This is not a post about election systems. It is a post about the pattern of election results in the UK general election on 6th May 2010. The thinking here is still rather vague, but I think there’s something to
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Election reform was not going to happen in the late 1990s, so stop bemoaning things now
As coalition negotiations endure between Tories and Lib Dems there’s much bemoaning the chance to reform the UK’s election system supposedly missed by Tony Blair in the years immediately after 1997. If only Blair had been bold then, we would
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A quick guide to UK election systems of the future
I’ve talked to a number of friends, in the UK and elsewhere, about the need for a new election system in the UK. Most of my friends are politics nerds, yet I have been astounded by the lack of clear
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My personal involvement in the election… 12 candidate websites
As the debate about the composition of the UK’s government continues, I’ve taken a moment to reflect on my personal and professional involvement in the election – as webmanager for 12 Labour candidates. Here are the 12, and how they
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The Common Agricultural Policy and the UK general election
EU Member States are obliged by the European Union to make available the data on recipients of Common Agricultural Policy money by 30th April each year, with data from the preceding year. Today is 1st May and Defra has put
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Europe’s lonely foreign minister
Today’s Daily Telegraph carries a story on rumours that the EU’s foreign minister high representative for foreign affairs Cathy Ashton might quit the position within months. It’s interesting to read this as, when reading that Lutz Güllner quit as her
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Best of European tech politics
Folks involved in internet politics in Europe are often in awe of their counterparts in the USA, a sentiment further underlined by the Obama phenomenon. In light of that the folks behind Personal Democracy Forum, one of the biggest US
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It’s still too socially acceptable to be lousy with computers
I’m forever astounded when dealing with people outside my circle of friends and work colleagues when it comes to dealing with computers. Still today, in 2010, it’s far too acceptable in western Europe to have totally, horribly, shockingly bad computer
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Am I fan of Tom Watson, or do I like Tom Watson? (Facebook’s changing terminology)
OK, maybe I am a bit a pedant, but saying you are a ‘fan’ of a politician on Facebook is a bit different than saying you ‘Like’ that individual. Yet with Facebook’s change of vocabulary, liking the person is what
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Some lessons learnt from Europe’s travel chaos (and some tips to help you get home)
5 days into the volcano mess and the finger pointing is starting, some of it more and some of it less well argued. Charlemagne has an elegantly penned argument of why he will not comment, while EUObserver has a summary
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Rail payback
I’ve had a nightmare winter on the rails of Europe – stranded 3 days thanks to Eurostar (and missing a friend’s wedding as a result), delays with SNCF, and mess with a journey to Germany. Yet today, back home in
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Adjusting my views of Stockholm
Forköpsremsor. The patter of winter tires on worn tarmac. Blåbuss 3 mot Karolinska sjukhuset. The absence of overweight people. Påfyllning. Drunken happy people on the Tunnelbana. People that say hello to you when you go to the till at a
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