A Complaint From Geraldine Dreadful MP

Geraldine Dreadful MP has written me a letter rightly taking me to task for my interview with Nick Griffin. Read it HERE.

Election Night Counts: The Electoral Commission Drags Its Feet

This election night count story just won't go away.

There are still plenty of councils who still won't say when they plan to count the votes. For some it is because of the recent confusion over what the new law says. For some I suspect they wish to avoid political pressure from local councillors. Others await guidance from the Electoral Commission, but if my research is right, they may well have a long wait.

By my calculation, if all the councils who have saidthey want to count on Friday go ahead with these plans i think that David Cameron would have to get a majority of around 100 to get to 326 seats before breakfast.

The following appears on the Electoral Commission website and is contained within their briefing note on the Report Stage of the Bill. It is the Electoral Commission which will have to publish the guidence as to what "reasonable steps" are, not the Ministry of Justice. Unbelievably, they refuse to do this until the Bill gains Royal Assent (assuming this is during the wash up in the last hours of the old parliament (on 8-9 April), this gives Returning Officers only 17 working days to reach a decision). It does seem to suggest, however, that the following are all possible reasons for counting on Friday.

1. Being rural
2. Having local elections
3. Not having enough money

It is still arguable that most councils could pick one of these categories, particularly if the election is on the same day as the local elections.

This is the relevant paragraph from the Electoral Commission:

"Developing and issuing guidance on the new duty to begin counting votes with four hours of close of poll. The Electoral Commission will issue guidance for Returning Officers on any changes to the Parliamentary Elections Rules as soon as possible once the Bill receives Royal Assent.

We do not believe that such guidance could - or should attempt to - anticipate all of the possible reasonable steps which might be taken by a Returning Officer in order to comply with the new duty imposed by this Clause, for a number of reasons:

* The extent to which steps taken by Returning Officers are considered reasonable will need to be determined on a case by case basis - e.g. what is considered reasonable for a compact borough constituency may not be for a more geographically disparate county constituency; what is considered reasonable for a constituency where there are no combined local government elections may not be for a constituency where the parliamentary election is combined with local government elections.

* In addition, what are considered to be "reasonable steps" will to a degree depend on the level of financial resources available to returning officers and, in particular, the extent to which they will be able to claim payment from the Consolidated Fund for additional expenses incurred in taking what they consider to be "reasonable steps".

To ensure Returning Officers are able to make decisions on the correct approach the Government should also clarify how it would assess whether any additional costs incurred in ensuring that the counting of votes begins within four hours of close of poll are reasonable, and amend its guidance notes for Returning Officers as appropriate. We will continue to work with all parties as the Bill progresses to seek resolution to these remaining issues."

Is it any wonder that EROs and Returning Officers may be a little confused. There is also something on the AEA website now. The headline is "Overnight Poll Count Proposals Eased". However within a couple of paragraphs it highlights the view of the MoJ that actually they're still tough.

This is the letter which the AEA recently sent round to Electoral Registration Officers. It seems to emphasise "freedom of choice" for Elections Officers.

"Dear x

I have received the following note from the Chief Executive which has been published on the website over the weekend but, in case you have not yet seen it and in view of its importance, I reproduce it below for all Members' information:-

"I have now received a letter from Michael Wills MP, Minister of State at the MoJ to explain the Government's latest position in respect of the amendment made to the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill. As you will know, the purpose of the amendment is to require overnight counts at parliamentary elections.

The Minister's letter acknowledges the various comments that have been made since the amendment was passed. In that light, his letter explains that the Government, with the support of the Opposition front bench, has now tabled a further amendment to the Bill regarding the counting of votes at a Parliamentary election. This clause will now be debated at Report stage of the Bill on Tuesday, 2 March.

The letter explains that the amendment follows further discussions between the parties and also seeks to take account of discussions with the Electoral Commission and the concerns that the AEA has shared with MoJ officials.

