My Election Campaign

Earlier I mentioned on here that I was standing as a candidate for the Labour Party in the upcoming local elections happening on May 7th. I have been part of the Labour Party since I was 17 and this is my first time standing as a candidate. It has been an interesting experience so far. Being a disabled(I have Cerebral Palsy) candidate adds an extra challenge for me to overcome in terms of getting to some places which are not wheelchair friendly.

Some of you on here mentioned that you would like me to start a thread about my experiences and the situation as I have found it while campaigning. In my Area we have a Tory MP(elected in 2010) and a Tory controlled City and County Council. So far the issues which have come up most while canvassing the electorate are:

1. Immigration(UKIP links to this heavily)
2. economy(Labour's perceived weakness)
3. NHS
4. Lots of Ex Tory voters have said to me they will not vote for the current Tory Party as they have gone too far left with things such as gay marriage and letting too many foreigners in.
5. people in the area can never get hold of their City Councillor as he spends most of his time in the USA.


I am out canvassing again this Saturday and will continue to update you on how things are progressing!!

My campaign manifesto (the high/lowlights)

"Angel of Death" to replace "God Save the Queen" as the National anthem.

Practicing homosexuals to be arrested until they agree to stop practicing and do it properly. No need for them to be going at this half-ar$ed/half c*cked

Snickers to revert to being called Marathon's/Starburst back to Opal Fruits.

Louis Walsh to be named as Minister for Space Exploration and stationed in his swanky new office....on Venus.

All TOWIE/Made in Chelsea style shows to cease forthwith and the "actors" to get proper f*cking jobs, even if it's a paper round.

The term "Legend" or "Superstar" (especially when used in conjunction with the likes of Eammon Holmes or Jonah Hill types) to result in automatic execution.

Victoria Beckham to forced on pain of death to stand up straight and stop f*cking slouching.

Kim Kardashian/Kanye West to be killed, resurrected and killed again on a 24/7 loop

Cheers for this Wheely, how did you get started onto this and did you put yourself forward for it or did the labour party nominate you?

When canvassing how have people reacted to your own situation with cerebral palsy and you being in a wheelchair and have you met any hostility because of it?

What are you campaigning on (if that's the right words to use) and realistically if you win a seat can you affect change at the local level?

Is this a doorway into the larger life of politics too?

Well the Perspective Parliamentary candidate for the Labour in Worcester Joy Squires and the Chairmen of the Party met me a couple of years ago and were impressed with how I debated and how much I knew about politics whilst at  I was at University.  They were also impressed with how I managed to connect with people even when they were hostile with me and my ideas to start with.  They knew I was a member of the Party but up to that point I had not been actively involved.  So They persuaded me to become involved.  I then did some work for them on voter registration and they then asked me if I would like to stand for election as they thought I would be good for some of the reasons I have stated above.
In terms of how people have reacted to me, more experienced campaigners then me have said that being in a wheelchair has helped as people don't turn me away as much as they would an able bodied person.  You get some hostility but not much, I just calmly explain to people what I have and why.  I got sworn at by a UKIP voter and he hurled abuse at me but that is an exception.
My main policies are NHS(as I have used it all my life as you can imagine and without it I'd be dead).  People it seems can tell its a vital issue for me and can tell im sincere on the issue.  Also better access for disabled and OAP's in the area as it isn't the best here.  
Housing is another big issue especially student housing.  The residents are not happy about having so many students by them.  So I have ben tasked with formulating a policy to deal with that, which I am currently doing.

I think to win the seat will be a challenge but I think I have a chance because my opponent is never here frankly, and I seem to do well when talking to people and putting my points across.

I would like it to be a doorway into larger politics as politics is my first passion and I want to make a positive difference to people's circumstances and lives.

Brilliant Wheely,

Whilst i'm not a fan of labour (as I'm sure you can tell) you sound like you've got real passion for this and want to do it for good reasons. I hope you get a seat bud and keep this updated.

