This year’s elections for local councils and the European parliament are the most important for the party for decades. Why? Because they are a test of two things: whether the Labour party in government can withstand a rocky period and come out fighting; and whether the Tories under Michael Howard have really turned the corner and are a credible alternative government.
With the opinion polls showing a narrowing of Labour’s ten-year lead, and the Conservatives boosted by ditching IDS, these elections mark the return to a real political contest. That means that campaigning on the ground – what you and your local party do in the next few months – will make all the difference.
All campaigns need a plan. Without it, your campaign might waste effort and miss opportunities. Unless the plan is written down, it doesn’t really exist. Try to address these questions in your plan:
What is our aim? Do we want to win more seats on the council and, if so, which ones should we target? Are we defending our existing seats? Do we want to recruit more members, and get our existing members to be more active?
Who can help? Assemble your campaign team and volunteers. Don’t just rely on the GC and the branch officers who you see all year round. Elections can bring members out of the woodwork. Some people prefer canvassing to meetings.
What about other help – can the local unions help? Are there other Labour supporters who can be persuaded? You don’t have to be a member to help Labour in an election.
The fact is that Labour doesn’t have the resources or energy to go all out in all parts of the country. We have to target our efforts to get the best results.
How can the campaign effort be focused? How can we use the volunteers we have to best effect, and play to our strengths?
Every campaigner needs to have the answer to the question ‘what’s Labour ever done for me?’ Be ready to argue the case for the national minimum wage, the fall in unemployment, the extra billions for public services, and improvements to local schools, hospitals, roads and services for young people. Be prepared to defend Labour’s record of achievement – our enemies will be attacking us at every turn.
Leaflets? Posters? Newsletters? News releases? Telephone canvassing? Knocking on doors? Public meetings? Street stalls? Petitions? Blitzing? Stunts? Websites? The toolkit is full – you must decide what the best mix of activity is to get you noticed and to keep your campaign vibrant and lively.
Common sense must reign. No knocking on doors when the local football team has a crunch match, or during Sunday lunch, or after 9pm. No telephone canvassing at 7am. No leafleting a railway station after the rush hour. Time your activities to reach the most people.
Be clear about what you can realistically achieve and how to get there. If you set your sights too high, you risk disappointing people.
Try ‘low cost – high impact’ activities like street stalls, blitzing, media work and blogging to get the message out.
Don’t get drawn into long arguments on the doorstep about policy. Debating tuition fees with a voter might be fun, but won’t get a street canvassed.
Don’t abuse your volunteers’ good will – don’t assume people will do long hours with little thanks or without a cup of tea.
Celebrate afterwards with a party to say thanks and make the candidates write some ‘thank you’ notes.