I mentioned in a previous posting here that I thought bookmakers have more of value to say about the forthcoming election than opinion pollsters (though the Electoral Calculus site is really worth a look for its detailed predictions in individual seats) If the excellent (though troll-infested) Political Betting site isn’t enough for you, here’s Betfair’s [...]
Posts from ‘March, 2010’
‘The ratio of substance to horse-race reporting remains low…’
Here’s Peter Levine on the way that the healthcare debate has been reported by the press in the US: “…the news media spent a year feeding American citizens a steady diet of stories about Congressional procedure, the possible impact of health-care reform on elections, and quotes that falsely described the bill or denounced its critics. [...]
Can games save the world?
Mashable is pointing to a games designer called Jane McGonigal who is making the case that the increasingly complex video games may be developing the kind of skills that can be applied to real world problems: “McGonigal asks what would happen if we were able to tap into the emotional resonance and powerful feedback loops [...]
I can haz a vote on everyfink?
I’m surprised that it’s taken so long, but someone has finally launched a web-based candidacy for the election. In this case, the deal is that – if he wins, he will put every issue to the vote on his website and vote accordingly. There are some issues where he outlines exceptions to this rule, and [...]
Two other election-related tidbits
I know there have been a few election-related posts here, but here’s two more: I’ve been keeping an eye on Mike Smithson’s ‘Political Betting‘ website. Mike’s general prejudice seems to have been that, generally the most optimistic poll from the range available for the Tories actually understates the support that they will get at the [...]
Positive Political Blogging: Distributed Intelligence vs. interest groups and think tanks
Anyone who follows the BBC News site, or who reads a newspaper, will be familiar with a good few interest groups and think tanks. Where their news releases aren’t the entire basis for the story, they are invited to comment at length, in the name of political “balance”, or on the basis of an often-undeserved [...]
The importance of place – a personal mashup of Richard Florida and Wikinomics
I’ve just finished reading Who’s Your City by Richard Florida and, in short, it strikes me as intuitively about right. The essence of the book is that where you live is as important a choice as what your job is or who your partner is. Additionally Florida argues that the creative economy is making the [...]
Should ‘don’t knows’ be discouraged from voting?
There is nothing that annoys politicians more than people who just don’t get around to voting. For months, the parties are knocking doors and getting pledges. In a tight fight, every vote will be counted on, and a well-resourced team will manage to knock on doors a half-dozen times until the name is ticked off [...]
Sustainable development and the decline of local interest
Sustainable development, and party politics in the UK, are both fond advocates of localism and decentralism. In the case of the UK Conservatives, party leader David Cameron promises no less than the most “radical decentralisation” seen in a century if his party is elected. There is something of an environmental zeitgeist in this language too. One of [...]
Civil service social media use during election ‘purdah’
Later this week, a document will be published outlining what civil servants can and can’t do with social media during the election ‘purdah’ period. I’ve been given an outline of what guidance it includes and I’m here to tell you now that – when you see it, I think you will agree with me – [...]
