Monday, August 25, 2014



Climate voter hits 2%

The Climate Voter campaign was in court last week trying to argue that it is not an election advertisement. The decision has been reserved, but hopefully it'll be out soon (if only because failing to get it out before the election would miss the point). But meanwhile, thanks to a switch from online to physical promotion, the campaign has now hit 45,000 members - 2% of the 2.26 million who voted last election. Which makes it more popular than any of the government's current coalition partners...

If the campaign continues to grow, it is going to become difficult to ignore. 2% of the vote is a definite constituency, and enough to shift the result as the polls narrow. If it makes it to 70,000 - about 3% of the vote, and not unthinkable at current rates - then I think the parties are going to have to sit up and take notice. The major impact might not be on this election though - rather it will be on policy, as parties realise that people do care, and want real action. And if that happens, I think the campaign can be regarded as a success.