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March 28, 2024, 09:57:32 PM

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Campaign for the Labour Party.

Started by holyzombiejesus, July 28, 2019, 06:11:51 PM

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holyzombiejesus

In the light of the widespread dismay and the impending general election, I thought it might be worth starting a thread for those who campaign or are tempted to campaign for Labour.

Quote from: pancreas on July 28, 2019, 02:48:47 PM
There's a lot of doomsaying here. Buck up---Hammond now conspiring with Starmer to fuck up Boris, GE a real possibility, and we've got plenty more experience campaigning with a huge grassroots base. Labour landslide.

I've been a Labour member for years now but have only ever gone round posting leaflets. The village where I live had a council by-election on Thursday and Labour lost the seat to the Lib Dems, partly because no tory stood so all the conservatives tactically voted for the enablers and partly, in the words of the local chair, because we don't have enough people who are prepared to knock on doors. This was also said at our local branch meeting the other day. If you're anything like me (and, I suspect, the majority of people on here) the thought of knocking on doors and trying to discuss politics with a stranger is absolutely terrifying. So so far out of my comfort zone. But I'm going to have to. In a way, I'm lucky as even though I live in a tory constituency, it's a marginal and they only have a majority of about 600. So that's just over 300 people that we need to change their minds and campaigning can make such a huge difference. 

Anyway, thought it maybe useful to be able to discuss it on here and share ideas or concerns. I'm interested in whether Labour and Momentum organise different campaigning 'courses' or strategies. I'm also wondering if it's worth, on a local level, arranging some kind of drive to get younger members to pledge campaign more. Feels a bit hypocritical seeing as I've only ever tootled round on my bike shoving bits of paper through letter boxes but this coming election, quite possibly within the next 5 months, is genuinely going to change the country and I feel we need to be as ready as possible.

mothman

Good luck. Civil servant, so can't, but that's an excuse really as I'm firmly in the "never talking to anybody ever unless I have to" camp.

kittens

gonna have to fuckin well do this aren't i. fuck's sake. enough on my plate as it is. gonna have go and talk to all the wonks at the local labour party and give up my weekends to do this bullshit. how do i even get started. fuck's sake

TrenterPercenter

I'll campaign for the Labour Party when that awful Corbin admits he had a stroke and sucked Hamas off.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Quote from: kittens on July 28, 2019, 07:40:22 PM
gonna have to fuckin well do this aren't i. fuck's sake. enough on my plate as it is. gonna have go and talk to all the wonks at the local labour party and give up my weekends to do this bullshit. how do i even get started. fuck's sake

Press buttons
Turn up
Get bored
Do what they ask unless it's centrist

Pretty much

ZoyzaSorris

Yes, unfortunately it'll be a nightmare but we're all going to have to do it, otherwise we're all fucked (meaning humanity). Slowly trying to gear up for it. Join up (preferably Momentum too) and get ready, dickheads.

I volunteered a bit when I was massively under-employed. I became far less anxious door knocking soon after discovering the vast majority of punters - even in North London - knew far, far less about British politics than I did and I'd only lived in the UK a few months. And for every one person who called me a cunt and slammed the door there were at least ten who were quite happy to have an earnest, if misinformed, conversation about the state of their country.

I doubt I won many converts but on a selfish level it felt like I was contributing, and giving it go in the first place is 90% of the effort after all. I can't do it now as a civil servant but making sure this coming election delivers a victory for Labour is obviously pretty important if you value, ya know, life.


Sebastian Cobb

I'm going to claim I don't have to do this because up in Scotland there's the SNP and none of you know me well enough to assert that I wouldn't be arsed if I lived south of the border.

holyzombiejesus

Quote from: kittens on July 28, 2019, 07:40:22 PM
gonna have to fuckin well do this aren't i. fuck's sake. enough on my plate as it is. gonna have go and talk to all the wonks at the local labour party and give up my weekends to do this bullshit. how do i even get started. fuck's sake

It's not half as bad as you imagine it is. I really enjoy attending mine and was terrified beforehand. At the last meeting I went to, we had a talk by a self-regarding Scouser ("Jeremy Corbyn reminds me of my very good friend Ricky Tomlinson") about how to combat the far-right, a member kicking off about all this "made up anti-Semitism" (along with gasps by some members) and another man saying that "we shouldn't be throwing milkshakes at Tommy Robinson. *pause* We should be throwing half-enders." Then we agreed a motion (despite some wet lettuces trying to amend) that basically called for the NEC to discipline Tom Watson. Not sure what others' experiences are but everyone seemed friendly but not overbearingly so. It was nice to be around socialists.

