Politics: Coming To A Town Near You.
4 April, 2012 Leave a Comment
Labour Leader Ed Miliband on the Labour Doorstep
The following is a guest post by Tim Carter (@ForwardNotBack), a former Labour Party Press Officer.
The election teams rush to the constituency, generic posters and leaflets are handed out. Candidates are selected or announced. Carefully crafted biographies are passed to the media.
Our candidate is more local than yours (not mentioning that in some cases only by a distance of 20 miles) scream the early leaflets.
In the backroom of the hastily organised campaign office, heads shake and the local voter identification sheets are gazed upon with despair and teams are dispatched to boost the contact rate.
I the room next door a couple of workers sit reading back issues of local newspapers, hoping to find ‘the issue’ that will frame the local campaign… hours are spent searching the Internet for comments from the main rival(s) that will damage them and hopefully become a big issue. Coffee mugs, half eaten sandwiches and cold pizza slices litter the rooms.
Suits… have I mentioned the sharp, dark suits that adorn the activists who will soon be pounding unfamiliar streets, leafleting, knocking on doors and chatting to locals. Suits are everywhere, usually accompanied by red, blue or purple ties.
Local issues decided, hospital closure – every candidate is against it, even if their party is behind the plans. More funding for a local organisation or charity – who could oppose that? Camera at the ready, candidate smiling (or looking stern) front page of introductory leaflet sorted. Winning here…On your side… The local choice… transferable slogans that make an appearance in towns up and down the country.
Then the attack… there has to be an attack. Inexperience, wrong priorities etc throw in a national issue and away we go.
When the candidate is around the rule is to smile, never let on that the latest batch of voter ID returns look worse than expected. Never lie just hide behind ‘it’s going well, early days, we will know more next week’
A buzz spreads through the office. A VISIT! Excitement grows and balloons are ordered. A quick programme is drawn up. Photo opportunity outside the threatened hospital with local campaigners is hastily arranged and local newspapers informed. Hours spent preparing briefing notes for the national visitor. The big day arrives. The phone rings… 5 MINUTES! The experienced hands continue with their work, the assembled local activists are pushed out of the front door, balloons and placards at the ready. A car enters the street cameras flashing. The car stops. The door opens and out steps…the under minister for paper clips. Heads drop but the campaign must go on. Above the murmurs of ‘who is that’ a cheer goes up… the campaign has begun in earnest!
