an early General Election.

All of this speculation, of course, doesn't help the voters or the politicians to focus on the actual issues. The whole thing becomes an enormous game of brinkmanship, with the Prime Minister seeing how late he can leave it while still making it look as if it was his decision all along and not one he was pushed into. John Major famously waited as long as he could in 1997 before finally ending what the BBC called the "phoney war". In 1992, though, he had gone a little earlier, surprising some by calling an April election - and then surprising a good few more by going on to win it.

One thing seems certain - Spring/early Summer elections are here to stay for a while, barring circumstances like those in 1974 which forced an October election, the second in that year. There are all kinds of reasons for April/May/June elections being the favoured choice - not least the need for good weather without vast swathes of the country being on holiday. Dark nights are seen as off-putting to voters, and can smack of desperation. There's also the advantage of combining the poll with those for local councils and the European parliament, which happen in May.

Whatever date Gordon Brown finally chooses - and he may already have chosen it - the campaign has already started. This time, neither party is making a secret of it, already unveiling slogans and making the kind of speeches one expects in the run-up to an election. Can we perhaps expect an announcement sooner rather than later?...

Choice For Whom?

2010-02-19T12:37:00.000-08:00

One of the possible reasons people are put off voting - a key obsession here at X Marks The Box - is the way in which the vocabulary politicians use (or are forced to use) seems so at odds with that used by the rest of us.

Nicholas Winterton's rant about second-class carriages, in which he totally fails to get that most people don't have another option, is just one recent example of this. It's symptomatic of a deeper malaise.

One of the most frequent manifestations of this is politicians' abuse of the word "choice", which could all too frequently be replaced with the word "money" to give a clearer idea of what they actually mean.

"Choice" in education is a prime example. Politicians of all colours are guilty of spouting forth on this one. I might choose whether to have tea or coffee, or whether to have a Rich Tea biscuit or a Garibaldi. I don't "choose" my children's school in the same way.

Parental "choice" has proven to be an absolute nightmare, putting so much pressure on more popular schools that they are forced to use mobile classrooms to accommodate the overspill, and leaving the less "reputable" ones (to use odious estate-agent-speak) with tumbleweeds blowing between the rows of empty desks.

Most parents don't want "choice". Often they are presented with a good school, a mediocre school and a failing school, and the good school is already so over-subscribed that it has to turn away children with siblings there, or it is too far away by public transport to be a realistic option. Surely parents just want the school on their doorstep to be a good one. It's not rocket science. Indeed, X Marks the Box wonders whatever happened to just going to the school you live nearest to. This was what used to happen in the 1970s and 1980s - before the advent of the dreaded exam league tables, a blunt tool loathed by parents, children and teachers alike and loved only, it seems, by politicians.

What's depressing is how readily the electorate buys into this politician-speak, doesn't challenge it and even adopts it by stealth. Only this week, debaters on a well-known parenting site were resurrecting the allegation that "vitriol" is thrown at the children of those who have exercised the "choice" to use private education. This surely misses the point that it is not the children who are the target of the vitriol, but the smugly middle-class assumption that this expensive option is available to everyone?...

Second Class Citizens

2010-02-19T08:39:00.000-08:00

Just when X Marks The Box was starting to wonder if politicians were finally "getting it", along comes Sir Nicholas Bufton Tufton - beg your pardon, Sir Nicholas Winterton - to declaim that he should of course be entitled to use public money to travel first class on the train. Apparently "standard" class contains "a totally different type of people." We feel a Sir Humphrey Appleby voice coming on here: "Yes, Sir Nicholas - they're called voters."

Some callers on today's Jeremy Vine programme on BBC Radio 2 were springing to the MP's defence. Well, naturally, he has a point, as "standard" class is full of oiks who may have gone to comprehensive schools and who perhaps smell and have the temerity to be accompanied by children, and they apparently stop him from getting any work done. It's a well-known fact, of course, that NHS managers, head teachers, college lecturers and IT consultants never have to take any work on the train and never have to find a way of using a laptop while putting up with the rest of the world carrying on around them.

