The bad news is it will probably be the toughest thing you ever do in politics. The good news is you only have to strike lucky once. I’m talking about the parliamentary selection process.
I’ve seen normal, rational people turn into bitter, angry and twisted people over the process. I’ve also seen good, able people come through it, without a safe seat but with a wealth of experience and new friends that will help them in their future careers – in politics or otherwise.
If you’re about to become a Labour member of parliament, in all honesty you’re likely to have one of the following things going for you. You will have strong local roots and a body of support in your chosen constituency. Or you’ll be well connected to the party hierarchy.
Although rare, it is possible to buck this trend: in my case, I had a lot of luck and, in Usdaw, a trade union backer that gave me the confidence to have a serious crack at it. If you’re the local ‘son’ or ‘daughter’, you’ll have the added pressure of local enmities. If you’re the special adviser with a swanky London postcode you’ll have the disadvantage of being tagged a careerist looking