Total Politics
Encyclopedia
Total Politics is a British
political magazine
described as a "a lifestyle magazine for the political community". It was first published in June 2008 and is distributed freely to all MPs
, MEPs, peers
, political journalists, members of the Scottish
, Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies
, and all senior councillor
s down to district
level as well as being available by subscription and sold on newsstands. The magazine was created by the Conservative
journalist Iain Dale
and the political commentator and author Shane Greer, and is owned and published by Biteback Media Ltd. The pair launched Total Politics with some financial backing from the then Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party
, Lord Ashcroft, who in return owns a 25% stake in Biteback Media. The magazine claims to have a fundamental goal of being "unremittingly positive about the political process"
, but was taken over by Total Politics when it launched in 2008. For the last two years the book has been sponsored by APCO Worldwide
.
The Top Lists categories (as of the 2009/2010 blogging guide) are:
The winners in each category are determined by public vote through an email poll. As well as being recognised in the Guide, winners are also provided with digital awards badges to put on their blogs.
The panels:
Birmingham:
Thursday 4 February, City Inn Hotel
Andrew Mitchell
, Jacqui Smith
, John Hemming
, Marc Reeves (ex editor Birmingham Post)
Manchester:
Thursday 11 February, City Inn Hotel
Tony Lloyd
, Graham Brady
, Mark Hunter
, David Ottewell (Manchester Evening News)
Leeds:
Thursday 18 February, City Inn Hotel
David Davis
, Greg Mulholland
, Rachel Reeves
(Lab candidate for Leeds NW), Godfrey Bloom
(UKIP)
London:
Thursday 25 February, City Inn Hotel
Eric Pickles
, Tony McNulty
, Lynne Featherstone
, Steve Richards
The Manchester event was reviewed on the Manchester Salon website.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
political magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
described as a "a lifestyle magazine for the political community". It was first published in June 2008 and is distributed freely to all MPs
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, MEPs, peers
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
, political journalists, members of the Scottish
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
, Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies
Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)
Member of the Legislative Assembly is a representative elected by the voters to the Northern Ireland Assembly in Northern Ireland.- About :...
, and all senior councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s down to district
Local government in the United Kingdom
The pattern of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements. Legislation concerning local government in England is decided by the Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, because England does not have a devolved...
level as well as being available by subscription and sold on newsstands. The magazine was created by the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
journalist Iain Dale
Iain Dale
Iain Campbell Dale is best known for his conservative-minded British political blog Iain Dale's Diary and for his frequent appearances on UK news channels as a political commentator. He is also a publisher, broadcaster and former Conservative Party politician...
and the political commentator and author Shane Greer, and is owned and published by Biteback Media Ltd. The pair launched Total Politics with some financial backing from the then Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, Lord Ashcroft, who in return owns a 25% stake in Biteback Media. The magazine claims to have a fundamental goal of being "unremittingly positive about the political process"
In Conversation Interviews
Each issue of Total Politics carries a set-piece ‘In Conversation’ interview with a senior figure from British politics. The interviews are presented in a question and answer format, with no interpretation or analysis". In addition, the interviews include a mini-interview called the ‘Quick Fire’ which is published as a box-out and involves more light-hearted questions. So far, interviewees have included:- Former Prime Minister Gordon BrownGordon BrownJames Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
MP - Mayor of London Boris JohnsonBoris JohnsonAlexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
- Deputy Prime Minister Nick CleggNick CleggNicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
MP - Prime Minister David CameronDavid CameronDavid William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
MP - Labour Party Leader Harriet HarmanHarriet HarmanHarriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
MP - Former Mayor of London Ken LivingstoneKen LivingstoneKenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
- Former Liberal Democrat Leader Lord AshdownPaddy AshdownJeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC , usually known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician and diplomat....
- Cherie BlairCherie BlairCherie Blair , known professionally as Cherie Booth QC, is a British barrister working in the legal system of England and Wales. She is married to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair; the couple have three sons and one daughter...
- Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Vince Cable
Guide to Political Blogging
Each year Total Politics publishes the Guide to Political Blogging in the UK, a book which includes a list of every political blog in the UK, lists of the best blogs in each blogging category (called Top Lists) and analysis of the British political blogosphere written by experts in political blogging. The Guide was originally published independently by Iain DaleIain Dale
Iain Campbell Dale is best known for his conservative-minded British political blog Iain Dale's Diary and for his frequent appearances on UK news channels as a political commentator. He is also a publisher, broadcaster and former Conservative Party politician...
, but was taken over by Total Politics when it launched in 2008. For the last two years the book has been sponsored by APCO Worldwide
APCO Worldwide
APCO Worldwide is an independent communications consultancy. With more than 600 employees in 29 worldwide locations, it is the second largest independently-owned PR firm in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO was founded in 1984 by Margery Kraus, who is now the firm’s global...
.
The Top Lists categories (as of the 2009/2010 blogging guide) are:
- Top 300 UK Political Blogs
- Top 100 Left of Centre Blogs
- Top 100 Right of Centre Blogs
- Top 75 LibDem Blogs
- Top 20 Libertarian Blogs
- Top 30 Green Blogs
- Top 60 Welsh Blogs
- Top 50 Scottish Blogs
- Top 20 Northern Irish Blogs
- Top 30 MP Blogs
- Top 40 Councillor Blogs
- Top 50 Non-Aligned Blogs
- Top 30 Media Blogs
The winners in each category are determined by public vote through an email poll. As well as being recognised in the Guide, winners are also provided with digital awards badges to put on their blogs.