The purpose of the amendment would be to delete the previous amendment and to replace it with a new clause which would provide that a Returning Officer must take reasonable steps to begin counting the votes given on the ballot papers as soon as practicable within four hours of the close of poll. The clause would require the Electoral Commission to produce guidance on this duty. Where the count does not begin within the specified time period, Returning Officers would be required to publish a statement within 30 days of the poll giving the time that the count began, explaining why it did not begin before 2 am. and setting out those steps that were taken. This statement would have to be provided to the Electoral Commission, who would be required to list those constituencies that did not start the count before 2 am. in its statutory report on the conduct of the election. The clause would apply to all Parliamentary elections (including by-elections) in future.

The amendment has yet to be published but when it is (probably on Monday), it can be found at:-

http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2009-10/constitutionalreformandgover
nance/documents.html

Although many would have preferred to keep the existing arrangements, I am sure that this situation is better than that which would have been the case if the previous amendment had survived. At least, it does restore the decision to the ARO and give them some freedom of choice in determining when best to undertake the count.

I have, of course, asked to be kept advised on developments and progress through Parliament although the answer to that, so far as the House of Commons is concerned, will be easily available from Hansard on Wednesday morning. The Bill with this amendment, if approved, will then transfer to the House of Lords."

Best wishes,
Nigel

Nigel Hurll
Website Manager, Association of Electoral Administrators

I don't think we have heard the last of this. To me it is appalling that the Electoral Commission is refusing to issue any guidance at all until the CRB receives Royal Assent. They appear to be quite willing to defy the wishes of the Government and the Opposition. It is a decision they may well come to regret

Quote of the Day: Graham Stuart MP on Lord Paul

"Imagine a Tory donor who'd bought a company, run its pension fund into the ground, bought the assets back for pennies in the pound, who became a privy counsellor even though he wasn't qualified while personally funding the leader's leadership bid - they (sic) would be a massive story and yet somehow the BBC runs day after day on Lord Ashcroft, who as far as I can see has done nothing wrong, and gives Labour an easy ride. It takes me back to the tales we had of the champagne bottles in 1997 and I'm afraid the BBC remains biased and fails to ask the proper questions of those who are currently in power."

Source HERE (scroll in 12 mins)

Election Night Counts: MoJ Toughens Guidance for Returning Officers

The Ministry of Justice have been in touch following my story on Saturday about the government appearing to backtrack on election night counts. Here's what they have to say...

The clause requires Returning Officers to take reasonable steps to begin the count by 2am. That is a clear duty and goes further than the existing legislation which requires them only to make arrangements for the counting of votes "as soon as practicable" after the close of poll. It is clear in our view that when the amendment becomes law, it would not allow for Returning Officers simply to excuse themselves from starting the count within the 4 hour period set out. Of course, the legislation cannot guarantee overnight counts everywhere - there might for example be some constituencies with challenging geography where, despite reasonable steps being taken, it is impossible to begin the count by 2am. Or there might be unforeseen circumstances on the night. But the formulation is much clearer about what is expected than the current legislation, and Returning Officers will not be able to dismiss the duty lightly.

I can't make up my mind whether that is encouraging or not! I think if I was a Returning Officer I'd be very confused.

Why Hasn't the Budget Been Announced

Isn't it about time we started asking why the date of the budget hasn't been set? If there is a May 6th election, the last date for the budget would surely be March 24th. The week after is Easter and the week after that is the time the election would have to be called. It is normal practice to give a month's notice of the budget. It's difficult to see how that will happen this year.

Last year the budget date of April 22 was announced on 12 February. (see HERE)
In 2008 the budget date of March 12 was announced on 1 February. (see HERE)

What is Alistair Darling afraid of? Could it be that he will announce that the budget will be held after the election? If so, that would tell us all we need to know about what is likely to be in it.

I called the Treasury Press Office and was told that an announcement would be made "shortly". Whatever that means.

What a Strange Poll

On my way home last night I heard details of the Times/Populus poll which apparently showed Labour and the Conservatives neck and neck at 38% in the marginal seats. Except that it didn't.

