Politics, Cash and Votes

One thing is certain in politics, money alone will not get you elected.

My advice to the Libertarian Party was not to splash the cash in the Norwich North by-election, spend the minimum and regard it as a learning curve. Our young candidate Thomas, 18 years old and awaiting 'A' level results, worked hard but missed cracking the 1%. But it was excellent experience for Thomas, and for a young party standing in our first parliamentary election.

Contrast that with Craig Murray who spent £46,000 to garner just over 3% of the vote, thus also losing his £500 deposit. Those who thought my advice may have been over cautious, pessimistic or jaded by years of experience in smaller party politics, may like to reconsider. Murray also had a much higher profile in Norwich than some of the by-election candidates but fine motives, and a wad of cash don't get you elected.

I know the European elections are different, using a form of proportional representation, but look at the BNP results in June. They spent very little, their opponents generating much of their publicity, and they got two MEPs elected. In June people expressed their fears to me that the BNP were on the verge of a major breakthrough. My view was that European elections are different, people know MEPs are worthless so the few who do vote tend to protest vote more readily than usual. A few weeks after getting an MEP elected, in the Eastern Region, the BNP got 3%, less than Craig Murray, in the Norwich North by-election in that same Eastern Region.

So yes, resources are crucial but there is another huge obstacle to breaking the mould of British politics, as the SDP found in the 1980s, the public. After 12 years of New Labour the public, as always happens after a few years of Labour government, are desperate to get them out. But they only look at who is most likely to do that and, with the establishment and the media feeding off our three party system, that inevitably means the Conservative Party sadly. In the countries of the UK other than England you will get a few nationalists elected and others but here it will be Tories and a few Liberal Democrats, God help us!

What is needed now, more than ever, is for people to vote for what they actually believe in rather than for 'the best of a bad bunch'. I talk to people all the time who express certain political views, such as Libertarianism, but then admit they will vote in a way to get Labour out come the general election, usually meaning Tory. Get some bottle people, and vote for what you want and believe in, that's how real change comes about.

Don't please think that proportional representation is the answer. 'First past the post' rarely ends in clueless middle of the road coalitions, after months of bickering, but PR gave us two BNP MEPs. But that is perhaps another argument to have.

Now I'm off to watch ITV4's excellent coverage of Le Tour de France entering Paris. I may even blog later about it on This Sporting Life.

Le Tour de France, Lance Armstrong

The prospect of British cyclists Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins joining Lance Armstrong's new team in 2010 is fantastic, even if it is a dream. Here is what Lance Armstrong has said about the prospect in this interview :

“That's not true,” Armstrong said. “Nothing against them, I love those guys.

“We haven't approached them. They both have contracts [with their present teams]. I certainly wouldn't say no, but I don't want to get into that mess of dealing with guys in contracts. Great dudes, though. Cav's a good kid. He's damn fast.”

I reckon that means that once this Tour is done the negotiations will begin to extricate them from their current contracts so that next year they will be helping Lance Armstrong win his eighth Tour.

What a prospect. Alberto Contador looks unstoppable this year and will deservedly win in Paris on Sunday, but I'm already excited about next year's Tour de France.

Livestrong.

Lance Armstrong

French Bastards!

Don't get me wrong I love France, have had some fantastic holidays there and I like and admire the French, individually. But as a nation they are full of crap.

Lance Armstrong is my all time sporting hero. He overcame cancer and has won Le Tour a record 7 times. Winning Le Tour, or even completing it, makes somebody a hero in my view and in 2005, the last time he won it, I was fortunate enough to see a stage of his last Tour, in Albertville.

This year he announced his intention to compete again, with the Astana Team but broke a collarbone in a fall three weeks ago, setting back his training schedule. But now the French are trying, yet again, to stitch him up by using absurd bureaucracy. Lance says it all, diplomatically, here.

Less diplomatically I say the Frogs just can't accept that a Yankee guy has won Le Tour seven times. Well you'd better accept it Cheese Monkeys, because the man is a living legend and the world hopes and prays he wins an 8th Tour this year. If the French authorities don't stitch him up!

A True Sporting Legend

'Legend' is a word much used, and abused, in the world of sport and elswhere. In my view it can be used in truth and honesty about very few without it sounding cliched and trite.

One man it can clearly be used to describe is Lance Armstrong. To come back from cancer to win the Tour de France is truly the stuff of legend. To win the most gruelling sporting event in the world 7 times without previous health problems warrants legend status, so ovecoming testicular cancer, that had spread to his brain, puts Armstrong's status as legend beyond debate.

Next year he will be doing Le Tour again, joining the Astana team currently led by Alberto Contador, Le Tour winner in 2007. Here is the full story.

Having seen part of Le Tour in 2005, the last time Armstrong won it, I suspect we will be in France on holiday next July to witness the great man's comeback.

The main reason he is returning is to promote Livestrong, the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Mark Cavendish-Le Tour

Mark Cavendish has now won four stages of this year's Tour de France. A true sporting great at 23 years old!

Bring on the Olympics.

Mark Cavendish-Le Tour II

What another superb ride from Mark Cavendish yesterday. Even the laid back Mrs B was up from her chair roaring on the young Manxman yesterday afternoon.

Imagine the shattering disappointment today when Andrew Longmore, in the Sunday Times, referred to Mark's Manx accent as 'broad Scouse'! As a Mancunian I would sack Mr Longmore for that.

Anyway, what are the odds now on Mark Cavendish winning a third stage?

Mark Cavendish-Le Tour

Congratulations to Manxman Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia) who won yesterday's stage of Le Tour from Cholet to Chateauroux, he even managed a sprint finish after riding 232km!

Report here and video of him crossing the line.

In the overall standings David Millar of Scotland is in 3rd position and Christian Vandevelde in 6th, both of Team Garmin-Chipotle.

Le Grand Depart

Members of Team Garmin-Chipotle, the team to watch in this year's Le Tour, with Scotsman David Millar third from left. Not long to wait now, Le Grand Depart is today on ITV4. Let's see how a clean dope-free team compete. Their strategy is to treat each stage as a race in its own right, probably guaranteeing they won't hold the Yellow Jersey in Paris in three weeks time, but they will definitely entertain. Let's hope they at least get to wear yellow once or twice over the next three weeks.

Team Clean

With "Le Tour" now less than a week away, the Sunday Times had an interesting article this week which included an interview with ex-cyclist Jonathan Vaughters.

Vaughters has got the backing to set up a dope free team in this year's Tour de France, known as Team Clean but actual name Team Garmin-Chipotle. They test their riders more stringently than any cycle racing authorities and deserve to do well this year for that reason alone.

Think I'll be keeping a close eye on them. Interestingly Vaughters first professional team in Europe was a Spanish team run by Opus Dei.

Two Great European Events

Not long now until the start of Le Tour 2008, in fact it starts on July 5th. So a couple of weeks of late nights watching the superb highlights on Channel 4 with a glass of vino and some smelly cheese. Heaven!

Then from 6 to 14 July it's San Fermin in Pamplona otherwise known as "The Bull Run". You can stay up all night drinking and partying then first thing in the morning get the adrenaline rush of running with the bulls. A not to miss experience, but I admit to watching it from a shaded seat in the bullring witnessing numerous, mostly foreign, bullrunners being gored and trampled by angry bulls. An interesting diversion is counting the number of British football shirts the runners are wearing!

If you are fortunate to be in Europe and can get to either, or both, they really are a must.