I think Pancreas will know more but if face-to-face stuff really isn't your cup of tea (and it isn't mine), you can do it over the phone via some app.

José

i have a very abrasive personality and a tendency to shout and spit on people i consider beneath me. i'd volunteer for the cons, to sabotage them but i'm afraid it'd backfire spectacularly and the tory scum in this constituency would elect me.

joking aside, i'm helping our ward secretary with paperwork and will be leafleting while pretending to be a deafmute.

Twit 2

My attitude to any stranger knocking on my door who doesn't have a parcel is FUCK OFF so I can't imagine anything more shitty than doing it to other people. What are the other ways to campaign that don't involve this?

I'd quite like to discredit my Tory MP in some way, eg by putting up flyers everywhere with his voting record etc. I assume I'd get into trouble with that, though.

mothman

My wife knows - or used to - our local Tory MP. The stories she could tell. Though given what he's been up to since the last election, maybe all that will bite him on the arse. A decent candidate from another party could have a field day.

BlodwynPig

Seem to be a fair few CaB wives who know/worked for Tory MPs...i'd be worried if i were you

holyzombiejesus

Quote from: Twit 2 on July 28, 2019, 10:11:55 PM
My attitude to any stranger knocking on my door who doesn't have a parcel is FUCK OFF so I can't imagine anything more shitty than doing it to other people. What are the other ways to campaign that don't involve this?

I'd quite like to discredit my Tory MP in some way, eg by putting up flyers everywhere with his voting record etc. I assume I'd get into trouble with that, though.

Get people signed up to vote. My local had an evening where a couple of volunteers with laptops registered people to vote and the newly registered people got a free pint. Obviously not everyone lives near a pub as great as that ensuring as many likely Labour voters can actually vote would be incredibly valuable.
As for your 2nd paragraph, that sounds great. Not sure how effective posters are though. Are there any reports on most effective ways of reaching the electorate?

pancreas

This is all good stuff. I'll post more tomorrow, need a proper keyboard.

pancreas

1. Registering people to vote. This is indeed very important. Good to hear there are pubs getting in on the action, and I'm sure there are some in the Ouseburn in Newcastle that would be very happy to help do something like that. Some of the owners are Labour members. With Momentum we organised student registrations which is always worthwhile since they move so often, so need to reregister. Set up a stall outside the student union with a laptop and did people that way. Worth remembering that students can vote in their home constituency or their study one, so worth checking which is the most likely marginal (probably the home one).

2. Door-knocking. Some stuff here from the last time.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=455689248109801

Corbyn is right. If you actually get into a conversation you just have to say why you would vote Labour. I've been toying with some more subtle approaches, e.g. opening with 'Can I ask you for your current feelings about politics, thinking about the next general election?' as a strategy to pull them into a conversation, not initially mentioning Labour. One of the main things to do is to agree with people, not in an insipid way, but to pivot the conversation into something you want to talk about.

e.g. BUT WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS WHY WON'T CORBYN PUSH THE BUTTON.

'I agree with you that defence of the realm is extremely important. One of the things Labour is promising is far more in the way of conventional troops. The problem with nuclear weapons is that you can never really use them so it's much more important ...'

There are loads of little techniques like this, anecdotalising things, talking about yourself. This is the sort of thing that should be explained in good Momentum meetings. The standard LP approach is: 'are you voting for us?' 'Thanks for your time.' And that's no way to run a fucking ballroom.

