Hazel Blears' top tips for candidates

Earlier this week Hazel Blears spoke to Progress' PPCs' Network. We really liked her top tips so here they are!

1) Use Labour’s incumbency to your advantage. You may not be the MP, but can the MP get in to see ministers to present petitions? Or take constituents to Downing Street? Or have their photo taken with the chancellor of the exchequer, foreign secretary, or prime minister? They can’t and you can. So don’t start out as the junior partner. Act like the MP – getting things done for local people.

2) Don’t just rely on Labour activists – there’s a whole range of people who are Labour supporters who will come and campaign, invite you to their meetings, put up a poster and so on, who are not party members or GC delegates. Build a supporters’ club.

3) Make campaigning fun. Campaigning is like sex – if you’re not enjoying it, you’re not doing it right. It should never be a drudge. Make sure there’s plenty of meals, drinks, social events, and a campaign HQ with plenty of tea and biscuits. Tap into the enthusiasm of young people with blitzing and street stalls. High energy, high impact, low cost.

4) Make use of new media: your website, blog, twittering, facebook, etc should all work to project your image and reach out to voters. But be careful: because every word you write or utter will be scrutinised by our enemies, and you don’t want to become a national story like some of the Tories.

5) Challenge your MP to a debate (if opposition, obviously). They’ll refuse because they won’t want to give you the equal platform, and then you can accuse them of running scared, every month until polling day.

6) Eat plenty of fruit and veg, get some comfy shoes, and stay sober. A worn-out candidate, or a candidate with a permanent cold, is useless. You need to project a vital image to the voters, and you can’t do that on the West Wing diet of pizza and diet coke.

7) Finally: be a leader, not a follower. The candidate’s job is not to say yes to every lobby group and local protest. People won’t respect you if you pretend to be on everyone’s side (especially not your GC). But always engage with local lobby groups and be available to take on the arguments.

Hazel Blears is Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

Comments

Posted by Andy Ray on 30 January 2009, 2:21:32 AM
Thanks, Hazel! These must be gems of (hard-earned) experience!

Posted by Kevin Peel on 30 January 2009, 11:22:28 PM
"Campaigning is like sex – if you’re not enjoying it, you’re not doing it right." Haha - spot on!!

Posted by Richard Angell on 01 February 2009, 11:57:24 AM
This is excellent. everyone is talking about it!

Posted by Politique on 01 February 2009, 9:14:38 PM
The Labour Party cabinet and the close circles that surround a frail Gordon Brown are leading Britian into a chasm of dispair and poverty. The social conditions that people of Britain are experiencing is a blend of failed policy, poor understanding of British culture and an ignorance laid bare by Ministers who not only have little life experience but are quite simply out of their depth. Take Ed Miliband for example seen as a saviour of the left, a man that Red Derek believes will change Labour's fortunes. Play hardball with this individual and he withers away, occasional throwing a speech here and there, but does absolutely nothing. Weak in the presence of confrontation. Ed Balls another bag of wind, the only person in Britain who actually believes Academies and his Education policies are working. Voters the length and breadth of Britain are turning away from Labour in their THOUSANDS. That is reality. The conditions of Serfdom are on our doorstep. Gordon Brown has nothing left in the tank, pensions that have been bled dry, gold reserves turned to sand, sterling in decline. I have only one thing to say, this is not a Labour Party or Labour Government. It is something else. The country is heading for a Spring of Discontent. The protests on Foreign Labour is the tip of the iceberg which will without doubt continue to worsen Time to go, Time to go now as you are unelectable. they say. These individuals MPs along with many others should be challenged and held to account by their constituents, challenged by Labour Supporters and Labour Members for their seats. Lets get some grassroot, straight down the line, no nonsence Dennis Skinners type candidates in the party LIKE ME not textbook no nothing wannabes.There is otherwise only one outcome a CONSERVATIVE Government. Hazel could I go campaigning with you?

Posted by Nick Crofts on 02 February 2009, 5:59:36 PM
What dribbling nonsense from Politique! And in respose to a few great tips for the campaign trail from Hazel. You should stay off the campaigning - you'd only frighten the voters.

Posted by Politique on 02 February 2009, 11:25:21 PM
Nick, Thank you for your in depth reply. Your arguement and evidence is?