Campaign for the Labour Party.

[kittens]

tonight's session: thought it started at 18:00 and arrived 5 minutes late to discover it actually started at 1730. rang lead contact, no answer. stood about for 20 minutes. walking home now. i swear i will do some actual canvassing before the election.

[drummersaredeaf]

Picture of seats tipped to go to the Tories by the MRP model last night: https://mobile.twitter.com/YouGov/status/1199821561773068289/photo/1

If anyone lives near these you know what you need to do

But I have so much to live for!

[hamfist]

My time is so short these days but I have booked polling day off work.

What's the best thing I can do with it ? I'll throw my vote in first thing, then spend the day helping. Knocking doors & reminding people to get out ? Hire a Rickshaw and get fuckers to the booth ?

[Buelligan]

What are thoughts on stickers? On the verge of getting a few hundred (maybe 50 of 8 different designs) printed up to stick on lamposts, the train and bus stops etc but am concerned that it may backfire and get considered graffiti? Is there any evidence of what kind of postering/ stickers/ campaign stuff like that is most effective?

Speaking entirely for myself, I really hate them and do think they amount to vandalism/graffiti.  I know when some neo-nazis did a small bit of stickering in my village I nearly had an aneurysm.  If I could've caught them, I would've made them genuinely full of remorse. Crobbins certainly isn't the same as Génération identitaire, nevertheless, I really think it could make some people upset who otherwise might feel quite open to a bit of rampant Marxism.

[holyzombiejesus]

Getting really pissed off with Dialogue today. For some reason, I've been getting loads of numbers that automatically block us and so it goes to voicemail automatically. I guess this should be logged as 'bad number' but it takes so long to disconnect the call that I'm leaving long silent messages on people's phones whilst I wait. I've generally been trying to make all my phone calls within the one call to Dialogue (if that makes sense) but am starting to think it would be better to just hang up on my phone after each call. Any ideas?

[kitsofan34]

Yes, I often have calls that either have issues with the voice mail (which Dialogue explicitly forbids) or where people have their calls screened. It's frustrating and I don't know if there is a solution. When it goes to either of the aformentioned results, I tend to log it as "unavailable/engaged" and click "call number", which sometimes helps return you to the ambient music neutral space. Does that make any sense?

[holyzombiejesus]

Yeah, it does. There's just that lag which is so clunky so that when you save the response (bad number/ engaged etc) it takes a while to disconnect the call. Then if you try and disconnect the call by using your phone, it can disconnect you from the next caller that Dialogue brings up. I guess we're generally talking about the same thing but it's really frustrating. Don't want to be a downer but I've found many aspects of the campaign really frustrating; my local party won't go along with even asking if people want to do early evening sessions. Just because they're old women who are scared of slipping on leaves, doesn't mean the rest of us are. Then when I try and focus on Dialogue it's as clunky as fuck. Only done 100 today and wanted to get loads more in than that. An elderly relative died a couple of weeks ago so can use that as an excuse to WFH on Monday and do some more but it just feels like there's so much more we could do. Wish I lived somewhere that did stuff like Pancreas is doing with the beer mats and did with the voter registration. Instead I'm just ringing tories in fucking Dover on a system that doesn't feel fit for purpose. May just be me, don't let it put anyone else off. Rant over.

[kitsofan34]

It's especially odd considering the party has been desperate for an election since the last one, so presumably would have been focusing on putting the infastructure in place. Sanders campaign stateside for example has spent the years since the last campaign to get everything sorted and are praised for having a far more organised and improved infastructure set up.

[holyzombiejesus]

With the local party it's really the fault of the members, I guess. I can criticise the retired headmistresses in charge but they're in charge and able to shape the party because so few members show up. I'm 50 next year and I'm one of the youngest at our meetings. then again, why turn up when your input isn't particularly valued?

I need to stop moaning, it's not a good look when trying to win an election.

[pancreas]

Ask them for a board to run yourself. Then put an event into mycampaignmap and see who turns up.

If they refuse to do this then call up regional office and tell them you're not being allowed to run a board.

[Blinder Data]

V odd that your CLP isn't putting on early evening sessions, I would've thought that they would be the ones most people can attend. 

[pancreas]

He's right. It's fucking old people wanting to get home to their boiled vegetables.

[pancreas]

M'Bro today.

[holyzombiejesus]

He's right. It's fucking old people wanting to get home to their boiled vegetables.

...whilst not wanting to relinquish their power locally. I'm being a bit unfair and I know I keep coming back to the retired teachers stuff but you should hear the way they address us when setting up canvassing.

Went to that Market Research thing today. Turns it was organised by The Times and we were all photographed for the digital edition and possibly print next week. There were around 200 of us all split in to regional groups and then sent round rooms to be observed discussing the election. There were some real cunts in my group, particularly one I called Mr Received Wisdom. He even stole a 'witty comment' from this week's question time. He also said "if 85% of Jewish people feel that Labour are anti-semitic then we are compelled to listen to them". He really used "compelled", the horrible grey polo-shirt wearing cunt. He thinks he'll vote libdem even though Labour are only 300 votes behind the tories in his constituency.  Eurgh. Then there was an Irish guy who seemed to think that because he was softly spoken then he was the voice of reason and could speak with authority on how Corbyn had nothing to do with the peace process.