Conservative Central Office has predictably gone into a bit of a flutter about Sir Bufton's utterances, and has been issuing damage-limitation statements of the "no, please, come back, ABC1 voters, he doesn't mean you" variety.

Sir Nick ought to try National Express. That would be an eye-opener for him. But he is retiring at the General Election. Just as well - because if he were not, then the voters would probably be giving him a first-class, fast-track ticket to obscurity anyway.

You May Know Me From Such Programmes As...

2010-02-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

John Prescott - you know, the easily-recognisable former Deputy Prime Minister, the one best remembered for thumping a voter in 2001 - has admitted that more people know him from his appearance in mildly amusing Welsh sitcom Gavin And Stacey than from anywhere else. Given that he's been involved in political campaigning for 40 years, doesn't that make you want to do this?

On the other hand... surely anything that helps voter recognition is good? People of my generation will remember the time Neil Kinnock popped up in a Tracey Ullman video. And then there was Mrs Thatcher's appearance on Saturday morning kids' TV, where she tried in vain to silence a tenacious little girl who was arguing that we didn't need to spend so much on the nuclear deterrent. (Where is that girl now? Let's hope she went into politics in some form.)

In a week when it's been revealed - shockingly - that one-third of students, first-time voters and supposedly educated ones at that, don't know that Gordon Brown is leader of the Labour Party, we perhaps need more politicians popping up on prime-time comedy shows to boost their profiles. What next - Nick Clegg on BBC3's Two Pints of Lager and One Almost Funny Joke, or Caroline Lucas of the Green Party doing a turn on Mock The Week?...

Those same students, by the way, thought the lovely Joanna Lumley would do a good job in politics - presumably inspired by her sterling work for the Gurkhas. X Marks The Box thinks Joanna would be a good choice, too - but in her role as Sapphire from fantastic ITV sci-fi show Sapphire And Steel, where she frequently battled the forces of Darkness, read minds, and could turn time back by the sheer force of her will. Now what politician wouldn't want her on side - blue dress or no blue dress?...

What marks the box?

2010-02-13T15:26:00.000-08:00

Very interesting page here from the Electoral Commission about what can and can't be accepted as a legitimate, unambiguous mark on a ballot paper.

As you'll see, it doesn't always have to be an X - but two strikes and you're out. You must make your intentions plain and you mustn't do anything that could identify you.

Get your FREE X Marks the Box ebook now!

2010-02-11T01:33:00.000-08:00

For a limited time only - until 4th March 2010 - Daniel Blythe will be giving away, entirely free, without any restrictions on its use and in full, the ebook version of his new book X MARKS THE BOX: HOW TO MAKE POLITICS WORKS FOR YOU from his site.

X MARKS THE BOX helps the ordinary citizen to negotiate the political maze. In this political primer – designed to allay fears, explode myths and shake up apathy – self-confessed born-again voter Blythe argues that politics often has very little to do with Westminster. In his role as irreverent but informed guide to the workings of politics, he offers practical ways in which everyone can politicize themselves to fight for the things that they believe in.

As the most tightly-contested general election for 30 years approaches – and one which will be fought more than ever on local issues – Daniel Blythe gives an enjoyable, useful and penetrating insight into how to make your vote count.

Daniel Blythe says: ‘I went through a period of being cynical about politics, of being disenchanted and not voting. I know that was wrong, and it was because I didn't really understand what politics was about. So I’ve written this book to try to get other people excited about politics again. 2010 will see a general election that is likely to be the most closely contested in recent memory, and not just by the party leaders but by the hard-working candidates, party members and activists battling in their constituencies. I'm taking the opportunity provided by the internet to spread the message of this book. I want as many people as possible to read it and, with any luck, feel as inspired as I was to get interested in the world around me once again. Because if you’re worried about the issues that affect you – schools or crime, traffic or planning permission, MP’s expenses or your own bank balance – then you *are* interested in politics. And I’m looking forward to discussing the book and how to make politics work for you with anyone who’s interested on my blog.’

