Litmus - Rainbow Coalition Blogging

Coalitions come in many shapes and sizes. If the one put together in May took people by surprise, then how about a combination of Tim Montgomerie, Will Straw, and Dr. Mark Pack to add to the confusion. Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat hand-in-hand? Whatever next!

This powerhouse combination, though, is not holding sway at Westminster but rather in the publication of a new political magazine for the Conference season, Litmus.

Quite aside from the clever name, Litmus promises to be a very interesting publication. A partnership between three major blogs – Conservative Home, Left Foot Forward, and LibDem Voice, it has considerable clout when polling for contributors, with Tom Watson, Lynne Featherstone, Damian Green and Chris Huhne amongst the commentators on topics as diverse as Immigration, Climate Change, and Electoral Reform.

I was particularly interested to read David Boyle’s argument on income tax. Disregarding the LibDem insistence on progressive taxation, he instead called for a movement away from income tax to a programme of corporate reform and energy taxes.

“Increasing income tax these days just serves to entrench the separation of the mega-rich”

Indeed!

Thought has also evidently gone into distribution strategy. The first issue of Litmus is available for free if you promote it for them on Twitter; very savvy. With no cost involved, there seems little more to say other than go get it.

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...