When the results were announced, and the BNP were squeezed to third place, losing every council seat, including that of their defacto London leader, London Assembly Member Richard Barnbrook, the media hysteria dried up. It seems that good news – Labour reconnecting with the community, is less newsworthy than bad news – potentially the first BNP council in the country.
While less newsworthy, it’s more important. Be in no doubt, it wasn’t that the BNP lost in Barking. It was that Labour won.
I stand back and look at the fight we have now and it’s much greater because all politicians are less trusted then they were 30 years ago, at the same time we live in a media world which sometimes acts like Chinese whispers and in turn distorts our message.
Yet, nationally as a party we’ve become lazy. We think that on the eve of an election we can buy billboards, post blogs, upload youtube clips, and the voters will come flocking. The slow, cumbersome and at times frustrating art of canvassing seems to be dying. And yet in Barking constituency, we did more than just canvass. We conversed. We built relationships; we knew the names of our voters, where they shopped, where they drank, and where their kids went to school.
By eve of poll, the contact rate in the ward where I was a candidate – fighting the local leader and London organiser of the BNP – had over an 80% contact rate. And that didn’t mean we’d had one conversation with 80% of our voters. It meant we’d had at least one conversation, and in most cases, several. And not just in the weeks or months leading up to the election, but the months and years, in my case four years. I’d delivered 1000s upon 1000s of letters, made 1000s of phone calls, and resolved 100s – of individual pieces of casework… While still a candidate.
It was hard work, but it was worth it. Yes, when Nick Griffin walked out of the count red faced and humiliated, but also several months on, when I can walk along my street in a cohesive, less aggressive community, where councillors are not playing on fear, but actually doing their job, making Barking and Dagenham a better place to live.
I want to take this message national. I want to see David Cameron and George Osborne walk out of Downing Street red-faced and humiliated. If that’s to happen, we as a Labour party need to start the hard work now. It’s a hell of an investment. But the rewards are endless.
If we want our local youth club, library, swimming pool, school playing field, primary care trust, social workers and many more to remain an integral part of our community, I passionately believe the best way to get out our message is face-to-face. We’ll increase our membership and rebuild the party from the community upwards. At the same time we will show we are once again listening and understanding the messages and concerns from our friends and neighbours. More importantly, we’ll be ready for the next election.
so AV will be replacing ‘old-fashioned community engagement’ then?
It appears that FPTP will be retained for Council elections or is it planned that every Council should have a third of its seats up for election every year or every Ward is altered to allow one councillor per Ward?
Darren, Indeed and unlike many you led by example. It was an incredible experience and in over two decades of delivering leaflets and knocking on doors around the country I can honestly say it was the most unique and special experience of my entire life. The volunteers from around the Labour movement were well organised and both you and Margaret Hodge were great. At a time when I was having a right go at MPs for letting the side down badly (and still do to a lesser extent until they democratise Labour and make it “modern”) you guys were delivering the goods. Normally I meet an MP and as I get to know him/her I get to like them less, I was very suspicious of Margaret but I can honestly say that she has certainly placed herself in my view and withstanding some dosagreements that are inevitable, amongst the best I have ever seen. Through grit, determination, patience when listening to the concerns of people and having the courage, when necessary to speak on behalf of her Constituents and take the storm of political correctness gone too far with dignity and decorum far better than I ever could has won the respect of many. It was an easy sell on the doorstep. The people here knew Margaret was on their side even when the National party, seemed to be on its own side and not on theirs. We are elected to represent people in our wards and in our Constituences and it is their interests that should always be of greatest concern to us. I can honestly say and I do not do flattery or sycophancy, in all honesty it was an absolute honour to work for you both in the election campaign and after the local elections in England and Wales I am hearing good news with similar words being used in Barking being used “revival”, “recovery” and that language has to be the language of the Labour Party for not just the next four years with the GLA, Euro and General Elections coming, it has to become the language of the Party for the next thrity years at least. Voter ID, a deep understanding of why our people and communities feel the way they do, maintaining strict rules on canvassing for elected reps (including me), helping build local teams to support each other and overcome mobility and travel problems where relevant for sessions on the doorstep. Because the doorstep is the key, make the doorstep your master and you’ll bring the Labour Party home lol. Well written Darren and well done in overcoming all the unpleasant hurdles thrown your way by the BNP and their less wholesome allies, Labour needs many more of you!
Only the rich can afford to be left wing.