About the author:

Daniel Blythe is a graduate of St John’s College, Oxford. His published work includes novels, non-fiction and TV tie-ins, including the acclaimed Encyclopedia of Classic 80s Pop. As well as writing, he leads creative writing workshops for adults, young people and children.

The ebook version will also be given away via Waterstones.com/ebooks

The print version will be published by Icon Books on 4th March 2010 and available from all good bookshops, and in particular Waterstones.com.

Alternative History with Alternative Vote

2010-02-09T16:12:00.000-08:00

This is terribly interesting.

Under the Alternative Vote system on which MPs are to hold a referendum, nothing would have changed in terms of who was in charge in the last six elections - but the Liberal Democrats would have been the second largest party, and Paddy Ashdown leader of the official opposition, from 1997-2001.

One can't help wondering if he'd have done a better job than William Hague, who often bested Blair with humorous barbs but failed to transform his winning Commons ways into ballot-box victory.

Twitter Ye Not

2010-02-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

Politicians should always be looking at new ways of interacting with the electorate, and this becomes especially clear as we enter the unofficial run-up to the campaign for the first ever Multimedia Election proper. Yes, a lot of people had Broadband internet in 2005, but there was no Facebook, no Twitter, and it's fair to say the potential of the Internet had not been fully embraced.

A lot of MPs and would-be MPs now blog - such as, to choose a non-partisan selection, John Redwood of the Conservatives, Tom Watson of Labour, Lynne Featherstone of the Liberal Democrats and Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party.

If your MP doesn't have an email address for their office - and they don't all - then you should be asking yourself why not. Technophobe, old-fashioned or just not wanting to be easy to get hold of? In the 1970s, when I was growing up, my parents' generation could still be heard asking, 'Are you on the phone?' This increasingly redundant question came to be replaced by tentative talk, in the 1990s, of 'electronic mail addresses'. These days, we expect to see email addresses given routinely, often alongside a link to Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc. (Adjust according to generational preference.)

Some people hate Twitter and can't get on with it. Comedian Ricky Gervais came out against it recently, and even famous Twitterer Stephen Fry has taken a step back from it while he writes the next volume of his autobiography.

Twitter can be a two-edged sword for politicians. It can make you look hip, happening and in touch, part of the multi-media age - but it also means people can stalk you as they do other 'celebrities' on the site. Just today, Speaker's wife Sally Bercow has become a little irritated with those who are following her every move as she goes out on the school run and eyes up scaffolders.

Unless there is a double election in 2010 - and don't rule that out - then the next General Election after this one will probably be in four or five years' time. And by then, everyone will be talking about a new method of communication and networking which hasn't even been heard of yet.

The most famous misquote?

2010-01-31T06:41:00.001-08:00

Above - the famous Sun headline from the Winter of Discontent in January 1979, which has passed into folklore as the complacent utterance given by then Prime Minister James Callaghan on returning from a summit in Guadeloupe. In fact, the exchange went like this:

REPORTER: What is your general approach, in view of the mounting chaos in the country at the moment?

CALLAGHAN: Well, that's a judgment that you are making. I promise you that if you look at it from outside, and perhaps you're taking rather a parochial view at the moment, I don't think that other people in the world would share the view that there is mounting chaos.

What the newspaper did was perfectly legitimate - a soundbite was compressed into an eye-catching headline. They never tried to allege that Callaghan had uttered those infamous words, 'Crisis? What Crisis?' But the claim that he did has passed into folklore, with the supposed 'quote' even finding its way into dictionaries of quotations.

Some other well-known political sayings, either misquoted or taken out of context:

On Your Bike
Attributed to Norman Tebbit in 1981, following his speech about his unemployed father looking for work in the 1930s depression, and used in subsequent years as shorthand for Conservative intransigence to the plight of the unemployed. Tebbit's actual words were:

I grew up in the 1930s with an unemployed father. He did not riot. He got on his bike and looked for work, and he went on looking until he found it.

