The Greasy Poll: Diary of a Controversial Election by Mike Parker


The Greasy Poll: Diary of a Controversial Election
Title : The Greasy Poll: Diary of a Controversial Election
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : -
Language : English
Format Type : Kindle Edition
Number of Pages : 238
Publication : Published May 23, 2016

In the normally sedate rural constituency of Ceredigion, the general election of 2015 exploded into sensationalist headlines and the dirtiest campaign in living memory. At the centre of the fray was Plaid Cymru’s Englishborn candidate, author Mike Parker. The Greasy Poll is Mike’s witheringly honest diary of the campaign, in which he charts the exhilaration and exhaustion of this knife-edge fight. All parties say that they want more ‘real people’ in politics, but Mike’s experience perhaps suggests otherwise. From the perils of social media to the drumbeat rise of neo-fascism, The Greasy Poll details the splits, sags and soggy compromises of modern Welsh politics, and how badly it is failing us. “telling it as it is, warts and all… it certainly rings true to me” Dafydd Iwan “searingly honest… this is a very entertaining book, about a very interesting election. But it is not always a very comfortable read” Professor Roger Scully “his loss is our gain, for he returns as a writer with this damning, unflinching exposé of the foul practices of politicians, political parties and the press” Dr Jasmine Donahaye

The Greasy Poll: Diary of a Controversial Election Reviews

  • Helen

    A thoughtful and thought-provoking account of the General Election of 2015 from the point of view of the runner up in Ceredigion (West Wales). Very readable, both funny and serious. Mike Parker was famously smeared by the local paper, the Cambrian News, and in this age of social media and the Internet the smear quickly spread. (For those of you unaware of the Cambrian News, it's a legend in Wales: there's usually at least one howler or inappropriate thing somewhere in it. I no longer live in the area but when visiting I always try to get a copy for the fun of looking for it. Last time I did this the story on the front page was about someone who had been found dead in a public place. Also in the paper was a tribute to him from his grieving family - and in between the two, a hostile account of a relatively recent court appearance by the same person. Surely that should have been edited out in the circumstances. I digress).
    The influence of the press is disproportionate, and the fact that not everyone reads the papers is irrelevant when screaming headlines are on view while you queue up to pay for petrol or groceries: they still have an effect on people (as probably happened during the recent EU Referendum too). All of Mike Parker's comments about the other parties seem spot on to me, especially the dirty tricks which go on at election time. (For fun, I had a look on Twitter for his anonymous bugbear, "Joe". The account is still there but hasn't tweeted since the weekend after the election.)
    I am sorry he feels that there is probably no place for people who have had a previous life outside politics to break in due to this scrutiny and the relentless pace of a campaign which can turn nasty. He would have been a breath of fresh air in the House of Commons. Look out also for his account of the barely concealed racism in comments encountered while canvassing, and his thoughts on where some of it has come from (including, I'm afraid, the role of the BBC in giving so much exposure to some exponents of unpalatable views). Great: at least something good has come out of the experience with this worthwhile book.

  • Judith

    Really enjoyed reading this. An interesting insight into regional (and national) politics, and particularly Plaid. Well worth a read.

  • Gwyn

    Reading someone else's diary is always quite a mundane experience. Unless you enjoy hearing canvassing stories, this book probably isn't for you. And unless you're from Ceredigion, this book definitely isn't for you. Mike Parker is clearly an accomplished writer, but this was never going to be a page-turner. Things got much more interesting following Nazigate, and I enjoyed the Cambrian News-bashing (as should any Cardi who has to put up with this awful excuse for a newspaper).