Quiet revolutions getting louder in Westmorland and Lonsdale

Continuing our series looking at how the campaign is working on the ground across the UK – Johnathan Todd, PPC For Westmorland and Lonsdale gives us the view from his campaign.

“There is only one word for it. I’m sorry. But Tony Blair has ruined this country. Ruined. That is the only word for it”. I must have had these words said to me three or four times, before managing to politely edge away from the darkness of the elderly lady’s doorstep – and into the glorious spring sunshine of Ambleside; one of the jewels in the Lake District’s crown. If this is what Britain ruined looks like, then, I’m a Dutchman.

Bliss it was that dawn to be alive, but to be Labour was very heaven! As William Wordsworth, fondly remembered son of Westmorland and Lonsdale, where I am the Labour PPC, did not quite say of either the French Revolution or the General Election 2010. But quiet revolutions have been going on in Westmorland and Lonsdale, nonetheless.

First, there has been much change here since 1997, which my elderly friend in Ambleside evidently hasn’t quite seen. 3500 children in the constituency have Child Trust Funds and are able to attend one of four Sure Start Children’s Centres: Will we be able to say either of these things if a party other than Labour forms the next government? There are 825 more businesses in South Lakeland and 110 more secondary school teachers in Westmorland and Lonsdale than in 1997. While visiting tourists, attracted as they are by the charms of Ambleside, no matter how ruined Britain may supposedly be, are served by workers who have been moved from poverty pay by Labour’s combination of a rising minimum wage and tax credits; such workers would be made only 7p a week better off by Liberal Democrat income tax plans, as the richest in the country are made £7 better off.

Second, with a proud record of Labour delivery such as this, set alongside viable proposals to improve the area still further (a People’s Bank to give the rural Post Office network a viable future; investment in the green economy to diversify away from tourism; high speed rail and universal broadband to reduce distance to market for local firms; etc, etc); it is no surprise that the CLP has rediscovered a vibrancy and campaigning zeal in this supposedly most un-Labour of areas.

The first quiet revolution that Westmorland and Lonsdale experienced was the positive change that thirteen years of Labour government has brought and the second is to home to a CLP that believes in this change and is absolutely determined to work for the best possible Labour vote at every level in May; Parish, District, General. It has been an absolute pleasure and privilege to see the CLP take the fight to a locality let down by a Liberal Democrat District Council and increasingly unconvinced that the Liberal Democrats are capable of offering the progressive politics that they purport to offer. I will resist any comparisons with Iain Duncan-Smith as hard as I resist the suggestion that the Liberal Democrats are a progressive party, but my prediction is that the volume of this quiet revolution will be turned up in Westmorland and Lonsdale before 6 May.

Lib Dems Manifesto – Not a promise, a plan. (We…er…promise)

Finally the long wait is over; the Liberal Democrats have published their manifesto! What you missed it? Where were you?!

I sometimes find myself feeling sorry for the Liberal Democrats. Today’s launch of their manifesto, at Bloomberg in Central London, was previewed as a ‘no-frills event’ in contrast to the other two main parties. Sky’s Adam Boulton quickly put down the party’s effort as “a pamphlet which looks like the sort of thing you’re sent by mortgage lenders”.

But it doesn’t help when you leader  Nick Clegg needs to be constantly flanked by party colleagues to give him a sense of stature, Vince Cable and Sarah Teather especially (stop sniggering at the stature comment…).

Despite a hesitant introduction to the manifesto Clegg soon found his voice as he went through the motions of what the Lib Dems are offering – apparently it is a promise to ‘hard-wire fairness’ into British society. (Yes I know that Labour have already stolen a march on the ‘fairness agenda’, but let’s leave that to one side.)

Fairness, how will they do it you ask?  Simples, through four steps which confusingly amount to not a ‘promise but a plan’ fulfilled through Lib Dem manifesto ‘promises’….ummm.