There's No Such Thing As Society
Famously attributed to Margaret Thatcher. She did, in fact, say these words in an interview with Woman's Own in October 1987. However, looking at the complete context of the line gives a rather different perspective which might even resonate with many of her detractors:

I think we've been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a problem, it's the government's job to cope with it. 'I have a problem, I'll get a grant.' 'I'm homeless, the government must house me.' They're casting their problem on society. And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first. It's our duty to look after ourselves and then, also to look after our neighbour. People have got the entitlements too much in mind, without the obligations. There's no such thing as entitlement, unless someone has first met an obligation.

Let's Bomb Russia
Only half-jokingly attributed to US President Ronald Reagan. On live radio in 1984, supposedly intending it to be a quip and thinking himself off-air, Reagan declared,

My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.

So that’s what you get, people said, for putting an actor in the White House.

Monkish Ignorance
And finally, one which is interesting for what it left out. Well-known polymath, intellectual and pacifist George W. Bush, in a speech celebrating the Fourth of July, quoted Thomas Jefferson, third President of the USA, as follows:

On the fiftieth anniversary of America’s independence, Thomas Jefferson passed away. But before leaving this world, he explained that the principles of the Declaration of Independence were universal. In one of the final letters of his life, he wrote, “May it be to the world, what I believe it will be — to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all — the signal of arousing men to burst the chains, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government.

Now, what Jefferson actually wrote was:

May it be to the world, what I believe it will be, (to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all) the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government.

Do you see what he did there? One wonders why such an important anti-religious sentiment should have been deliberately left out. A clear sin of omission, perhaps, from one determined to push his own agenda of 'monkish ignorance and superstition' through?...

Let's remind ourselves of this moment

2010-01-29T14:05:00.001-08:00

David Miliband predicts the future.

No, not the 'banana incident' - but perhaps another famous banana skin.

Look, it's true - even Iain Dale misses him!

Political Quote of the Week

2010-01-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Benjamin Franklin (1706–90)

The Hand of History

2010-01-24T13:17:00.000-08:00

If circumstances had been different, each of these people could, at some point, have become Prime Minister.

Enoch Powell (1912-1998)

Remembered now, of course, for his speech against the 1968 Race Relations Act, nicknamed the 'Rivers of Blood' speech. A fascinating alternate history can be found here, portraying a Britain in which Powell's career was rather more illustrious - and the likely consequences.

Michael Portillo (born 1953)

Seen as a likely candidate on three occasions at least. First, it was thought he'd stand against John Major when the latter embarked on his 'put up or shut up resignation' in 1995. Portillo even got as far as setting up a campaign HQ equipped with telephone lines. Secondly, of course, he was scuppered from standing in 1997 after the one moment everyone remembers from that General Election - losing his seat to Stephen Twigg. And then again in 2001, with Portillo back in Parliament and back in the Cabinet, he was knocked out of the leadership contest leaving the party members a choice between Kenneth Clarke and Iain Duncan Smith - ultimately won, of course, by the latter.

Again, the possibility is seen as so interesting that an entire alternate history has been written on the subject.

John Smith (1938-1994)

One of those rare politicians seen as an honourable man even by his enemies, Labour leader John Smith was widely considered as the man to defeat the Tories in the 1990s. Few doubt that, had he lived, he would have gone on to become Prime Minister. His death in May 1994 prompted sombre tributes on all sides of the House.

Neil Kinnock (born 1942)

Famously lost two General Elections (1987 and 1992) before throwing in the towel. His defeat in 1992 came as something of a shock - the cringeworthy Sheffield Rally was thought to be instrumental in his downfall, and that infamous Sun headline can't have helped much...

Don't Punch The Voters

2010-01-22T14:18:00.000-08:00

We're going to be seeing a lot more of our sitting and prospective MPs over the next three or four months, as at some point they will be returning to their constituencies and begging for our votes.

