Avoid blind loyalty and keep political parties guessing
IJUST heard a shadow minister call the recently declared Hartlepool by-election result ‘absolutely shattering.’
As this was the first time Hartlepool had ever elected anything but a Labour candidate I regarded it as something of an understatement.
The son of a committed union secretary I grew up in a house where staunch Labour supporters came and went like stray cats.
Some were bright interesting individuals others were not. Even as a teenager I could see some of the candidates crossing our door step were hopelessly inept.
“Who’s going to vote for him?” I would ask my dad in total disbelief.
“Everyone…
Labour man.”
At a very early age I learned imbeciles could he’s a be elected to office providing they were Labour.
Very occasionally there would be some young candidate questioning the party. They were dismissed as ‘uppity kids’.
I never saw one of them elected. Politicians took our Labour vote for granted and apart from elections rarely visited the constituency.
That was the pay-off for my father’s blind loyalty.
It appears Hartlepool voters resent their party’s neglect and deciding enough was more than enough voted Tory.
Trust me, I’ve been following politics since I was a kid (I had no choice) and blind loyalty to any party will guarantee you negligence. If you want to hold the attention of your elected leaders keep them guessing.
Never allow them to take your vote for granted.
You can email me at vicbarlow@ icloud.com