All the media reporting I saw gave the impression that this poll was a poll of marginals. All marginals. Only in the small print did we discover that it didn't include LibDem marginals, or the top 50 Con-Lab marginals. It was a poll of the Con-Lab marginals from 51-150. Knowing that, it reads rather more encouragingly for the Conservatives as it shows a 6.7 swing to the Conservatives since 2005. Labour is down from 45.3 to 38.2% while the Tories are up to 37.6 from 31.4. This would enable them to win 97 Labour held seats, leaving them needing to win more than 20 LibDem seats to gain an overall majority.

What this poll confirms, despite the way it has been portrayed, is that the Tories continue to perform better in the battleground seats than elsewhere. Which is exactly what they need to do.

The Daley (Half) Dozen: Monday

1. Paul Flynn reports from his booklaunch.
2. True Blue Blood calls for aspiration not austerity.
3. Burning our Money on tax and the Tories.
4. Lobbydog on the Ashfield Labour shortlist.
5. Party Lines on Denis MacShane and Total Politics. Read the comments.
6. Gaby Hinsliff is not a feminist, but...

What's My News?

Just a bit of fun before I head off to Dagenham... A few minutes ago I posted this on my Twitter feed.

Just had some really exciting news. I sooo wish I could tell you. But rest assured you will be the first to know. Feel free to speculate!

My Twitter followers have posted some hilarious suggestions as to what my exciting news might be. Here are some of them...

• Greg Clark resigning and you have been selected to represent RTW? Please?
• You're one of Elton John's love childen after all haha? I know,I bet you've been selected to contest a seat at the General Election?
• Ashcroft, anticipates more free time, to join TotalPol staff team? :)
• Nick Griffin can't do your interview because he's accidentally brutally stabbed himself in the stomach while shaving?
• Gordon Brown has resigned?
• Which safe seat has just come up ;-) ?
• You've been invited to be Communications Director at West Ham United?
• You got the Cliff Richard tickets?
• Is your "Exciting news" that you have joined Danny Finklestein on the first post-election Lords list?
• Congratulations on your new role leading the opposition
• You're going to be a father?
• Have you and John been cleared to adopt?
• Michael Foot left you something in his will?
• You have found a Scottish constituency for yourself.
• I suspect your news is that the Tories have a 30 point lead in a poll- w00t etc. for the blues
• You know where the WMD's are hidden
• Hair loss isnt permanent?
• They have just cloned Gio
• Youve done a Jack Dromey and gone through an all woman shortlist to be selected for the GE
  

None of them are within a million miles. But feel free to continue... It will keep me amused on the journey east.

Help Andrew Stephenson Win

Between now and the General Election I will be highlighting a whole series of Conservative candidates who I believe deserve our financial support. They will generally be in marginal seats with limited fundraising capacity. After I highlighted the candidacy of Tom Biggs, the Conservative opponent of David Wright MP, you all donated more than £2,000 through MyConservatives.com, for which I am sure he is very grateful.

Andrew Stephenson is one of the Conservatives' youngest candidates. He is looking to oust Gordon Prentice, Labour MP for Pendle, who enjoys a majority of just over 2,000. Prentice has complained vociferously about the amount of funding Andrew Stephenson has received from CCHQ, so let's make him splutter a bit more by raising some money for Andrew's campaign from ordinary Conservative supporters.

Fight, Fight & Fight Again to Save the Country We Love

Ben Brogan has an interesting blogpost analysing the current Tory position HERE. He reckons that Tory Command has lost its ability to fight and is allowing Labour to dominate the agenda.

He's right that they need to pick themselves up and rediscover the ability to fight. The next 60 days are going to be determine the future of our country, and all Conservatives need to rally round and fight as if their lives depended on it. That's true whether you're a candidate in a marginal seat, a volunteer delivering leaflets or part of David Cameron's inner circle.

Just imagine how you would feel on May 7th to wake up to find the country faced another five years of Gordon Brown?

What better incentive could there be for us all to go that extra mile for the 'party and country we love'?*

* With apologies to Hugh Gaitskell

PS Apologies but blogging with be light to non existent today, as I am preparing for my interview with Nick Griffin this afternoon.