Could do with few passionate councillor campaigners in my area (couldn't even tell you what ours look like )

Good stuff Wheels, whilst I am a traditional labour supporter I am not arrogant enough to assume I speak for everyone who supports them, but for what my advice is worth when it comes to immigration, which as you have said is the major issue this election don't try and out UKIP UKIP, the tories will always do this better and whenever I see Labour politicians do this it always smacks of insincerity and them playing to the masses. Have confidence to outline the benefits of the system and that not everyone wants a fence building round the country.

Obviously based on nothing other than my own opinion but I suspect you will find there is support for a consenting voice on the issue.

wheelchair1991 wrote:Well the Perspective Parliamentary candidate for the Labour in Worcester Joy Squires and the Chairmen of the Party met me a couple of years ago and were impressed with how I debated and how much I knew about politics whilst at  I was at University.  They were also impressed with how I managed to connect with people even when they were hostile with me and my ideas to start with.  They knew I was a member of the Party but up to that point I had not been actively involved.  So They persuaded me to become involved.  I then did some work for them on voter registration and they then asked me if I would like to stand for election as they thought I would be good for some of the reasons I have stated above.
In terms of how people have reacted to me, more experienced campaigners then me have said that being in a wheelchair has helped as people don't turn me away as much as they would an able bodied person.  You get some hostility but not much, I just calmly explain to people what I have and why.  I got sworn at by a UKIP voter and he hurled abuse at me but that is an exception.
My main policies are NHS(as I have used it all my life as you can imagine and without it I'd be dead).  People it seems can tell its a vital issue for me and can tell im sincere on the issue.  Also better access for disabled and OAP's in the area as it isn't the best here.  
Housing is another big issue especially student housing.  The residents are not happy about having so many students by them. So I have ben tasked with formulating a policy to deal with that, which I am currently doing.

I think to win the seat will be a challenge but I think I have a chance because my opponent is never here frankly, and I seem to do well when talking to people and putting my points across.

I would like it to be a doorway into larger politics as politics is my first passion and I want to make a positive difference to people's circumstances and lives.

Ban the Jeremy Kyle show and they'll have not reason not to get off their backsides and go do some actual studying

Rowley wrote:Good stuff Wheels, whilst I am a traditional labour supporter I am not arrogant enough to assume I speak for everyone who supports them, but for what my advice is worth when it comes to immigration, which as you have said is the major issue this election don't try and out UKIP UKIP, the tories will always do this better and whenever I see Labour politicians do this it always smacks of insincerity and them playing to the masses. Have confidence to outline the benefits of the system and that not everyone wants a fence building round the country.

Obviously based on nothing other than my own opinion but I suspect you will find there is support for a consenting voice on the issue.

Sorry, who wants a fence built around the country?

It's not a comment to be taken literally duty, it is a comment based on the seeming direction the immigration debate is taking, would have thought that was reasonably obvious

I would have thought it would have been reasonably obvious that I were asking in a metaphorical way!

wheelchair1991 wrote:Earlier I mentioned on here that I was standing as a candidate for the Labour Party in the upcoming local elections happening on May 7th.  I have been part of the Labour Party since I was 17 and this is my first time standing as a candidate.  It has been an interesting experience so far.  Being a disabled(I have Cerebral Palsy) candidate adds an extra challenge for me to overcome in terms of getting to some places which are not wheelchair friendly.

Some of you on here mentioned that you would like me to start a thread about my experiences and the situation as I have found it while campaigning.  In my Area we have a Tory MP(elected in 2010) and a Tory controlled City and County Council.  So far the issues which have come up most while canvassing the electorate are:

1. Immigration(UKIP links to this heavily)
2. economy(Labour's perceived weakness)
3. NHS
4. Lots of Ex Tory voters have said to me they will not vote for the current Tory Party as they have gone too far left with things such as gay marriage and letting too many foreigners in.
5. people in the area can never get hold of their City Councillor as he spends most of his time in the USA.  


I am out canvassing again this Saturday and will continue to update you on how things are progressing!!

Good luck wheels. Interesting that 80% of the issue you're encountering campaigning are things you won't be able to do anything about as a Borough councillor!