Despite that I’m going to say something that may be controversial. I quite like chunks of the Lib Dem manifesto. I like promises (or…eh.. plans?) for:

• £10,000 floor for income-tax coming out of a crack down on tax dodgers;
• A promise to not to do a like-for-like replacement for Trident;
• Allowing individuals to save through a UK Infrastructure Bank for long-term returns;
• Scraping tuition fees for first time HE students, including part-time degrees; and
• End the detention of children in immigration detention centres.

But then again I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t like Government to do these things.

Having said that if you take out those chunks then so much of what is left is either guff statements: “Make Network Rail refund a third of your ticket price if you have to take a rail replacement bus service” (why? where’s the money going to come from?) or half-thoughts: “Help protect children and young people from developing negative body images by regulating airbrushing in adverts” (How?).

And some pledges need to be seriously questioned, for instance Stuart White over at Next Left has asked what is progressive about the pledge to get rid of the Child Trust Fund?

Whilst there was a lot of talk about ‘elephants in the room’ (some sort of Vince Cable joke…who knows…See Gary Gibbon’s blog), the obvious problem is how are the Lib Dems going to pay for all this ‘fairness’ whilst still tackling Government debt. Remember Government debt? It seems to be a big election issue for the other parties…but doesn’t seem like a big issue for the Lib Dems and has been hardly mentioned!

On the issue of paying for fairness the Lib Dems seem to have seen the question coming (probably for the first time in an general election). Helpfully put together the costings ‘line by line’ in the back of their manifesto (n.b. there isn’t a deficit line). So far the Guardian is hesitantly giving their sums a ‘kinda solid’ judgement, but we’re waiting for the venerable IFS’s verdict. Obviously this’ll need some serious scrutiny, silly little questions I’d personally be asking:

• why is the ‘levy on bank profits’ a ‘saving’ rather than a ‘tax proposal’?
• do they really think that their mansion tax will raise almost £2bn?
• Why does their Eco cash-back scheme cost nothing in subsequent years?

Despite all that, the manifesto (and accoridng the the FT the party’s campaign itself) is gaining a positive view from the voters. Channel 4’s poll has the Lib Dems way out in front on manifestos: “Lib Dems leading 56%, Cons 34% Lab 9% and 1% to none of the above.”

On a final note – whilst the conservative had a lovely hardback edition of their manifesto, the Lib Dems have put real thought and effort into their online manifesto. You can even watch videos with Nick Clegg explaining it all to you, with nifty/dodgy lift/workout background music included for free!

Ok, on a second look it reminds me of QVC.

Tory Manifesto launch: “Do it yourself Government?”

There’s been a flurry of manifestos being launched today – UKIP, Plaid Cymru but the main event was obviously the Conservatives manifesto launch this morning at Battersea Power Station.

As Anthony Painter has pointed out the Tories have form when it comes to Battersea Power Station, broken promises and unfinished enterprises.

As for the manifesto itself, if Labour was supposedly looking towards North Korea for inspiration for its manifesto cover then Cameron was perhaps looking for the Thatcher touch. In hardback and costing £5 from all good stories that would sell such things, the Tory manifesto is a hefty 131-page tome. This is probably where a couple of short videos could have come in handy to explain what the booklet is about!

Don’t worry, you can even listen to audio recordings of it.

If the launch was supposed to convey a vibrant party entering into the election with energy and conviction then, perhaps, having a launch where members of the shadow cabinet were rolled out to individually give their five minute pitch for a Conservative Government was not the best approach. In fact the BBC online seemed to get bored with in and cut the live feed till the Cameron main event. It all seemed a bit 2005, they even continued with then slightly pained ‘rent-a-crowd’ behind Cameron.

Ideas like the National Citizen Service (that will be £800m please) and the marriage tax break plan (but big KC doesn’t seem to think much of it) all point to a party going backwards in order to seem current.

Ok, what about the manifesto itself? Well the big idea is ‘The Big Society’, it is the centrepiece of the Conservatives agenda which underpins all their policies. Except it isn’t very new or very well developed. Sunder over on Labourlist has pointed out that this all sounds less ‘SamCam’ and more blue rinse Thatcher.

The idea is that the Government is going to do less, but you’re going to have to make up the shortfall. If you want a good school, run it yourself. If you want public services, start your own. The Tories seems enamoured with the idea that ordinary people have endless time and resources to invest in the running and providing leadership of services. And it fails to address the key question of what happens if people just decide not to get involved? Or worse?

