Originally published in a much shorter form in Palatinate Elections, June 2009, available here:
http://www.palatinate.org.uk/elections/the-coalition-new-politics-under-the-spotlight/
Unless you’ve been stuck at the bottom of a well for the past three months or so, you may have noticed that there’s been an election. With the arrival of an historic coalition between the Conservatives and Lib Dems in Downing Street, promises abounded of a break with the “old politics” of spin and sleaze, tarred by the cash for honours and expenses scandals, and the unrepresentative “boys’ club” Parliament has often appeared to be. Fresh thinking and integrity were to be the order of the day, especially after Nick Clegg sold the Lib Dems as the party for change after decades of squabbling between the two “old parties”.
Well, the dust has just about settled in Whitehall, and as the new administration takes over it’s time to find out just what they meant. Exactly how new is this politics?
Equality and diversity have been seen as crucial indicators. The 23 members of the Cabinet include 5 Lib Dems and 18 Tories. 14 are Oxbridge-educated, 4 women, and 10 under the age of 50, including the Prime Minister, Deputy PM and Chancellor. All are white with the exception of Baroness Warsi, co-chairman of the Tory party and first Muslim woman to hold a Cabinet post, while 2 ministers- Ken Clarke and William Hague- sat in previous Tory Cabinets.
Dr Lawrence Black, Senior Lecturer in History at Durham and an expert in contemporary politics and recent political history, puts it like this: “where are the senior women (Theresa May apart) and non-white ministers? Clegg is a millionaire. Cameron can trace his family tree to King William IV.” Pointing out the 65% turnout, Dr Black also said that “the Tories only polled about a million more votes than in 1997. I think the coalition government is more a manifestation of the problems politics faces than a solution or something new”.
The numbers don’t immediately scream representation. Gordon Brown usually had around 6 women in his Cabinet, with another 4 who attended when their responsibilities were on the agenda. Ethnic minorities were largely absent from the table; Warsi’s appointment is still a landmark in this light. There were also only eight Oxbridge graduates after Brown’s last reshuffle, and the number of privately educated ministers has increased overall since the election, though the former administration may not have been completely representative.
It looks as though the stereotype of the white, upper-middle class, middle-aged public schoolboy in Downing Street may not die out just yet, and this has led many to voice age-old concerns about the ability of the government to act in the interests of a varied population which they do not reflect (despite “Call Me Dave’s” best efforts). While it’s arguable that we don’t need the government to reflect the population- they are, after all, elected representatives who are meant to lead the country, not simply reflect it- many voters, in particular minorities, may have little faith in a Cabinet to which they cannot relate.
Still, the presence of Diane Abbott in the Labour leadership contest, the first black woman to stand, may even highlight the similarities between coalition ministers, and push the Opposition forward as the party of empowerment and diversity instead. Dr Black says, “I think David Miliband nominated Abbott partly to stamp out the charge and perception that Labour was not diverse - in fact its current percentage of women MPs is the highest ever”.
Another related concern regards Theresa May, the second female Home Secretary after Labour’s Jacqui Smith. Although she is also Minister for Women and Equality, her voting history includes moves against gay adoption rights, lowering the age of homosexual consent from 18 to 16, and other gay rights legislation. This has led to a (what else?) Facebook campaign demanding her resignation from the Equality brief, and pressure from progressive MPs and pressure groups may cause difficulties throughout this Parliament. Overall, the coalition’s promise of fair representation and equality does not appear to have been realised.
The idea of an era of honesty and integrity has also taken a battering with the swift resignation of David Laws, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, over around £40,000 of expenses claims for rent paid to the male partner with whom he lived. Laws claimed that his actions stemmed from the desire to keep his sexuality private, while the ambiguous wording of certain rules meant that he thought they did not apply to him. Either way, a resignation linked to expenses automatically associates the new administration with the scandals of the last Parliament; it appears that “old politics” keeps coming back to haunt them.
Laws could have actually claimed more had he been openly co-habiting with his partner. Expenses aside, the fact that he kept his sexuality secret has led some to suggest an inherent homophobia in the corridors of power, reflecting badly again on equality and diversity. Palatinate spoke to one Josephine Butler student who said “it seems like he thought it was something he had to hide, and if that’s because it would have damaged his political career, that’s shameful”.
However, there is one major respect in which this government constitutes a break with the past. By definition, a coalition involves the co-operation of more than one party, at odds with the adversarial culture of Parliament. Only the second such government since World War Two, the current regime has been mandated by voters with differing political views which must all be represented, meaning that compromise and a more consensual brand of politics are necessary.
Already we’ve seen the difference this can make- certain Lib Dem policies, such as increasing the income tax threshold to £10,000, are set to be implemented alongside Tory ones such as the cap on immigration from outside the EU, while several key policies seem to be mixtures of the two manifestos. The really new politics may be emerging with the policies, though it remains to be seen how this will affect public confidence. Given the claim of one second-year student, this could be a difficult task: “I have as much faith in this government as I do in Boris Johnson’s hairdresser”.