Duty281 wrote:I would have thought it would have been reasonably obvious that I were asking in a metaphorical way!

Thats definitely not what a metaphor is!

People do moan about roads and bin collection but my tory council want to privatise the service so if Labour don't win the council that's another service gone to the private sector

I do realise many won't like my views or the Labour Party that's why debating is good

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:

Duty281 wrote:I would have thought it would have been reasonably obvious that I were asking in a metaphorical way!

Thats definitely not what a metaphor is!

Oh you know what I mean.

wheelchair1991 wrote:People do moan about roads and bin collection but my tory council want to privatise the service so if Labour don't win the council that's another service gone to the private sector

Do you think this is a bad thing? People see privatisation as the enemy but well thought out and competitively priced contracts can benefit everyone, although I am nervous about NHS privatisation.

Have recently made use of the NHS due to some rather unfortunate circumstances around the birth of my first child, I can honestly say the experience has been absolutely fantastic (in terms of care).

Out of interest, how much time do you dedicate to this type of work?

I do think its bad as once it is outsourced the accountability should something go wrong gets blurred, thats one of many reasons i see it as bad,
Its taking a lot of my time weekends are consumed by it as are post work hours, its going to get increasingly time consuming the closer May 7th comes

Do you think Labour will win 2015

Best of luck, Wheels, very admirable.

wheelchair1991 wrote:I do think its bad as once it is outsourced the accountability should something go wrong gets blurred, thats one of many reasons i see it as bad,
Its taking a lot of my time weekends are consumed by it as are post work hours, its going to get increasingly time consuming the closer May 7th comes

Keep us informed on how your vote is holding up mate......Inside view on 2015 for us all !!........

I imagine you have a list of Labour stock in your area...........Voter identification plays a big part in the campaigning back home shouldn't think it's different here...

I have all the voter ID sheets for everyone in my Ward, nothing is being left to chance it terms of having every bit of info i can,
As for Labour's chances i follow the polls a lot and have done work with them, they show its very very close. I dont see any party getting an overall majority, i think Labour would have if it was not for that pesky SNP

Time for an update wheelie..

Well as i havent been on in a while i feel i should update the thread
I have been on the campaign trail non stop knocking on doors canvassing the voters of Worcester(and my council ward) Worcester is a marginal seat snd will be close between labour and the tories.
In the past few werks i have recieved less of the "Ed is crap" stuff it does suggest he has improved his standing with the public. The SNP scare stratagy which the tories have been engaged in has not cut through on the door step. A lot of my Tory friends have said they might not even vote for the tories now as their campaign has bern so negative thus far.
I am more confident of winning my city council seat seat then i was 2 months ago, however i am still the underdog

Will Labour abolish unsocial hours payments for nurses who work nights and weekends?

wheelchair1991 wrote:Well as i havent been on in a while i feel i should update the thread
I have been on the campaign trail non stop knocking on doors canvassing the voters of Worcester(and my council ward) Worcester is a marginal seat snd will be close between labour and the tories.
In the past few werks i have recieved less of the "Ed is crap" stuff it does suggest he has improved his standing with the public. The SNP scare stratagy which the tories have been engaged in has not cut through on the door step. A lot of my Tory friends have said they might not even vote for the tories now as their campaign has bern so negative thus far.
I am more confident of winning my city council seat seat then i was 2 months ago, however i am still the underdog

Good boy wheelie........Keep it going.

Do you agree too much is emphasis is being placed on personality rather than policies?
There could be a politician or potential politician whose ideas and plans could make the masses happy and the country prosper more than ever previously experienced. If that said person is no good in front of the camera's then he or she is getting nowhere.

aja424 wrote:Will Labour abolish unsocial hours payments for nurses who work nights and weekends?

The Tories want to get rid of a thousand nurses..............Or they did before "Ed is crap" stopped working..

