How to help the Liberal Democrats #LibDems

Maybe you've been inspired by Nick Clegg's positive message today, when he said:

"It is a very exciting opportunity for everyone in Britain who wants fairness and real change, who wants something different.

"This isn't the old politics of a two-horse race between Labour and the Conservative Party. The real choice is between the old politics of Labour and Conservatives and something different, something new and that is what we offer."

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Maybe you were impressed by Vince Cable's knockout performance in the Chancellors' Debate last week.

Maybe you have been helped by a local Liberal Democrat Councillor like Daisy Benson or Allan Knox and were impressed by the work they did.

Maybe you were angered by the emptiness in both Brown's pitch, which was basically "vote for us because we're not the Tories?" and Cameron's, who explicitly said "we don't want another 5 years of Gordon Brown."

Perhaps this has motivated you to get involved for the first time, to help in a campaign. It is a great experience. Some of the best fun I've had in my life has been amidst the pressure of an election campaign. There are all sorts of things you can do from stuffing envelopes to delivering leaflets to telephone canvassing to putting a poster up to entering stuff onto a computer to knocking on doors. You can do as much or as little as you want to and you meet all sorts of fabulous people.

Wherever you are in the country you can volunteer here.

I just wanted to mention a few campaigns where friends of mine are standing and who have a real chance of winning. First there are the two energetic Edinburgh candidates, Kevin Lang in North and Leith whose HQ at 5 Bonnington Road Lane is now up and running and who can be contacted on 07786 062 302 and Fred Mackintosh in Edinburgh South, only 405 votes behind Labour who have only just selected a candidate, is based at 4 Grange Road Edinburgh, 0131 662 1513. There's also Katy Gordon in Glasgow North, contactable on 0141 221 3167. In Aberdeen South, local campaigner John Sleigh, who was instrumental in the effort to save Doonies Farm has only 1348 votes to make up. He can be contacted at 173a Crown Street, or 01224 571959.

South of the Border, if you happen to be near Watford, where Nick Clegg is today, Sal Brinton is in a very good position to beat the sitting Labour MP. The added bonus of helping in her campaign is that fellow blogger Sara Beford keeps the Army marching on its stomach with a delicious array of home baking.

Ed Fordham in Hampstead and Kilburn needs only 474 votes to win. He also has been fighting an energetic campaign for several years.

Finally, Bridget Fox, in Islington South and Finsbury, heroine of the emergency motion at Liberal Democrats' Spring conference, whose work has helped to ensure that Lib Dem MPs are opposing the controversial Digital Economy Bill would also make a fabulous MP.

These lovely people will all be able to find you something to do - you never get to the end of your work in an election - there is always more you can do to get your message across or help local people.

It was during the 1983 election that I as an idealistic 15 year old casually wandered into the SDP HQ in Wick looking for a copy of a manifesto - and I've never looked back.

If you want to make a difference in this election, come and join us!

Is there going to be an Election, or something?

In the biggest shock since Ricky Martin decided to share with us that he's gay, Gordon Brown will head to Buckingham Palace today to ask the Queen to dissolve Parliament so that a General Election can take place on 6th May. You have to love the quaint traditions we observe in this country. Presumably the Queen will politely pretend that she had no idea that this was going to happen, rather like a wife who's found out her husband's cackhanded plans for her surprise birthday party and chooses not to hurt his feelings by telling him. I just can't help thinking that the Prime Minister and the Queen between them have way too much power. I think that Parlimaents should sit for 4 years at a time, like happens in many other countries, so there can be no doubt about when the election's going to be and a Prime Minister can't delay or bring it forward for political advantage.

You could argue that this power has been part of Gordon's downfall. His dithering over the Election that Never Was in 2007 started the process that was to send his premiership into freefall, leading to a febrile period of rebellion in the Labour Party that could only be quelled by the dark arts of Peter Mandelson.

