Welcome to Friday’s Early Edition from i . In Britain we do it with politicians dressed as futuristic bins or baked-bean balaclavas , whilst pretending absolutely nothing out of the ordinary is occurring (unless you’re Ed Davey ). In America, political displays are more akin to going to a extravagant festival.
The cheering, often emotional crowd dons masks, waves flags, signs and other merchandise, and in between rousing speeches, dazzling celebrities come onto the stage (or down the steps ). At the RNC we saw Amber Rose, Hulk Hogan and Kid Rock whip up Trump supporters. At the DNC, it was Oprah Winfrey , Stevie Wonder , Pink, Lil Jon, former presidents and first ladies (although hyped-up rumours of Beyonce and Taylor Swift turned out to be false).
How much that spectacle matters when it comes to people casting their votes on 5 November is debatable. A study in 2012 suggested Oprah’s 2008 endorsement of Barack Obama may have been worth a cool one million votes, although others say the phenomenon is unlikely to change the minds of those who have already pledged their allegiances. However in a race which is looking tight, any influence could be significant.
But celebrity endorsement – or lack thereof – is only one thing we’ve learnt this week. We’ll take a look at the biggest takeaways and highlights, after the headlines. Today’s news, and why it matters A “schism” is growing among trade unions about how aggressively they should be pushing the Labour Governm.