Thursday 19 August 2010
Palatinate Elections: Election Blog Day 23
Originally published online in Palatinate Elections here:
http://www.palatinate.org.uk/blogs/palatinate-election-2010-blog-day-twenty-three-finally-a-monumental-gaffe/
Well, it couldn’t last forever. After a largely gaffe-free campaign so far (even the great Boris Johnson has been fairly quiet), the list of election gaffes is finally reaching a respectable length- and, although others have tried to steal the limelight, the biggest came from none other than the Prime Minister himself.
On a visit to Rochdale, Brown spent five minutes answering questions from Gillian Duffy, a local pensioner who asked him about Eastern European immigration and crime, among other issues. Once he was back in his car, he thought it was safe to vent a little, referring to their meeting as a “disaster” and his interrogator as “bigoted”- but his microphone was still on.
The technical term for such an event in the public relations industry is a “monumental cock-up”, and every politician on the campaign trail was soon aware of it. Having been played his own words live on BBC Radio 2 by Jeremy Vine, Brown was filmed with his head in his hands, and spent the rest of the day trying to limit the damage, apologising profusely- on air, when caught by journalists, in an open letter to Labour party activists and campaigners across the country, by phone to Mrs Duffy- and even, later, in person. Most of the afternoon was spent travelling back to Oldham and apologising personally to the woman in a 40-minute home visit, while senior Labour figures defended him and told the world he was “mortified” with himself.
Naturally, it’s fair to say that the other parties were a little less devastated with events in Rochdale. The Conservatives have been largely quiet on the subject- one Tory blogger suggested that they didn’t need to say anything, since the press would instead “bury” Brown’s chances for May 6th. The Lib Dems, meanwhile, responded only slightly more vocally, with Nick Clegg in Oxford claiming that it is not “bigoted” to discuss immigration issues, and though every politician says things in private that they would hate to see publicised, Brown will have to face the consequences. Brown had rightly apologised, and now “that’s that”.
Both parties may have had a point, too: the press have been dominated by the story. Most responses have been scathingly critical of the PM; tomorrow’s headlines, beginning to emerge at the time of writing, look to be similar; other observers have simply laughed at the moment where Mrs Duffy told the press that she preferred Tony Blair anyway. Whatever the immediate reaction, Labour’s subsequent drop in most of the polls by the end of the day showed that this is not a fiasco to be quickly dismissed. Labour will be hoping to shift the focus onto solid policy ahead of the final election debate tomorrow (Thursday) evening.
Incidentally, there was some policy discussion to mention as well. Shadow Chancellor George Osborne was at the Institute of Directors conference, staking his claim to run the economy while defending Tory spending plans against accusations of dishonesty. He proclaimed his vision for a “balanced” economy with a financial sector more interested in supporting it than “enslaving” it. At the same event, Lid Dem Treasury spokesman Vince Cable spoke about getting rid of bureaucracy and educating the workforce as ways to promote growth.
Meanwhile, David Cameron visited the Coca-Cola factory in Wakefield, endearing himself to the West Yorkshire workers by asking them what the secret recipe was. After the grilling they gave him on everything from benefits to foreign takeovers of British businesses, he’ll be hoping that hinting loudly to the press “that they hadn’t given him any yet” has assured his popularity in a region dominated by safe Labour seats (rumour has it that Cameron considered arriving in a tank for his own protection).
North of the border, today saw the Scottish National Party’s legal proceedings continue at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, as they attempted to prevent the Scottish broadcast of tomorrow’s leaders’ debate without an SNP participant. Despite fears that this could potentially disrupt the entire debate due to technical difficulties in preventing Scots from watching online, the nationalists had lost by lunchtime.
Today’s campaigning has been ultimately swamped by Brown’s off-camera, frustrated remarks, but there may still be more to come. Considering her new-found fame (including Facebook appreciation groups, which are always the key factor in judging notoriety), and amid speculation that she could sell her story, Gillian Duffy is now being represented by a PR firm and refusing to give further comment on today’s events. Whether or not this means she’ll be enjoying a supplement to her pension in the near future, time will tell. We’ll also see whether Thursday’s headline in The Sun holds true: “Gillian only popped out for a loaf. She came back with… BROWN TOAST.”
http://www.palatinate.org.uk/blogs/palatinate-election-2010-blog-day-twenty-three-finally-a-monumental-gaffe/
Well, it couldn’t last forever. After a largely gaffe-free campaign so far (even the great Boris Johnson has been fairly quiet), the list of election gaffes is finally reaching a respectable length- and, although others have tried to steal the limelight, the biggest came from none other than the Prime Minister himself.
On a visit to Rochdale, Brown spent five minutes answering questions from Gillian Duffy, a local pensioner who asked him about Eastern European immigration and crime, among other issues. Once he was back in his car, he thought it was safe to vent a little, referring to their meeting as a “disaster” and his interrogator as “bigoted”- but his microphone was still on.
The technical term for such an event in the public relations industry is a “monumental cock-up”, and every politician on the campaign trail was soon aware of it. Having been played his own words live on BBC Radio 2 by Jeremy Vine, Brown was filmed with his head in his hands, and spent the rest of the day trying to limit the damage, apologising profusely- on air, when caught by journalists, in an open letter to Labour party activists and campaigners across the country, by phone to Mrs Duffy- and even, later, in person. Most of the afternoon was spent travelling back to Oldham and apologising personally to the woman in a 40-minute home visit, while senior Labour figures defended him and told the world he was “mortified” with himself.
