As you know, I am, in general, a supporter of the concept of Open Primaries. On Wednesday I took part in a radio discussion on the subject with John Lloyd who has started a campaign called Open Up. It was a curious discussion in that Mr Lloyd seemed remarkably unknowledgeable about the very subject he was there to talk about.
I see from today's Times that the Open Up campaign has a leading supporter in Alan Parker of Brunswick PR. He wants to clean up politics and open politicians up to more scrutiny. Great stuff. Would this be the same Alan Parker who refuses to publish his own company's client list and won't join the industry's two trade bodies who demand transparency on client lists? Pot. Kettle.
Note: You can listen to the discussion on open primaries from the Simon Mayo programme by clicking HERE. Scroll in two hours 29 mins. Participants are John Lloyd, Anthony Barnett, Mark Hanson and myself.
Isn't "join" the just verb?
ReplyDeleteThe video the OpenUp have put out is illuminating. It walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, but is not weighty enough to be a gander.
Having just posted a rather good joke about Lord Carrington in a speech by Margaret Thatcher, I was flabbergasted to see both of them mentioned so soon afterwards. Coincidence, or what? The joke, by the way, is at http://maxatkinson.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-often-do-politicians-watch.html
ReplyDelete"Would this be the same Alan Parker who refuses to publish his own company's client list...."
ReplyDeleteCome on Mr D. - be fair. Would you expect a pox doctor to publish a list of patients?
On the topic of geese would this be the Iain Dale who ignored the aspect of Chameleon's announcement re all women shortlists which so upset 80% of Tories polled, namely that shortlists from Christmas will be drawn up by Tory Central Office, where Lord Ashcroft has more office space that Chameleon has?
ReplyDeleteUnsurprising that 80% of Tories think candidates should be decided locally, equally that this is ignored centrally.