THE CAMPAIGN: DAY 11

‘Rise, like lions after slumber

In unvanquishable number!

Shake your chains to earth like dew

Which in sleep had fallen on you:

Ye are many — they are few!’ — Percy Bysshe Shelley

Just over 50 people made it to my Open Factory event last night. It was a big crowd (just enough chairs 😅) and valuable practice for Saturday. The format was simple — I spoke for a time about how the factory connects me, my strong socialist beliefs, my campaign, my ability to make things happen and the Labour manifesto. I then took questions from the floor and, as a second wave of people arrived, I repeated the first half to a new crowd.

It was a humbling experience. Speaking, unscripted, to a large crowd looking for leadership and answers is tough. Campaigning on top of a job and kids is an exhausting experience, I’m tired, and I found myself drifting off at times and missing out some aspects of my pitch. I learned a lot last night — these are all ‘must haves’ for a successful MP (the MP’s I see speaking brilliantly in person and on video are genius or had a lot of practise) and I’ll need to be able to deal with them if I am successful on Saturday. Note to diary — stick to the script.

Most people I spoke to yesterday are focussed on the need for change in Calder Valley, that’s a big step and validation of the campaign I have fought. Little over a week ago, few believed any of the new candidates had a chance.

That said, I sense many of those people are still undecided on which of the three new candidates to make first preference at Saturday’s vote and I’ll need to put in a solid performance at the hustings to demonstrate that I’m growing, developing and earning the trust required to represent them.

Gratitude to Joshua Fenton-Glynn and Taiba Yasseen for being there, for sure Labour members like this ‘new kind of politics’ style and I do too.

My hope for tomorrow is that I will be judged on my socialist principles, the campaign I’ve run and my ability to make things happen. We can do this!