It is often commented that we get the Government we deserve.
Certainly my inbox has become very overcrowded with emails from the left of me and emails from the right as it becomes clear that the Party's planning and scheming for this election includes social media and crowd funding.
It seems that both left and right want to take a leaf out of the Obama "How to win elections' primer.
Who do they think 'they' are?
Certainly if 'they' think that they are Obama then the days and weeks and months leading to this election will seem very long indeed.
I suppose the thing is I don't mind receiving emails from the Labour Party, even the one telling me how many Geoff's there were on their data base, although what that had to do with anything I don't know? Perhaps they think that Geoff is a dangerously exciting militant sounding name but ,I think that they'd be better off emailing all the Vladimir's or Karl's
(Unless its like the speed signs on Motorways which are directed at me personally because no-one else takes any notice as I dutifully slow down knowing that the average speed monitors know my registration, my name and where I live).
I suppose in practise I know where they got my name and email from.
I gave it to them!
Probably when I bought my Grayson Perry, vote labour shopping bag, which has a mysterious design which could be a pig (in a poke? Perhaps that's the joke?)
Although it could be Ed Balls impersonating a hedgehog (it certainly looks prickly enough).
Still if all the Geoff's and all the Gordon's and all the Tony's and Cherie's and Peter's vote for them who knows things might start to look promising.
But what I find difficult to accept rationally is the steady stream of emails from David Cameron who assures me that he is relying on my vote to return him to Downing Street.
Well I do hope that he is relying on it because that could mean that the chances of him getting the key back in May will be pretty remote.
I have little doubt that whatever I vote Penrith and the Borders will remain Tory which affords me the opportunity of voting for the Co-op Party Candidate or the Green Party Candidate knowing that I cannot unseat the sitting candidate (assuming that he's standing).
I certainly won't unseat him by using my Grayson Perry shopping bag when I pop down to the Co-op for milk and bread.
But if social media and email are going to be the weapons of choice in the coming election what else will happen?
Thousands of young volunteers manning the telephones to get the vote out?
Crowd funding as we all chip in with our donations to help the various party efforts.
I am expecting that it won't be too long before I get an email from Danny Alexander explaining that Nick Clegg needs my vote so that he can become Deputy Leader in whatever Coalition can be cobbled together out of the wreckage he has helped to create by supporting a party who weren't elected last time round.
And then it all starts to get silly (or reductio ad absurdum) as the philosophers might say.
My computer, smart phone, iPad pings or beeps or burps or buzzes or chimes to tell me: You've Got Mail.
I check to find an email from Nigel inviting me for a pint at my local, The Haywain.
(Known locally as The Hawaiian which is about as Obama as its possible to get of course).
Well as we are not a coastal town in Kent or Essex its unlikely that I will get that call so I don't have to worry overmuch about offending Nigel by refusing and I'm certainly making no plans.
But up until now the Obama lite, social media, crowd funding approach has been pretty low key but come the end of March as Parliament is dissolved and as we move towards May 7th it will inevitably increase, in-boxes will start to fill up with emails from all and sundry as they try to seize the electoral initiative and convince you that the only place to put your cross is against their candidates name.
Of course we are not electing a President so whether Milliballs looks sufficiently Presidential compared with Camosborne is really of no consequence.
What is of consequence is that we get the Government we need not the Government we deserve.
Certainly my inbox has become very overcrowded with emails from the left of me and emails from the right as it becomes clear that the Party's planning and scheming for this election includes social media and crowd funding.
It seems that both left and right want to take a leaf out of the Obama "How to win elections' primer.
Who do they think 'they' are?
Certainly if 'they' think that they are Obama then the days and weeks and months leading to this election will seem very long indeed.
I suppose the thing is I don't mind receiving emails from the Labour Party, even the one telling me how many Geoff's there were on their data base, although what that had to do with anything I don't know? Perhaps they think that Geoff is a dangerously exciting militant sounding name but ,I think that they'd be better off emailing all the Vladimir's or Karl's
(Unless its like the speed signs on Motorways which are directed at me personally because no-one else takes any notice as I dutifully slow down knowing that the average speed monitors know my registration, my name and where I live).
I suppose in practise I know where they got my name and email from.
I gave it to them!
Probably when I bought my Grayson Perry, vote labour shopping bag, which has a mysterious design which could be a pig (in a poke? Perhaps that's the joke?)
Although it could be Ed Balls impersonating a hedgehog (it certainly looks prickly enough).
Still if all the Geoff's and all the Gordon's and all the Tony's and Cherie's and Peter's vote for them who knows things might start to look promising.
But what I find difficult to accept rationally is the steady stream of emails from David Cameron who assures me that he is relying on my vote to return him to Downing Street.
Well I do hope that he is relying on it because that could mean that the chances of him getting the key back in May will be pretty remote.
I have little doubt that whatever I vote Penrith and the Borders will remain Tory which affords me the opportunity of voting for the Co-op Party Candidate or the Green Party Candidate knowing that I cannot unseat the sitting candidate (assuming that he's standing).
I certainly won't unseat him by using my Grayson Perry shopping bag when I pop down to the Co-op for milk and bread.
But if social media and email are going to be the weapons of choice in the coming election what else will happen?
Thousands of young volunteers manning the telephones to get the vote out?
Crowd funding as we all chip in with our donations to help the various party efforts.
I am expecting that it won't be too long before I get an email from Danny Alexander explaining that Nick Clegg needs my vote so that he can become Deputy Leader in whatever Coalition can be cobbled together out of the wreckage he has helped to create by supporting a party who weren't elected last time round.
And then it all starts to get silly (or reductio ad absurdum) as the philosophers might say.
My computer, smart phone, iPad pings or beeps or burps or buzzes or chimes to tell me: You've Got Mail.
I check to find an email from Nigel inviting me for a pint at my local, The Haywain.
(Known locally as The Hawaiian which is about as Obama as its possible to get of course).
Well as we are not a coastal town in Kent or Essex its unlikely that I will get that call so I don't have to worry overmuch about offending Nigel by refusing and I'm certainly making no plans.
But up until now the Obama lite, social media, crowd funding approach has been pretty low key but come the end of March as Parliament is dissolved and as we move towards May 7th it will inevitably increase, in-boxes will start to fill up with emails from all and sundry as they try to seize the electoral initiative and convince you that the only place to put your cross is against their candidates name.
Of course we are not electing a President so whether Milliballs looks sufficiently Presidential compared with Camosborne is really of no consequence.
What is of consequence is that we get the Government we need not the Government we deserve.
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