In this episode I outline the need to go out and make your voice heard on election day and outline my views on investment in Shrewsbury and Atcham. There are two recordings in this episode because it is late and I am very tired with an early start in the morning and both takes on the episode are good.
Thank you so very much for listening and watching.
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I have waited until the final leaders debate had taken place before commenting on them because I feel that you cannot gain an assessment on just one debate.
The leaders debates have been dominating the media on and offline and I have been following some of the main political bloggers coverage but in a change to what you may expect me to do as a Parliamentary candidate, I am certainly not going to delve into each policy area and tread ground already well worn.
The thing that fascinated me about the leaders debates was that whilst televised debates such as this are common place in countries like the USA, they are a completely new territory for everyone in the UK as party leaders, parliamentary candidates and members of voting public.
I remember a very good quote from Eddie Izzard about how public perception is predominantly made based on how you look and not what you say. The exact line is
“ All that people care about is the look. there have been studies. it’s 70 per cent of what people react to is the look, 20 per cent is how you sound, 10 per cent is what you say so if you look good and sound good…”
This to me is relevant to the media spectacle around all three leaders debates because so much, in fact too much in my view, emphasis is placed how the slick Public Relations techniques such as gesturing, looking directly into the camera to give the feel of a personal eye contact, sharp suits and overall scripted stage managed answers being given by all of the leaders. Nick Clegg of the Lib Dems excelled at this in the first two debates leaving David Cameron and Gordon Brown playing catchup.
The second debate came and went and once again we were treated to a stage managed marketing campaign based around image and not policies. The second debate was declared by many exit polls, some with questionable big media bias, as a win for Nick Clegg and David Cameron. Both winners in the x-factor election debate where at any time I was expecting a phone number to appear on screen telling the viewers to phone the premium rate phone number to cast their vote.
Gordon Brown, despite making some very effective points and covering his policy areas was left trailing. Lets look at this for a second. David Cameron and Nick Clegg are polished, PR savvy and the archetypal salesmen wheres as Gordon Brown is simply a politician talking about real issues that are not glamorous or exciting but necessary to our society.
There is no way that Gordon could ever come out of these debates looking like the characteristic, picture perfect Hollywood statesman because that is simply not who he is. I have had the privilege of meeting Gordon Brown on several occasions and found him to be a very very intelligent man who is focused on getting down to the issues and getting on with the act of government and has no time for the posturing of life in the media eye.
I was watching the third and final debate on Thursday and it was clear to me that the move to the less tabloid style BBC news broadcast and the pressure on all of the leaders just one week before election day made all of the leaders shine in their true colours.
Nick Clegg, the media darling of the hour, started well in his now trademark stage managed style before being stumped by questions from the public and from Gordon Brown and David Cameron leaving him to flounder so much on the issue of immigration as well as subsequent issues. Generally not a good moment for Nick or Lib Dems up and down the country and in my view the moment that Nick blew it.
David Cameron again, started well taking Nick Cleggs tried and tested PR approach and generally getting his points and policies across when questioned although managing to dodge some of the more tricky cross examination from Nick Clegg and Gordon Brown.
Gordon Brown, had everything riding on a good performance and in my view he succeeded. Gordon Brown knows the economy, he knows immigration, he knows training and business and I feel the increased confidence in this debate represented this. Gordon Brown was not as polished or packaged as Nick and David which I think did go against him but his words were insightful and clear. Gordon is a no nonsense Prime Minister.
The end of the debate came and in my view Gordon Brown was the stronger leader in the debate in terms of words and passion although not in image or style. David Cameron stayed fairly steady throughout and didn’t really say anything to make him stand out in a positive or negative way.
Nick Clegg however came into the debate as the golden child with everything to lose and the pressure showed. The issue of immigration was the end of the unfaltering, smooth, confident leader and when pressed on the issues found it hard to answer or justify his policies which is one of the things the Lib Dems have always been criticized for; been able to throw out ideas but unable to back them up with real world situations.
For me the real question is do you want an intelligent prime minister who knows what they are talking about or someone who looks good on camera? Gordon Brown may be be uneasy around the media but he has a very sharp mind and has lots of experience which is what matters because you cannot run a country on PR tricks and smarmy style.
In the run up to the general election I have spoken to the Liberal Democrat candidate, Charles West, on numerous occasions in the interest of fairness regarding his campaign materials such as newsletters where he refers to himself as a “senior local councilor” but fails to point out the council was a parish council in Church Stretton on which he served for a short time as a councilor because as a local councilor myself, I had actual senior local councilors telling me they found his statement offensive. I have also had to speak to him regarding the placement of his campaign signs such as the massive sign sticking out of a council hedge on Whitchurch Road in Shrewsbury.
Charles West has responded to the emails and conversations about the signs stating that they are all legal despite the guidance given to all candidates by the local council and electoral commission that all signs (other than small A4 lamp post signs) MUST be on private property and not on council or pubic land.
Whatever way you look at it, strapping two signs (one that has to be the largest campaign sign i’ve ever seen on a wooden post) into the middle of a public hedgerow and held in place with cable ties is clearly on public land and not in accordance with the standards issued to all candidates.
I wasn’t going to write about this, I was happy to speak to Charles West informally as a fellow candidate and let him rectify the situation himself with no harm done but because of his arrogant responses and that I find it disgusting that Charles West, a candidate that states that fairness is at the heart of his campaign, shows blatant contempt for the standards set by the local council and electoral commission and uses signs that are far to large and are situated on public land instead of having regulation signs on private property.
I have recorded a short video next to the signs on Sunday evening to illustrate my point. As of this morning (Wednesday 5 May) the signs are still there.
Is this fair to all of the other candidates who are conducting themselves in a professional and fair manner?
Is this fair to the Green Party, UKip, Impact Party, Conservative Party and myself as Labour Party candidate to have one candidate (for the Liberal Democrats) show total disrespect for the practice of electoral campaigning?
Is Charles West really someone who you want to honestly represent your views in parliament?
With the election just one day away, the time has come to decide if you want a Liberal Democrat MP who talks about fairness at any given opportunity but breaks campaign rules and carries out a very unfair campaign
