THE CAMPAIGN: DAY 4
‘In politics, guts is all.’ — Barbara Castle
I got my first taste of life as a politician today and it tasted good. Can’t pretend it wasn’t slightly scary at first but I’ve got guts. Candidates who make the shortlist are given the contact details of every member who is eligible to vote at the hustings. I sent my first campaign email at lunchtime, then (within minutes!) the replies rolled in. I was grilled on the LGBT community, building on greenfield sites, assisted dying and more. Some of these issues are close to my heart but I don’t get to voice them often — what an indulgence.
Talking to strangers about representing them on serious political issues (ie. being a politician) is quite a trip if you’ve never done it before 😅 . I was glad to have my manifesto to hand, on top of the killer content it’s clear to read and easy to reference.
I’m also glad that Jeremy Corbyn has normalised ‘being normal’. It’s made politics accessible for people like me. I’ve had to write A LOT in just a few days and I think this is what’s made it doable. That said, I am going to have a crack at video next, apart from the fact my fingers and brain will welcome the change, video is central to my pitch to grow our campaign and reach new audiences — prepare for some dodgy early examples 😳.
A common thread running through today’s feedback is that when we don’t connect with Calder Valley’s mostly working class electorate we create gaps that Craig Whittaker and the Tories are ready to fill. Not saying I’m working class (my parents were the first people in their families to go to university and our house was full of books, though I chose a different route — first unskilled work, then skilled, I was good at my job and ambitious) but I am saying:
- the voice of regular local people — not just active members or whoever wins the candidate selection— should be at the heart of the campaign
- talking about issues that are relevant to the manifesto
- the best way to do that is using video
- but it’s got to be good enough to share
- or it isn’t worth doing
Craig Whittaker might try to ignore Labour activists, but he can’t ignore ordinary local people in their own words getting shared, promoted, talked about and reaching areas of the constituency way beyond the local Labour membership.
Favourite email of the day? ‘When local working class people see the same old suits in it for themselves they don’t bother voting. I would like to give you the opportunity to change this. The labour party needs more working class voices’.
