Author Archives: Mark Pack

Mark was the Liberal Democrat Head of Innovations until June 2009 and is now at Blue Rubicon. He also lectures at City University and is co-author of 101 Ways To Win An Election. He blogs at www.markpack.org.uk and is on Twitter as @markpack. He likes chocolate. Lots of it.
Mark Pack

Steve Webb starts blogging

By Mark Pack | Sat 6th January 2007 - 8:45 am

Steve’s blog comes complete with a gruesome pun of a absolutely smashing title.

Steve is now looking after the drawing up of the party’s manifesto for the next general election. There will be more news on the online consultation later this month.

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Mark Pack

Do you run a WordPress blog?

By Mark Pack | Fri 5th January 2007 - 9:00 am

If so head over to the party website to see the latest widgets we’ve made available for you – including one that allows you to easily drop in the latest party film, with your site being automatically updated when a new one comes out. Bug reports and feedback welcome.

Posted in News and Online politics | 3 Comments
Mark Pack

The five blogs nicest to the Lib Dems

By Mark Pack | Thu 4th January 2007 - 8:00 am

Based on the amount of traffic they’ve passed on to www.libdems.org.uk in the second half of 2006, the top five blogs were:

  1. Guido Fawkes
  2. Iain Dale
  3. Lynne Featherstone
  4. Ming Campbell
  5. Recess Monkey 

No dog or elephant, but at least there’s a red monkey. Somehow I suspect some of them might quibble with the “nicest to the Lib Dems” accolade 🙂 – but thanks for the traffic anyway.

Posted in News and Online politics | Tagged , and | 7 Comments
Mark Pack

Is Big Brother watching you?

By Mark Pack | Wed 3rd January 2007 - 2:00 pm

Could this be the future … see this US clip.

Posted in News | 4 Comments
Mark Pack

The top five local Liberal Democrat websites

By Mark Pack | Wed 3rd January 2007 - 9:30 am

Based on the amount of traffic they’ve passed on to www.libdems.org.uk in the second half of 2006, the top five local Liberal Democrat sites were:

  1. brentlibdems.org.uk
  2. northamptonlibdems.org.uk
  3. eastsurreylibdems.org.uk
  4. bristolwest-libdems.org.uk
  5. rochdalelibdems.org.uk

Quite a decent geographic spread, although all in England. Having two parties without a Lib Dem MP in there is a promising sign of the use of the internet across the party (though perhaps not for the incumbent MPs in those two areas!). Make of it all what you will.

Posted in News and Online politics | 4 Comments
Mark Pack

Is your site in the top five?

By Mark Pack | Tue 2nd January 2007 - 7:21 pm

Latter this week, I’ll write up the top five list of local Liberal Democrat sites for referring traffic on to the party’s main site, www.libdems.org.uk, in the second half of 2006 – plus also the top five blogs.

Will Iain Dale beat Guido Fawkes? Will Recess Monkey feature anywhere? Will any Lib Dem blog feature in the top five – and if so, will it be this one or the dog or the elephant or John Hemming?

Tune in again and find out soon…

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Mark Pack

Nick Clegg on crime

By Mark Pack | Tue 2nd January 2007 - 1:00 pm

Ahead of this year’s Lib Dem crime campaign launch, Nick Clegg has published a piece setting the scene.

Posted in News | 2 Comments
Mark Pack

Going green in Wales

By Mark Pack | Tue 2nd January 2007 - 10:21 am

Welsh Liberal Democrats published plans yesterday to switch Wales to 100% renewable electricity. There’s more details on their website.

Posted in News | 1 Comment
Mark Pack

New services for party members

By Mark Pack | Fri 22nd December 2006 - 9:00 am

We’ve added some new features to the all-members website (reached via the link at the bottom of www.libdems.org.uk – you have to be a paid-up party member to be able to register).

They include display of the latest party video, tidy up of some layout issues and – most importantly – a page listing party-recommended suppliers for newspaper printing, recycled paper, colour printers and folding machines. If you’re involved in procuring for your local party, please take a look, or pass the information on.  

Posted in Party policy and internal matters | 3 Comments
Mark Pack

How green is Gordon Brown?

By Mark Pack | Thu 21st December 2006 - 2:00 pm

Not very, it appears.

Posted in News | Tagged | 2 Comments
Mark Pack

2006 by-election round-up

By Mark Pack | Thu 21st December 2006 - 9:00 am
2006 by-election results
Posted in Council by-elections | 15 Comments
Mark Pack

David Cameron and Saudi corruption

By Mark Pack | Thu 21st December 2006 - 8:56 am

Guido has now picked up on the curious silence of David Cameron on the Saudi arms corruption investigation.