The journalists seemed quite keen on foisting the whole 'what a terrible state we're in' thing on proceedings and I'm sure that will be the main focus when the articles are published. I tried to sound 'undecided' but with a Labour bias at first but then fucked it off and went full Corbyn when they suggested that both leaders were appalling. The Times guy wrote down a comment I made about how even if you disagree with Corbyn and don't like his methods, you have to admit that he's passionate and genuinely believes in trying to make the country better and fairer for it's people, and that he has a vision, whereas Johnson doesn't give a flying fuck and is just in this because it's what his lot do.

We talked about Brexit a lot and everyone apart from me agreed that it was all about that. One dickhead said that we needed to get it done and their might be some short-term pain, and I got a bit angry about that, pointing out that the people who would suffer this 'short-term pain' couldn't take any more pain, they were on their knees and would really suffer, and that it was a pretty glib statement to make. That shut the stupid cow up. It got written down by the journalist too.

The best person was a woman who had always voted tory but had friends who worked in schools, social care, NHS and had begged her not to. She was the most positive about Corbyn and agreed that he was genuine about wanting to improve people's lives. Reminded me how important it is to speak with friends and share your experiences.

No-one mentioned the Brexit Party. Libdems openly laughed at (apart from by Mr Received Wisdom).

So I'm glad I did it and could at least provide a pro-Corbyn voice, although I imagine it'll be edited out in favour of people tutting about how rubbish the leaders are.

Oh yeah, we also had to fill in these questionnaires. We had to say which animal Johnson, Corbyn, Swinson and Farage would be (I said snake, dog, tic and cockroach respectively) and which characters from the nativity (Herod, Joseph, sheep and Inn-Keeper).

I spoke to one of the Times journalists at the break and he said they'd done an interview with Jennifer Arcuri this morning and she's this far *finger and thumb a centimetre apart* from admitting they had an affair. I wanted to ask them what the pressure was like to be disparaging about Labour but was too much of a coward and was worried about getting asked to leave.

[LynnBenfield69]

Genuinely think I turned around a couple of wavering Lib Demmers while doorknocking in London yesterday. For every person unwilling to have any kind of conversation there was usually a Waller-Bridge type unsure how they were going to vote and asking for my pitch. I've got it finessed down to the following:

Brexit - if you're against Brexit only a Labour win will guarantee a 2nd ref. Corbyn's neutral position is the only one that recognises the 50/50 split in society and removes his personal popularity/unpopularity from boosting/poisoning one side or the other.

Climate Change - it's probably already too late to really solve this one but a Labour win + a left-wing Democrat win in the US is the only chance of turning the tide via the Green New Deal. What kind of world do you want your children to grow up in?

Public services - the austerity forced on us by the last Lib Deb/Tory coalition was a political choice. If it wasn't then why can we still afford tax breaks for big business and the 1%? It's normal to tax and borrow in order to invest in our economies and not doing so costs far more in the long run. The scale of Labour's ambition merely reflects the extent of the damage.


Stick that up yer dojo.

[pancreas]

Up north I do jobs and investment instead of climate change.

[holyzombiejesus]

Judging from yesterday's canvassing, I think the LibDem vote is going to collapse. Significant numbers willing to vote for us to get rid of the tory.

[TrenterPercenter]

Brexit - if you're against Brexit only a Labour win will guarantee a 2nd ref. Corbyn's neutral position is the only one that recognises the 50/50 split in society and removes his personal popularity/unpopularity from boosting/poisoning one side or the other.

Just to add to this but it is good to say that remaining neutral is the only way that Corbyn can go into negotiations in a meaningful way.  This is good for leavers as generally they are more scared of the EU than Labour so explain how in order to get a better deal we have to ensure that the EU can not rely on us not campaigning for our own deal.  This is in fact the real way to negotiate as...

"just like if you were playing poker, you don't show your cards to everyone before you play"

[greencalx]

Yes, that makes more sense than "Show you're willing to fold".

[pancreas]

Hello.

Just a friendly reminder that we have under 10 days to save the world.

[Pie Pie Eater]

Are we not meant to persuade people on the Dialogue app? Was just looking at the FAQ (have not done this yet because it's taken me this long to log in to my labour account).

[pancreas]

Lots of complaints about it. Give it a try, but probably best to carpool to a marginal, or hand out leaflets at a train station etc...

[Pie Pie Eater]

Fair enough - I'm in a marginal but was just wondering how I could best help out nationally when I'm stuck at home. It's a bit frustrating that the canvassing sessions here are at 2pm and 6pm, the latter of which I can almost never make.

[pancreas]

Fair enough - I'm in a marginal but was just wondering how I could best help out nationally when I'm stuck at home. It's a bit frustrating that the canvassing sessions here are at 2pm and 6pm, the latter of which I can almost never make.

Well yeah, try it. Or call the CLP people and ask for a board to run on your own at 11am or whenever.

[holyzombiejesus]

Managed to convince an 84 year old LibDem woman to seriously consider voting for us by nipping home and bringing her some blue bin liners.

[Buelligan]

You didn't put them over her head, did you?

[kitsofan34]

What are the ethics for the official campaign if I get involved in distributing these kinds of things, do you think?

https://twitter.com/darren_cullen/status/1201585383097720837

https://twitter.com/darren_cullen/status/1201612688746590209

[idunnosomename]

the tory bus shelter poster is a bit dodgy imo. i mean I wouldnt chastise you for doing a guerilla post of it but i wonder how effective it would be

i love the corbgoblin beermats though

[Buelligan]

The beer mats would be much better without the "Toryboy", I don't know why they put that in it's sexist and IMO, too aggressive.

[idunnosomename]

it's a reference to the (retired?) Hobgoblin campaign of "Afraid you might taste something, Lagerboy?" crossed with the Harry Enfield character. it's kind of perfect but yeah