How do you campaign successfully for three and a half years? That’s the task facing candidates and local parties that are part of Labour’s ‘early selection’ programme.

The contest is unlikely to take place before May 2015. Since the Lib Dems have already been prepared to ditch key policies on electoral reform and Europe, it’s difficult to imagine anything that would lead them to break up the coalition early.

The other factor is the Boundary Review. Among its other pernicious effects, this pits one MP against another in some neighbouring seats. So Labour has made a pragmatic decision to select early in a small number of ‘island’ constituencies where the Review’s result won’t affect a sitting MP.  For example, Redditch, Harlow and Thurrock have already selected, and more will follow in early 2012.

The winners at the last election give a clue to how the long campaign can operate successfully. If you speak to members of Oxford East CLP they’ll tell you they’re out campaigning most weekends, and the reason they do it is that they’re inspired by the indefatigable Andrew Smith. Likewise in Edgbaston where, against the odds, Gisela Stuart built up a winning team of supporters.

The longer the campaign, the greater the opportunity; you can knock on an awful lot of doors if you start early. But if it’s just a hard slog, campaigning can become dispiriting, and it’s organisation and leadership which make the difference. For example:

•    Organiser input: during the last election, teams that worked closely with their regional organisers did better. Labour doesn’t have the resources to run local campaigns but they can give invaluable help with media, visits, print and other resources. Early selection will leverage this support.

•    Neutralising the incumbency factor: the opportunity to become visible in the constituency is crucial, and good candidates are already well known via their political or community work. As for the opposition, some of the incumbents are effective, others less so. Not all of the recent crop of Tory MPs have settled down well in Westminster or with their local associations, and these individuals are vulnerable.

•    Working with other elections: these provide added motivation and candidate contribution. Labour is likely to pick up more council seats and we need to harness the ambitions of local election candidates. Likewise, with the Euro elections – for all the difficulties in Europe, we should do better in these elections next time and need to work with our representatives to increase the numbers of seats. In return, we can draw on our MEPs’ valuable organisational skills and political advice.

•    Local campaigns: these are crucial – if you campaign around ‘the NHS’ it’s boring whereas if you campaign to keep a hospital ward open it means something to people. The same goes for a bus route, or a nursery.  Added time can provide opportunities to bring local campaigns to fruition and see results.

•    Reviving the CLPs: Labour activists are prepared to knock on hundreds of doors but they want, and deserve, more than this. Where CLPs are moribund it’s vital to revive them, and in particular our tradition of political discussion, debate and social activity. In this connection, it’s good that the NPF seems to be creaking back into life at the moment.

The long campaign will have its high points, but there will be setbacks. Good local leadership means maintaining morale. One of the low points, for example, could be the result of the Boundary Review. Submissions in some areas may bring about a marginal improvement for some of our constituencies but the revised proposals that emerge later next year will still be difficult for Labour.

And at times, local activists will get hacked off with the leadership. There’s nothing wrong with that – if there are legitimate criticisms, they should be voiced.  But good leaders will prevent a negative mindset developing and keep campaigning. Andrew and Gisela proved that you can do it.

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James Valentine is a councillor in Bedford and member of Labour’s Education and Skills Policy Commission

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Photo: Peter Lewis