Today we’re launching our list of PPCs selected to fight the next election. The welcome recent news that Alison Smith has been selected to stand in Oldham East, a potential top target seat in the next election brings our initial list to 25. Who’s missing? E-mail me with details of candidates who have been selected.
Candidate selection is proceeding at a snail’s pace. Are selections being held up in your area for reasons within the party’s control? Please e-mail me the details. Senior figures in the regions are closing ranks and giving Lib Dem Voice the silent treatment – if there’s something happening, or indeed not happening, in your area let me know.
Lib Dem Voice has also set up a public shared calendar for Liberal Democrats in which to store dates of note. This is different from Flock Together in that:
- It stores less information, and is only designed to give an at-a-glance overview of what’s going on that is of interest to all Lib Dems
- We hope you will punch in more than just Lib Dem party events – for example, I have entered the state opening of Parliament, Armistice Day, and Remembrance Sunday.
The diary is in its very early stages and is stored in Google Calendar. If you don’t use this service already, you can click the button below to sign up and get started.
If you do use Google Calendar, click the same button above to add the shared calendar to your account. Then, if you would like access to add diary dates, please e-mail [email protected] – I would also be interested to hear from anyone who is interested in managing access to update the calendar on an ongoing basis.
Remember, the calendar is a public calendar, so private events should not be added.
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10 Comments
Hey Rob,
You never write, you never call, you only accuse people like me of not answering your questions about candidate selections. Don’t you love us any more?
Haha, there are a couple of things holding up this piece – but the main thing is that I underestimated the size of the task, and it’s a huge messy knot to work out.
Rob,
That, they tell me, is what they all say… and we went to the trouble of discussing your concerns today too…
Mark,
What on earth caused this break with custom and practice?
Are the dinosaurs revolting?
G
Grace,
Firstly, the person Rob is talking to isn’t on English Candidates Committee, so I’m puzzled as to how his information is valid. Second, I’ve offered to answer his questions, only to meet with silence.
Besides, ECC is happy to talk to anyone. We’re probably one of the few committees in the Party whose membership actually have to deal with the consequences of their decisions, so we have a direct interest in getting it right.
There are only six directly elected members of the committee, the remainder being the Regional Candidates Chairs. As for the directly elected six, all but one of us have served as RCCs, Returning Officers or assessors (in some cases as two or more of those). And that means talking to the stakeholders. You’re right about the dinosaurs though, jurassic and proud. We’ll do our job in the interests of the wider Party, candidates and ordinary members. I hope that next year’s London Region Candidates Chair will discover that this isn’t just talk…
Woah there skippy :o)
You were aware of one person who I was trying to REACH, but who I have not in fact spoken to. The bulk of people I’ve spoken to are not those running the process, but the people feeling (if I can use these words) the ‘brunt’ of it. Potential PPCs, selection committee members etc.
If I’d known the ECC were going to discuss the stuff I’ve been digging around with, I would have asked for the opportunity to submit my thoughts in writing – whatever ECC discussed is not the complete picture, as I have not yet written the complete picture.
And yes, you’re absolutely right to say you offered to talk to me and were met with silence – I haven’t done anything on this issue for a few weeks as I’m basically one guy with a growing website to run, a 9 to 5 job, and a personal life. I make no apologies.
Rob,
In fairness, ECC has a role of keeping track of what is going on across England, reviewing progress of selections across the country, looking to see what the difficulties are and, where possible, fixing them. We arrange training for Returning Officers, for Parliamentary Candidate Assessors and Selection Committees, we establish, monitor and amend Selection Rules for Westminster and Europe. In short, we make the process work, as far as we are allowed.
Your initial statement said that ‘senior people in the Regions are closing ranks and giving Lib Dem Voice the silent treatment’, so I asked you who they were and offered to answer your questions. You came up with one name and, from your comments above, it looks as though you’ve gone on to talk to potential PPCs and selection committee members, neither of whom can do any more than relate their personal experiences, valuable though they are. So perhaps it isn’t unreasonable of me to be a bit prickly.
On the positive side, you’re now aware of the size of the task, and of the efforts required to keep this show on the road. At some point, the rest of the world will realise that those of us who have to administer the process are, like you, busy people with 9 to 5 jobs, responsibilities elsewhere and a personal life. Oh, but I forget, we’re just a bunch of unhelpful, unaccountable, bureaucratic dinosaurs, aren’t we… don’t worry, I’m smiling on the inside…
Actually, the reason behind my saying “senior figures are giving Lib Dem Voice the silent treatment” is that I e-mailed every regional chair, plus scottish convenors, and got a very limited number of replies.
And don’t worry, I for one have never called you a dinosaur 😉
Rob,
You’re much better off talking to Regional Candidates Chairs, after all, it is their job to deal with this. And if it’s any consolation, I don’t get a lot of responses from my Regional Chair either, and I’m the Regional Secretary…
Mark isn’t a dinosaur himself, he just has been known to hang out with them….
….if anything he has caused them pain by recognising the existence of electric light etc.
G