Who are the candidates standing in your constituency? Crowd sourcing seems the obvious way to build an online database of PPCs, of all parties and none, across the country, and that is exactly what is happening on YourNextMP. Please check out your own constituency and submit, or correct, information about the Lib Dem candidate.
Some time ago I helped them to sort out my own constituency of Kingston & Surbiton, which appeared to have two candidates, one called Edward Davey and the other called Ed Davey. I got a pleasant response from a real human.
You can also download the complete list of candidates across the UK from the site for free.
YourNextMP is a project by Democracy Club, which is run by volunteers committed to making public data easily available, using open data techniques. They launched their first candidate site in 2010, and are adding new sites this time round. One of these is the useful MeetYourNextMP which lists hustings meeting around the country.
Already several other groups are re-using the data sourced by YourNextMP. For example, ElectionMentions tracks media coverage of candidates. VoteForPolicies uses the actual policies of the parties to create a survey format that identifies which party you agree with most; it then embeds the data from YourNextMP to see how other people have responded from your own constituency and who your candidates are.
Democracy Club is also compiling a database of candidate CVs, so do make sure that your Lib Dem candidate is covered.
* Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
Like us on Facebook
Subscribe to our feed
Sign-up for our daily email digest
A Liberal England guest blogger shows us around Snailbeach Mine
Dan Boatright-Greene re-selected by Lib Dems for West Worcestershire
Farage and the gifts from crypto entrepreneur convicted of fraud
Selby Whittingham
David Allen
Kevin Hawkins
paul barker
7 Comments
My very Expensive Labour MP is using every conceivable social media outlet. The Tory has a website and a single minded obsession with bin collections and nothing else (we are being ripped off by the council apparently). The Lib Dem doesn’t even have a website listed. UKIP candidate is a migrant from another EU state, presumably very much looking forward to Christmas, gobble gobble. A somewhat sad state of affairs in what was once a marginal. Uninspiring. Thought I could at least add our candidate’s website but it seems he doesn’t have one. Never mind.
Stevan Rose
At least you have a Lib Dem candidate.
You have a Lib Dem candidate. At present I think the Greens have more than us.
The Lib Dem commissioned Survation poll apparently has Lyn Featherstone only 1% behind Labour. Suppose it all depends on the question that is asked of folk. It is certainly a Featherstone upgrade on the Ashcroft poll of 3 – 4 months ago.
The Lib Dem survation poll has a margin or error of 5%. It could be a rogue poll and If the Lib Dem support is overstated by 5% and Labour support understated by 5% then it is inline with the Ashcroft poll.
The methodology would certainly boost Lib Dem support, YouGov Anthony Wells has an excellent commentary http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/9283
Asking to rate the MP first looks suspiciously close to push polling to me.
You have to wonder for example – who in Charles Kennedy’s seat which he has held since 1983, 30 plus years, been party leader etc is unaware that he is the local MP and Lib Dem candidate especially as a huge number of people report being recently contacted by the Lib Dems and yet still he is behind in the Ashcroft Poll.
Saddest of all I think is that even if the Lib Dems private polling is correct, it is still predicting a disastrous loss of MPs and MPs clinging on despite being Liberal Democrat not because they are Liberal Democrat. It also suggest no prospects of gains elsewhere and every time an MP retires a seat will be lost.
Have a look at this website: http://www.yourcandidates.org.uk/
It connects the data about who is standing in in a constituency with lots of useful info, including predictions about the outcome in May. Check out how your local libdem candidate is doing..
“Check out how your local libdem candidate is doing.”
Wish I hadn’t. Predicted to lose 75% of the 2010 vote.