Two Stops Short of Dagenham

I have just been watching the BBC Politics Show London edition [scroll in 30 mins], which concerned the situation in Barking. Nick Griffin refused to take part in the discussion between Margaret Hodge, Simon Marcus (the Tory candidate) and Dominic Carman who is standing for the LibDems.

Interestingly, Dominic Carman said in the interview that he only joined the Liberal Democrats in the Autumn of 2009. Why is this interesting? Because I am sure I read recently that LibDem PPCs have to have been members of the party for either 6 or 12 months. I can't remember which.

This, and next door Dagenham & Rainham, will be one of the 'seats to watch' on election night. Having said that, I suspect the local council results the next day will be the ones which really make the headlines.

The Daley (Half) Dozen: Sunday

1. Mark Pack reviews WHY VOTE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT. Why indeed.
2. Glyn Davies on his day at the Welsh Tory confeerence in Llandudno.
3. Walaa Idris asks: what's wrong with Norman Tebbit?
4. J Arthur Macnumpty & Clairwil on the strange scandal of Stephen Purcell.
5. Norman Tebbit on why Michael Foot and he did not get on.
6. Dave Hill wonders why Nick Griffin wouldn't appear on TV.

Podcast: The 7 Days Show Episode 15

The latest edition of the Seven Days Show is now online.

In the latest episode we discuss the issue of Lord Ashcroft and whether it will be an issue come election time; Brown’s appearance in front of the Chilcot inquiry and why he can be pleased with his performance (though others may not be); Peter Bingle and his comments on the Tory Campaign; the Leaders debates and whether they are a positive thing; and finally MPs and their wives/husbands/partners.
To listen to the podcast click HERE, or you can also subscribe to the show in the Tory Radio section in the podcast area of Itunes.

Interviewing Nick Griffin

Last year I interviewed Nick Griffin on the European election night programme. If I am honest, I wasn't much looking forward to it. You see, I had never heard an interview with Griffin which had actually produced more light than heat. Interviewers seemed to think that bludgeoning him and interrupting him after every three words would show him up for what he is - whatever that is. I decided to interview him in exactly the same way as I would anyone else. And that's why I wasn't looking forward to it, as I was pretty sure I'd get slagged off for being "too soft" on him. I just take the view that aggressive questioning rarely gets results. As it turned out, I made the right decision and most people seemed to think that my approach enabled people to learn more about Mr Griffin and his attitudes than a hectoring interview would have done.

Anyway, all this is a preamble to the fact that tomorrow afternoon I'll be interviewing Nick Griffin again, this time for TOTAL POLITICS. I won't be changing my approach, and as normal, I'm going to ask my blogreaders to suggest some lines of questioning. I might or might not decide to use them.

Sarah Palin: Stand Up Comedian

A new career awaits Sarah Palin. Or not. Actually, I thought she was very good. Having done a stand up turn myself last year, I know how difficult it is!

One Rule for One...

Nadine is not pleased. It turns out that LibDem MP Mark Oaten demanded a £3,600 fee for appearing in the Tower Block of Commons programme on Channel 4, where four MPs lived for a week on some fairly rough council estates. Nadine, Tim Loughton and Austin Mitchell never asked for a fee and didn't receive one.

Nadine and Tim Loughton have now written to the programme's producers asking for a £3,600 fee which they will donate to charities on the council estates they lived on and in their own constituencies.

Good on them.

First Class!

Remember the fuss about Sir Nicholas Winterton demanding the right to continue to travel first class? Today, Labour MP Tom Levitt tells the Sunday Times he should be allowed to travel in first because he is "six feet tall". LibDem MP Sandra Gidley says she feels "safer" in first class. I wonder if they will be subjected to the same kind of ridicule Sir Nicholas experienced.

Thought not.

SamCam Does NOT Vote Labour!

Unbelievably, the Mail on Sunday front page story is apparently alleging that Samantha Cameron is a secret Labour voter. It's based on an interview Ed Vaizey has given to a Channel 4 documentary on Cameron by Andrew Rawnsley. However, Cameron Central have moved quickly to deny the story. A senior Tory spokesman tells me...

"The Mail on Sunday story is not true. Sam has never voted Labour and never
will. She took 5 weeks off work to campaign for the Tories in Stafford in 97
election!"

