I went up to Newcastle last weekend for the Labour Party Spring Conference.

My conference planning involved visiting all the stalls when everyone else was out of the way at the big media events. After that I tried to get to the maximum number of campaign workshops while most folk were taking their chance to mingle with ministers at seminars. I treat conferences like this because my objective in being there is simply to get the maximum amount of useful information and skills, which can be applied in my home area. Also, (I guess because of my rebellious past) I have never really felt that its right to spend time trying to become a nodding acquaintance of someone just because I've seen them a few times on the telly! To be honest, I don't think its something my electorate give two beans about either, most people are far smarter than that.

I think lots of folk vote Labour in Hastings because after 150 years of Tory representation, we all wanted a government, council and local MP that was actually going to make a difference. So in a similar way to Newcastle and Gateshead, we are now in the middle of the delivery process and seeing - a regenerated town, a University Centre, a new train station, rebuilt seafront, a working local economy, reduced crime, lower hospital waiting lists and a town we can be proud of.

This is our new university centre due to be officially opened very shortly. Its not a single glorified university in its own right, but it is a centre where the University of Kent, Sussex University, Brighton University and the Open University are now able to deliver higher education courses so that local people can get the training and qualifications to secure jobs as part of the regeneration of Hastings and St Leonards.fficeffice" />

Of course all this depends on us having a government committed to expanding university education. Soon we will have the choice between a Labour Party who want to get 50 per cent of all 18 to 30-year-olds into university by 2010 (the sort of target which could make a real difference to the future of Hastings) and the Tories who don’t want to see any expansion in numbers and presumably want to use this building for something else - any ideas on what they would want to do with it?

The website for Hastings Creative and Media Centre is now up and running. The centre has been one of the first projects deliverd as part of the regeneration of out town and will also be expanding into the gap site presently being developed in Robertson Street.

Creative and Media Centre

Some time ago I read an article in the Grauniad about the role of Demzila and VoterVault in the American Elections. Since that time I have been pritty busy doing my own political ID and relationship building work so I haven't had time to look at this subject any further. But now there seems to be a growing amount of stuff on the web about the cross over between political campaigning and modern marketting which I could only say is pritty much essential reading for anyone thinking of being an organised councillor.

 fficeffice" />

Today for instance, I discovered this really interesting article about the role of Amway and ACT in Ohio during the presidential elections. Maybe its only for geeks like me, but I find this sort of this absolutely fascinating because it heralds the emergence of ‘narrowcasting’ as an important method of political communication in the future.