Well that was quite an evening. I'm on my way back to Kent listening to an incoherant Labour MP called Dawn Butler on 5 Live. She can hardly string two words together.
I'll be grabbing a few hours sleep, then reflecting on tonight's events before live blogging the Friday results.
Thanks to all of you who have joined me over the last 24 hours. Your emails and texts really contributed and I think many blogs really came into their own - especially ConservativeHome and PoliticalBetting.com. The BBC didn't perhaps use the three of us as much as they might have (or promised) but the City Hall side of the BBC programme seemed to work very well. Emily Maitlis did brilliantly, I thought.
A big black mark, though, has to go to much of the Jeremy Vine sections of the progamme. The reaction from all sides has been extremely negative. I thought the Stalin/Mr Bean thing was appalling and if I were a Labour spin doctor I would be hopping mad. Luckily I am not!
And so to tomorrow. I hope Boris has had a good night's sleep tonight. Tonight he goes to bed as someone who has been a minor player on the political stage. When he goes to bed tomorrow night, he could be Mayor of the world's premier city.
Good night.Jim Bob.
37 comments:
I like you Iain.
'the world's premier city' ...
Let's not get ahead of ourselves!
The Jeremy Vine thing was a bit of fun for the people at home. It wasn't meant for self promoting hacks who had to pretend there was some interesting stuff going on on the net when we all knew there wasn't.
Good blog tonight. Enjoyed the TV bits. Well done about Portillo. Emily Maitlis was good and a lot better than when she is aggressive like Newsnight on Tuesday with Pickles.
If even Shadow Cabinet ministers use such language as quoted about Portillo what is the point, Tory revival or no Tory revival? What does it profit the country to have a Tory government if it has lost its soul?
Also while I agree about Portillo's views it seems harsh to judge him as aloof because he chose to read a book. Is it possible to be so sure of the reason? Presumably he was there because he agreed to do an interview rather than to socialize at a party. Certainly if reading is rude I have often been so.
Iain was brilliant.
"....listening to an incoherant Labour MP called Dawn Butler on 5 Live. She can hardly string two words together."
And that's different from any other day how..?
Was just watching the Webcameron updates from last night, and... your site was shown on it... Nice bit of advertising, as if you need it! Thought you did well last night on the beeb...also thought Shaun Bailey had some impressive things to say...any stories to tell about the consequences of the rather flash bar that seemed to be doing a roaring trade on your floor of city hall?
Where does Theresa May get her clothes? I would look almost as good as she does in that leather jacket.
Oh, the election? Yeah. Feels good doesn't it? Can I just echo what a few other Northerners have said through the night? Tory strategists don't forget us. There's a new generation of Tories prepared to work hard and there are significant gains to be had.
Off to run my SME with a little more confidence that we may soon have a government that doesn't think I should be taxed and bound in red tape for being a nasty capitalist.
AT LAST
Britain is waking up from its Labour nightmare.
Now is the time for the Tories to show what they are made of and hound Labour out of office.
THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN
Blogging has really come into its own. I'm glad to see the world has met the aristocracy of the Lib Dem party.
What a blinder! Well done, Iain. I bet you were so tired too. Never mind, you can sleep for England once the full extent of the kicking we've given nuLabour on their very own black Friday is made clear.
Iain, you wicked old tease. Just how did you slag off Michael Portaloo? He is SO puffed-up with his own perceived importance these days that any puncturing of that balloon is to be savoured.
God I'm fed up hearing Labour people blame this on the 10p tax band. It's turned into a handy excuse.
So you think the BBC may have done something that's biased against Labour, Iain? Hmmm.
I turned off when Vine dressed up as a cowboy. Before that I enjoyed the blog stuff. And I predict quite a lot of head-scratching at the Beeb about the way we do results. Perhaps the old fashioned way we send someone to every council and wait for the returning officer to declare all the seats before filing the news needs to change.
It looked like we lagged behind -- but what do I know. I'm off-duty, and very junior....
Great to watch your coverage and read this blog last night. Well done boss.
Malcolm
Just watched Harriet Harman on BBC/Sky about Labour's record poor performance. She sounds EXACTLY the same as the Conservatives did in the run-up to the 1997 GenElec! Frankly, if Labour cling-on until 2010 they will get destroyed:people want rid of 'em now.
Thoroughly enjoyed your blogging last night, and that of others. It made the events seem more immediate than usual.
I could happily have wrung Michael Portillo's neck. Reminded me of Simon Heffer with all that whingeing.
Jeremy Vine - major embarrassment. Does the BBC really think that its audience can comprehend only fancy dress and fancy graphics in primary colours?
Right now listening to Miz Harman on Today.. poor woman!
Please God, let the day finish with a win for Boris!
Not only did I loathe all the J Vine bits, patronising rubbish, I want to know why it is now mandatory for election programmes to have a comedian/mimic on board?
Presumably the Beeb's next idea will be 'Come Politicking', or 'You Too Can Be A Councillor', 'Canvassing On Ice' - you get the idea.
Jeremy Vine was awful as was Tessa Jowell.