So to those hoping for another Sally Bercow, think again.

I suspect Mr Vaizey may well be eating a little humble pie for breakfast tomorrow...

But frankly, if that's the most damaging allegation to emerge from the programme, I imagine everyone at CCHQ will be quite pleased.

The Daley (Half) Dozen: Saturday

1. Richard Willis on the date of the budget and the election.
2. Jonathan Isaby wonders if election night counts are as safe as we first thought.
3. Even LabourHome is outraged by Gordon Brown's Afghanistan trip.
4. Prodicus explains the conflict between Brown and the Generals.
5. Burning our Money thinks Brown is a man without honour.
6. Andrew Roberts imagines what would have happened if Michael Foot had become PM.

And as a bonus...

7. Cranmer on the 'extremist' (sic) Donal Blaney.

Ain't Gonna Happen

Peter Hitchens' Mail on Sunday column makes for hilarious reading this week. This is how it starts...

David Cameron has twice refused to be interviewed by me, once for this newspaper and once for a TV programme I made about him for Channel Four. When I have sought to question him at Press conferences or public events, he has been highly reluctant to speak to me. I understand this reluctance, and take it as a compliment, but I do not think it is creditable or right.

Oh purrrlease. Peter knows very well that every political leader gets hundreds of interview requests every month. Quite why David Cameron would choose to grant an interview to a columnist who has been uniformly hostile to him is anyone's guess. He then goes on to list the eight questions he would ask Cameron were he given the chance. Most of them make Jim Naughtie's questions look short and illustrate the pointlessness of Cameron being interviewed by Hitchens.

What on earth would it achieve

Next, he'll be suggesting that Gordon Brown should give an exclusive interview to Andrew Rawnsley...

New Poll Soothes Tory Brows

The News of the World has an ICM poll which will bring some much needed cheer to Tory high command. It shows...

Con 40 (+3)
Lab 31 (+1)
Lib 18 (-2)

It is the first poll for a forthnight showing the Tories on 40%, but for some reason, ICM reckon that even with a nine point lead, David Cameron would still be 6 seats short of a majority. Go figure.

Full story HERE.

EXCLUSIVE: Straw Backtracks on Election Night Counts

Having bowed to pressure a few weeks ago to force councils to hold overnight election counts, it appears that Justice Secretary Jack Straw has had a rethink.

Nobody seems to have picked up on the fact that the new Government clause to prevent Friday counting was completely watered down at the Report stage this week.

If you look at the latest version of the Constiutional Reform and Governance Bill online (section 90) you will see that the clause that caused all that excitement recently has been removed.

All the Returning Officers now have to do is take reasonable steps to try and start the count overnight now (hold a planning meeting?). If they decide not to do so the only sanction is that they have to write to the Electoral Commission within 30 days explaining why they didn't. Here is the relevant amendment...

NEW CLAUSE 37 - Parliamentary elections: counting of votes

'(1) Schedule 1 to the Representation of the People Act 1983 (c. 2) (parliamentary elections rules) is amended as follows.

(2) In rule 44 (attendance at counting of votes) after paragraph (5) insert-

"(6) In making arrangements under this rule, the returning officer shall have regard to the duty imposed on him by rule 45(3A) below."

(3) In rule 45 (the count)-

(a) after paragraph (3) insert-

"(3A) The returning officer shall take reasonable steps to begin counting the votes given on the ballot papers as soon as practicable within the period of four hours starting with the close of the poll.";

(b) after paragraph (7) insert-

"(8) The Electoral Commission shall issue guidance to returning officers on the duty imposed by paragraph (3A) above."

(4) After rule 53 insert-

"Counting of votes: statement by returning officer

53ZA (1) In a contested election, if the counting of the votes given on the ballot papers did not begin within the period specified in rule 45(3A) above, the returning officer shall before the expiry of the period of 30 days starting with the day on which the poll closed-

(a) prepare and publish a statement giving the information specified in paragraph (2) below, and

(b) deliver it to the Electoral Commission.