All the parties talk about localism but the Conservatives are not talking about alternatives, they are talking about substitutes. It isn’t the only place where the policies seem weak. The Conservatives’  politics around democracy and young people look especially lacking when compared to any of the other major parties.

The rest of the manifesto is, as the FT has pointed out, a rehash of previously announced policies:

• Sack your MP. Tories would give power of “recall” to let electors throw out MPs. Parliamentary Privilege Act to stop MPs evading prosecution.
• See how government spends your money. Central government job vacancies to be published online. All major contracts of £25k-plus to be published on line. In local government all items and contracts over £500 to be published.
• Pensioners. A promise to protect the winter fuel payment; free bus passes; free TV licences; disability living allowance and attendance allowance; and the pension credit.

Commentary seems to be lukewarm with Gary Gibbon from Channel 4 asking whether Tories’ manifesto had been designed by Smythson and the Independent rushing to tell us that Keane’s drummer was ‘horrified’ that they had used on their songs as at the launch. The Institute of Fiscal Studies puts a big question mark over the idea that the Tories won’t have to raise taxes and points to the lack of any further detail on their tax and spending plans for the lent hog the Parliament. Interestingly I could find only Johnthan Freedland on the left who seemed to think that Cameron gave a ‘commanding’ performance and ‘beginning to seal the deal’.

But the real question is why is where is the Party really focused (as Sky points out): both Parties are talking up the economy but, for the Tories, if the idea is to do something about the deficit faster and harder than Labour, then why all these whet spending promises?

Labour kicks off the Manifesto race

I don’t know about you but elections always seem more real when the manifestos are published. This week we’ll finally get a chance to see the concrete pledges that each of the parties are staking their political futures on.

Labour has been first out of the gate with today’s manifesto launch in Birmingham. Labour had decided to have well known Labour blogger and supporter Ellie Gellard (a.k.a @Bevaniteellie) introduce the event by telling people about the series of short cartoons that had been created to spread the word about Labour’s manifesto.

It’s good to see Labour catering for busy people who want to get a sense of what Labour’s offering without having to read the full 76 page manifesto.

Although we’ve seen party political broadcasts before, Labour launched theirs very recently:

The idea of explaining and sharing policies through videos which people can pass on to their friends and family is actually quite nifty and certainly means the party is serious about making this election all about ‘word of mouth‘.

Still, if people do take a moment to browse the manifesto proper they’ll see a range of policies looking to tackle the big issues that still face our society:

• Banking and Financial Services: A People’s Bank at the Post Office; a Universal Service Obligation on banks to serve every community; a clampdown on interest rates for doorstep and payday loans.
• Cancer care: Legally binding guarantees for patients including the right to cancer test results within one week of referral, and a maximum 18 weeks’ wait for treatment or the offer of going private.
• Parental work life balance: More help for parents to balance work and family life, with a ‘Father’s Month’ of flexible paid leave.
• Democratic reform: Referenda, held on the same day, for moving 41. to the Alternative Vote for elections to the House of Commons and to a democratic and accountable Second Chamber.

Do you remember the first time? Why it’s important to visit, return and know your constituency.

Labour is making this election a “word of mouth” election. Here Claire Spencer /@thedancingflea, Chair of Birmingham’s Fabian Society, tackles the idea that political campaigns start and end with “who are you going to vote for?”

I am an active member of a number of local volunteer groups, and as such, I am always a little bothered when I hear the phrase “we only ever see you at election time.” It suggests that, to that individual and their household, politics is a grasping, intrusive element that only makes itself felt when it wants something – not, as it is (or should be), the thriving relationship between citizen and public servant, the thread that runs through all our lives. Is it really the case that we are only concerned with the wellbeing of this individual when it is time for them to vote?

