I bumped into David Cameron in Starbucks - and talked Twitter

I bumped into David Cameron this morning - Tory Party leader and the man who would become Prime Minister in the UK should his party win the general election in May.

Actually, he slipped past me in the queue at Starbucks at St Pancras railway station. He went straight to a table without buying anything - and that set my sense of fair play twitching.

Turns out a colleague/assistant was doing the queueing for him, which I guess is fair enough?
I sat at the table next to him. At this point I thought he was just some young exec who looked a bit like David Cameron (I'd not met him before).

But when he opened his mouth to talk with said assistant the voice and content of their conversation was a heavy hint.

So I turned to him and asked: "You look familiar. Should I know you?"

He smiled. "Perhaps"

I raised an eyebrow, inviting clarification.

"I'm David Cameron, leader of The Conservative Party."

So. I shook his hand. Wished him luck. But told him I wouldn't be supporting him all the way.

I asked if I could take a snap (to tweet) and also whether he was using Twitter himself.

I told him I'd heard what he'd said about Twitter while being interview by Absolute Radio.
And he explained he didn't use it.

Politicians, he said, needed to think about what they said, before they said it.

He worried that those who tweeted all the time were sharing a stream of consciousness.

I said politicians ought not think too hard before they speak, they should tweet their stream of consciousness. I'd prefer the direct honesty.

And I cited John Prescott (@johnprescott) - and how for years the media had painted him as a bumbling fool - but Twitter enabled him to go direct to the public - to disintermediate the media - revealing the passionate and intelligent man Prescott actually is, rather than the charicature you see in the press.

Cameron did concede that Prescott is a very clever man - but also pointed out that the 140characters of Twitter were a blessed limitation on Prescott's tendency to verbosity. A fair point.

I don't suppose Cameron will start tweeting any time soon. Which is a shame.

Because I prefer my politicians to tell me what they honestly think and as directly as possibly. I want them to admit their human face, warts and all - rather than a mediated, bland/sanitised version of themselves.

Twitter enables that way better than any amount of 'press' ever can.

I only wish more politicians of all parties would give it a go. We may end up knowing who and what we're expected to vote for. And that would be a pleasant first.

UPDATE: Jonathan Macdonald shared an image that captures me sat on the next table to Cameron - just before I was sure who he was and started bending his ear. Watchers watching the watchers :-) View it larger here.

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• Prescott and Pickles in Twitter row (guardian.co.uk)
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No 10 Bullying row: The unintended victim

The whole National Bullying Hotline mess of the last couple of days (links below will fill you in on the row surrounding British PM Gordon Brown) has had one unintended victim: BullyingUK.

This genuine and effective charity has been tarred with a very nasty and impactful brush. Some of its would-be clients - many of them vulnerable school kids - have been put off by the fear that their confidentiality will be breached - in the same way (very much allegedly) that No10 staff reportedly had theirs breached by The National Bullying Helpline.

So let's be very clear BullyUK has absolutely nothing to do with the self-proclaimed National Bullying Helpline.

And if the national press, and the Conservative Party care as much about bullying as the screaming headlines suggest, then perhaps they will join me in donating to BullyingUK right here and now.

They have a lot of damage to repair.

Perhaps you will join in too?

I should make clear, BullyingUK have been very careful not to solicit donations during this sensitive period for fear of accusations of cashing in. And I think that's very wise.

But (and in line with the platform approach I advocate all organisations take) I'm equipped with the belief and the tools to play my part in righting this wrong. And now, so are you.
So let's do what they can't. Together. You'll find them on twitter, too.

Donate, by all means - but ask others to, blog about this, tweet about it. Thank you.

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• Founder of bullying charity facing questions (telegraph.co.uk)
• Bullying Helpline now slammed by others orgs too (liberalconspiracy.org)
• Patrons resign from bullying helpline (guardian.co.uk)
• Is Christine Pratt a bully? (newstatesman.com)
• Charity Backtracks on Brown Bullying Claim (online.wsj.com)
• A Breach of Confidentiality (iaindale.blogspot.com)