Naturally, it’s fair to say that the other parties were a little less devastated with events in Rochdale. The Conservatives have been largely quiet on the subject- one Tory blogger suggested that they didn’t need to say anything, since the press would instead “bury” Brown’s chances for May 6th. The Lib Dems, meanwhile, responded only slightly more vocally, with Nick Clegg in Oxford claiming that it is not “bigoted” to discuss immigration issues, and though every politician says things in private that they would hate to see publicised, Brown will have to face the consequences. Brown had rightly apologised, and now “that’s that”.
Both parties may have had a point, too: the press have been dominated by the story. Most responses have been scathingly critical of the PM; tomorrow’s headlines, beginning to emerge at the time of writing, look to be similar; other observers have simply laughed at the moment where Mrs Duffy told the press that she preferred Tony Blair anyway. Whatever the immediate reaction, Labour’s subsequent drop in most of the polls by the end of the day showed that this is not a fiasco to be quickly dismissed. Labour will be hoping to shift the focus onto solid policy ahead of the final election debate tomorrow (Thursday) evening.
Incidentally, there was some policy discussion to mention as well. Shadow Chancellor George Osborne was at the Institute of Directors conference, staking his claim to run the economy while defending Tory spending plans against accusations of dishonesty. He proclaimed his vision for a “balanced” economy with a financial sector more interested in supporting it than “enslaving” it. At the same event, Lid Dem Treasury spokesman Vince Cable spoke about getting rid of bureaucracy and educating the workforce as ways to promote growth.
Meanwhile, David Cameron visited the Coca-Cola factory in Wakefield, endearing himself to the West Yorkshire workers by asking them what the secret recipe was. After the grilling they gave him on everything from benefits to foreign takeovers of British businesses, he’ll be hoping that hinting loudly to the press “that they hadn’t given him any yet” has assured his popularity in a region dominated by safe Labour seats (rumour has it that Cameron considered arriving in a tank for his own protection).
North of the border, today saw the Scottish National Party’s legal proceedings continue at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, as they attempted to prevent the Scottish broadcast of tomorrow’s leaders’ debate without an SNP participant. Despite fears that this could potentially disrupt the entire debate due to technical difficulties in preventing Scots from watching online, the nationalists had lost by lunchtime.
Today’s campaigning has been ultimately swamped by Brown’s off-camera, frustrated remarks, but there may still be more to come. Considering her new-found fame (including Facebook appreciation groups, which are always the key factor in judging notoriety), and amid speculation that she could sell her story, Gillian Duffy is now being represented by a PR firm and refusing to give further comment on today’s events. Whether or not this means she’ll be enjoying a supplement to her pension in the near future, time will tell. We’ll also see whether Thursday’s headline in The Sun holds true: “Gillian only popped out for a loaf. She came back with… BROWN TOAST.”
Palatinate Elections: Election Blog Day 14
Originally published online in Palatinate Elections here:
http://www.palatinate.org.uk/blogs/palatinate-election-2010-blog-day-fourteen-the-clegg-effect/
While most of us are making Kerry Katona jokes about the volcano in Iceland (come on, we’ve all heard one), the ash cloud has been getting in the way of the election. Many of the Cabinet were recalled to London for emergency COBRA meetings (the government’s civil contingencies committee), but the campaign managed to slither on, with pretty much everyone attempting to fight the post-debate “Clegg effect”.
The Liberal Democrats started in Cardiff with an early press conference where they discussed their environmental plans. Emphasizing green technology and jobs, the party unveiled a one year green economic stimulus plan worth £3bn, which would invest in household efficiency, public transport and work training, but the proposals were strongly criticised by the Green Party as going nowhere near far enough. Despite their environmental theme today, however, the Lib Dems did not seem to support the current reduction in air travel- Clegg’s three children are stuck in Spain on an extended half-term break.
Other issues found their way onto the agenda as well: Clegg promised to be tough on waste in the NHS to protect front-line services; reiterated that neither of the main parties could be trusted on electoral reform; and took time to rebuff all suggestions of tactical voting with the assertion that a vote for the Lib Dems was “exactly what it said on the tin”, rather than a vote to keep one of the two main parties in or out of Downing Street (take that, Lord Adonis). The “wildly misleading” criticism levelled at him by Labour and the Conservatives was a sign that they were “desperate”.
Elsewhere, one of the less pertinent questions in this election made a rare appearance- preferring instead to focus on the economy, Europe has been barely mentioned by most parties. However, Sarah Teather said that the Lib Dems saw the euro as in the national interest, but not in the current economic climate. A Lib Dem government would only join the euro after both a Parliamentary vote and a referendum.
It was probably a good thing that the yellow rosettes were so busy today, since both Labour and the Conservatives were at great pains to point out their weaknesses to the electorate. The Tories, including Michael Gove on GMTV, have continued to claim that a Lib Dem vote could potentially keep Labour in power, while Labour have been at pains to point out similarities and differences between themselves and the Lib Dems.
Gordon Brown said that some of their policies were “unattractive”. Yvette Cooper spoke of agreement on the necessity of spending cuts this year, but disagreement over child tax credits. Her husband, Ed Balls, replied that “Of course” he preferred Lib Dem policies to the Conservatives, but he was working towards a Labour majority and the Lib Dems would never insist on working with one specific party. In any case, coalitions were not the British way of doing politics. Now, New Labour, does this suggest there’s a hung Parliament on your mind…?