Of course, when it comes to voter ID (or, as we call it, #labourdoorstep), there is a certain detached practicality to the whole process, necessarily so, but it can (and must) have other value. And in my experience, in good campaigns with dedicated activists, it often does – the listening, the bit where we ask “are there any issues you would like to raise?” can often reveal seams of concern and discontent, issues that need to be resolved, by us. I’ve been on the doorstep with Kerry McCarthy’s team in Bristol East on two occasions, and both times, I was really glad to see how dedicated her team were to following up these issues – recorded, and initial actions (even if it’s just a letter or a second visit) laid out then and there. In Gisela Stuart’s campaign in Birmingham Edgbaston, they have been doing likewise – several people I know in the constituency have remarked on the fact that, if you raise issues with Gisela, you always get a response, a dialogue, solutions.

They recognise, as I like to think I do, that it’s all about that relationship – if it the person on the doorstep feels let down by their public servant and their neighbourhood, then the onus is on you to change that. It’s also about consistency – if someone raises an issue on the doorstep, note it, make sure it gets to the right people, and keep them in the loop. You don’t have to have all the answers – indeed, you may have to come back and give them an answer that they don’t much like. What is important is that you come back, and keep coming back. Hopefully there are numerous examples of this in your constituencies that you have been carried out and/or been inspired by.

However, the manner of your response is as important as the fact you are doing it, and for that, you need to get to know your constituency, its people, and their commonalities and tensions. In the my constituency, the new Birmingham Hall Green,  a number of wards, with very different personalities, cultures and levels of civic-mindedness have been thrown together. Look at the graph below, (produced by Chamberlain Forum, the think tank I am working with), which plots the position of all Birmingham’s Priority Neighbourhoods, the most deprived neighbourhoods in the city. Note NI4, which represents the percentage of people that feel they can influence local decisions. Balsall Heath and Sparkbrook are both part of my constituency, but as you can see, their residents feel very differently about how much influence they have over their neighbourhoods. Add to these the much wealthier areas of Hall Green, Moseley and Kings Heath, all of which score quite highly on both NI4 and NI5, and you get an impression of the diversity of wealth, perception of influence, and general satisfaction with where they live.

I’ve seen this potential for tension in microcosm in one road in the constituency, where a mosque has been established in a terraced, residential street. Its use has expanded greatly in recent years, the street flooded with cars at times of worship and learning, and this is where tension has arisen between the people who use the space for living, and those who use it for worship. Long since abandoned by the local councillors, the relationship has been left to fester, with all parties feeling as though their road is a worse place to be. When we spoke to residents about this on the doorstep, myself and the Labour council candidate decided to act, but in a particular way. This couldn’t be an “us” and “them”, both groups use and value the space, and the solution must be collaborative, not combative. So we’re going to organise a small meeting, with both sides able to express their perceptions, and us present as mediators, to facilitate the flow of practical, inexpensive and mutually agreeable solutions.

I really think we can succeed, and I hope that we do – but even if we fail, we’re not going to slink off, never to be seen again. We’re going back to explain why we failed, to try again, and to maintain the relationship between us (as activists and public servants) and the people we hope to represent.

If you’ve got a campaign story you want to share let us know! Contact Vincenzo Rampulla at vramapulla@youngfabians.org.uk

Cameron overstepped the mark today

Day three and the election campaign has taken a concerning turn. David Cameron has told a Catholic magazine that there should be a review of the abortion time limit and that he backs a reduction to as little as 20 weeks.

There is a strong tradition of free votes on issues of conscience like this. The fact that he has made this pledge in his first interview of the campaign means abortion is likely to be a key theme for the Tories. Whatever one thinks of the issue – I am proudly pro-choice – I do think that politicians need to be wary of playing politics with such matters.

I am not alone in raising these concerns. In the last General Election a Telegraph poll found that 60% of voters wanted abortion kept out of election campaigning. People have real concerns about the politicisation of women’s bodies. Pledges on abortion should not be used as bargaining chips to win people’s votes.

Of course constituents have the right to know what their prospective MPs feel about these issues. I have already outlined my views on abortion to Cheltenham residents who fall on both sides of the argument. But when it comes to issues of conscience political leaders must tread carefully.

Cameron overstepped the mark today.

James Green is Anticipations Editor and Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Cheltenham. He blogs at www.jamesgreen.org.uk.