On 6th May 1910, Britain entered a new era after the death of King Edward VII. Exactly 100 years on, the British have the choice between two futures - more of the same with this lot and Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats. While the Labservatives between them have progressively increased the gap between rich and poor, it's the Liberal Democrats who offer not just policies but a whole new political culture with our four main pledges:

Fair Taxes - raising the tax threshold to £10,000 taking 4 million of the lowest paid out of tax completely and giving others an extra £700 per year. That's several months' Council Tax or rent to many people.

Giving children the best start in life - making sure those children who need it most get the educational support they need to reach their potential. No child should be held back because of their background. Nor should young people be put off going to university because they can't afford the fees - we would phase out tuition fees for all, like we did in Scotland.

Cleaning up politics - giving people the right to sack corrupt MPs, a fair voting system, fixed term parliaments, tighter rules on lobbying and political donations.

Securing the recovery Vince Cable is so effective as Shadow Chancellor that even the Sun has taken to slating him as they did yesterday (no, I'm not linking to them, are you having a laugh?). Both Labour and Conservatives are running scared of our credible and sustainable plans for the economy, investing in green technology, warmer homes, properly dealing with the banking sector so that they can no longer put our economy in peril.

31% of people want Vince Cable as Chancellor. He was the clear winner of last week's Ask the Chancellors debate as judged by cold hearted journalists. Nick Clegg has the highest approval rating of any of the leaders. The more people see of Nick, the more they seem to like him which bodes well for the tv debates.

We're going into this election in a good position, not just in the polls but on the ground. We're better prepared, and have been better organised for longer than I can remember seeing before. I think that the current Scottish Lib Dem contingent in Westminster have a very good chance of being joined by three fantastic friends of mine Katy Gordon in Glasgow North, Fred Mackintosh in Edinburgh South and Kevin Lang in Edinburgh North and Leith, all of whom have been working flat out on their campaigns for a very long time.

This election is wide open, probably the most unpredictable I've ever known. To that 31% who want Vince Cable as Chancellor, or in the 45% of people who think Nick Clegg is doing a good job - well, make it happen. Vote to make them PM and Chancellor. If you all do, they will be. As the meerkat would say, simples.

+++BREAKING NEWS Glasgow Councillor leaves SNP to join Lib Dems+++

Respected Glasgow City Councillor Alex Dingwall has decided to join the Liberal Democrats. He was until yesterday an SNP Councillor for Maryhill and Kelvin. However, recent threats by the Holyrood Government to take away care of the elderly and schools from Councils prompted him to leave the party he'd been a member of for 31 years.

He said:

"the decision to leave has not been an easy one but the move away from a local to a centrally set income tax and the recent threats to take away control of schools and care for the elderly from local authorities show the SNP simply doesn’t trust its councillors, preferring instead to govern local communities by ministerial decree."

“That’s why I am pleased to be joining the Liberal Democrats. I share their commitment to local government and to the core principle of keeping local decisions local.

“I will continue to work constructively for my constituents and for the people of Glasgow, but now in a way which is entirely in keeping with my personal and political beliefs.”

I'm sure that he'll find a warm welcome in the Liberal Democrats and will be a great boost to Katy Gordon's campaign to win Glasgow North at the General Election. She has known him for a while as they've both been on the same side on a number of local campaigns - against Labour's school closures, notably Wyndford and St Gregory's and against the ridiculous idea to put a nightclub in the Botanics.

Katy said:

“I’ve known Councillor Dingwall for many years and I’m really pleased to welcome him to the party.

“This is a real boost to the Liberal Democrat campaign in Glasgow North. People are fed up with Labour and Councillor Dingwall’s decision demonstrates once again that the real alternative is the Liberal Democrats.”

My understanding is that Glasgow Liberal Democrats are really delighted to have Alex Dingwall on board - he's an effective Councillor and will be a real asset to the Liberal Democrat group on the City Council.

Clearly this adds weight to what Yousuf has been saying about trouble and strife in the SNP Group on Glasgow City Council. This also confirms what I hear from various people around the country that the SNP does like to run its Council groups from the centre with instructions comming from on high. Denying the locally elected representatives their rightful say is bound to end in tears.