Sunday, April 25, 2010

A Lesson From UKIP

I was sitting outside The Griffin after Brentford's 1-1 draw with Yeovil yesterday when the UKIP PPC for Brentford+Isleworth, Jason Hargreaves, appeared. He was - shock, horror - talking to potential voters on a face-to-face basis.

Now I'm don't agree with UKIP's views on a number of things + having read through the Mini-Manifesto Jason gave me I could probably give you an exact count of those things I disagree with them on but the fact that he was on the ground talking to people, even people like me who clearly disagreed with him, gets people's attention. The bigger parties take their voters for granted. This wards Labour. This one is Tory. This road's Red. This one is blue but Jason's lesson - and I saw it working - was that the best way to get people to vote for you is to get on the ground and talk to them. In the places they work, drink and talk.

Now I can hear the sniffier amongst you suggesting that football fans are obviously ideal fodder for UKIP. But they are not. Not everyone agreed with his views but they all gave him credit for making an effort.

So if I were the Tory or Labour strategist I'd get your people on the ground. Talk to people. Jason's time in the Griffin probably got him more votes than the two massive anti-Gordon Brown poster that pollute the Cricklewood Broadway will get the Tories.

Yes, you'll get some abuse. Yes, you'll get some awkward questions but if you are too frightened to talk to your electorate face-to-face why are you in politics at all? Politics is nothing if it is not an attempt to change people's lives for the better. However you think that might be done.

Unless of course politics is the only thing you know. You've done student politics, local council and now you've got your shot at national politics. Then what do you know of your electorate?

To paraphrase 'What do they know of England that only politics know?'