Yesterday we announced that the LDV end-of-the-year awards are back, seeking your nominations for four categories relating directly to the Lib Dems: Politician of the Year, Campaigner of the Year, By-election Performance of the Year, and Most Desperate Press Release of the Year.
Today, we’re seeking nominations for the following four categories:
The LDV 2008 Awards
Liberal Voice of the Year
Please nominate the individual, group of people or organisation which you believe has best promoted the cause of liberalism within the past year. NB: we are reserving this award for non-Lib Dems, so please do not nominate a known party member/supporter.Political Broadcaster / Journalist of the Year
Please nominate the individual you believe has been proven most reliable and insightful in the past year in politics.Political Radio / TV Programme of the Year
Please nominate the show which you believe has provided the best coverage of politics in the past year.Defining Political Moment of the Year
Please nominate the political episode/speech/gaffe which you believe will be remembered for a long time to come.
Please submit your nominations in the comments section below, making it clear in which category your nominations belong.
In total, there are eight categories for which we’re seeking nominations; the LDV Collective will then draw up and publish the short-lists; and then seek your votes via a poll run according to the single transferable vote. How impeccably liberal can you get?
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Liberal Voice of the Year
Jo Stiglitz, the US economist, author of the seminal “Globalisation and it’s Discontents” published in 2002, and one of the few who got it right about the economy.
Political Radio / TV Programme of the Year
Saturday Night Live for the Tina Fey hilarious impression of Sara Palin.
I am sure there must be a more serious programme I ought to refer to.
Defining Political Moment of the Year
Two stand out; the collapse of free market fundamentalism (ie the “Washington Consensus”) and the election of Barack Obama.
In historical terms I suspect the former will be remembered more, rather like the 1930s. It may well signal the end for meaningful and sustained economic growth in the west, just like in Japan.
Political Radio / TV Programme of the Year
Newsnight for its coverage of the US election.
Defining Political Moment of the Year
The election of Obama obviously is a defining moment.
Liberal Voice of the Year:
A joint nomination for Jackie Smith and Hazel Blears, for making the case against Labour better than we could have done it on our own.
Political Broadcaster / Journalist of the Year:
Andrew Rawnsley – always a mixture of intelligence, well-informed-ness, and generally free of partisan hackery.
Political Radio / TV Programme of the Year:
The Daily Show, for its coverage of the US election. The most comprehensive view that one could find in 25 mins a day, with jokes.
Defining Political Moment of the Year:
The Pre-Budget Report. At once pretty tinkering and useless, and yet also just about unimaginable this time last year as Labour policy.
Liberal Voice of the Year: Joint nomination for Daily Kos/Huffington Post.
Political broadcaster/journalist: Keith Olbermann of MSNBC.
Political radio/TV programme: Countdown with Keith Olbermann.
Defining political moment: The election of Barack Obama as US President. Everything else pales into insignificance.
Liberal Voice ? My vote would go to Joseph Stiglitz for the “Three Trillion Dollar War” which was published in Britain in 2008. Majesterial and horrifying in equal measure.
Joanna Lumley is worth a nomination for her work on the Gherka Justice campaign. Though hardly an unpopular cause if you hear her speak at length her conviction is profound and clearly based on the liberal principal of the dignity and worth of individuals.
I’ll put my tin hat on for this one but there is a very strong case in my view for David Davis MP. While the defeat of 42 days was a team effort he made the weather on this subject which is what front rank politicans do. can a Conservative be a Liberal Voice ? We’ll the party saw fit not to stand against him in the by election so it would be very odd to stop him standing in an internet poll.
Just to be really, really provactive let me invent a sub catergory of Liberal Voice “in power.” Boris Johnston for in effect sacking Ian Blair years after the government should have done and also his sane contribution to the debate about an amnesty on illegal immigrants. I’ll get my coat and my party membership card…
Finally either the Stockwell Shooting Inquest Jury or the Justic 4 Jean campaign.
Political Broadcaster/Journalist ?
Rhod Sharp would grace the Today programme but for some reason is buried on the night shift at Radio 5. His coverage of the presidential campaign particularly the conventions and primary results was superb. Equally Simon Mayo isn’t taken seriously because he used to be on radio 1 and is now on Five Live. Depending on the quality of the guests the post PMQ’s MP’s panels can be really illuminating radio.
Political Radio/TV programme ( why in an Internet poll is there no Web catergory ?)
While it looks contrived I think the daily Politics works well. Andrew Neil is terrific. Any Questions ? on radio 4 continues to knock the televised Question Time into a cocked hat.
Defining political moment ? Nationalisation/Recapitalisation of the Banks led by a rightwing Republican administration.
the ” If they can save the banks why can’t they save x ?” motif will change western politics for years.
If the election of Barack Obama is a defining moment then he has failed before he has started. I would prefer it if his election was a moment of liberation and that he was therefore nominated as the liberal voice of the year.
In replacement my nomination for the defining moment would be the Sichuan earthquake, which came right before Beijing Olympics opened and as the economy was experiencing the first big rumbles of the credit crunch.
Liberal Voice of the Year? Ian Hislop, for his rant at the audience on Question Time along the lines of “look, there’s a party here advocating everything you’re baying for, but you won’t vote for them! Idiots!”
Political Broadcaster: Evan Davies, for his “I think I ought to vote for Vince Cable” attack on Gideon Osbourne.
Political Programme: This Week. It’s silly, it’s irreverent, it’s compulsive, and it beats most of the po-faced competition hands down.
Political Moment: the moment the government had to take Vince’s advice and nationalise Northern Rock, despite having barracked him about it for months.
Liberal Voice of the Year? David Davis MP
Enough said.
Liberal Voice – two suggestions – David Davis MP for ID cards, and Margo Macdonald MSP for her work on legalising euthanasia.
Broadcaster / journalist – a joint award for Nicky Campbell & Shelagh Fogarty on Five Live Breakfast. OK, so NC’s ego can sometimes get in the way, but he asks the “average punter’s” question brilliantly, and SF is really good on the sensitive issues.
Political radio / TV programme – The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Why can’t we have something as good as this in the UK on a daily basis?
Poitical Moment – in an election sense, it goes to Obama. But in a gaffe, “we not only saved the world…” has a long lead over any others! (Did anyone else wonder that since GB saved the world, who the cheerleader he rescued was?)