Naturally, they made time to downplay Clegg’s poll boost- Brown claiming experience of “a short political honeymoon”, and anticipating a shift from style to substance in the next debate- but spent most of the session criticising Conservative policy. In particular they focussed on Tory plans for public sector spending cuts, raising concerns about a potential drop in teacher numbers and “DIY public services”, leaving people to fend for themselves. Party funding was also mentioned, with Mandelson claiming Labour as the “underdogs” in the election with fewer resources than the Lord Ashcroft-fuelled Conservatives.
Meanwhile, since his cancelled flight prevented him from attending the launch of the Tories’ Scottish manifesto, David Cameron’s fairly quiet day has been dedicated to pushing his idea of the “Big Society”, which will bring change, instead of the “the big bossy State”. Claiming the importance of responsibility and the necessity for a clean break with the past, he began with an event in Kensington where he also mentioned that strong leadership was preferable over a power-sharing government. It looks like Cooper and Balls aren’t the only ones thinking about a hung Parliament.
In Scotland, however, where coalition governments are the norm and the Tories are definitely not, the party’s manifesto launch included a recorded video message from the absent Cameron and an attack on its rivals. Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie’s surprisingly personal statement that Alex Salmond wouldn’t tighten his “substantial belt” to face public sector cuts was coupled with the assertion that (surprise, surprise) a vote for the Lib Dems would mean a Labour government. Does a pattern emerge?
Today has been about two phenomena- one is an apparently uncontrollable force of nature, and the other is a volcano. John Prescott’s tweet (yes, Twitter again) about the post-debate high for the Lib Dems sums up the attitude of many in Westminster: “Enjoy it while it lasts”. The question is whether Clegg and co. can keep this up and convert it into seats on May 6th.
http://www.palatinate.org.uk/blogs/palatinate-election-2010-blog-day-fourteen-the-clegg-effect/
While most of us are making Kerry Katona jokes about the volcano in Iceland (come on, we’ve all heard one), the ash cloud has been getting in the way of the election. Many of the Cabinet were recalled to London for emergency COBRA meetings (the government’s civil contingencies committee), but the campaign managed to slither on, with pretty much everyone attempting to fight the post-debate “Clegg effect”.
The Liberal Democrats started in Cardiff with an early press conference where they discussed their environmental plans. Emphasizing green technology and jobs, the party unveiled a one year green economic stimulus plan worth £3bn, which would invest in household efficiency, public transport and work training, but the proposals were strongly criticised by the Green Party as going nowhere near far enough. Despite their environmental theme today, however, the Lib Dems did not seem to support the current reduction in air travel- Clegg’s three children are stuck in Spain on an extended half-term break.
Other issues found their way onto the agenda as well: Clegg promised to be tough on waste in the NHS to protect front-line services; reiterated that neither of the main parties could be trusted on electoral reform; and took time to rebuff all suggestions of tactical voting with the assertion that a vote for the Lib Dems was “exactly what it said on the tin”, rather than a vote to keep one of the two main parties in or out of Downing Street (take that, Lord Adonis). The “wildly misleading” criticism levelled at him by Labour and the Conservatives was a sign that they were “desperate”.
Elsewhere, one of the less pertinent questions in this election made a rare appearance- preferring instead to focus on the economy, Europe has been barely mentioned by most parties. However, Sarah Teather said that the Lib Dems saw the euro as in the national interest, but not in the current economic climate. A Lib Dem government would only join the euro after both a Parliamentary vote and a referendum.
It was probably a good thing that the yellow rosettes were so busy today, since both Labour and the Conservatives were at great pains to point out their weaknesses to the electorate. The Tories, including Michael Gove on GMTV, have continued to claim that a Lib Dem vote could potentially keep Labour in power, while Labour have been at pains to point out similarities and differences between themselves and the Lib Dems.
Gordon Brown said that some of their policies were “unattractive”. Yvette Cooper spoke of agreement on the necessity of spending cuts this year, but disagreement over child tax credits. Her husband, Ed Balls, replied that “Of course” he preferred Lib Dem policies to the Conservatives, but he was working towards a Labour majority and the Lib Dems would never insist on working with one specific party. In any case, coalitions were not the British way of doing politics. Now, New Labour, does this suggest there’s a hung Parliament on your mind…?
Naturally, they made time to downplay Clegg’s poll boost- Brown claiming experience of “a short political honeymoon”, and anticipating a shift from style to substance in the next debate- but spent most of the session criticising Conservative policy. In particular they focussed on Tory plans for public sector spending cuts, raising concerns about a potential drop in teacher numbers and “DIY public services”, leaving people to fend for themselves. Party funding was also mentioned, with Mandelson claiming Labour as the “underdogs” in the election with fewer resources than the Lord Ashcroft-fuelled Conservatives.
Meanwhile, since his cancelled flight prevented him from attending the launch of the Tories’ Scottish manifesto, David Cameron’s fairly quiet day has been dedicated to pushing his idea of the “Big Society”, which will bring change, instead of the “the big bossy State”. Claiming the importance of responsibility and the necessity for a clean break with the past, he began with an event in Kensington where he also mentioned that strong leadership was preferable over a power-sharing government. It looks like Cooper and Balls aren’t the only ones thinking about a hung Parliament.