Not all campaigns are created equally

Continuing our look into the experiences of Young Fabian campaigners on the ground during this election, Manchester-based Sam Bacon looks at what makes a campaign popular and keeps volunteers coming back for more…

Now that we’re all firmly in campaign mode, like other activists across the country over the next few weeks I’ll be trying to determine where to spend my precious hours pounding the pavements.  Whilst the candidates will be equally worthy to campaign for, the experience of campaigning for each will vary massively.  I’d like to share two contrasting approaches that I’ve seen in the over the past few weeks during the pre-election campaign, and hopefully point towards the more successful of the two.

Campaign A.  On an especially cold and windy Saturday, I met a group of other activists from across the region.  We stood outside in the biting wind whilst the organizer grabbed leaflets, clipboards and contact sheets.  No one was asked what experience (if any) they had, and no one was introduced to anyone else, or made aware of who was coordinating/organizing the campaign.  We never had opportunity to speak to the candidate, and certainly received no thanks from them or anyone else.

Contact sheets and clipboards were given to ‘old hands’ already known to the organizer, and they immediately marched off in a seemingly random direction.  The rest of us new activists (literally) ran behind them trying to keep up. We didn’t know where we were going, for how long, what the local issues were or even what exactly we were supposed to be doing.

Unsurprisingly, I have rarely seen a more dispirited group of volunteers.  Gradually over the next two hours more and more people slipped away, cold and dejected and likely never to return.  No one on the campaign ever asked for volunteer names let alone their contact details, and to date, no one ever expressed any thanks or provided follow up as to what difference our contribution made that day.

Campaign B. Volunteers were told to meet at a central venue, where in the confines of a warm, comfortable room, we were fully briefed on what we would be doing, where, for how long and how it impacted on the wider campaign, and thus why it was important. The candidate mingled with the gathered group, and all sorts of food, drinks and snacks were offered.  Finally, a sign-in sheet was passed around asking for our name, phone number and email address.

Before setting off we were divided into teams with a clear leader, and given the opportunity to ask questions.  When we did hit the streets, people were fired up and enthused and they were clear in their role and how to perform it.  No one left before the end of the session.

All volunteers were invited to meet again after finishing to share their experiences and yet more refreshments.  Problems or questions were raised immediately, helping debrief everyone and refine the process for next time.  This social interaction along with subsequent thank you emails helped turn a group of individual volunteers into a genuine campaign team.

Simply put: Campaign B does not struggle to find volunteers each week…

I’ve never been to Walthamstow before!

Last Saturday Young Fabian members travelled to Walthamstow to campaign for the General and Local Elections. As well as seasoned campaigners, new Young Fabian members joined us on the streets – here recently joined Young Fabian Benjamin Knight tells us why he decided get on the doorstep!

Last Saturday I took the plunge and went up to Walthamstow to join other Young Fabians helping campaign for council candidate Mark Rusling and Parliamentary Candidate Stella Creasy.

Although I had never done anything like this before, I was keen to jump in at the deep end and start talking to real people about real political issues. Having only been a member of the Young Fabian for about two weeks and in London for only one month I admittedly did not know too much about the local area or the political landscape, but I was quickly brought up to speed by Mark as we walked from the station to the Labour office.

One of the reasons I decided to take my long held support for the Labour party out of the armchair and in to the streets is that (obviously) 2010 is an election year, and I believe it will be an election where every vote counts, and there is a huge amount at stake. The idea of waking up on May 7^th to find out that the future of the country and the economy has been put in the hands of a certain Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne is not an easy one to take. In getting involved with Labour for the coming council and general election, I am also hoping to do my bit to counter the growing anti-political mood that has grown in the wake of the expenses scandals of last year.

So, after a briefing from the guys on what needed to be done (contacting residents whose voting intensions had never been canvassed before) off I went to my first door, knocked and waited.

Unfortunately, as it was a bank holiday weekend, the vast majority of the clearly sensible people of Walthamstow were not in, in which case leaflets were pushed through the letter box’s Labour’s key manifesto pledges for the local area.

