Tag Archives: Elections

In the last days of the election campaign Labour should talk about three things: housing, housing and housing

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Alex Grant

“We are not in principle opposed to right to buy but the Tory plan doesn’t work,” said Ed Miliband at the leaders’ debate on April 15th. “Any plan based on right to buy has to mean there are more houses, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Eight media myths about the 2015 election – and why they are wrong

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Alex Grant

I missed the start of this campaign: for the first ten days of April I was in France, in a house without Wifi or even a telephone. Coming back to the UK on April 10th I scanned the papers and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Emily Thornberry quitting does little to solve Labour’s southern discomfort. Miliband should have defended her right to tweet

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Alex Grant

The decision of Emily Thornberry to resign as shadow attorney-general – or Ed Miliband’s decision  to sack her, depending on who you believe – must be one of the loopiest political acts of modern times. Rather than lance a boil, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Seven months before an election Labour must inspire, surprise and provoke its supporters. Not patronise them

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Alex Grant

Labour Vice-Chair Michael Dugher MP (who’s been charged with “bringing the Obama touch to Labour’s 2015 election campaign”) sent me an automated “Hi Alex” email last week. “You might not realise it yet, but it’s pretty amazing just how much … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Memo to the Left: 1 Nationalism should always be viewed with suspicion. 2 Press freedom needs to be fought for. 3 And an independence referendum is not a conference workshop

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Alex Grant

A political leader who has spent much time cosying up to Rupert Murdoch faces difficult questions from a broadcast journalist a few days before a crucial electoral test. The leader accuses the journalist of “heckling” him.  The press conference has … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Will Len McCluskey ever shut up? Bashing the Lib Dems won’t win the election for Labour

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Alex Grant

Will Len McCluskey ever shut up? His call for Labour to rule out a coalition with the Lib Dems after the 2015 election (as reported in last Sunday’s Observer), or else face cuts in funding from the Unite union he … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beware the dangers of Opportunistic Labour

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Alex Grant

The conviction of Andy Coulson last week left an open goal for Labour. I choose my words carefully, given that Coulson is about to face a retrial on further charges, but Labour was – and still is – quite right … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rising to the occasion: the architecture of election counts

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Alex Grant

What was the most interesting thing about the Newark by-election earlier this month? Not the failure of UKIP to break through (for once I was glad a Conservative candidate won. A UKIP victory would have inflicted psychological damage on the Tories and been seized … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

New Labour with a small ‘n’: a quiet revolution in the Town Hall

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Alex Grant

My first post on this new blog is about Greenwich – a borough in which I was a Labour councillor until May 2014 – and how a huge influx of new councillors is changing the culture of its council. What … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments