Richard Johnson

The 1950 general election saw the highest turnout since before Britain was a full participatory democracy. 83.9% of people went to the polls to vote, a record never matched since. @richardmarcj and I discuss why in our latest podcast. (See pinned tweet).

I always think about the opening of the Labour Party Manifesto during this election. One of the best introductions that sets out an economic, political and cultural vision for the future of Britain. Hopeful and optimistic, which Labour *still* won on.

When James I and Queen Anne of Denmark had their sixth child, Princess Mary, in Greenwich in 1605, it was the first birth in the English royal family in *68 years*. Mary died at 2 years old.

'Holborn and St Pancras – the constituency represented by the Prime Minister – would be too close for comfort: according to current projections, Starmer would return 35.7 per cent of the vote, but Corbyn and the Greens combined would take 33.9 per cent.' share.google/hgRWbIQKAmlPGi…

Feargal Sharkey explains that this £100bn figure everyone keeps quoting for the cost to renationalise the water industry comes from a report by the private companies! Feargal then outlines why nationalising the water industry wouldn't cost us a penny #GMB

🚨 NEW PODCAST: The 1950 General Election Part two of our series on the Attlee vs Churchill elections is now out. @richardmarcj and I discuss 1950 - the referendum on what Attlee did as PM, and the chance for Churchill to reclaim power after defeat in 1945. See next tweet.

THAN

Imagine wealthy offshore interests using ECHR and the Human Rights Act to thwart the will of the people and blow up an Act of Parliament. Well, that’s what’s happening at the High Court this week! Those urging ECHR exit would be wise to back leaseholders and follow this case.

The next episode of our three-part series on the Attlee vs Churchill elections is out tomorrow! In it, @richardmarcj and I look at the 1950 election - an absolute squeaker of a contest. Out 5pm tomorrow. Search ‘Since Attlee & Churchill’ wherever you get your podcasts.

Always fun to receive proofs! @IainDale's forthcoming book on by-elections I wrote on the 1965 Leyton by-election. The 1st of Harold Wilson's 1st government. An embarassing defeat for Labour, which took down the Foreign Secretary. Winter pension freeze & immigration top issues

In 1945, Clement Attlee’s Labour Party won over 200 seats from the Conservatives and their allies - including 79 seats which had NEVER before elected a Labour MP. @richardmarcj and I discuss this landmark (and landslide) election in our latest podcast. Available now.

This is an excellent piece by @Tony_McNulty, a former Labour whip and now @QMUL academic, on the Labour leadership's woeful party management and lack of vision. '...Labour’s leadership is more interested in enforcing conformity than in building consensus' theconversation.com/starmers-suspe…

14-year-olds are allowed to work, too, including 25 hours per week in holiday periods. For 15-year-olds, it's 35 hours, the same as 16-year-olds. By Starmer's logic, should they get the vote too?