Posted in News | Tagged , and | 2 Comments
Mark Pack

Liberal Democrats make change to policy-making process

By Mark Pack | Wed 20th December 2006 - 2:00 pm

The party’s Federal* Policy Committee (FPC) has just announced a significant change in the policy making process for 2007. It is setting up a new standing panel of people from which members of policy working groups will be picked in future. The panel will be put together once a year, replacing the old system of advertising for members of each different policy working group separately through the year.

There are more details on the party’s website, including an application form for the new panel; you have until 22nd January to get your form in.

* For the uninitiated in the jargon, “federal” …

Continue reading »
Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged | 14 Comments
Mark Pack

Al Yamamah: More Labour hypocrisy

By Mark Pack | Wed 20th December 2006 - 12:00 pm

A brief recap: after the then Conservative Government signed the Al Yamamah arms deal with Saudi Arabia, Labour politicians were very keen for there to be proper investigations into corruption allegations.

Another example found in the archives: in the early 1990s a National Audit Office investigation was given only a very narrow remit and then surpressed. The then response of Labour MP and defence spokesman Martin O’Neill? You guessed it – he promised that Labour would reopen the inquiry.

Again though, this enthusiasm seems to have waned rather…

(Hat tip: CAAT again).

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Mark Pack

Al Yamamah: Conservatives silent, again

By Mark Pack | Wed 20th December 2006 - 11:00 am

Another burst of stories in the media about the Al Yamamah Saudi Arabian arms deal and Labour’s axing of investigations into corruption (about which you can sign a petition here).

As a Lib Dem it’s gratifying to see the frequent coverage of the party’s views on the issue (yet again), but (yet again) there is nothing from Her Majesty’s Official Opposition (as in this BBC report). Silence from David Cameron and co seems to be the order of the day.

Is it too cynical to ask if all this could be because the arms …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , and | 1 Comment
Mark Pack

Al Yamamah: Labour hypocrisy

By Mark Pack | Wed 20th December 2006 - 9:00 am

Back in the 1980s, Allan Roberts was MP for Bootle and a Labour defence spokesperson. When the Al Yamamah defence sales deal was arranged by the Conservative government with Saudi Arabia and there were allegations of corruption in the air, this was his – and his party’s view:

a. He was “quite confident” that commissions (ie bribes) had been paid, and
b. He demanded an official investigation.

(Hat tip: CAAT)

How times change … and I wonder if the fact that most electronic databases of news stories don’t stretch back to the mid-1980s has anything to do with the lack of stories in …

Continue reading »
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Mark Pack

Is the Today programme going to launch a political party?

By Mark Pack | Tue 19th December 2006 - 9:00 am

I only ask because, whilst it has become traditional for other political parties to copy Liberal Democrat policies, Today has now started doing the same.

Perhaps it is the start of a John Humphrys for Parliament campaign? (Though let’s hope he doesn’t find his attempt to vote for himself scuppered by the failure of his local council to remind him that he signed up for a postal vote; I mean – being told nine times by the council that you have a postal vote isn’t really often enough is it?)

In case you’re wondering if it is site value rating …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 3 Comments
Mark Pack

Lib Dems up the pressure on Saudi deal

By Mark Pack | Mon 18th December 2006 - 11:15 am

Liberal Democrat MPs are planning to up the pressure in Parliament over the Government’s controversial decision to drop corruption investigations around the Al Yamamah arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

(As an aside – perhaps action in Parliament will flush out rather more comment from the Conservatives on this issue, who overall have stayed very, very quiet…).

UPDATE: Simon Hughes has called for action following this case, whilst you can read the views of Norman Lamb (a long time campaigner on this case) here

UPDATE 2: The Liberal Democrat petition calling for an inquiry into the dropping of the Continue reading »

Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 5 Comments
Mark Pack

Nine months on: how the party’s leaders have fared

By Mark Pack | Mon 18th December 2006 - 10:00 am

Liberal Democrats poll ratings graph

Posted in Polls | 6 Comments
Mark Pack

Barbara Roche set to make a comeback?

By Mark Pack | Sun 17th December 2006 - 9:00 am

In Liberal Democrat circles, Barbara Roche is probably best know as the woman who had a 25,998 lead over the Liberal Democrat candidate in her constituency in 1997 (and no Liberal Democrat councillors) but lost her seat to Lynne Featherstone in 2005.