In Scotland, however, where coalition governments are the norm and the Tories are definitely not, the party’s manifesto launch included a recorded video message from the absent Cameron and an attack on its rivals. Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie’s surprisingly personal statement that Alex Salmond wouldn’t tighten his “substantial belt” to face public sector cuts was coupled with the assertion that (surprise, surprise) a vote for the Lib Dems would mean a Labour government. Does a pattern emerge?
Today has been about two phenomena- one is an apparently uncontrollable force of nature, and the other is a volcano. John Prescott’s tweet (yes, Twitter again) about the post-debate high for the Lib Dems sums up the attitude of many in Westminster: “Enjoy it while it lasts”. The question is whether Clegg and co. can keep this up and convert it into seats on May 6th.
Palatinate Elections: Election Blog Day 4
Originally published online in Palatinate Elections here:
http://www.palatinate.org.uk/blogs/palatinate-election-2010-blog-day-four-twitter-claims-first-election-scalp/
As if the media weren’t revelling enough in the catty exchanges between politicians, the controversies of this election are already picking up speed. Both Labour and the Conservatives have gaffes to add to what will undoubtedly soon be long lists, though economic policy and law and order have mostly been the order of the day.
Labour have been busy, with Gordon Brown starting off his day in Stevenage talking tough on crime (tough on the causes of crime?). With the mother and sister of murder victim Sally-Ann Bowman among those present, he paid tribute to their campaign for justice while arguing in favour of the government’s plans to retain DNA evidence on the national database for six years. Although he asserted that it was the national database which allowed Bowman’s killer to be found, the Conservatives insisted that their plan to retain data for three years would have had the same effect.
However, trouble brewed north of the border with the first of Labour’s electoral casualties- their candidate in the Scottish constituency of Moray, Stuart MacLennan, following revelations about the content of his Twitter feeds, which used offensive language and personal attacks on politicians including David Cameron. MacLennan was initially supported, then sacked just hours later.
Senior figures, including Mr Brown, condemned him quickly and tried to move on, but criticism continued to come in from the other major parties. Both Conservative and Lib Dem figures asked why no-one had picked up on the offensive posts earlier and why it had taken so long for MacLennan to be sacked, when the issue behind tomorrow.
The other memorable gaffe of the day came from the blue corner of the political ring, with who else but Cameron’s illustrious fellow cyclist Boris Johnson. On a visit alongside Cameron to Chelsea Pensioners’ Club, where the leader again mentioned his proposal for a voluntary National Citizens’ Service, BoJo told the press that “it should be compulsory”. When questioned, he qualified himself by saying it should be as compulsory as possible “without cheesing people off”. Boris, we salute you.
Other, albeit less entertaining, events in the Conservative camp occurred in another jet-setting day which saw Cameron campaigning in both London and Aberdeen. Plans were announced to remove benefits from persistent cheats for 3 years, drawing concern from Child Poverty Action Group who suggested that all parties work harder to ensure that the right people claim the benefits to which they are entitled.
There were plenty of other economic arguments flying around. Public sector job losses were at the forefront, with the Conservative plans for efficiency savings in particular raising questions about whether compulsory redundancies would be necessary as well as closing open positions.
In addition, apparently having missed the invention of email, Alistair Darling and George Osborne spent the day exchanging letters criticising each other’s plans. The Chancellor demanded that Osborne explain how efficiency savings could save over £30bn of public money; Osborne in turn demanded Darling publish internal documents which indicated the implications of the NI hike.
Of course, the row over National Insurance rolls on. 54 Scottish businessmen signed an open letter endorsing the Conservative position on the planned increase today, while Labour can now boast two Dragons under their belt: following James Caan, Duncan Bannatyne reiterated his staunch support for the government on the matter via (where else?) Twitter, where he said that the rise would cost his company no jobs whatsoever.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats were busy in Cardiff this morning, where Nick Clegg shared tea in a sheltered housing complex with pensioners who, perhaps slightly awkwardly, didn’t know much about him, but won a little favour when he asked one resident whether her recent birthday was her 45th. Get your coat, Nick.
But, before he had chance to enjoy his new found friendship, he was on his way to Solihull and rubbishing Lord Adonis’ plea to Lib Dem supporters to vote for Labour instead to prevent a Conservative victory. Playing on the perception of the Lib Dems as the party for wasted votes, Adonis’ remarks make him the first politician to openly advocate tactical voting, and it’s likely to be more and more important as the campaign rolls on.
But, before the policy gets a bit too serious, remember that sometimes it’s the petty insults that really make the election worthwhile. In addition to BoJo’s latest stroke of genius comes this remark from John Prescott on David Cameron: “It’s not the baby face that worries me, it’s the baby mind that does”.
http://www.palatinate.org.uk/blogs/palatinate-election-2010-blog-day-four-twitter-claims-first-election-scalp/
As if the media weren’t revelling enough in the catty exchanges between politicians, the controversies of this election are already picking up speed. Both Labour and the Conservatives have gaffes to add to what will undoubtedly soon be long lists, though economic policy and law and order have mostly been the order of the day.