Total Politics Ranking
A common theme in Total Politics is the publication of rankings for all things politics. This includes one-off rankings such as the ‘Top 50 Political Myths’, the ‘Top 10 Political Gifts’ and annual rankings such as the ‘Top 100 Political Journalists’ and the ‘Top 100 Public Affairs Professionals’ .Editorial Board
Designed to ensure political neutrality, the editorial board includes the following: -- Former Liberal DemocratLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
leader Lord AshdownPaddy AshdownJeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC , usually known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician and diplomat.... - Journalist and history professor Brian BrivatiBrian BrivatiBrian Brivati is a professor of contemporary history at Kingston University and a writer.Brivati has had articles published in The Guardian, The Times, The Financial Times, The Independent on Sunday, The Observer, The New Statesman, Progress, The Fabian Review and Parliamentary Brief...
- Shami ChakrabartiShami ChakrabartiShami Chakrabarti CBE , has been the director of Liberty, a British pressure group, since September 2003. Chakrabarti is the Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University.-Early life:...
, the director of the human rights group LibertyLiberty (pressure group)Liberty is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Its formal name is the National Council for Civil Liberties . Founded in 1934 by Ronald Kidd and Sylvia Crowther-Smith , the group campaigns to protect civil liberties and promote human rights... - Conservative MP David DavisDavid Davis (British politician)David Michael Davis is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Haltemprice and Howden...
- Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman Chris HuhneChris HuhneChristopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire...
- Labour MPs Andrew MacKinlayAndrew MacKinlayAndrew Stuart MacKinlay is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Thurrock from 1992 until he stepped down at the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
and Denis MacShaneDenis MacShaneDenis MacShane is a British politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Rotherham since the 1994 by-election and served as the Minister for Europe from 2002 until 2005, as well as being a current Policy Council member for Labour Friends of Israel.On 14 October 2010, it was announced... - Scottish National PartyScottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
MP Angus MacNeilAngus MacNeilAngus Brendan MacNeil is the Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for Na h-Eileanan an Iar... - Former Conservative leader of Westminster City Council, Sir Simon MiltonSimon Milton (politician)Sir Simon Henry Milton was a British Conservative politician. He lately served as London's Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning, and before that was a leader of Westminster City Council and Chairman of the Local Government Association.-Early life:Milton was the son of Clive and Ruth Milton and was...
- Lord Trimble, former leader of the Ulster Unionist PartyUlster Unionist PartyThe Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
and former First Minister of Northern Ireland
Pre-Election Question Time Specials
During February 2010 Total Politics teamed up with hotel chain City Inn, to put on four Question Time style debate sessions in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and London.The panels:
Birmingham:
Thursday 4 February, City Inn Hotel
Andrew Mitchell
Andrew Mitchell
The Right Honourable Andrew John Bower Mitchell MP is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sutton Coldfield...
, Jacqui Smith
Jacqui Smith
Jacqueline Jill "Jacqui" Smith is a member of the British Labour Party. She served as the Member of Parliament for Redditch from 1997 until 2010 and was the first ever female Home Secretary, thus making her the third woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State — after Margaret Thatcher and...
, John Hemming
John Hemming (politician)
John Alexander Melvin Hemming is a British politician, the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley and Group Chair of the Liberal Democrats on the city council of Birmingham, England....
, Marc Reeves (ex editor Birmingham Post)
Manchester:
Thursday 11 February, City Inn Hotel
Tony Lloyd
Tony Lloyd
Anthony Joseph 'Tony' Lloyd is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Manchester Central since 1997.-Early life:...
, Graham Brady
Graham Brady
Graham Stuart Brady is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Altrincham and Sale West. He served as a shadow minister for Europe under four Conservative leaders before resigning in 2007 in protest at David Cameron's opposition to grammar schools...
, Mark Hunter
Mark Hunter (politician)
Mark James Hunter is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is the current Member of Parliament for Cheadle.-Education and background:...
, David Ottewell (Manchester Evening News)
Leeds:
Thursday 18 February, City Inn Hotel
David Davis
David Davis
David Davis may refer to:*David Davis , Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Council*David Davis , British Conservative Member of Parliament, Conservative leadership candidate in 2001 and 2005*David Davis , head of the BBC's Children's Hour*David Davis ,...
, Greg Mulholland
Greg Mulholland
Gregory Thomas Mulholland is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom, and is the Member of Parliament for Leeds North West. He was first elected at the 2005 general election, winning the seat from Labour and was re-elected with an increased majority at the 2010 general election. Before...
, Rachel Reeves
Rachel Reeves
Rachel Jane Reeves is a British economist and a Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Leeds West since 2010. She served as Shadow Pensions Minister from October 2010 until October 2011, when she was appointed as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury by Ed...
(Lab candidate for Leeds NW), Godfrey Bloom
Godfrey Bloom
Godfrey Bloom is a Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber for the United Kingdom Independence Party...
(UKIP)
London:
Thursday 25 February, City Inn Hotel
Eric Pickles
Eric Pickles
Eric Jack Pickles is a British Conservative Party politician. Pickles was appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government of the coalition government headed by Prime Minister David Cameron on 12 May 2010....
, Tony McNulty
Tony McNulty
Anthony "Tony" James McNulty is a former British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Harrow East from 1997 to 2010 and was a government minister from 2002 to 2009. He was Minister for London and Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform at the Department for...
, Lynne Featherstone
Lynne Featherstone
Lynne Choona Featherstone , is a British Liberal Democrat politician, and the Member of Parliament for Hornsey and Wood Green....
, Steve Richards
Steve Richards
Steve Richards is a British TV presenter and chief political columnist for The Independent newspaper.-Early life:Richards was educated at Christ's College, formerly a state grammar school, in Finchley, North London, and graduated in History at the University of York in 1981 before securing a place...
The Manchester event was reviewed on the Manchester Salon website.