Of course, politicians coming face-to-face with Real People doesn't always work out for the best. Here are a few reminders of some of the awkward, amusing and memorable things that can happen.

Blair and the Women's Institute
In 2000, a nervous Tony Blair is slow-handclapped by the disdainful ladies...

Joe Biden and the "stand up" moment
Oops - US Vice-President-to be, Senator Joe Biden in 2008 asking a man in a wheelchair to stand up. To be fair, he recovers pretty well from this!

Maggie and the Belgrano Housewife
Mrs Thatcher is bettered in debate by Mrs Diana Gould in 1982.

The Prescott Punch
Livening up the moribund 2001 General Election campaign.

The Promise

2010-01-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

Pop and politics have always been uneasy bedfellows. Those of a certain age will recall the cringe factor of seeing Neil Kinnock mucking about in a Tracey Ullman video in the 1980s - even young people were vaguely uneasy at the idea that someone aspiring to run the country should concern himself with such things.

Post-Live Aid, we've become used to our Serious Rock Stars from Bono to Chris Martin issuing pronouncements and edicts on everything from Third World Debt to sustainable living. To which the obvious reply is, "all very nice when you have a private jet and someone to wash your socks, mate."

It may have slipped under the radar that, back in December 2006, the New Statesman broke out its sparkly slingbacks, put on its best lippy and sashayed forth to meet five would-be policy makers, a bunch of narrow-hipped vixens known otherwise as Girls Aloud. It's safe to say the political world did not exactly tremble - however, what followed was not necessarily that embarrassing either. Cheryl Cole, at that point in time poised exactly halfway between uncomfortable memories of toilet-attendant incidents and future quasi-Diana status as Nation's Sweetheart, helpfully offered that she voted Labour because her mum always did. Nadine Coyle was friends with a nurse and suggested the money being spent in the NHS wasn't going to the right places. Sarah Harding ventured that "We need to make politics more user-friendly... It just isn't talked about in normal magazines and newspapers. We never get asked who we would vote for. It could be a general question to ask us in an interview, but it isn't. Everyone has ideas about what we want for the country, but people need to vote to make that happen." Blimey. Join the club. As a snapshot of the political thinking of the successful working-class British girl, it was pretty effective. Amusingly, they didn't want to back David Cameron and seemed rather confused over whether they had met Gordon Brown.

The Guardian had something to say back in 2007 about the lack of political pop music these days.

In truth, getting celebrity backing for your party can be a two-edged sword. In the past, Billy Bragg and Paul Weller have lined up for Labour, Elton John was courted by the Tories and Labi Siffre came out as a Lib Dem. But we wince now at the memories of "Cool Britannia", of Spice Girl Union Jack chic and the Gallagher brothers quaffing champagne in Downing Street. It's all very 1997. Where will it end? One can't imagine the current leaders desperately seeking the seal of approval from Pixie Lott, Lady Gaga and Chipmunk. Maybe we're returning to a time when celebrities can get on with doing what they do best, and politicians can do the same.

Poster boys

2010-01-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

We're not officially in an election campaign. But we're in that interesting period, just as we were at this time in 1992, where we know there is only a limited amount of time left. The election has to happen by June 2010. And so, since Christmas the parties have effectively been fighting the first rounds in an election campaign. It is unlikely to go on at this kind of intensity, but so far all three party leaders have struck blows which must have encouraged them. The polls look good for David Cameron, although still not consistent enough to ensure him an overall majority, while Nick Clegg has actually got some decent media attention for his recent pronouncements (always difficult for the third party leader) and Gordon Brown is on fighting form in recent Prime Minister's Questions - he certainly isn't acting like a man who has given up.

So, if this is an election campaign in all but name, we can expect more and more giant billboard posters to go up in the next few weeks. Even in the age of Broadband and Twitter - and this will be the first election fought with those technologies at the parties' disposal - a giant two-dimensional image is still, it seems, thought to be an effective way of getting one's message over to the public.