Labour have been busy, with Gordon Brown starting off his day in Stevenage talking tough on crime (tough on the causes of crime?). With the mother and sister of murder victim Sally-Ann Bowman among those present, he paid tribute to their campaign for justice while arguing in favour of the government’s plans to retain DNA evidence on the national database for six years. Although he asserted that it was the national database which allowed Bowman’s killer to be found, the Conservatives insisted that their plan to retain data for three years would have had the same effect.
However, trouble brewed north of the border with the first of Labour’s electoral casualties- their candidate in the Scottish constituency of Moray, Stuart MacLennan, following revelations about the content of his Twitter feeds, which used offensive language and personal attacks on politicians including David Cameron. MacLennan was initially supported, then sacked just hours later.
Senior figures, including Mr Brown, condemned him quickly and tried to move on, but criticism continued to come in from the other major parties. Both Conservative and Lib Dem figures asked why no-one had picked up on the offensive posts earlier and why it had taken so long for MacLennan to be sacked, when the issue behind tomorrow.
The other memorable gaffe of the day came from the blue corner of the political ring, with who else but Cameron’s illustrious fellow cyclist Boris Johnson. On a visit alongside Cameron to Chelsea Pensioners’ Club, where the leader again mentioned his proposal for a voluntary National Citizens’ Service, BoJo told the press that “it should be compulsory”. When questioned, he qualified himself by saying it should be as compulsory as possible “without cheesing people off”. Boris, we salute you.
Other, albeit less entertaining, events in the Conservative camp occurred in another jet-setting day which saw Cameron campaigning in both London and Aberdeen. Plans were announced to remove benefits from persistent cheats for 3 years, drawing concern from Child Poverty Action Group who suggested that all parties work harder to ensure that the right people claim the benefits to which they are entitled.
There were plenty of other economic arguments flying around. Public sector job losses were at the forefront, with the Conservative plans for efficiency savings in particular raising questions about whether compulsory redundancies would be necessary as well as closing open positions.
In addition, apparently having missed the invention of email, Alistair Darling and George Osborne spent the day exchanging letters criticising each other’s plans. The Chancellor demanded that Osborne explain how efficiency savings could save over £30bn of public money; Osborne in turn demanded Darling publish internal documents which indicated the implications of the NI hike.
Of course, the row over National Insurance rolls on. 54 Scottish businessmen signed an open letter endorsing the Conservative position on the planned increase today, while Labour can now boast two Dragons under their belt: following James Caan, Duncan Bannatyne reiterated his staunch support for the government on the matter via (where else?) Twitter, where he said that the rise would cost his company no jobs whatsoever.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats were busy in Cardiff this morning, where Nick Clegg shared tea in a sheltered housing complex with pensioners who, perhaps slightly awkwardly, didn’t know much about him, but won a little favour when he asked one resident whether her recent birthday was her 45th. Get your coat, Nick.
But, before he had chance to enjoy his new found friendship, he was on his way to Solihull and rubbishing Lord Adonis’ plea to Lib Dem supporters to vote for Labour instead to prevent a Conservative victory. Playing on the perception of the Lib Dems as the party for wasted votes, Adonis’ remarks make him the first politician to openly advocate tactical voting, and it’s likely to be more and more important as the campaign rolls on.
But, before the policy gets a bit too serious, remember that sometimes it’s the petty insults that really make the election worthwhile. In addition to BoJo’s latest stroke of genius comes this remark from John Prescott on David Cameron: “It’s not the baby face that worries me, it’s the baby mind that does”.
Palatinate Books: The Autobiographical Takeover
Originally published in a shorter form in Palatinate Books, December 2009
Ladies and gentlemen, the run-up to Christmas has officially begun. The shops have had the cards for weeks already, but you know that things are getting really serious when everyone who has ever appeared on TV suddenly has a fascinating, humorous and inspirational story to tell, at the cost of about £20 and several irretrievable hours of your life.
The past few years have seen a flood of celebrity autobiographies, and it seems that no-one is immune to the charms of a generous publishing deal, from Dawn French to Michael Parkinson via Paul O’Grady and Alan Carr. Even Andy Murray, a tennis player no older than most undergraduates last year, managed to sign a three-book contract for the various stages of his career despite having never won a major tournament, while footballers like Jamie Carragher apparently have ‘sensational stories’ that I need to read, whether I’ve actually heard of them or not. Talk about a saturated market.
Of course, if you’re not interested in the life story, you could just invest in the general ranting of your chosen celebrity- Jeremy Clarkson is on his fifth book of pet hates already with Driven to Distraction. Alternatively, there’s always Al Murray’s Pub Landlord’s Book of British Common Sense, or you could enjoy Charlie Brooker’s desert-dry wit in The Hell of It All, in which he proves that it is actually possible to hate everything in the modern world all at once. Whichever way you look, there’s a celebrity staring out from the cover of their latest tome.
The marketing behind these stocking-fillers is shamelessly simple- a book written by someone of whom a loved one is a fan is guaranteed to go down well on Christmas morning. My dad will be receiving Frankie Boyle’s gloriously titled My Shit Life So Far for this very reason. But this type of book is also popular all year round, because their appeal to the reader goes slightly deeper.
