Rupert's Read

The ERS helpfully commenting on the dodgy stitch-up debates format, that is excluding the Greens: Great to debate, but let's have a format that reflects our multi-party era Commenting on the broadcasters' proposal for three TV debates in the run up to the 2015 General Election [1], Katie Ghose , Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society , said: "It's great to see some momentum behind the idea of TV debates. At their best, TV debates can make political issues come alive for the electorate, and after the success of 2010 voters expect to get this opportunity to hear directly from party leaders. It would be hugely disappointing to go back to the old days of no TV debates. "But the format suggested by the broadcasters doesn't really reflect the fact that we are now firmly in a multi-party era. It's difficult to see how to justify the exclusion of smaller parties from the debates. And having a two-party duel between Labour and the Conservatives si...

GREENS NAME RUPERT READ AS CAMBRIDGE CANDIDATE Party Leader Natalie Bennett set for candidate news conference The Green Party tonight (Fri) named the academic, author and campaigner Rupert Read as its candidate in Cambridge for next year's General Election. There will be a first opportunity to question Dr Read on his new campaign when he appears at an introductory news conference at King's College on Monday (Oct 6th), introduced with a personal endorsement from Party Leader Natalie Bennett. The event will also reveal further high-profile endorsements for Dr Read's candidacy. Alongside his work as Reader in Philosophy at the University of East Anglia, Rupert Read is a former city councillor in Norwich, and already the Green Party's national spokesman on transport. He has been instrumental in helping to develop Green Party policy nationally. He said: "I love Cambridge: probably the most 'networked' and 'thinking' city in Britain. Camb...