Memorable election posters from previous decades immediately spring to mind - a classic Conservative poster forever associated with the Winter of Discontent and Callaghan's "Crisis? What Crisis?" (which he didn't actually say), and an ultimately ineffective campaign hinting that Tony Blair was not all he seemed. Some played on old fears while others showed commendable optimism...

These days, of course, new technology can be used to play with the images the parties come up with. The voters won't sit still and take the message in one direction - they're going to have a little fun with it. I think we can expect a bit more of this kind of thing over the next few weeks. In its own way, this very Tens (Teenies? Tweenies?) satire is yet another channel of communication between politicians and the people.

Create your own David Cameron poster!

2010-01-21T01:11:00.000-08:00

We love this 'create your own David Cameron poster' built by a guy called Andy Barefoot.

Create yours here and here's one we made earlier:

X Marks the Box - FREE ebook giveaway

2010-01-12T01:04:00.000-08:00

Book publishing trade magazine The Bookseller are first with the story that, from 11th February 2010, Daniel Blythe will be giving away, in ebook form, his new book on politics and voting, X Marks the Box, entirely free.

Sign up for the free ebook in advance of 11th February using the widget on the right of this page, which is shareable if you'd like to put it on your site, using the button at the bottom right.

Read the full piece in the Bookseller here and download Icon's press release here.

You're Nicked

2008-09-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

Voters complain often that politicians don’t actually want to talk to them about the issues that matter – that they don’t want to come round and debate on the doorstep, put leaflets through the door, and so on.

So when Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg announced that, post-conference, he was going to be phoning a few thousand people up for a chat, I expect a good many voters rubbed their hands with glee, relishing the chance to have a productive and meaningful debate with a major party leader, or at least do a multi-choice quiz with him. ‘Hi, Nick, great to hear from you. For one hundred pounds, how much is the weekly pension? a) £30, b) £60, c) £90 or d) £120? No guessing, now. This is the kind of stuff you’re meant to know.’

But no – disappointingly, it’s turned out to be just a recorded message. ‘Hi there! Con-grad-yulations! This is Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats! Listen to this message and you could win a free weekend discussing Proportional Representation with Lynne Featherstone in Brighton.’ Not sure how he was talked into this. Maybe he said he was going to phone up ‘more than 30’ people and then tried to backtrack by saying he’d exaggerated a bit.

There's Something About Sarah

2008-09-17T02:02:00.000-07:00

This year, the US elections have been a continuous narrative full of surprises, rather than just a rather dull run-off between two greying men, one of whom is slightly less right-wing than the other. And now something very odd is happening.

Sarah Palin stands for all sorts of things that make me shudder. The impression given in her first few days of high-profile politics is unsettling: that she’s a pistol-packin', elk-shootin', yee-hah gun-lover, not to mention a creationist who thinks it's ‘Gaaaaaaaahd's Will’ that good ol' Merkin Boyz are out there in Iraq kickin' some butt. Her interview with ABC News’s Charlie Gibson betrayed a worrying lack of foreign policy experience. Unlike her namesake Michael, she hasn’t exactly been Pole To Pole. She freely admits only ever having visited Canada , Mexico and (briefly) Kuwait, and seems to think that the fact that her neighbours can spit on Russia from their front doors gives them huge insights into Vladimir Putin’s policies. She wasn’t aware that the ‘Bush Doctrine’ of 2002 referred to ‘anticipatory retaliation’ (basically, America’s right to bomb anyone who sort-of-threatens them, like the bloke in the pub who goes up to you and punches you for looking at him in a funny way).

And yet even I have to admit there is something hugely charismatic about her. She is straightforward and plain-talking, and people know what she stands for. And she’ll attract women voters who couldn’t stomach Hillary Clinton. She will appeal to conservative Middle America. With this choice, John McCain has proved himself to be an astute operator (and apparently the two of them had only met once or twice before he made his choice). He has pulled the carpet from under the feet of his opponent Barack Obama, whose charisma and nebulous ‘change’ message looked in danger of sweeping America off its collective feet. Obama seems a decent guy, but I’m becoming more convinced that he’ll lose this election.

