Looks like Kerry McCarthy and her agent will have to explain themselves to the police.  She really puts the twit in twitter…

As the campaign rolls on, invitations to the various election night parties are flying around. None of the political parties want to be seen organising anything for fear of the obvious headlines, but that hasn’t stopped the media. The BBC have gone with a boat moored opposite the London Eye, ITV a stones throw away at County Hall, and Andrew Neil is said to be throwing his own exclusive personal bash at a mystery location.  Some of the think-tanks are organising smaller parties. The biggest party of the night will be held in the Sports Cafe on Haymarket in Central London.

Serving booze from nine until breakfast time the next morning is the party’s best selling point, but add to that all the news channels playing across fifty screens throughout the night, with Wi-FI, Blackberry and iPhone charging facilities, drinks deals, four bars and live betting market price updates. With 700 guests expected the broadcasters will be using the central London location as a backdrop for two-ways. Guido is planning to swing by, joining the blogging twitterati who look to be setting up camp there for the night. As it will be the only place open when the counts finish, it looks set to be the place where people come to cheer or drown their sorrrows.

More info on Facebook, so reserve your spot, regardless of what time you will turn up on the night, here.

UPDATE : Brillo has been in touch to point out that his exclusive personal bash is actually the BBC boat party.  Sadly Guido won’t be joining him, as he is under contract to ITV…

Guido just got off the phone with Electoral Services in Bristol East a couple of hours ago, after being disturbed and puzzled to see a tweet about the contents of postal votes published a short time ago by Kerry McCarthy, Labour’s Twitter Tsar and candidate in Bristol East.

As it was re-tweeted about the twittersphere with queries as to whether this was legal, Kerry quickly deleted the tweet – before it could be stored in the Google cache, but not before Tweetminster picked it up.

The rules are that postal votes are opened in the presence of every candidate’s agent. They are opened face down, but agents can get a peek in. Because announcing these results prematurely can affect the outcome of the whole election, however, they’re under strict confidentiality rules. Bristol Electoral Services are now looking into it as a matter of urgency…

Former “glamour model” John Cowan has become the second Labour Party parliamentary candidate to be sacked after their online postings were revealed. John Cowan, who was expelled from the Liberal Democrats after sending sexually explicit messages to Labour’s Kerry McCarthy, then tried to join the Tories and eventually ended up as the Labour PPC for South East Cambridgeshire.

Cowan’s racist and sexual rantings have been doing the blog rounds for a week or so and finally ended up in yesterday’s Telegraph.  As nominations have closed there can’t now be a Labour candidate in the race. It will be interesting to see what boost this gives to the Liberal Democrat vote in this safe Tory seat.

Nigel Farage is up against John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, in Buckingham. He is appealing for funds to support his campaign online and he is also running fundraising advertising in the arch-Tory magazine the Spectator.

Buckingham is of course a rock solid Tory seat held by an expense fiddling, mortgage flipping member of parliament.

So why is Farage running there?

Because there are a lot of chihuahuas in British politics – and they  have votes and they are angry.  ChIHUAHuas are Conservatives In their Heads, Ukip At Heart.  Some are hardcore irreconcilable Eurosceptics, some are disappointed with the melting away of the cast iron guarantee and many more are just mainstream conservatives who vote Tory because in their heads they know it is the only realistic choice they have, even though they are UKIP sympathisers at heart. Chihuahuas are off that loyalty leash in Buckingham, which because Bercow is the speaker hasn’t even got a nominally Conservative Party candidate. Bercow is universally loathed by grassroots conservatives as well as more establishment Tories up to and including David Cameron.

Whatever they say publicly there will be cheering in CCHQ if Bercow loses. Many will see it as a conservative gain, Farage’s politics are their politics after a few gin and tonics; cut taxes, stuff the EU, cut spending and show a bit of pride in being British.  Chihauhuas may be small, but they can’t half nip…

The non-partisan online fund-raising site YouFund.Me.uk has raised thousands in small online donations to beat Ed Balls, hundreds to unseat Nadine Dorries and is aiming to raise even more money for Nigel Farage in his bid to unseat Bercow.  Guido will bet that a lot of conservatives around the country will be donating to get rid of Bercow.  The unprecedented ”Friends of the Speaker” slush fund has ensured Bercow will be fighting for survival hard, so why not throw Farage a tenner to oust the troughing flipper…

The “Cameron Girls” admit…

“The Cameron Girls” (one Conservative, one Liberal Democrat) is a comedy video filmed and supported by a plethora of people with various political allegiances… We have been quite astounded by the level of interest in our story. Clearly the political classes were short on entertainment in this election.

Antony Calvert has raised a five figure sum from small online donations towards his attempt to beat Ed Balls in Morley and Outwood. The Daily Politics reported on his campaign and his online fund-raising efforts using YouFund.Me:

Where will you be for the “Balls moment”?

Labour’s trusted twitterers are on the front page of the party’s website, further confirming the belief in Labour circles that twitter is some kind of alternative to democracy.  They have made sure that it won’t be easily hacked.  Not sure what the value is – presumably they are hoping that hacks will consult the page to see what the Labour faithful think of the debate.  A virtual twitter spin room… hmmm…  come back to Guido’s later this evening for a rival virtual twitter spin room…

Spin is cheap, punters put their money where their mouth is, currently the punters on Political Smarkets rate the chances of victory for the leaders in the debates thus:

16:45 David Cameron 55%  Nick Clegg 48% Gordon Brown 29%

18:30 David Cameron 65%  Nick Clegg 48% Gordon Brown 20%

Gordon’s price has improved from this morning where punters where giving him only a 10% chance of winning* tonight’s debate, Clegg was favourite though in late betting Cameron has pulled ahead.   All to play for…

*Winning defined by ICM’s post debate polling results.