(2) The statement must-

(a) specify the time at which the counting of the votes given on the ballot papers began,

(b) describe the steps taken under rule 45(3A) above, and

(c) explain why the counting of the votes given on the ballot papers did not start within the period specified in rule 45(3A) above.

(3) Where a statement is delivered to the Electoral Commission under paragraph (1)(b) above, the Commission shall specify in any election report they produce that a statement has been delivered to them under that paragraph in respect of the constituency to which the statement relates.

(4) In paragraph (3) above "election report" means a report under section 5(1) or (2A) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 in relation to the parliamentary election in question."'.- (Mr. Wills.)

Word hasn't got round the Returning Officer world about this yet, I understand, but when it does it would be reasonable to expect something like 60 to 80 to happily write the Electoral Commission a letter about their decision to count on Friday. They are not the most dissident set of people but you do get the impression that on this they are willing to die in the ditches.

The appalling thing is that no one - MPs, journalists and bloggers alike - seem to have noticed this sleight of hand by Jack Straw - or perhaps, more accurately, his civil servants. And we call this parliamentary scrutiny! Surely to God someone in the Commons should have been paying attention. It went through on the nod, with no debate and no vote.

I understand - although I haven't seen it - that a letter has been sent out by the AEA to Returning Officers explaining why Michael Wills, the Justice Minister, has agreed to the new amendment. Although surprisingly nothing appears on their public website.

It is not just the EROs who need certainty, it is the broadcasters. All the main broadcasters will have something like 100 outside broadcast vans in various leisure centres and school halls on the night and Friday if necessary. Many are being imported from overseas as British broadcasters don't have enough to go around.

The lack of certainty over who is counting when is causing huge logistical problems for Sky, ITV and the BBC. If there are significant numbers of counts on the Friday it makes the difference between planning a 14 hour broadcast and a 20 hour one, with all the resultant consequences of staffing levels, hotels etc.

At some point, decisions are going to have to be made.

The Daley Dozen: Friday

1. Luke Akehurst remembers Michael Foot.
2. Mark Reckons on MPs' pay.
3. Your Mandate on how to fix NHS dentistry.
4. Ben the Prisoner on his time as prison pornographer in chief.
5. Nadine accuses her LibDem opponent on being a Jack of all words.
6. Party Lines interviews Dizzy, who reveals an antipathy to political parties.
7. Hopi Sen on his attempt to be selected as Labour PPC for Gateshead.
8. Cranmer on an example of religious intolerance by Labour.
9. Ambush Predator on how the government want to make us eat bigger chips.
10. Left Foot Forward reviews the political week.
11. Calum Cashley says people should lay off Steve Purcell, the leader of Glasgow City Council who has resigned.
12. James Forsyth on why Tory internal polling matters.

Channel 4 News: Oh Dear, Oh Dear

I'm sorry, but Cathy Newman's so-called Exclusive on Channel 4 News tonight is pretty lame. Cathy has had a number of really good scoops lately, but this is not one of them. Earlier, she tweeted...

@cathynewman: C4News Exclusive: leaked email warns party's throwing away election victory with "shambolic" campaign http://bit.ly/bfboLs

Er, leaked email? It was from a lobbyist, who sends his emails every day to a huge list of people. It's not a secret list. He sends them to clients and politios. Even I get them. Peter Bingle of Bell Pottinger Public Affairs (someone I know and like) shared his view that the Tory campaign is a shambles.

"The Tory campaign is shambolic and unless somebody of quality and experience takes control of it now there is a real danger of the Tories throwing away what should be an inevitable election victory. Should this happen, David Cameron will never be forgiven by his party and his party's supporters in the country."


Now, what part of that is news? Tim Montgomerie and I have both suggested that there needs to be an overall campaign manager. And if the latter happened, well, what Peter Bingle says is a statement of the bleedin' obvious.

Cathy has followed up her first tweet with this...

@cathynewman Bingle's email matters b/c it's what MPs, peers and ppcs are saying privately. Have i touched a nerve with tory tweeters?