And, let’s face it, if you are Vice-President you have a fair chance of having a stab at the top job (John Nance Garner alert aside – the 32^nd VP, he who famously said the office was not worth a ‘bucket of warm piss’). Post-1945, four men have graduated from VP to President – Johnson, Nixon, Ford and George Bush Senior. Not, one hastens to add, that Mrs Palin will be wishing any ill to befall John McCain if he is elected. Although one wonders if any episodes of Commander In Chief have been playing on the Palin household DVD…

And even if Obama wins this time, Palin will still only be 48 years old in 2012 and 52 in 2016… It’s very likely indeed that, love her or hate her, Sarah Palin will become the world’s most high-profile and controversial stateswoman since Margaret Thatcher – and the defining politician of the 2010s.

Now watch me fall flat on my face as they lose… Ah, the joy of predictions.

None of the Above

2008-09-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

Is it possible to express your dissatisfaction with politics without seeming apathetic?

People who don’t vote in elections fall into several camps. There are those who don’t like any of the candidates on offer, those who don‘t like the political system per se, those who are so unaware that they neither know nor care that an election is happening, and those who know but don’t care. Whichever you are, there are a number of ways you can express your view without just staying at home. Because the problem with passive abstention is that it makes no distinction between the high-minded, the genuinely disillusioned, the lazy and the ignorant.

After the 2005 General Election, a MORI poll of non-voters found that 13% were ‘very interested’, in politics, 43% were ‘interested’, 30% were ‘not particularly interested’ and 14% were ‘not at all interested’. Interestingly, though, these non-voters still professed the same concerns as the rest of the population – crime, health, money and so on – but they just didn’t necessarily see this abstract thing called ‘politics’ as being the answer to their problems. So, with only a minority of non-voters actually appearing not to take an interest in politics, there must be something else turning them off. The same poll also asked people’s reasons for not voting, of which the largest group (19%) was the ‘not bothered’, followed by 13% who expressed a lack of trust in politicians and 9% who claimed a lack of choice.

The campaign Positive Abstention may appeal to you – it lobbies for positive abstention to be included as an option on ballot-papers. In 2005, the campaign Abstain 05 suggested wording for a sticker to be put over the ballot-slip, At the moment, this would count as a spoilt paper, but at least it is counted. Writing ‘None of the Above’ on your ballot-slip has exactly the same effect – and if enough people in a constituency did it, then think of the message it would send out. By the way, nobody can stand as candidate for the 'None of the Above Party' - the actual words 'None of the Above' as part of a political party's name are prohibited under the Registration of Political Parties (Prohibited Words and Expressions) (Amendment) Order 2005. Spoilsports.

X Marks the Box - Daniel Blythe

2008-09-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

What is politics? And why does it matter? Self-confessed
‘born-again voter’ Daniel Blythe presents a popular,
forceful argument designed to shake up anyone’s apathy.

Politics sets the agenda. Climate change, education, crime,
housing – these are political issues, but for many, party politics is
still a turn-off.
Daniel Blythe negotiates the political maze from the citizen’s
point of view. Why should we vote? What do politicians do and
why does it make a difference? Are you a Diehard, a Bloody-
Noser or a Tactical? What can your MP do for you? And just why
do they avoid answering direct questions?

Along the way, we examine the most fun general elections and
the under-rated politicians; the sauciest scandals and the bizarre
sexiest MP polls; the biggest political victories, the U-turns
and betrayals; the issues on the street, the part played by your
choice of newspaper and what manifestos really mean; how to
make your vote count, how to protest, and why you should care
about by-elections.

Whether you are disenchanted or a ballot-box regular, an activist
or a floating voter, this is a book to amuse, inform and entertain.
Irreverent, topical, sceptical and packed with useful facts and
trivia, X Marks The Box takes you on a journey through apathy to
activism – and everything in between.