Media opportunities

I know the political parties and their media wonks have a lot on their mind right now. But Labour's lot really seem to have lost it, just when they need to be at their sharpest. This video is doing the rounds, for example.


Dearie me. Poorly judged in all sorts of ways. And it's not as if Labour wouldn't have to be cutting back hugely themselves if returned to power - see today's analysis from the Institute of Fiscal Studies. Wouldn't it be nice if any of the parties treated us like thinking adults and told us the truth?

And then there's the Elvis impersonator stunt.
Dearie dearie me. This is made particularly delicious for me by the as yet unconfirmed reports that Corby borough council is investigating whether the appearance by Elvis at the Labour event broke the law, since the venue didn't have a licence authorising the performance of music. As a former folk-club organiser, with a dim view of the licensing laws over the last few years, I fervently hope that the organisers of the event (Alistair Campbell and the headmaster of the college concerned) face the full rigours of criminal prosecution as they so richly deserve, either under the licensing laws or the Criminally Bad Judgement Act 2009. But I expect their defence would be that it wasn't 'music' under any generally understood interpretation. Though it certainly was entertainment - perhaps not quite as they'd intended, but there you go.