3. Dialogue app. Sometimes phone convos work better with people because they're more willing to tell you what they think. You can do this from the comfort of your desk at work, or mobile at home.

4. Local LP meetings. Depends entirely on the CLP/Branch you go to. Some are pretty inspiring and left-wing, others are suffused with people for whom politics is a hobby/side-line, deeply factional and don't know or care about anything political, merely how they will get on the next step towards being an MP. But you should go along and see what's happening. Usually there will be at least one obvious lefty who will be able to direct you appropriately.

holyzombiejesus

Do Momentum and Labour run separate local campaigns? I presume they generally do. How does their approach differ? Also, is there any decent research about what works and doesn't?

One thing that struck me recently (at last!) is that there's a huge degree of personal responsibility in this. It's fine feeling anxious about door-knocking or that you're too busy but this coming election will be a genuinely defining one and we could genuinely shape what happens, so I think we just have to bite the bullet. As important as it is to read my little boy his bedtime story or take him out to Eureka on a Saturday, what happens to the country around him for the rest of his life needs to be a priority. Equally, a few butterflies and a knotted stomach would be worth it if it meant getting rid of this vile vicious government. I don't want to be there wringing my hands the day after the next election after having sat on my arse for the duration of the campaign. I also feel that it could be made easier to take that step and a drive or launch to reach out to members to tell them they are needed, and a plan to make it easier for them to engage and campaign locally would be valuable. I've just volunteered to try and do some kind of re-launch/ re-engagement thing for my local party; we have 370 members in a small town and we could be so more visible and pro-active. That photo of Johnson's new cabinet should be enough to get people banging on doors although I imagine many don't want to go any further than giving their £6 each month.

Oh, and there's this tonight. 'Webinar' ffs.

https://events.labour.org.uk/event/278155?fbclid=IwAR2WR5nuhCsqzQPvGc_JLDSdLlTksZIXfwAZUr46cX7fQjqViiFLmhCh-lw

BlodwynPig

Rather humorously

Webinar

QuoteNot sure where that is? Click here to see it on Google Maps.

Twit 2

One thing that appeals to me is making a flyer that outlines my MP's voting record and underneath a basic summary of some of Labour's manifesto. Links to theyworkforyou and the manifesto for further reading. I think when confronted with the nasty shite the former stands for and the completely sensible stuff of the latter it's harder to argue against. I could bung that in letterboxes round my way.

Suki Bapswent

Quote from: holyzombiejesus on July 29, 2019, 12:25:48 PM
One thing that struck me recently (at last!) is that there's a huge degree of personal responsibility in this. It's fine feeling anxious about door-knocking or that you're too busy but this coming election will be a genuinely defining one and we could genuinely shape what happens, so I think we just have to bite the bullet.

I think a lot will come down to how people who're brave enough to try this are trained and prepared. The number of voters who can swing a seat are few and far between. Even in marginal seats there are still the stalwart blues and unless voter targeting is being done in a smart/dark/winnable way, randomly knocking on random doors is going to get demoralising pretty quickly.

I hope volunteers are helped to understand that rejection, even mockery and abuse of Labour MP's or leadership, isn't personal and doesn't reflect on their approach. People who say such things are merely self-identifying as voters to move on from and get to somebody who might be willing to consider changing their mind or making an effort to vote.

holyzombiejesus

Just found this.

Quote
Sign up below to start receiving our regular training bulletins, with all the latest information about which sessions are available. They range from a great interactive session welcoming new members and chatting about where to get started, through to specific advice about roles you can take on within the Labour Party.

https://donation.labour.org.uk/page/signup/weekly-bulletin-training-subscribe


Armin Meiwes

Did this (door knocking) at the last election, yeah like most people here I felt veeeerrrrry anxious beforehand as it's definitely out of my comfort zone but actually you get used to it v quickly, and pretty blasé after youve done a few doors (although first couple of doors each session still always felt a bit nervy). Having said that the idea at least where I live isn't really about trying to change people's minds as much as trying to get the vote out so it's more seeing which way people are planning on voting making a note and then people go out on election day knocking on those doors that said they were voting LAB to remind them to vote. You get v few dickheads or arguments, even most people who are BLATANTLY going to vote Tory just look a bit embarrassed and go "I'd prefer not to say" when you ask them their voting intentions.

