"Nick Le Cornu knocked on my door and I might vote for him because he made the effort"
Thanks to Martin Higgins for his little plug in a JEP vox pop article (31.08.2011) about voter awareness of the forthcoming elections. I knocked on the door of Martin's apartment and that of his partner during canvassing last month. They gave me a sympathetic hearing for my policies.
There really is no substitute for a candidate making the effort to knock on a voters' door. The effort is genuinely appreciated. From one election to the next, electors do not see an elected Deputy or receive any kind of Newsletter updating them on political events of importance.
St Helier No.1 district has a 75% voter abstention level. This is because most voters cannot see how a vote will make any difference to their lives and do not understand what a vote for an individual means in policy terms. It is worth bearing in mind that there is an extra 20-30% of the potential electorate that is not registered. This amounts to around 1000 people.
Clearly in the future this voter abstention and non-registration must be addressed. The solution is a political one and a political one only. There has to an education campaign amongst working people that their social and economic interests can be advanced by polticial action.
For the next two months I will be knocking more doors and returning to those that said they would be voting, hopefully to win sufficient trust for them to give me their vote.
I surely will be knocking on Martin's door again soon to make his possibility of a vote into a certainty.
But to be fair some politiciaans are working for the people they represent full time. They likely don't have the luxury of strolling around all day because they have nothing else to do. But you can have my vote over the useless Le Claire. Has a job to do yet we don't even hear from him till election year - ever. But if you are also trying to imply that Trevor Pitman doesn't pull his weight for us though then you can go and sing. So are you tellking us all three in no. 1 are useless because I couldn't agree with that? One is doing a great job. One seems ok. The other is I agree useless.
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ReplyDeleteMy criticism applies to all Deputies across the island and is not restricted to those in No.1 St Helier.
ReplyDeleteIt strikes me as self evident that if a Deputy wishes to be re-elected they should "work the patch" not just at election time but throughout their term.
To secure a seat in the future there is a vast unploughed field in the three thousand people who do not vote at election time but are registered.
Those who do not vote do so because the argument has not been won with them in terms of their social and economic interests.
Perhaps what distinguishes me from others is that I wish to change the world and realise that only the working people of the island are capable of that task. I realise its magnitude and that this cannot be accomplished alone.
I have heard much of the "too busy with the affairs of state" argument.
I make no personal criticism; ultimately the electorate will decide. Upon what criteria they make that decision is certainly debatable and the objective efforts of individual Deputies is often overlooked, whilst charlatans can, it seems, work their populist ways at strategic moments.
Incidentally, are there a maximum number of photographs of pets and babies that can accompany a policy manifesto?
Nick, I appreciate that you daily walk more miles than "Dick Whittington", people want change, in my opinion, you could help to bring it on.
ReplyDeleteI hope people vote for you, you deserve the chance to show what you can do, no body has banged on more doors than you so far in this election.
What have people got to lose, we have precious little representation as it is?