Category: Politics

Lunch at the Savoy

On Thursday a generous friend invited me to a Conservative Association lunch party. Being the Cities of London and Westminster Conservative Association it was rather swanky.

It’s Not Unusual

BBC Parliament is a favourite channel so when Robert was out I thought I’d see if Bertie would enjoy it as much as me. We kicked off with a Bill in the House of Lords introduced by Lord “Big Issue” Bird about poverty.

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A New PM

Last night five of the six contenders to be Prime Minister were interviewed on a TV Channel that I hadn’t watched for so long that I didn’t know the password.

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Election Update

For a Short Term Observer (STO) polling day is the whole point. For OSCE/ODIHR it is one component of the electoral cycle.

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European Parliamentary Election 2019

In March the British press laughed over the first round of the Presidential election in Ukraine pointing a finger at the record number of candidates, 39, and consequently the length of the ballot paper. Couldn’t possibly happen here. Well, I hope a Ukrainian journalist reads this because it’s pay-back time.

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The Holodomor

The Holodomor was the famine of 1932/33 caused by Stalin’s reorganisation of agriculture in Ukraine and Russia. Something like five million Ukrainians died and the same number were born with defects or stillborn further depleting the population.

Mass Observation

Almost half a million people took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, organised by the RSPB, this year. That’s Mass Observation.

Floating Voters

Countries in the Former Soviet Union have a broader franchise than many western countries, including the UK.

Conversations

On an Election Observation Mission there are opportunities to chat, not always about election methodology. A UK observer told me that he had been Master and huntsman of the Pimpernel beagles and jolly smart he must have looked in his uniform: green coat, old gold collar, green stockings and black cap.