There has been gossip going around for a while that she is seeking to make a comeback “somewhere up north”, and it’s now hit the local newspapers.

It should make for an interesting interview question, “Having squandered a 26,000 lead, do you think you’ll be the right person to hold this seat at the next election?” 🙂

Posted in News | Tagged and | 5 Comments
Mark Pack

Simon Hughes wants to hear from you

By Mark Pack | Sat 16th December 2006 - 10:00 am

Party President Simon Hughes is consulting members on how best to run a new pair of awards, one named after the late Patsy Calton, former MP for Cheadle, and the other after the late Harriet Smith, a star activist, organiser and Conference Revue singer.

The idea of the awards is to thank and recognise otherwise unsung party members – and having awards in the names of Patsy and Harriet will also be a fitting tribute to them both for their many contributions to the party, both tragically cut short by ill health.

You can let Simon have your views on issues like …

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Posted in News and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged , and | Leave a comment
Mark Pack

Trident: what happens next?

By Mark Pack | Thu 14th December 2006 - 4:20 pm

At the start of this month, the proposals from the Liberal Democrats’ Trident policy group were published – just ahead of Tony Blair announcing his own proposals.

The Liberal Democrats’ Federal Policy Committee (FPC) will meet on 11th January for a substantive discussion about the proposals and – assuming the FPC decides to go ahead with having a motion on the proposals for our spring Harrogate conference – a motion will then be published in the agenda sent out to conference representatives and there will be a chance for people to submit amendments for debate.

It’s likely to be one of …

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Posted in News and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged and | 6 Comments
Mark Pack

The Sustainable Communities Bill

By Mark Pack | Wed 13th December 2006 - 12:49 pm

The latest Lib Dem MP to appear on YouTube is Julia Goldsworthy, who has done a piece about the Sustainable Communities Bill:

Continue reading »
Posted in Lib Dem TV and News | Tagged and | 3 Comments
Mark Pack

Welcome to Will

By Mark Pack | Mon 11th December 2006 - 12:30 pm

Will Howells has started work today in Cowley Street as our new internet campaigns officer. Welcome Will!

Posted in News | Tagged | 2 Comments
Mark Pack

More Conservative candidate trouble

By Mark Pack | Mon 11th December 2006 - 11:45 am

This time it’s Tynemouth, where a local was beaten by an outside A-lister who didn’t make the original shortlist.

That makes it six Tory candidate troubles now, with the candidates starting to open a clear lead ahead of their four lost councils in a week.

I feel a barchart coming on …

Posted in News | Tagged | 3 Comments
Mark Pack

Gosport makes it four: Tories lose another council

By Mark Pack | Sun 10th December 2006 - 10:19 am

I thought now was a bad time to be a Conservative Parliamentary candidate, but it’s almost as bad being a Conservative council leader – with three four councils in a week moving out of Conservative control.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 8 Comments
Mark Pack

Polly Toynbee drives Tory to join UKIP

By Mark Pack | Fri 8th December 2006 - 10:15 am

Toby Horton, former constituency chair in William Hague’s Richmond constituency, has joined UKIP: “There was a Polly Toynbee moment – that was the tipping point”.

The Times has the full story.

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Mark Pack

Kentish Town result: Lib Dems take Labour seat; Green’s leader beaten

By Mark Pack | Fri 8th December 2006 - 12:59 am

Ralph Scott has scored an excellent victory in the Kentish Town by-election in Camden, taking a Labour seat and beating the Green candidate – their newly elected principal speaker (equivalent of party leader), Sian Berry – who had told the Camden New Journal hours before the polls closed: “We are ahead”.

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Posted in Council by-elections | Tagged , and | 8 Comments
Mark Pack

Did Labour’s Camden election campaign break the law?

By Mark Pack | Thu 7th December 2006 - 11:57 pm

Labour’s eve-of-poll election leaflet in Kentish Town looks like it could land them in legal hot water for breaking election law.

 

Photo of Labour's election leaflet

 

Continue reading »
Posted in Council by-elections and Election law | Tagged and | 38 Comments
Mark Pack

More Conservative candidate woes

By Mark Pack | Thu 7th December 2006 - 4:58 pm

Whilst writing up the troubles facing four Tory candidates, I missed the fifth story of woe – this time from Portsmouth. The selection of a Conservative candidate for Portsmouth South has had to be abandoned because not enough people were interested – perhaps they’ve been put off by all the troubles elsewhere?

UPDATE: All these troubles are starting to make it into the mainstream media – see today’s Guardian.

Posted in News | 1 Comment
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