Id prefer it if the way someone looked or sounded didnt matter and it was just about policy but sadly in the 24 hour tv age it does matter but its not everything, its just a part of the story.
I am in a wheelchalr so don't have the 'normal' look but this has not held me back, in fact my boss in the labour party says the wheelchsir has helped me

Good luck mate. I will be voting labour this election based on purely that I fear my wages will be drastically less with the tories.

Public sector worker by any chance??

TopHat24/7 wrote:Public sector worker by any chance??

Are they something to look down on ??

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:

TopHat24/7 wrote:Public sector worker by any chance??

Are they something to look down on ??

No, but how else could someone conclude their wage would be worse off under the Tories??

Since Labour brought the minimum wage in over Tory opposition...........Wages have gone up you're right..

You remember that the Tories opposed the minimum wage don't you ??

Sometimes you can be forgetful...

And Tories have raised the MW since and pledged to continue raising it. Or are you choosing to be a myopic t!t and over-look anything that doesn't suit your pre-formed argument as usual??

At the end of the day, public sector works (and even then some, not all) are the only ones that have any possible justification to suggest they'd suffer wage stagnation/reduction under a Tory government.

Yep your right about that Toppy, and it wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for some of the upper management (and MP's themselves) not suffer from wage stagnation.

I was all for the Tories up until last week when I read about the massive bonus's the top of the NHS were getting, and if it's happenign there then you konw it's going on elsewhere

F 'em

TopHat24/7 wrote:Public sector worker by any chance??

Yes mate you are correct. Started my job knowing that I´ll never own a yacht, but slashing my disposable income by almost half wi undoubtedly have a massive effect on anyone.
I try and tell myself "we're all in this together".

Happened under Labour too. Most of the state the NHS is in, and in particular all this top-heavy management rubbish, all started under the previous Labour administration.

So why blame the Tories?

aja424 wrote:

TopHat24/7 wrote:Public sector worker by any chance??

Yes mate you are correct. Started my job knowing that I´ll never own a yacht, but slashing my disposable income by almost half wi undoubtedly have a massive effect on anyone.
I try and tell myself "we're all in this together".

How've they slashed it by half?

Because apparently Toppy, we're all in it together, i've had my wages stuck at 1 percent or less pay rise for the last god knows how many years (the idea of being away from home for 8 months of the year is so you can treat the family when your home, fat chance these days), My pension has been completely overhauled and contributions upped which has wiped out the wage rises, oh and my bonus's were amalgamated into my pay on the pretense of a pay rise.

Not too mention the ridiculous changes to expenses (apparently it's fine for me to walk around my craphole of an area with 4 months worth of gear waiting for a bus) and then to read about the ridiculous loopholes for bonus's at the top of the NHS etc and yeah, i'm blaming the Tories, they've been in long enough to close them which makes you wonder why they didn't?

On the basis of MP's salaries, Civil servants wage rise was capped at 1% yet didn't apply to the top?????

Great. So Tories get the blame for not going far enough to correct Labour failings, whilst also getting the blame for correcting other Labour failings.

Definition of double-edged sword, much??

Labour is a party of the public sector, therefore none of this is particularly surprising. Just saddens me that they'll probably get in now and the rest of us with have to suffer/bankroll this mess all over again.

Listen i know some on here don't like Labour, we are a democracy after all. I think Labour have a fair plan. One of the reason's I work for Labour and got involved in the Party to begin with is I believe Labour is at its heart about fairness

Isn't that the whole schtick of the Tories 'correcting labours mistakes'

Pretty big mistake continuing to let the lower paid work forces be completely under appreciated.

I thought you knew I wasn't a labour supporter either.

Don't be so scared tophat when we get in just build yourself a bunker and you will be fine

Ha ha, to be honest Toppy and Wheely, the public sector needs a real evaluation done as there's a lot wrong with it, screwing over the lower ranks whilst the upper echelons continue to roll it in is not the way to go and for me is a massive issue.

Tbh, I'd like to see Tories chopping more at the top, at upper levels of public sector management. But again this is a beast of Labour's making. And regarding lower paid work forces, appreciate it's not nice, but equally as a private sector worker with a private pension I struggle to have tremendous sympathy for that gravy train being de-railed.