The function of celebrities as role models means that their stories- often full of the well rehearsed “bad boy/girl made good” motif- can be a source of inspiration and encouragement. Jo Brand’s new book, Look Back In Hunger, features her transformation from rebellious, runaway teenager to successful comedienne, via numerous failed relationships and ten years as a mental health nurse. Sharon Osbourne’s Extreme, is exactly that- her fluctuating weight, tempestuous family life and fight against cancer all described in vivid detail.
As well as this, the most popular books in the genre have a strong element of humour. The huge number of comedians writing recently (Boyle, Brand, Peter Kay) proves the appeal of amusing anecdotes and sharp one-liners in personal narratives, but there’s also Dara O’Briain writing about touring Britain in Tickling The English and Michael Palin’s diaries from the 1980s. Everyone likes a laugh at the best of times, but in our current climate of economic gloom, miserable weather and endless Katie Price documentaries, who doesn’t need cheering up?
This is really the genre’s chief defence. Yes, celebrity writing is very formulaic, and yes, it is a bandwagon to jump on at the first suggestion of money, but it also leaves a smile on your face. Sometimes I’d rather read about Ozzy Osbourne’s debauchery than force myself through another nineteenth-century paving slab in which a young woman almost doesn’t, but inevitably does, marry her perfect man.
One day, the tide of popular culture may move away from these books. I hope it’s in favour of such modern classics as Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. However, until Pride and Prejudice and Zombies gets the recognition it surely deserves: it is a truth universally acknowledged that a celebrity in possession of minor success must be in want of a ghost writer.
Ladies and gentlemen, the run-up to Christmas has officially begun. The shops have had the cards for weeks already, but you know that things are getting really serious when everyone who has ever appeared on TV suddenly has a fascinating, humorous and inspirational story to tell, at the cost of about £20 and several irretrievable hours of your life.
The past few years have seen a flood of celebrity autobiographies, and it seems that no-one is immune to the charms of a generous publishing deal, from Dawn French to Michael Parkinson via Paul O’Grady and Alan Carr. Even Andy Murray, a tennis player no older than most undergraduates last year, managed to sign a three-book contract for the various stages of his career despite having never won a major tournament, while footballers like Jamie Carragher apparently have ‘sensational stories’ that I need to read, whether I’ve actually heard of them or not. Talk about a saturated market.
Of course, if you’re not interested in the life story, you could just invest in the general ranting of your chosen celebrity- Jeremy Clarkson is on his fifth book of pet hates already with Driven to Distraction. Alternatively, there’s always Al Murray’s Pub Landlord’s Book of British Common Sense, or you could enjoy Charlie Brooker’s desert-dry wit in The Hell of It All, in which he proves that it is actually possible to hate everything in the modern world all at once. Whichever way you look, there’s a celebrity staring out from the cover of their latest tome.
The marketing behind these stocking-fillers is shamelessly simple- a book written by someone of whom a loved one is a fan is guaranteed to go down well on Christmas morning. My dad will be receiving Frankie Boyle’s gloriously titled My Shit Life So Far for this very reason. But this type of book is also popular all year round, because their appeal to the reader goes slightly deeper.
The function of celebrities as role models means that their stories- often full of the well rehearsed “bad boy/girl made good” motif- can be a source of inspiration and encouragement. Jo Brand’s new book, Look Back In Hunger, features her transformation from rebellious, runaway teenager to successful comedienne, via numerous failed relationships and ten years as a mental health nurse. Sharon Osbourne’s Extreme, is exactly that- her fluctuating weight, tempestuous family life and fight against cancer all described in vivid detail.
As well as this, the most popular books in the genre have a strong element of humour. The huge number of comedians writing recently (Boyle, Brand, Peter Kay) proves the appeal of amusing anecdotes and sharp one-liners in personal narratives, but there’s also Dara O’Briain writing about touring Britain in Tickling The English and Michael Palin’s diaries from the 1980s. Everyone likes a laugh at the best of times, but in our current climate of economic gloom, miserable weather and endless Katie Price documentaries, who doesn’t need cheering up?
This is really the genre’s chief defence. Yes, celebrity writing is very formulaic, and yes, it is a bandwagon to jump on at the first suggestion of money, but it also leaves a smile on your face. Sometimes I’d rather read about Ozzy Osbourne’s debauchery than force myself through another nineteenth-century paving slab in which a young woman almost doesn’t, but inevitably does, marry her perfect man.
One day, the tide of popular culture may move away from these books. I hope it’s in favour of such modern classics as Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. However, until Pride and Prejudice and Zombies gets the recognition it surely deserves: it is a truth universally acknowledged that a celebrity in possession of minor success must be in want of a ghost writer.
Palatinate Books: David Nicholls Resurrects the Campus Novel
Originally published in October 2009 in Palatinate Books
It’s the start of a new term, and whilst everyone either celebrates their reunion after a long summer break or tries to find their way around Elvet Riverside, it may be worth looking around. Listen to everyone swearing in vain that they’ll finish their essays on time this year. Anticipate Saturday night in Klute. Observe the stereotypes and politics- university is society in miniature, and that’s why it’s the perfect setting for a book which can deal with all of this and more. Cue the campus novel.
