Review 2009: July – September

From @LabourList

In the penultimate installment of LabourList’s review of the year online, we look from the summer months into party conference season. This period saw a by-election in Norwich, the use of the NHS to attack Barack Obama’s healthcare reforms sparking a grassroots backlash on Twitter, a new Labour-supporting group blog joining the online fray and The Sun newspaper finally abandoning the party after more than a decade.

July

• 3rd – As the expenses scandal threatens both front benches, George Osborne is investigated for alleged ‘flipping’.
• 9th – Cameron spinner Andy Coulson is implicated in a breaking scandal on phone tapping while he was News Of The World editor.
• 15th – In an interview with Alex Smith, Ken Livingstone claims David Cameron was “horrified” when Boris Johnson secured the London Mayoralty.
• 22nd – The combination of swine flu and immigration is “Daily Express heaven” but not for Labour candidate in Norwich North, who is hospitalised with the virus.
• 24th – Conservative Chloe Smith goes on to triumph in the Norwich by-election and becomes the new “Baby of the House”.

August

• 12th – Grace Fletcher-Hackwood rubbishes claims that the Tories are carrying “the torch of progressive politics”.
• 12th – A spontaneous #welovetheNHS campaign takes Twitter by storm in response to attacks on public healthcare by the American right wing.
• 15th – Gordon Brown writes to supporters saying he “will not stand by and see the NHS and its brilliant staff denigrated and undermined”.
• 17th – Iain Dale reports on Kerry McCarthy’s appointment as Labour’s social media spokesperson showing that, when done well, Twitter is not a TWOT.
• 26th – Dan Hannan is accused of dog whistle politics as he cites Enoch Powell as a political influnce.
• 26th – The Climate Camp protest is set up at Blackheath Common, the site of the 1381 peasants’ revolt.
• 26th – Chris Grayling is called a “telly addict” for his cringeworthy popular culture references, leading to LabourHome’s Alex Hilton explaining why he hoaxed blogs and national press alike with a fake “Mayor of Baltimore” site.

September

• 11th – Underscoring a theme emerging from the economic crisis, Will Straw argues that right wing cuts would devastate public services as he launches his new fact-based political blog, Left Foot Forward.
• 21st – Talk of “savage” cuts by Nick Clegg causes a stir at Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth, while Himmelgarten Cafe wins Liberal blog of the year.
• 27th – As Labour Conference gets underway, Next Left wonders how best to use 200 days of power, meanwhile the event gets off to a difficult start for Gordon Brown as Andrew Marr asks him a personal question about medication.
• 28th – Telling the hall “if I can come back, we can come back”, Peter Mandelson makes what is widely seen as the standout speech from Brighton.
• 30th – The Sun announces it will back David Cameron at the next election. While many Labourites concede it is a blow, Murdoch faces accusations he is not shaping opinion but following his readers.