One Hour Ahead

Hi all, Thanks for reading my blog over the last couple of months. In order to have a bit more freedom in playing around with the techie bits, I am now hosting this OneHourAhead blog myself at www.onehourahead.com/blog. I have migrated all my previous posts with comments there so it will just continue on as if nothing ever happened. Hope to see you there.

Cheers,

Andrew

Yesterday I blogged about the seven ways in which the tories are hoping to beat the libdems.  It seems they have been quick off the mark with at least one of them:

“We hope that the Liberal Democrats under Mr Clegg will join us in putting pressure on the government to devolve power to local authorities, communities and individuals; in our opposition to ID cards; and in our commitment to social justice and environmental progress. We hope that together we can create a new progressive alliance to decentralise British politics.” Caroline Spelman (Con Chairman)

Localism, Opposition to ID cards, Social Justice and Environmental Progress - Hmm, I wonder where they got those ideas from? 

All Lib Dem policies that the Tories have hijacked.  So perhaps Nick’s reply should be:

“We are glad that YOU have chosen to join US in putting pressure on the government”

and then tell her where she can shove her alliance.

Nicholas William Peter Clegg MP

Woohoo!

Well, I pretty chuffed as he was my man from the start. I really do have high hopes for the party now and am glad to be a part of it.  Let’s start to get out there and communicate with the electorate and tell them why the Lib Dems are the party of the future.

Good luck Nick!!

Congratulations and commiserations to Chris for a well fought campaign. 

Hopefully now we can get back to being a united party against the Tories and Labour.

Liberal Burblings points to this post on the ToryHome website, detailing exactly how the Tories plan to take us to the cleaners:

DON’T GIVE THEM PUBLICITY (AND NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING DOESN’T WORK)

Well, sorry guys, but with the recent performance of old Vince and the soon crowning of the young, hungry successor to Ming I’m sure we’ll be able to get our own publicity.

HIGHLIGHT THEIR UNPOPULAR AND INCONSISTENT POLICIES

Wait a minute, I thought you weren’t going negative. But why break the habit of a lifetime, eh?

MAKE THEM IRRELEVANT BY STEALING THEIR POPULAR POLICIES

Classic. “Destroy the libdems by pointing out they are right”.  You’ve been doing this one for a while now guys, and whilst its good that you are seeing the light, I don’t think your support will be that happy with you for turning your back on the nastiness.

PRESENT THEM AS A WASTED VOTE THAT COULD KEEP LABOUR IN POWER

*yawn* so again, nothing good about the Tories, just say that Labour are bad. protest votes don’t say much good about your own party either.

UNDERMINE THEM FROM WITHIN (PARTICULARLY BY ENCOURAGING DEFECTIONS)

Sajjid Karim? oh, I’m scared!

LOVEBOMBING

Hey guys, we’re Liberal people, but we don’t all swing that way!  Obviously Cameron has been reading this post recently.

BEAT THEM AT PAVEMENT POLITICS

Yep, good idea, Don’t use your massive national advantage, instead try and beat us at the one thing we are known as being the best at.

I don’t know about you, but this really does chill my spine. Nero, fiddling and burning all somehow sprang to mind.  Our beloved makes his entrance about five minutes in.

The Lib Dems are going up (or perhaps down) in the world as for the second week running, we have made it into the celeb-gossip newsletter, Popbitch, not for being so cool this week though:

>> The Mighty Who? <<

Clegg needs populism lesson from Cable

Last Sunday, the Tower Arts Centre in Winchester hosted a Lib Dem Leadeship campaign debate between Chris Huhne and Nick Clegg.

Martin Tod: “Hi Nick. Welcome to the Tower Arts Centre. The changing room, if you need it, is just down there, as used by the Mighty Boosh.”

Nick Clegg: “The Mighty Who?”

Ahh, poor Nick, I suppose he has had a lot on his mind recently and may have missed the new series currently on BBC3 Thursdays @ 10.30pm. 

Well done to Martin Tod though for being down with the kids.

Just would like to draw your attention to Ben Goldacre’s blog on the faking of biometric details. It makes for interesting and quite fun reading. I will be cooking up my own edible and fraudulent fingerprints soon to see if I can fool the fingerprint reader on my computer.

For now though, watch this excerpt from the Mythbusters to see how woefully inadequate some of the systems the government will be relying on to secure your information will be.

The last desperate acts of the Howard party.

Back from California just in time to catch the fun goings on in the leadership contest.  Put simply, I didn’t think the calamity Clegg thingy and the growing bitchiness in each camp has done anyone any favours, least of all the party, but after watching the Newsnight debate just now I had my faith restored in both men. 

Thought both did well on the show, with Huhne going for the calmer and more nuanced explanations and Clegg being more passionate and punchier.  As for the winner, for me it is still Nick’s passion that I think we need in a leader. His answer last night on the immigration question is what I am looking for in a Liberal leader.  Sometimes the answers may be a bit erratic and he may have to grow thicker skin but I feel he can engage those beyond our party boundaries better than Huhne. 

Plus he talked to JP like he was an idiot.