No geek
is an island

The Tories’ Henley by-election candidate, John Howell, has been caught with briefing notes apparently aimed to help him appear “normal”, with information about the cost of basic produce in the supermarket - a revelation surely more damaging than just admitting you don’t know.

It’s an amusing insight into the Conservative campaign, but its exposure by the Liberal Democrats reminds me of one of the most memorable incidents in the 2006 midterms, when soon to be ousted Virginia Senator George Allen was caught using the slur “macaca” against an opposition activist.

What made a big difference to the impact of Allen’s comment - and the ability to prove what he’d said - was that the incident was caught on video. It suggested a new type of campaigning, where activists follow their opponents around hoping to catch a similar error.

This step change hasn’t happened - and with limited resources, campaigns sensibly use these on methods with clear benefits, rather than risking waiting for a slip-up that never comes. In the case of the John Howell incident, it looks like the photographer was in the right place at the right time. But the thousand words of a photograph are far more effective than a verbal claim about what was spotted. It should serve as a reminder to politicians that modern - and not so modern - technology can catch even the smallest revealing mistake in amber.

I’ve been wondering recently what would happen, procedurally, if an MP resigned and then stood in the by-election they caused.

Members of Parliament can’t resign from the seats, so they have to take another job that disqualifies them. For example, Boris Johnson sparked the Henley by-election by becoming Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead. When an MP defects between parties, it’s often suggested that they should resign and fight a by-election to get a new mandate (not that this ever happens). So I was wondering how they could fight a new by-election if they held an office that disqualified them from sitting as an MP. Presumably, they would have to take the office, then resign it again and leave it vacant (and I’m not sure these offices are ever usually vacant). Or someone else, not an MP, would have to take over.

Tory MP David Davis is planning to quit as an MP and fight a by-election. He’ll take the Chiltern Hundreds, succeeding Tony Blair. But who will replace him? Will he resign from that office? These are important questions, folks.

…were covered in an interesting discussion event I attended last week. It was organised by the Open Rights Group and the British Computer Society.

The event was built around the ideas put forward in Professor Jonathan Zittrain’s book The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It and Jonathan was joined by technology journo Bill Thompson and chair Becky Hogge, the Executive Director of the ORG.

Rather than me write up my half-remembered interpretations, the wonders of modern technology can save me a lot of work by transporting you right there: the whole event was recorded and you can listen on the ORG website.

Mr Calder, I see your Julian Swift-Hook and I raise you Association of Chief Police Officers spokesman Alf Hitchcock. Commenting on knife crime.

It’s that time again: tonight is the final of the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest.

I missed both semi-finals and haven’t had time to listen to the contenders, so I’ll be watching tonight (at the local LibDems’ annual Eurovision party) with an open mind.

One of my two predictions for the contest has already come true: Ireland’s abysmal entry by Dustin the Turkey was knocked out in its semi-final. My other prediction is to disagree with the BBC’s tiny and unrepresentative Eurovision panel that Sweden will win. Although Charlotte Perrelli has won before, her entry this year, Hero is - based on the short clip I’ve heard - nowhere near as good as her 1999 winner Take Me to Your Heaven.

In lieu of my usual reviews, you can get a rundown of tonight’s songs from Liberal Revolution, and a quick guide from Mike.

I’ll probably live Twitter the show. You can find what will no doubt be pearls of wisdom (”What *is* she wearing?!” will be par for the course) at twitter.com/willhowells or by texting follow willhowells to 07624 801423.

Last Friday, the morning after the local elections, I was returning to work late in the morning (having got home towards 5am). I’d foolishly forgotten my iPod, so I could hear the voices of the commuters I passed on the Jubilee Line platform. One was very nasal and very familiar. I turned and saw Ken Livingstone waiting for the next train, newspaper in hand.

So I went and said hello. He seemed fairly dispirited and not optimistic about the mayoral election result. Turns out he was right.

In the week since taking office, Boris Johnson has launched one deliberately eye-catching initiative: to ban alcohol on London’s public transport network. So much for selling yourself as a liberal when your first act is to ban something. I wonder why he didn’t make more of this plan during the election - did he make it up in two seconds after getting elected, or was he afraid some of the more, let’s say, light-hearted of his supporters might have been put off?

Anyhoo, the ban takes effect on June 1st. Quite aside from whether it’s liberal or not, will it make a difference? Drunks are probably the least likely to take notice of it. The law-abiding majority who had the odd drink on the Tube will stop, and be slightly less free and enjoy their evenings slightly less.

And who does drinking on public transport actually harm, as long as it’s not the driver doing it? Drunkenness can be a problem, but Boris hasn’t banned drunk people from public transport (as Chris points out, the night bus network would be unsustainable if you did). He isn’t introducing more staff to enforce the ban and he isn’t clamping down on anti-social behaviour generally. The ban might succeed in reducing litter on public transport very slightly but that’s about it.

So a policy that grabs headlines but costs virtually nothing to implement (the politician’s favourite), that inconveniences some people while not noticeably increasing quality of life for anyone else, that misses the real target, but which, in true New Labour style, Sends A Message. Unfortunately, that message is that if you reach your tube station with a half drunk can of beer (or M&S G+T if that’s your preference), you should down the rest before trying to catch a train.