THE ELECTION COUNTDOWN BEGINS

By Alan O’Kelly  

We have 9 days to go until the General Election. 

Up and down the country thousands of candidates and activists are braving the cold, ice and darkness to knock on doors, stand outside train stations talking to voters and hoping that their message connects with the electorate. Parliament was officially dissolved on 6th November, meaning we are now about two thirds through the campaign. At this point all main parties have published their manifestos, we have seen a number of debates between the party leaders, and postal voters have already started casting their ballots. While 9 days may not seem like a long time to change a campaign, as has been noted over and over again ‘a week is a long time in politics’.  So what do the three main parties have to do between now and Election Day.

Conservatives

For Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party the approach is relatively straightforward- don't mess it up!  Polls put the Conservatives anywhere between 7-13 points ahead of Labour. Recent YouGov research suggests that, at the moment, the Tories could be set for a majority of 60 plus seats. Throughout the campaign, almost all polls have put the party consistently ahead of Labour. However, candidates, activists and the party leadership will be nervous, they have heard this story before in 2017 and that ended in a hung parliament. Politics is littered with stories about parties and candidates were certain to win right up to the moment their opponent is declared the winner. For the Tories, the focus will be on Brexit and NHS.

Labour Party

In 2017 Labour went from being 20 points behind the Conservatives at the outset of that campaign, they managed to pull nearly level. Their 2019 campaign has not really matched that campaign. Polls have shown them consistently behind the Conservatives. In fairness, some of this is due to the Conservative campaign that is more disciplined and focussed leaving little opportunity to exploit their opponent’s weaknesses. But equally, it appears that their neutral message on Brexit is failing to connect with the electorate.  Labour need to ensure leave voters don't desert them to the Conservative Party which appears to be happening.  Labour now reckon that they will pick up seats in London at the expense of the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats; they will now focus on shoring up their support in leave voting constituencies.

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrat campaign has really not caught fire, and will it ever?  

From the outset they made the decision to focus the campaign on their newly installed leader, Jo Swinson and unfortunately it hasn't really worked yet. Instead a recent survey showed that the more voters saw of Jo Swinson, the less they liked her.  For the Liberal Democrats there is a real need to break through to the electorate. Recent polls make for grim reading for the Lib Dems, showing that they may be unlikely to make huge gains.  In fairness to the Liberal Democrats, they are not trying to win seats in every constituency. Their aim is to turn out their votes in key seats across London and the South East of the country. If they can get their voters to the polls, and capitalise on less than stellar Labour campaign, they can still win a significant number of seats. Expect to see a lot of focus on key seats in  Richmond, Putney and Finchley and Golders Green.

Images Image Credit - Wikipedia

Boris Johnson This file is licensed under the United Kingdom Open Government Licence v3.0

J. Corbyn and J.Swinson - Chris McAndrew, Official Portraits

THE CAMPAIGN SURVIVAL GUIDE

By Selina Seesunkur

Whether you are campaigning during an election or fighting for an ongoing cause, canvassing is generally a must-do. Here are some essential tips to help you whether you are knocking on doors or standing in your local town square.

Image: Classically Printed

Stay hydrated

Speaking to people for a few hours can be thirsty work. It is important that you stay hydrated.

In the interest of being environmental, we recommend using a reusable water bottle

Take Notes

You will be asked to record key information, pen and paper is always handy!

Image: Engin Akyurt

Image: StockSnap

Pucker up

Dry lips can be uncomfortable, carry lip balm on you, especially on those cold winter days, after all, you need your mouth for talking!

Image: Pexels

Weather-Ready

You never know whether it is going to rain or shine, you have a couple of options here

• Carry an umbrella

• Wear a cap

• Wear a rain poncho with hood.

Image: Simis1

 Minty Fresh Breath

There is nothing worse than talking to a person with bad breath. Don’t let that person be you.

Hours of talking, lack of hydration or you might have simply eaten lunch, can all lead to bad breath, drink plenty and carry mints on you, just in case.

Be Bacteria Free

With the spread of flu in the winter months, hand sanitisers help to deter the spread of germs and illness-causing bacteria

A tissue is also a good idea in case you do get a cold while you are out.

Image: Xavier Vandeputte

Image: Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke

Stay Charged

There are a number of reasons for keeping your phone charged. The first is for your safety,  if you are using a location tracker your teammates can find you if you get separated from them. But you may also find that there are Apps in the market that help you record the information you collect from your canvassing session. Finally, photos are a great way of showing how active you are and raising awareness for your cause. We encourage you to carry a small USB battery pack or power bank. 

Image: N/A

Mind your back

Worn across your upper body to ensure you do not get backache, this bag is ideal for carrying campaign leaflets.  You can also hang your water bottle from the strap.

Image: Tero Vesalainen

Let them know who you are

When approaching the public it is a good idea to let them know who you are and what group or cause you are campaigning for. Either carry business cards, a badge which identifies the group you are with or literature which outlines the nature of the organisation that you represent

VOTE FOR YOUR LIFE

By Ellie Varley

Launched in April 2019, Vote For Your Future is a cross-party campaign with the sole purpose of ensuring that more young people are registering to vote and participating in the democratic process. Recent analysis by the youth-led campaign, Vote For Your Future shows that record levels of young people, are finding their political voice, and are registering to vote.

When young people reach voting age most are going through significant change, for example, moving to University, moving out, starting their first job or sometimes a combination of all. All of these changes are affected by Politics in some shape or form - from paying University fees to the introduction of Apprenticeships or Zero Contract Hours, therefore it is important young people contribute to democracy in an informed way. With the twist and turmoil to the political landscape brought on by Brexit, this is more important than ever and it would appear Brexit has encouraged more young people to find their voice and join the debate.

Joining Vote for Your Future was something of the utmost importance to me. Not only am I working to ensure that more people my age, engage in politics and voting - something I view as second nature, but I am also working with activists from various parties and Brexit campaigns to create positive change. It is giving me a well-rounded experience.

For those that cannot understand why I continue to vote, and to those who say: “I don’t vote, my vote doesn’t count to anything’, I want to explain why voting is important to me as a young person.

Voting is the first step in our democracy and is right we take for granted. By participating in local elections to elect your Local Councillor you are determining how much council tax you pay, how that money is spent, and whether your bins are collected weekly or monthly. At a national level, when you vote for your Member of Parliament or Party, you are voting on laws, and policies which govern the Country. Whether you are passionate about climate change or low level letterboxes - your vote shapes your future. Every election is shaped by those who turn up.

Young people have consistently fallen short at the ballot box and Vote For Your Future has started to change that.

We understand that political engagement and understanding is synonymous with political investment. When questioned, those who chose not to vote often claim that they don’t understand who to vote for. For this reason, I would like to see more education in schools and information in the public domain, even if it is as basic as how to vote. I feel this would bring confidence to young people, so they get out to the ballot booth and feel they can make an informed decision.

We are constantly talked about as the reason for MPs voting a certain way to protect our futures, as opposed to spoken to. This approach needs to change. Those who will inherit the future determined by MPs in Westminster should be out there shaping it. Our campaign has reached out to other youth campaigns across the country and have support from UK Youth, My Life My Say, Students For Brexit, Shoutout UK and Our Future Our Choice.

Our message is simple: “We as a generation have the power to change the course of history, and the first step we can take in doing so is to vote”.