Not really. A pretty poor story really. Is it a sign of the media latching on to every opportunity that presents itself to have a go at Cameron? Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is for sure, it is a reminder to all Tories that careless talk costs votes. Bingle is paid to give his views to his clients. But has anyone outside the public affairs industry ever heard of him? I'm not sure Cathy Newman had until today. And yet Channel 4 News saw fit to waste ten minutes of its 25 minute programme on an email which was not, as it was billed, leaked.

I;m not sure that aspects of this story would pass Cathy's 'Fact Check' feature. And they say bloggers hype things up!

The General Election Quiz: Enter a Team

If you'd like to enter a team, you'd be very welcome.

UPDATE: Only space left for 5 more teams! Among those already taking part are teams from Sky News, iNHouse PR, APCO Worldwide, Blue Rubicon, Pfizer, Indigo Public Affairs, Altitude Public Affairs, Saint Consulting, Ellwood & Atfield, Vero, Farraday and Total Politics.

More on LibDem BME Candidates

Yesterday I posted a story asking why the LibDems have so few black and ethnic minority candidates. Today, Mark Valladeres has written a reposte on his Liberal Bureaucracy blog.

It's an interesting article, in part because it mirrors many of the debates that have gone on within the Conservative Party on this issue over the last four years. Clearly there has been a lot of talk on this subject within the LibDems, but I would still contend that there hasn't been enough positive action, although it seems this will happen after the election in readiness for the next one. Note that I use the phrase 'positive action' rather than 'positive discrimination'. The two are very different and I am delighted that the positive action initiatives implemented by the Conservative Party have now been seen to work very well, with quality candidates selected entirely on merit. I hope the same thing now happens with the LibDems.

VideoCast: Social Media & the Next Election

If you've got an hour to spare you might like to watch/listen to this hour long seminar event I took part in with Alex Smith from LabourList at the BBC's College of Journalism on Monday. We spoke about the role of the internet and social media in the forthcoming election. The Q&A was very good, I thought. I even

Alex and I agree that that the web - though very important - is unlikely to have a decisive impact on the outcome of the election.

Click HERE to watch.

Peanuts, Monkeys & MPs' Pay Rises

OK. Be warned. What I am about to write will not go down well with most of you.

MPs have been awarded a 1.7% pay rise by the Senior Salaries Review Board. Predictably, the media is up in arms about it. I just did a short piece on LBC with Nick Ferrari who clearly thought it was outrageous and later on this morning I'll get the benefits of Jon Gaunt's views on SunTalk (11.10am for those who want to tune in).

My view is simple. If you contract out these decisions to an independent body, you then have to accept the recommendation they make. If individual MPs wish not to take the rise, that's fine, but there's no reason why they should.

Yes, thousands of people up and down the country aren't getting any pay rise at all this year. Indeed, some are getting cuts. Presumably, the SSRB took this into account when making their decision.

MPs still get paid less than a Deputy Head Teacher, a GP or a senior Health Service manager. I happen to think that if we want people to pass laws over us we should be attracting top class people into politics, rather than some of the dross we have got at the moment on all sides of the House. The desire to serve the public is a vital part of all of this, but that doesn't mean MPs should have to wear hairshirts the whole time.

I'm not saying £65,000 is peanuts, but it's certainly attracting too many monkeys.

In Praise of Vodafone

Remember about a month ago I wrote THIS post about my mobile phone bill? It was £2,500, and it turned out the next month's was even more. I twittered about it and was contacted by Vodafone's web relations team. To cut a long story short, they have spent the last month trying to get to the bottom of it. No one is totally sure, but it appears that UberTwitter caused it.

Last night I had a phone call from Vodafone to tell me that they have waived the £5,400 charges. You can imagine the sigh of relief!

I'm the first one to jump on big companies when I have a bad customer service experience, so let me congratulate Vodafone's web relations team for the way they have handled this. They have phoned me each week to let me know they hadn't forgotten, and that they were still investigating.

I draw two lessons from this. Honesty is always the best policy in these situations, and if you are polite and non aggressive, a positive outcome is more likely.

And while we were at it they reckoned I was on the wrong tariff and are changing me to a better one for the same cost.

Result! Thank you Vodafone.