It’s been half term, so for me, as
that’s the only time I can do it (I am still working as a full-time teacher), I
have been out and about in the constituency delivering my leaflets and talking
to people who want to talk about the election.
There’s no getting away from it, the
thought of canvassing is depressing and arguably soul destroying; it certainly
was for me before I started. If you are thinking of standing then my advice
regarding canvassing: once you’ve posted the first leaflet, it’s all fine.
Talking to constituents is good and
informative, making me think more often than not. After all, talking to
constituents is what MPs should be doing as these are the people they
represent; this has been increasingly side-lined over time.
Those photos you see of candidates
smiling at a front door are purely set up, as no-one carries all the
paraphernalia you see in the picture by the way. I carried a rucksack including
water and spare leaflets to stop me having to go back to the car too often, so
those huge signs you see are from fully paid up supporters of the party. If you
studied history, like I did, then this is a fairly common propaganda tactic
used for many years.
During the week, I delivered
thousands of leaflets, and friends of mine delivered thousands more. I covered
between 80km and 90km so if you want to get fit this is one method I suppose.
However, don’t think it’s easy; I was barely able to walk on Thursday!
The over-riding message from
talking to people is that they are tired of party politics and feel let down,
even ignored by the system. I heard numerous times that people (of all
generations, I should add) were glad I was standing as it raised their interest
in actually turning out to vote. This spurred me on hugely as that’s precisely
how I feel and a major part of why I’m standing.
I suppose we shall see whether it
was all worth it on June 9th, although challenging the status quo
regarding politics has certainly been worth it, and if I’ve made some people
think then the job is at least partly done at least.