You Need to Keep in Touch with ThinkPolitics

January 15th, 2010 by The Parallax Brief

Some very special things are going to happen around here soon. First, this blog will expand to include additional bloggers (whose names you’ll probably recognise) and shortly after the main site will launch, which is something anyone interested in politics or public policy is going to want to look out for.

So it might be a good time to let people know about the various ways they can keep in touch with this blog, which will keep you appraised of all the latest news. You see, modern technology doesn’t just allow opinionated grumps like the Parallax Brief to distribute his brazenly subjective views on British politics to millions twos on the web, but also means that there is absolutely no excuse for missing anything he writes.

First, all the Parallax Brief’s posts are linked on the mind-meltingly good Think Politics Twitter feed.

Second, rather than feverishly clicking refresh on the homepage to get updates, you can get Parallax Brief blog posts sent straight to your browser or email via RSS. Just click here, or on “RSS”, written immediately after “The Parallax Brief”, in the box to the right titled “Authors”. Alternatively, look in your browser address bar for something that looks like the orange square above, and you’ll never miss another post.

If you’re not familiar with RSS, you should be, because there’s so much information out there on the net that it needs organizing, and RSS/Atom is one of the best ways to keep in touch with your favourite sites. If you’d like to know more about RSS, or get instructions on how to set it up, click here.

This blog’s visitor stats are improving fast, so don’t miss out — RSS us.

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Categories [ Think Politics News ]

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Deadline For Twitterview Questions Approaching

October 31st, 2009 by The Parallax Brief

The Parallax Brief would like to remind reader(s) that the deadline to submit questions for for the inaugural Think Politics twitterview is fast approaching.

A twitterview is an interview conducted on Twitter, following Twitter restrictions and rules, and from this Monday Think Politics will be conducting regular twitterviews with politicians.  Questions will be unscreened and will come mostly from Think Politics’ growing band of Twitter followers — over 700 not much more than a couple of weeks after launch. Each question and each response must be contained within a single Tweet.

The Parallax Brief is actually quite excited about this project. At first, he was terrifically sceptical about Twitter and its potential and the type of people most likely to use it, but achievements of the Parallax Brief’s superiors from the Think Politics politburo at interacting, networking and communicating with politically active individuals and politicians have really converted him. And now he’s very excited about the very first twitterview on Monday, with Minister of State for Employment and Welfare reform Jim Knight.

Both questions and answers will have to be terse and pointed, and there’s be little room for obfuscation or verbosity.

The Parallax Brief has his own cunning question, but really recommends all those who would like a chance to ask a sitting minister of state — and one with as interesting, important and politically divisive brief as welfare reform and employment — to take the chance to submit a question.

You can send it via Twitter @thinkpolitics, post it below in the comment box, or email it to info@thinkpolitics.co.uk. Bear in mind, though, that if you’re emailing or leaving it in the comment box, it should be 140 characters including spaces, or less. Email subject lines should read “Twitterview”.

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Categories [ Think Politics News, UK Politics ]

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Keeping In Touch with Think Politics

October 27th, 2009 by The Parallax Brief

The Parallax Brief is sure that the biggest concern for the average person in Britain is missing one of the brilliant posts on this blog. But there’s no need to sit with the Think Politics blog open, sweatily punching refresh every few seconds.  Modern technology can do the work for you.

First, all the Parallax Brief’s posts are linked on the mind-meltingly good Think Politics Twitter feed.

Alternatively (or additionally if you’re a belt and braces kind of chap) you could complete the simple task of subscribing to one of our RSS feeds. For the uninitiated, RSS sends something a little like an email to an RSS reader as soon as a blog post is published. You’ll then be able to read the full text in the reader or follow a link to the blog itself. The most recent versions of all the major browsers – except Google Chrome – all have built-in RSS readers, as does the Microsoft Outlook email software. You can even set up a Google RSS reader account, if you prefer something accessible in multiple places.

Either way, it’s a very simple process. In the right hand column there’s a box titled “Authors”. Click on the word RSS next to “The Parallax Brief”, and you’ll be whisked to the subscribe page, where you can chose your RSS reader client, and then punch the subscribe button. And hey presto! Instant Parallax Brief. No email addresses or other information is needed. It really is just a case of hitting “subscribe”.