Joe said...
The Jeremy Vine thing was a bit of fun for the people at home....
I think all the children were in bed, just who was it aimed at ?
perhaps the sort who could find the fun in a 'fun sized' apple
great coverage last night mate. UK political blogging has finally come of age.
i ended up switching off the TV and just got my info from the blogs...
Dale good, Dimbleby good, Maitlis absolutely dreadul, Vine stuff embarrassingly bad.
Joe said...
"The Jeremy Vine thing was a bit of fun for the people at home."
stop being so f'ing patronising.
They pay your wages and anyone watching that rubbish felt both their toes cringing in embarrassment and anger over the waste of their money and their time.
We wanted straight analysis of the stats not dumbed down bollocks.
Dawn Butler "can hardly string two words together?" This is an outrageous slur. She is a highly articulate woman, who will beat the majority of Tory MPs hands down in a debate.
All I can go on is what I heard last night. She was all over the place.
Just before I went to bed Poly Toynby was on suggesting that the fear of crime was being greatly exagerated in London.
No duobt she proved her point (and her green credentials) by walking home from the London Hall.
Not.
Peter Snow used to be "a bit of fun", Jeremy Vine is just a major embarrassment to everyone. I can't stand the chap and have never listened to the old Jimmy Young Show on Radio 2 since he took over.
Emily Maitlis, I thought was shocking. My two favourites were "how can you as a black man take Brois into sink estates" to a young Tory PPC and "it's really hard to imagine London without Ken" - start imagining dear!
Sorry, but I defected to Sky News. The BBC election coverage these days is dire (not your bit Iain - I was looking forward to the bloggers' contributions).
How much more embarrassing could that Jeremy Vine stuff become? It was bad enough at the last general election, and I imagined that feedback from the contributors at the time would result in it being dropped. But no, the BBC goes on to beat even those levels of stupidity.
What on earth does rubbish like that bring to the discussion? Dimbleby described Vince Cable's expression as 'bemused' at one point. I should imagine it's more likely that Vince was thinking 'what the hell am I doing here'.
Serve Labour right. So pleased with the results. Oxfam's Antonia Bance must be so disappointed. A couple of nights agao she wrote on her Blog: "It’s nearly time to go to bed, but I just wanted to wish all the Labour candidates across the country and their footsore weary activists good luck for tomorrow. I’m particularly thinking of friends and comrades in Reading, Portsmouth, Cardiff, Haringey and Hackney, but I’m not exclusive. And best of luck to all of our Labour candidates across Oxford city. I’m proud to have worked for you over the last months, and I’m hoping to celebrate with you this time tomorrow." Well she won't have many of them left to work with now, except in Oxford itself.
Serve Labour right. So pleased with the results. Oxfam's Antonia Bance must be so disappointed. A couple of nights agao she wrote on her Blog: "It’s nearly time to go to bed, but I just wanted to wish all the Labour candidates across the country and their footsore weary activists good luck for tomorrow. I’m particularly thinking of friends and comrades in Reading, Portsmouth, Cardiff, Haringey and Hackney, but I’m not exclusive. And best of luck to all of our Labour candidates across Oxford city. I’m proud to have worked for you over the last months, and I’m hoping to celebrate with you this time tomorrow." Well she won't have many of them left to work with now, except in Oxford itself.
Hear, hear. Well done, sir.
It only seems like five minutes ago that the Tories appeared in danger of being wiped out - Labour landslide nationally and locally with the LibDems picking up the pieces - falling/dying membership average age 65 - swathes of the country with subzero activism. The party has come back from the near-dead, and I'm sure there's an interesting book to be written there about how you did it.
As far as the BBC is concerned, they haven't got a clue. Why they think the intelligentsia and anoraks who are watching politics at 1 a.m. want to watch a buffoon prancing about in cromakey, well, it just proves they're run by morons.
A big black mark, though, has to go to much of the Jeremy Vine sections of the programme. The reaction from all sides has been extremely negative. I thought the Stalin/Mr Bean thing was appalling and if I were a Labour spin doctor I would be hopping mad.
I totally disagree. The Vine stuff is ironic genius. There was one for each party - Stalin to Mr Bean, the evolution of the Tories up to "Homo Conservatorius" or something, and a hilarious Wild West shoot out thing for the Lib Dems. It's meant to be utterly ridiculous. I think (most) people get that.
The Jeremy Vine segments were unmitigated, sphincter tightening dross. "Is he Brown.........or BEAN!!!!". Vine seemed to employ the classic kids' TV presenter method of getting his point across - shouting loudly and waving his arms all over the shop. Add to that the charm of a used car salesman and you have the most nauseating election night segments I've ever seen.
Congrats Iain, a damn fine job. The PM could learn from you about multi-tasking.
But he doesn't take lessons from Tories, does he?
PS Your fellow bloggers were fun too.
bj said...
"So you think the BBC may have done something that's biased against Labour, Iain? Hmmm."
Doesn't matter how much Al-beeb types try to hide their guilt. The bbc must be destroyed.
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