BBC Election Night 2008…
Written by Alix Mortimer on 28th April 2008 – 6:30 pm… will kick off at 11.35pm on One this Thursday, and will feature a regular bloggers’ spot on the programme itself and an accompanying minute-by-minute blog of results, news, anecdotes, pictures, groundless speculation and, please god, a few laughs.
Your present correspondent will be in the yellow corner, diametrically opposite to, and equidistant from, Iain Dale and Luke Akehurst. Part of the premise is that we, El Bloggers, are going to try to beat the Beeb on getting results in. Our blogs will be syndicated to the BBC blog and because we don’t have to get it right wait for confirmation, we can get results up as soon as we hear about them from our own sources.
And in my case that means YOU, LDV eggs. If you’re going to be propping your eyelids open at a count, or you know someone who is and don’t mind blearily transmitting some news in the small hours, the Beeb wants to hear from you. It can be exit polls, early indicators, unconfirmed results, unexpected developments, rumours, amusing pictures, breaking news on the tea and coffee facilities… All suitable disclaimers will be in place and you can let me know if you’d rather not be named as a source (as if, you shameless attention-seekers). Choose your weapon:
Comment below. I’ll keep the page open throughout the night. I’m sure there will also be a sounding-off thread on the night which I’ll also have open.
Facebook message or email me. Details on my blog.
Comment over at my gaff. There’ll be an entry there soon.
Twitter at me. @AlixMortimer. My mobile will be switched on and my parents are under strict instructions not to call me and tell me I’m on TV.
If you have a blog and rattle off any posts of your own over the course of the night, please drop me the link on any of the above, likewise if you see anything good on someone else’s blog.
Tags: iain dale
Posted in Local government, News, e-campaigning 26 Comments »
28th April 2008 at 9:32 pm
It’s a shame they couldn’t have got Bob Piper! I bet you’d have had a laugh with him
28th April 2008 at 9:51 pm
“my parents are under strict instructions not to call me and tell me I’m on TV.”
What about other people that know your number?
Also, careful with Twitter, there’s a receipt limit, but you’ll get emails anyway.
I would say feel free to be mean and nasty to Akehurst, then be a bit more mean and nasty to him, but that goes without saying, right?
28th April 2008 at 9:54 pm
Assuming that you have t’internet (else not sure how you’re going to read the blogs), just use the Twitter website and ensure your phone is switched off.
28th April 2008 at 10:13 pm
* quietly adds you to her twittering list *
29th April 2008 at 8:13 am
Don’t be mean and nasty to me. I’m sure we can have a great laugh together.
29th April 2008 at 8:16 am
Play nicely please!
29th April 2008 at 10:20 am
Hopefully I will have had my dongle delivered by then and can send you updates from the St Albans count!
29th April 2008 at 12:08 pm
Alix, we are hoping to be the surprise of the night here in Woking. I would like to get that info to you asap. I will have my Blackberry but not sure how to make sure I can get it to you. Not 100% techie but not technophobe either.
29th April 2008 at 12:29 pm
Breaking news – Watford will be a LD hold! LD have a maj of 22 and only 12 seats are up!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/elections/local_council/08/html/26uk.stm
Several other councils are in a simular position so you could be first with the news as no other result is really that possible.
Alix PM me and I will send you a spreadsheet that I’m going to send to Richard Grayson who is doing Radio 5 for us.
LHarris999
29th April 2008 at 5:15 pm
“Breaking news – Watford will be a LD hold! LD have a maj of 22 and only 12 seats are up!”
If they’re all LD seats (which they probably aren’t) then it’ll only take losing 11 of them for LDs to lose control.
29th April 2008 at 6:26 pm
Sounds good, Susan. My dongle is getting a bit worn these days, but I’ll take your advice, get it out and use it for reporting Labour victories.
29th April 2008 at 8:10 pm
Luke – we will see whose dongle works better!
29th April 2008 at 8:29 pm
London Mayoral/Assembly counts not until during the day on Friday
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29th April 2008 at 11:55 pm
Bloody hell, Luke Akehurst on here now… last thing we needed. Tell em about Mark Trotter, Luke.
Hang on, it’s the impostor Akehurst again- see http://lukeakehurstsblog.blogspot.com for the real deal.
30th April 2008 at 2:14 pm
I don’t suppose there would be any chance of a Lib-Lab pact after we lose the elections, would there?
1st May 2008 at 11:49 pm
Have a real (by-election) result
Sandgate TC, Sandgate Valley (Folkestone & Hythe Constituency)
LD Season Prater 174 (58.4%;, +35.1), Con 76 (25.5; -18.9), Ind 48 (16.1; -16.2).
Majority 98. Turnout 35.05%. LD Gain from Con. (Percentage change since May 2007).
2nd May 2008 at 12:21 am
Wish to complain about Jeremy Vine on Election Night. Talking to us as if we were complete idiots. The BBC have really dummed down for this election night. Stop irritating us with stupid gimmicks and just give us the facts. We are not three year olds. We do not need stupid sets to get a point across. Just grow up and treat us as adults. We don’t need all this. A lot of us are tuning in because we are angry with what this Government have done to us. Don’t irritate us even more.
2nd May 2008 at 12:34 am
St Albans is forecast as a Lib Dem gain!!!!
2nd May 2008 at 12:52 am
Fair point on Jeremy Vine.
2nd May 2008 at 12:57 am
Lib Dem by election hold in Mid Beds. After a really tense count Lib Dem hold by 14! This was despite an Indy and a Green having a crack……. :- )
2nd May 2008 at 1:01 am
Lib Dems now the largest group on Exeter…. Still NOC though.
2nd May 2008 at 1:04 am
John, that’s excellent, got any specific numbers? I know the Tories were hoping to threaten, I’d love to see Exeter go really three way.
2nd May 2008 at 1:52 am
I think it is now 13 (Lib Dem), 12 (Con) 11 (Lab) and 4 (Lib).
Previously it was Lab (14), Lib Dem (120, Tory (10), and Lib (4, permanently so?)
Two Tory gains from Lab and one Lib Dem gain ditto.
2nd May 2008 at 1:54 am
I really thought this may have been a serious discussion unfortunately too many school children had stayed up late and made some very silly comments.
2nd May 2008 at 2:03 am
Bob? Most of the comments on here predate the results, the first comment from today is Tim Prater’s. Most of us are paying more attention to Alix’s actual blog.
http://fabulousblueporcupine.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/bbc-elections-2008-live-blog/
Can’t see any schoolchildren, although the spoof Akehurst blogger is only patchily amusing.
2nd May 2008 at 7:33 pm
it is ashame that liverstone is not winning he is a great one he is number 1