1 x NHS executive = 2 x A&E doctors.

aja424 wrote:1 x NHS executive = 2 x A&E doctors.

And how's that suppoosedly 'slashed' your disposable income by half??

Derbymanc wrote:Because apparently Toppy, we're all in it together, i've had my wages stuck at 1 percent or less pay rise for the last god knows how many years (the idea of being away from home for 8 months of the year is so you can treat the family when your home, fat chance these days), My pension has been completely overhauled and contributions upped which has wiped out the wage rises, oh and my bonus's were amalgamated into my pay on the pretense of a pay rise.

Not too mention the ridiculous changes to expenses (apparently it's fine for me to walk around my craphole of an area with 4 months worth of gear waiting for a bus) and then to read about the ridiculous loopholes for bonus's at the top of the NHS etc and yeah, i'm blaming the Tories, they've been in long enough to close them which makes you wonder why they didn't?

On the basis of MP's salaries, Civil servants wage rise was capped at 1% yet didn't apply to the top?????

We are all in it together.................The Big society...........

Granny who can't afford the fuel is supposed to drive to her less fortunate Granny mate and care for her while these posh boys swig champagne and suck up to the top 1%....

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:

Derbymanc wrote:Because apparently Toppy, we're all in it together, i've had my wages stuck at 1 percent or less pay rise for the last god knows how many years (the idea of being away from home for 8 months of the year is so you can treat the family when your home, fat chance these days), My pension has been completely overhauled and contributions upped which has wiped out the wage rises, oh and my bonus's were amalgamated into my pay on the pretense of a pay rise.

Not too mention the ridiculous changes to expenses (apparently it's fine for me to walk around my craphole of an area with 4 months worth of gear waiting for a bus) and then to read about the ridiculous loopholes for bonus's at the top of the NHS etc and yeah, i'm blaming the Tories, they've been in long enough to close them which makes you wonder why they didn't?

On the basis of MP's salaries, Civil servants wage rise was capped at 1% yet didn't apply to the top?????

We are all in it together.................The Big society...........

Granny who can't afford the fuel is supposed to drive to her less fortunate Granny mate and care for her while these posh boys swig champagne and suck up to the top 1%....

This is it in a nutshell. I don't mind all thats being done if its across the board, its not and its the lower/middle expected to take the brunt although we can least afford it

Derbymanc wrote:

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:

Derbymanc wrote:Because apparently Toppy, we're all in it together, i've had my wages stuck at 1 percent or less pay rise for the last god knows how many years (the idea of being away from home for 8 months of the year is so you can treat the family when your home, fat chance these days), My pension has been completely overhauled and contributions upped which has wiped out the wage rises, oh and my bonus's were amalgamated into my pay on the pretense of a pay rise.

Not too mention the ridiculous changes to expenses (apparently it's fine for me to walk around my craphole of an area with 4 months worth of gear waiting for a bus) and then to read about the ridiculous loopholes for bonus's at the top of the NHS etc and yeah, i'm blaming the Tories, they've been in long enough to close them which makes you wonder why they didn't?

On the basis of MP's salaries, Civil servants wage rise was capped at 1% yet didn't apply to the top?????

We are all in it together.................The Big society...........

Granny who can't afford the fuel is supposed to drive to her less fortunate Granny mate and care for her while these posh boys swig champagne and suck up to the top 1%....

This is it in a nutshell. I don't mind all thats being done if its across the board, its not and its the lower/middle expected to take the brunt although we can least afford it

1. The middle bought the brunt under Labour in much more extreme fashion.
2. The lower are largely baring the brunt because Labour allowed unfair excesses that needed reigning in.
3. Hilarious analogy by Truss, when Granny now has low low fuel prices but Labour & LD want to throw her out of her home of 50 years by forcing an annual tax upon her which she doesn't have the income to pay. But they'll give away free 3 4 5 bed houses to Tom Dick & Harry elsewhere in the country for free.

Yep, sounds 'fair' to me.