After ten or so doors I finally got to speak to someone. I explained to the guy who I was and why I was bothering him on a Saturday afternoon, and he seemed interesting in what I had to say. It was positive encounters like these that quickly took away any hint of nervousness.

The fact that we were talking to new people every five minutes or so meant that the time did not seem to drag at all, the brief stint of sun also really helped!

After we had ticked the last few addresses off our list, we headed to the pub for a well deserved pint. It was great to chat with my fellow volunteers, the Fabian organisers, and of course the hopeful candidates. As you’d expect, the topic of conversation was of a political nature and it was great to talk to a group of likeminded individuals about what brought them to the Young Fabian society, and what they thought the next few months would bring.

I feel I had a really good introduction to campaigning, and will definitely be getting involved again as soon as I can!

Young Fabian Campaign Day with Mark Rusling and Stella Creasy in Walthamstow

A hardy group of Young Fabian campaigners headed up to Walthamstow this weekend to canvass for Labour local government candidate Mark Rusling and Parliamentary candidate Stella Creasy in Walthamstow and Hoe Street ward.

Mark is a former Young Fabian chair and wrote a great pamphlet on beating the BNP which still acts as a useful campaigning guide for activists today. Thankfully, we didn’t encounter any BNP activity in Walthamstow, but we did see reams and reams of glossy colour-filled Lib Dem campaign literature.

The local Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Farid Ahemd has clearly spent thousands of pounds on printing this literature. But we didn’t see a single Lib Dem canvasser, poster, or supporter.

Speaking to people about their concerns and aspirations for their community is Labour’s way of engaging our supporters, from a day in Walthamstow it seems like the Lib Dem tactic is to bombard voters without really understanding them. One undecided voter I spoke to was so pleased that Labour activists had come round to her house to speak with her that she asked for a membership form on the spot.

The great thing about the day was that all the Young Fabian members who came along had never taken part in canvassing before. So we are brining some new activists into the Labour Party family. Which is a great feeling.

More details about the next Young Fabian campaign day are here: http://www.youngfabians.org.uk/content/blogcategory/21/46/

Not marginal but just as important

As part of our Campaign Diary series looking at the experiences of Young Fabians during this General Election, Tim Nicholls / @tim_nicholls argues that whilst all eyes are on the marginals we ignore seats like Southend at our peril…

So, the conversation usually goes something like this: “Southend? What’s the point? Hell’ll freeze over before the Tories lose there.”

Southend (which is split into two constituencies) is apparently safe territory for the Tories. More than once Tory candidates have very literally inherited the seat. But parts of Southend have unemployment at twice the national average and the difference in life expectancy between the rich and deprived parts of town is depressingly stark. The result is a political malaise in the town; progress at a national level does not translate to local action where it faces reticence and opposition from local decision makers.

So our role is to show that there is a positive alternative. On the doorstep, people hear this. Labour Councillors in the town are visibly hardworking, as are our PPCs: Kevin Bonavia and Tom Flynn – one, a former Young Fabian Chair, the other a former Exec member. In seats like Southend we’re the opposition, but we’re the opposition who actually want to make life better and fairer for all.

Southend residents don’t have any problem imagining what a Tory Government would look like. They see it and live it every day: failing public transport; a century-old market closed with 3 days’ notice; and the town centre’s pool closed. The response we get on the doorstep is increasingly that they would not wish it on the country. If people want better bus service; want local businesses supported; and decent accessible public amenities then the message from Southend is clear: vote for Labour.

In an election that is more than ever geared towards holding key seats, it may seem anathema to suggest devoting time to ‘safe Tory’ constituencies. And I may be biased: having grown up seeing Southend failed by its leaders. But I’m a member of the Labour party because I believe in our cause universally, not just in seats we already hold (vital though they are). I enjoy the fight in Southend: I think it should be Labour and I think we should be proud to fight for it.

Is it worth it? Well in 2005 in Rochford and Southend East, there was a swing from the Conservatives to Labour: just how many seats can say that?

If you got experiences from the front line of the campaign that you want to share then why not blog for us? Contact Vincenzo Rampulla at vrampulla@youngfabians.org.uk