Beginning in America in the early 1950s, campus novels reached Britain with the release of such novels as Kingsley Amis’ Lucky Jim (1954), but the traditions in the two countries have always remained separate. Writers like Amis and David Lodge, author of Nice Work and Changing Places, brought us stories of bed-hopping and class war not amongst students, but the faculty. In America, although there have been many books written about academics (Philip Roth’s The Human Stain, for example), the genre has also produced plenty of books where students were at the centre.
Thematic differences grew over the years as well. Perhaps inevitably, class division became a major addition to the British genre during the 70s and 80s, when student grants began to allow people from more diverse backgrounds than ever before the opportunity of higher education.
Perhaps the key difference, however, is that whilst consistently popular in the States, in Britain the genre has experienced decline for many years. Some critics even suggest that its concern with class has been contributory, since authors were wary of being accused of elitism. The most recent addition to the canon, Zadie Smith’s On Beauty, is set in America, despite its author being a born and bred Londoner. Whatever the reasons, it has been evident in recent years that the British campus novel has been gradually disappearing.
Good job, then, that David Nicholls has revived the genre with his romantic comedy Starter for Ten. Set in 1985, it’s the first-person account of Brian Jackson, a working-class student from Southend-on-Sea who earns a place in a top university. He narrates his first year with endearing honesty as he tries desperately (and often embarrassingly) to woo the woman of his dreams, prove himself on the University Challenge team, honour the memory of his deceased father and somewhere along the line gain an education.
As you can probably guess, he finds university life a minefield. With the Thatcher government at its peak, the campus class war is being keenly felt: Brian repeatedly tries to justify himself to his upper-class flatmates, while some of the most bourgeois students invent working-class credentials to use as a political banner. Upon returning home, he has to deal with his mother’s new relationship and his growing distance from his old friends, while the anticipation builds to the climactic University Challenge match against a gloriously stereotypical Oxbridge team.
It isn’t just the politics of the time that the novel reflects - the soundtrack and fashion in every scene is described so clearly that even those of us who don’t remember it will be transported to 1985- yet none of this manages to get in the way of Brian’s coming-of-age story.
But it’s more than that, too. In a genre dominated by promiscuous lecturers and pompous professors, Starter for Ten is such a gem because it encapsulates all the elements of campus life, but reinstates them into the realm of students: indeed, it is an account of one fresher’s quest for love, friendship and advanced general knowledge which students everywhere will automatically recognise. As campus novels go, it’s one of the best.
It’s the start of a new term, and whilst everyone either celebrates their reunion after a long summer break or tries to find their way around Elvet Riverside, it may be worth looking around. Listen to everyone swearing in vain that they’ll finish their essays on time this year. Anticipate Saturday night in Klute. Observe the stereotypes and politics- university is society in miniature, and that’s why it’s the perfect setting for a book which can deal with all of this and more. Cue the campus novel.
Beginning in America in the early 1950s, campus novels reached Britain with the release of such novels as Kingsley Amis’ Lucky Jim (1954), but the traditions in the two countries have always remained separate. Writers like Amis and David Lodge, author of Nice Work and Changing Places, brought us stories of bed-hopping and class war not amongst students, but the faculty. In America, although there have been many books written about academics (Philip Roth’s The Human Stain, for example), the genre has also produced plenty of books where students were at the centre.
Thematic differences grew over the years as well. Perhaps inevitably, class division became a major addition to the British genre during the 70s and 80s, when student grants began to allow people from more diverse backgrounds than ever before the opportunity of higher education.
Perhaps the key difference, however, is that whilst consistently popular in the States, in Britain the genre has experienced decline for many years. Some critics even suggest that its concern with class has been contributory, since authors were wary of being accused of elitism. The most recent addition to the canon, Zadie Smith’s On Beauty, is set in America, despite its author being a born and bred Londoner. Whatever the reasons, it has been evident in recent years that the British campus novel has been gradually disappearing.
Good job, then, that David Nicholls has revived the genre with his romantic comedy Starter for Ten. Set in 1985, it’s the first-person account of Brian Jackson, a working-class student from Southend-on-Sea who earns a place in a top university. He narrates his first year with endearing honesty as he tries desperately (and often embarrassingly) to woo the woman of his dreams, prove himself on the University Challenge team, honour the memory of his deceased father and somewhere along the line gain an education.
As you can probably guess, he finds university life a minefield. With the Thatcher government at its peak, the campus class war is being keenly felt: Brian repeatedly tries to justify himself to his upper-class flatmates, while some of the most bourgeois students invent working-class credentials to use as a political banner. Upon returning home, he has to deal with his mother’s new relationship and his growing distance from his old friends, while the anticipation builds to the climactic University Challenge match against a gloriously stereotypical Oxbridge team.
It isn’t just the politics of the time that the novel reflects - the soundtrack and fashion in every scene is described so clearly that even those of us who don’t remember it will be transported to 1985- yet none of this manages to get in the way of Brian’s coming-of-age story.
But it’s more than that, too. In a genre dominated by promiscuous lecturers and pompous professors, Starter for Ten is such a gem because it encapsulates all the elements of campus life, but reinstates them into the realm of students: indeed, it is an account of one fresher’s quest for love, friendship and advanced general knowledge which students everywhere will automatically recognise. As campus novels go, it’s one of the best.
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