Mobbd

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on July 28, 2019, 09:29:04 PM
I'm going to claim I don't have to do this because up in Scotland there's the SNP and none of you know me well enough to assert that I wouldn't be arsed if I lived south of the border.

I understand this. There's little point campaigning in a constituency that is strongly held by a party other than Labour. Even if it were winnable, there are less energy-intensive ways to claim a seat for Labour. So:

Why not do an organised CaB Meet in a marginal constituency on the run-up to the next GE, with the express purpose of swinging said marginal? Members could descend on the unsuspecting hood, lend each other the emotional support to actually knock on doors, change some minds or get the Labour vote out, and then drink ourselves unconscious.

Is this sort of thing -- campaining in a constituency where you don't live -- allowed?

Here is a list of Labour target seats: http://www.electionpolling.co.uk/battleground/targets/labour

Look to the top ten blue seats and note how tenuous the Tory grip of those seats is. A Labour gain of 31 votes (Southampton Itchen) or even 331 (Pudsey) is hardly insurmountable.

Toppling a Tory would be a good deed on any day, but doing so when their entire government hinges on a majority of one could, y'know, save the world.

(On the note of that majority of one, isn't there something more precise someone could do? Can one Tory MP -- before General Election time -- not be convinced to, say, defect or go Independent?)

pancreas

Great idea. Let's see if we get a GE called first, I suppose. I think Momentum were developing a door-knocking app so you could just do it yourself, I think.

Mr_Simnock

Quote from: holyzombiejesus on July 29, 2019, 12:25:48 PM
I don't want to be there wringing my hands the day after the next election after having sat on my arse for the duration of the campaign.
https://events.labour.org.uk/event/278155?fbclid=IwAR2WR5nuhCsqzQPvGc_JLDSdLlTksZIXfwAZUr46cX7fQjqViiFLmhCh-lw

or even far worse, being completely apathetic having not voted and then moaning the tories are in again, the worst of the get in grave cunts

Armin Meiwes

Labour REALLY need to sort themselves out technologically, they just get someone to come out with pages and pages of lists that your supposed to make notes on and then hand them in for someone to type up but as you get closer to election day it gets harder and harder to turn them round quickly enough, not to mention they regularly end up getting drenched in the rain, how they can still be doing it like that in 2019 I have no idea.

Pijlstaart

I was included on the local labour party's email list after I paid my £3 jezzaboo vote. We'd been boundary changed into a new constituency with a population center 30 miles away. The CLP head from my constituency had been boundary-changed too, and was clearly miffed to be back on a minor committee post and make a 60 mile round trip for meetings. He started chairing unofficial meetings and forwarded us all his long angry diatribes to members of head office demanding he stop misusing labour party data to advertise his new branch. Every few weeks there would be an "Incident at CLP - committee minutes" email in which he claimed to be bullied.

It was a mess, and now my £3 is used up I will sell the emails to the highest bidder to discredit the labour party. I am a libby now, my blood run yellow, like sweetest honey, my great golden wings emerge from the flames as I come back to you now reborn, I am resolute, and no man can stop me on my quest for compromise, mitigation and enablement. If you cross me, know this: I shall cling to your leg and let forth a mighty shriek!

José

Quote from: Armin Meiwes on August 14, 2019, 06:30:13 PM
Labour REALLY need to sort themselves out technologically, they just get someone to come out with pages and pages of lists that your supposed to make notes on and then hand them in for someone to type up but as you get closer to election day it gets harder and harder to turn them round quickly enough, not to mention they regularly end up getting drenched in the rain, how they can still be doing it like that in 2019 I have no idea.

the elderly are the only people who consistently vote and they're afraid of the ghosts that live inside computer machines.

holyzombiejesus

Boing.

Post ideas, encouragement, erm, other things.

Guess first thing is to try and get as many people as possible signed up.