Storm in a Twitcup

So, another day, another politician making an ass of themselves online.

The offending party in this instance is Labour's Twitter Tsar and Labour Candidate Kerry McCarthy. Her potential constituency Bristol East have been opening postal votes as a representative sample. Obviously happy with the results, Kerry decided to post the initial sample findings on her Twitter page. All well and good...and, sadly for her, completely against the law.

__________

Section 66A of the 2000 amendments to the Representation of the People Act 1983:

“66A. - (1) No person shall, in the case of an election to which this section applies, publish before the poll is closed-
(a) any statement relating to the way in which voters have voted at the election where that statement is (or might reasonably be taken to be) based on information given by voters after they have voted, or
(b) any forecast as to the result of the election which is (or might reasonably be taken to be) based on information so given.

(2) This section applies to-
(a) any parliamentary election; and
(b) any local government election in England or Wales.
(3) If a person acts in contravention of subsection (1) above, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months.”

______

She soon realised her mistake, and has since deleted the post. Sadly, as some other candidates have found out, once it's on Twitter, it's on Twitter forever. As I type, the original post is being re-tweeted by every politico on the web, and the initial spoofs are starting to come in.

Not a good day at the office, but surely an honest mistake rather than some kind of typical politician's disregard for the rules, as some are trying to spin it as...

UPDATE - and now the print press are sniffing around, with the Evening Standard's Paul Waugh looking at the story...

UPDATE 16.00 - as Erinath mentions, the offending tweet (with figures) is still up on the @uklabourparty Twitter page. Now that isn't good...

UPDATE 16.16 - I've just seen it on the Damian Thompson's Telegraph blog. This could escalate

UPDATE 16.18 - and now the BBC have it, and online with Sky News...

Lord Pearson - Car Crash TV

So, I know that generally UKIP are seen as something of a protest vote in European Elections. All well and good, but I've never really been able to tie down their relevance in terms of General Elections. I know people vote for them, but I'm not quite sure why. Having watched The Campaign Show today, I'm even less sure. Has he even read his manifesto? The evidence ain't good...

I particularly love the irony of UKIP's manifesto launch stressing they are no longer a one-issue party, and the emphasis Pearson wants to place in this interview.

Extraordinary...

Liberals in the lead? - we're not in Kansas any more...

Politicshome has a new BPIX poll for the Mail on Sunday, and it makes for shocking reading:

Lib Dems 32% (+12)

Conservatives 31% (-7)

Labour 28% (-3)

I'm not sure what it will do to seat counts, or even UNS, but it's sure to set some nerves jangling this evening at Conservative and Labour HQs regardless of the fact that BPIX isn't a member of the UK polling council.

So, is it still a blip after the debate on Thursday? Or is this now a trend? The next couple of days will tell us more, but I will say one thing: John Cleese once said in a PPB for the Liberals that half of voters would vote yellow if they genuinely thought the party could win. Could it be that the Liberal Democrats are now finally being seen as a real alternative?

UPDATE: John Cleese video...

Leaders' Debates - they work!

In between all the coverage, the spinning, the 'who beat who and who was paying' of the 12hrs or so since the first Leaders' Debate, one thing has really struck me. The Debates work. They really work.

Yesterday my non-political friends would normally shudder, sleep, or hide (or all three) whenever I tried to talk to them about the election. This morning, quite the reverse - there is huge debate about the political Parties and their policies. One colleague who admitted she couldn't pick Nick Clegg out of a line-up before last night is now considering voting for him. There's a discussion in our kitchen as to why David Cameron slightly dodged an answer on police spending; was it that he didn't have enough time to get into the detail, or is there something wrong there? Our team meeting this morning kicked off with a chat about whether Gordon Brown is simply unable to get his personality across or whether, god forbid, he has and that's actually it!

Put simply, there's a buzz about the whole election in a way that I haven't seen for some time. People are interested; they're re-engaging with politics. Could the debates be the catalyst that finally allows people to forget about the excesses of politicians, or at least allows them to separate politicians from politics and policy?

Legal aid for piggies

So Labour's disgraced MPs have been granted Legal Aid to defend the charges of expenses theft?

Terriffic - they respond to charges of screwing the taxpayer over by...er...screwing more money from the taxpayer?

Disgusting. I can only wait to see what Guido has to say about it...

I tell you that's Gordon Brown!*

High drama in my office today as none other than the PM came to 80 Victoria Street on the campaign trail. He was there to visit Microsoft's UK headquarters for his 'People's PMQs', which was webcast on MSN.

The event wasn't a particular success, with only 120 people logging on to watch the chat. That said, the presence of multiple security guards and a whole motorcade of police bikes outside did allow for some mild entertainment for the rest of us. My EA was particularly excited, e-mailing me that she'd just walked past him in the lobby, with camera following behind.

Alas, it arrived in the inbox too late to arrange any kind of waggish 'vote for change' placard antics, so I had to make do with sneaking a picture of the PMs Jag, Range Rover, and police escort. Excuse the picture quality, but I had to take it on the sly, or risk being stopped and searched for suspicious activity...

* For those not in the know, a reference to the imcomparable Galton and Simpson

It's the election, stupid...

So apologies for the light blogging of late, but I have been on my jolly holidays, as well as under somewhat of a cosh at work.

My Easter break was spent largely at my parents' house in France in a slightly cheesy/baguette-y/alcoholic haze, but without any form of media interference apart from the occasional interruption from Radio 4 (long wave). As I was arriving back into the UK on Tuesday, aware that the election had finally been called but not much else, I began to wonder what the differences would be about this election - my first as an activist and member of a Political Party.

It seems the main difference thus far is Facebook messages. Facebook messages and Twitter messages. Facebook messages, Twitter messages, and e-mails. Every inbox I own has been inundated with requests for canvassing help, telephone canvassing help, and invitations to see various of the great and good of the Conservative Party speak at events around the capital. It looks like it's going to be a busy month, and I can't wait...