I am standing, and exhausted. There should be a word for “fear of letter boxes”. I have delivered so many leaflets I see letter boxes in my sleep. Especially the nightmare low ones with thick bristles and an inner flap.
My slightly mad idea is that normal sensible people need to get involved. I could not face a local Labour Party full of student type militant activists so picked the Tories, only to discover that local Conservative parties seem to have their own version of Bennite ideologues. Some members of both parties don’t seem to realise that people don’t owe them votes, they need to earn them.
On the campaign trail it’s pretty obvious that people are not happy with the alternatives at National level. Lots say they won’t vote. Some say they will vote ‘independent’ though in fact the independents are a pretty mixed bag.
Noone likes Boris, but then no one has much positive today about Keir. If Rishi keeps his head down and gets to grips with things people support, like controlling this gender madness, he might be able to present himself as the more palatable alternative.
The ward is quite urban and quite mixed. I will lose. Oddly I will lose because the better off can afford to vote on niche issues, bike lanes etc. Politics as a hierarchy of needs, and people who have scope for luxury interests.
I am doing better in social housing. It appears that I am the first candidate in living memory to canvass the tower blocks. Someone commented that I was brave, as I knocked on their door brandishing my Tory leaflets. These are people with real needs, but no one is listening. Certainly not Labour. People do seem willing to believe that I, with my aspirations to be a good ward councillor might be their best hope in helping them get the basic services they need.
We save politics not by waiting for politicians to listen to us, but by a sort of centrist entryism. If ordinary people become active, the local parties will change and become less extreme and more listening. We don’t need a new party. We need to change the ones we have.
I have only had the “What is a Woman” question once. From a man. I gave the right answer. My impression is that Keirs stance is not helping him. People are aware of the issue. I find it amazing that Labour candidates are feigning ignorance.