However, at the same time he was then asked if, given that, why he would not kill the speculation dead by ruling it out. As one would imagine, and to be fair to the one-eyed Scot, he didn't do it, because it pays to keep the Tories and Lib Dems guessing up to the wire.
Of course, if there was going to be an early election then the Labour Party would need to be employing quite a few staff to help it manage the logistics. It's media monitoring unit for a start would need to be expanded ready for the rapid-rebuttal that they perfected in the lead up to 1997.
It's interesting therefore that the following new roles are being advertised on the Labour Party website.
We are looking to increase the number of staff in our Media Monitoring Unit. Based within our Press team you should have knowledge and experience of politics and current affairs plus a commitment to Labour’s continued success combined with an excellent understanding of print, broadcast and on-line media.The closing date for applications is the 14th September and the job is apparently a "fixed-term contract" role. Presumably there will be some high level meetings going on in the next few weeks about how such recruitment is going and whether they could squeeze an election in around October 11th or to hold out to May.
I hope it isn't October 11th for purely selfish reasons. That's my birthday and I don't want to waste a perfectly good opportunity to get hammered on a bloody general election. In fact, I may write a letter to the Prime Minister demanding that he doesn't do it then just for me.
Update: I have raised a petition at the Number 10 website on this matter. I bet it gets rejected. It reads:
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to avoid holding a General Election on October 11th because it is Dizzy's birthday.I don't expect it to get through like I say, or get any signatures other than mine if it does, but there are limits dammit!
Details: Speculation is now rife that an October general election may be held on October 11th. This happens to be the birthday of the political blogger Dizzy Thinks who deserves not to have his birthday ruined at the Prime Minister's whim. It is everyone's right to have a birthday free from national politics so that copious alcohol can be drunk all day without having to worry about polling station telling, forgetting to vote and knocking up whilst lashed.
Update II: Well, as expected, Downing Street rejected it. Apparently because it was "Intended to be humorous, or has no point about government policy". Well let me tell the wonk that said no something. There is nothing humourous about MY birthday goddamn you! It was clearly a momentously important day in the history of mankind because it involved me. And if the date of a General Election has nothing to do with Government policy, well I'm a monkey's uncle. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go an buy some bananas for my nephew.
It's the day I arrived in the world which is immensely important I'll have you know.
6 comments:
Why can't you get hammered on election night?
"night"? What are you, some sort of wimp? The pubs open at 11am.
What's the link for your petition?
Anyway, there's going to be no snap election because of the opinion polls.
The Populus/Times finding on the 120 top marginal seats confirms my analysis that Brown is gathering up votes where he doesn’t need them. Meanwhile, the Tories are moving ahead in the older age groups and in the south and midlands. The shift in the Cameron strategy is working admirably, so the next few opinion polls should see the Conservatives adding some more points overall, while Labour slips further.
It is no worse than most of the idiotic petitions that get through the net. If The Man blocks it, what about a Facebook group?
Voters will not vote for five more years of Brown. They're bored of him already. People like a change now and again.
Brown is not an 'in touch' political operator. He's a machine politician who finds power flows into his hands inside behind the scenes deals. He's a creeper and a leaper, who our leapt and outcrept the rest of the Labour Party. But at the ballot box, he's useless, totally uninspring.
Contrast Blair who set little store on behind the scenes deal-cutting, and knew that real power comes from the approbation of the voters. Brown knows that few people really like him. He doesn't even like himself. He's riding for a mighty fall, if he makes the mistake of calling an election this autumn.
It's typical of Brown. He doesn't call an election, as he's frightened of one. Instead he pretends to be manoevring towards one as that fightens others. He'll bore the country to death well before he has the courage to actually make any real moves, by which time it will be too late. His best chance has gone. It was the moment Blair went, and he missed it.
Put the petition up somewhere else ... and can you put in a word for Jan 23 2008 and 2009 which even with global warming are probably unlikely candidates. My best guess remains the first weekend - both Saturday 10am -10pm and Sunday 10 am - 8pm - in June 2009.
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