The shortage of safe seats for would-be Labour MPs at the next general election will make the forthcoming selections hard-fought. As I discovered, if you want to be an MP these days, you need to be inexhaustible and have skin as tough as an elephant.
Forget shopping, socialising and TV; your task until selection day is to sell, sell, sell – yourself! Oh and, by the way, you are about to become mortal enemies with your fellow candidates. If you aren’t prepared for this, ask yourself – have you got the motivation to win?
The selection process is now a two-stage affair. You need sufficient support amongst party activists to get some branch nominations in order to be interviewed for the shortlist. But then, remember, it’s a one-member-one-vote ballot. Not only do you have to convince the activists, you also have to meet as many members as you can. Every vote counts! Which means knocking on doors: come rain, come shine.
Hard work? Only the hardest, most gruelling thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve been campaigning in elections since before I could vote. Worth it? Definitely, for me – it’s a real privilege to be in Westminster representing people, but not everybody likes it. So before you set out on this road, be sure you really want to do it. Remember, when the going gets tough, the harder your selection, the better story you’ll have to tell when you meet other new MPs two or three years from now.