Meantime, if you’re at all interested in British politics and public policy, you’ll probably want to keep up with the launch schedule of Think Politics proper, a project which the Parallax Brief’s superiors tell him is going to have an big impact on the world of British politics news and public policy information. To do this, click on the orange RSS button that sits at the far right hand side of the address bar in your browser, and follow the same subscription process. That way, you’ll get the posts written by both the Parallax Brief and Think Politics slave drivers management.

Really, it couldn’t be easier.

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Categories [ Think Politics News ]

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Dale vs Cash: Ask and Ye Shall Receive

October 21st, 2009 by The Parallax Brief

No sooner had the Parallax Brief wrote that he hoped for continuation rather than conciliation of the deliciously catty Twitter tete-a-tete between Iain Dale, the Tory uber-blogger, and Joanne Cash, a candidate for the Conservative selection for Westminster North, and both sides are out for round two, swinging for the knockout — or at least clawing and hair-pulling.

Joanne_Cash @iaindale U know I have been one of ur vocal supporters incl a week ago when you were attacked on gay issue? Why are you silent on this?

IainDale @Joanne_Cash FFS, Now you’re whining about something I didn’t say, rather than something I did. Just accept there are 2 sides to this.

Joanne_Cash @iaindale “Just accept there are 2 sides to this” You have to laugh ;)

Dale seems royally rattled by Cash’s attack; Cash is apparently dumbfounded by Dale’s objection on women-only lists as a method to combat under-representation. Certainly, neither side is ready to do the mature thing and back down for decorum’s sake. A favourite moment of the Parallax Brief’s was when Cash put her metaphorical hands in her pockets, looked sulkily at the ground, gently kicked an imaginary stone and sniffed “didn’t want to tell you that I am actually one of his supporters.” Comedy gold.

The Parallax Brief is only surpised that the whole episode seems to have gone unmentioned elsewhere on the blogosphere. It’s as if two members of the same political party not only airing differences of opinion publicly, but descending into schoolyard name calling on Twitter (!), is commonplace. Obviously, it’s not going to be top story on The World at One, but this is more than a spat between spotty, self-regarding members of a university Young Conservatives Club: Dale is a high profile figure in Conservative circles and in the increasingly important blogosphere, while Ms. Cash could soon be a sitting MP. Or perhaps the Parallax Brief has got it wrong, and in the new world of social media, this kind of thing is par for the course. Can we arrange a Twitter meeting between Ken Clarke and John Redwood immediately, please?

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Categories [ UK Politics ]

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Dale In Twitter Row With Tory Candidate

October 21st, 2009 by The Parallax Brief

Iain Dale, arguably the UK’s most influential Conservative blogger and recent losing candidate for the Bracknell Conservative selection, crossed swords with Joanne Cash, a candidate for the Conservative selection for Westminster North, in a tetchy Twitter exchange yesterday.

Iain Dale Twitter Rant

As the Parallax Brief reported yesterday, Dale was one of the most outspoken critics of Tory leader David Cameron’s decision to impose all women short-lists for constituency seats which become open from January. Dale’s stance on the matter drew Cash’s ire, however, leading to an unseemly but entertainingly catty altercation between the two Conservative would-be MPs.

The exchange in full:

Joanne_Cash @iaindale & @timmontgomerie on DC’s shortlists SO depressing. Politics not representative Needs more women Urgent No other way Get over it

IainDale @Joanne_Cash I agree. But this is not the way to do it. And less of the ‘get over it’ if you please.

Joanne_Cash @iaindale U cd have made huge diff to Party today and raised ur own standing by supporting selection of women over equal men to avoid need

Joanne_Cash @iaindale contd Instead you missed chance to advocate change at grassroots and fuelled all the old cliched prej. I thought you had more guts

IainDale @joanne_cash who do you think u r to accuse me of lacking guts? Perhaps if u knew more about me u wouldn’t utter such inanities.

Cash did strike a more conciliatory tone at the end, but as of the time of writing it had gone unheeded, and the Parallax Brief rather hopes this simmers on. First, it’s hilarious to see two supposed allies going at it, and second, it’s further proof of the unvarnished joy of Twitter. You can tell it’s not some sappy PR lackey posting these for Dale and Case — those are genuine people genuinely losing it with eachother. The Parallax Brief supposes it just goes to show what an emotive subject positive discrimination is. Either that, or Dale is still smarting from the Bracknell loss and was in no mood to be told he lacked guts.

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Categories [ UK Politics ]

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