Surprise Surprise

Now, we weren't expecting that ending from Gordon to the budget today, were we?

Just a couple of other things to mention today. Two massive emails have arrived from Karen at Media Contacts no doubt full of very exciting information about how all our on line movements are tracked. I haven't had time to look at them yet though so we'll have to wait and see.

On the course front, today's political communications lecture was about whether there is a crisis in political communications and if there is, is it confined to traditional formal politics? I was quite pleased to hear Steve Barnett, who took the class, basically cover the same ground as I have over the last few weeks.

Issues concerning media proliferation and competition, a more sophisticated electorate more inclined to abandon traditional party political loyalties for more focussed issue groups, the increasing use of marketing tools, focus groups etc to decide policy etc etc etc . The concluding sentence of the lecture was that things aren't as bad as some people make out. It's a sentiment I have to agree with.