malcolmclark's Blog
50 States not 42 Days
malcolmclark Wed Jun 11, 2008 at 06:57:00 PM GMT 
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This is a theme I intend to explore over the coming months. It's about how to expand the electoral map; about how to build up the party base and win down-ticket races; about how to encourage more people to turn out to vote and be convinced that they have a stake in the political system. Its about all of those things and more.
In the American context, the 50 State strategy / campaign was first raised by Howard Dean and is now taken on by Obama, who has just promised to open up campaign offices in every single state. As Kos explains:
"It doesn't mean Obama will win 50 states, obviously. But it does mean a commitment to 1) an expanded presidential battleground, 2) long-term party building, and 3) attention to the down-ballot races that will ultimately decide whether the Obama Agenda will see the light of day. The more seats Obama's Democratic Party can amass in the House and in the Senate, the stronger his influence and the bolder his legislation can be. In other words, this is much bigger than the presidential race, and I'm extremely encouraged that a presidential campaign has decided to take such a broad approach to these coming elections."
Londoners' Votes Count - letting people know how to make the most of their votes
malcolmclark Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 12:38:39 AM GMT
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For Labour activists, there is an easy line to push for the London elections: 'vote Ken / Labour on each of the ballot papers'. But there can be more to it than that.
Londoners' Votes Count
www.londonersvotescount.org.uk has been set up in these final days of the election campaign to respond to the needs of Londoners to understand how to vote and - importantly - how they can make the most of their vote. As highlighted by the YouGov poll in Tuesday's Evening Standard, there are many people wanting to vote but who are unsure of exactly how the different systems work and the importance of the different ballot papers. But there is a very simple, positive and exciting message that voters should be hearing:
Londoners' Votes Count
www.londonersvotescount.org.uk has been set up in these final days of the election campaign to respond to the needs of Londoners to understand how to vote and - importantly - how they can make the most of their vote. As highlighted by the YouGov poll in Tuesday's Evening Standard, there are many people wanting to vote but who are unsure of exactly how the different systems work and the importance of the different ballot papers. But there is a very simple, positive and exciting message that voters should be hearing:
Once every four years, all Londoners’ votes matter. Contrary to a general or local election, every vote counts. For the London Assembly, the system is straightforward and empowering. The make-up of the Assembly will reflect how all of London voted. People can affect the overall result no matter where in London they live. That is because of the proportional voting system used. Moreover, for the London Assembly (London-wide ballot paper) people's vote will in effect count twice: once for the party they support; and once against extremists. This is because their vote makes it harder for extremist parties like the BNP to be elected; as it takes such parties an extra vote further away from reaching that 5% threshold. And for electing the Mayor, Londoners get the chance to express both their 1st and 2nd choices, rather than condense all their thinking down into a single candidate. So people can vote with their heart and with their head if they want to. Again, the advantage of the preferential system used for the mayoral election.
www.londonersvotescount.org.uk also contains predictions about the results, provides more detailed information about the voting systems used, and makes the connections between these elections and the current electoral reform debate about the Alternative Vote for the Commons. The site will be updated as the results come in to provide further analysis and comment.
Making Labour's case for the South
malcolmclark Fri May 25, 2007 at 11:46:42 AM GMT
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John Denham's Fabian Society lecture on 'Southern Discomfort Revisited' provides some great material for debate within Labour - especially in southern England. Full transcript is here. John argued that Labour cannot comfortably govern the UK as a whole without a significant southern presence. I have listed some of the key points he made, including (bottom paragraph) why electoral reform is essential. On my own blog, I have also added comments made by Tony Travers, about how the changed political circumstances / culture mean the electoral pendulum may no longer swing back once a party has lost its base in a particular area - whether that be the Tories in certain northern cities or Labour in parts of the south / south-west.
