One of our esteemed colleagues in BULS recently said to me that there was little point in going campaigning for an election we’ve already lost.
Tomorrow BULS will be heading to Erdington, where we face significant challenges over the next two years, it is a seat the Tories will find ever more attractive now that they hold 4 of the 12 council seats, one being Lib Dem. A little over 3 years ago the Labour Party could boast holding all council represenatives and ofcourse its Member of Parliament. The Tories have also, effectively made Kingstanding and Tyburn three-horse races, these were previously thought of as safe-labour wards. Erdington constituency has clearly moved into the marginal, and that is a prospect that has put fear into the minds of CLP members. That fear though, thankfully, has been transformed into determination and it is promising to see that the general election campaign and the local election campaign has already begun in earnest.
BULS will be getting to know Erdington very well, as we will in other key seats. So the attitude expressed by one of our colleagues was bitterly dissapointing, but it’s by no means their fault. There is a distinct lack of morale in the party, it’s quite blatant. Yet, it is that attitude that hands the Tories a victory, I don’t know any conservatives who believe it is in their hands just not. So surely it is ours to lose.
The party has large national problems, but that’s not for us to theorise and gossip about. Locally we members need to be on the ground, in communities talking to people about their concerns because it’s what we do best, not navel-gazing. Let’s get off our backsides and get out and spread our positive message about social justice and economic prosperity. The best way we serve our party is by delivering on the ground, not by wallowing in self-pity and anguishing over defeat.
BULS will be meeting outside the Guild tomorrow at 10.30am for anyone I’ve managed to guilt into attendance.
Nicely titled post. First the factual inaccuracies. Kingstanding is not a three-horse race, rather a tight Tory/Labour marginal. In 2010 our candidate will be local whereas as Zoe Hopkins (if she decides to stand again) will be an ‘outsider’ from Erdington –
.
Now on to the meat. If you’re needing to man the barricades here, you may as well throw the towel in, nationally. It’s not even a top 200 target for the Tories.
Also, if you want to know the prognosis, all you need to do is follow UK Polling Report where you will see my oracle-like forecasting abilities on display.
PS – I don’t know what you’re planning on achieving in the ward tomorrow, but I’ll be at the Kingstanding ward meeting tonight which seems like a good use of my time.
we won’t be in erdington ward tomorrow, when did i say we would be?
you did though catch me out on one thing and that was that i actually meant to say tyburn was a three-horse race, i didn’t mean kingstanding was as well.
robert alden isn’t exactly local himself is he?
I don’t think it’s a secret that Robert Alden lives in Erdington ward where he is a councillor. What’s your obsession with him anyway?
Bit more local than the man from the Valley’s (one Sion Llewelyn Simon).
Will Zoe stand in 2010? We know that there is personality clashs going on here, to say the very least!
PS Thanks for coming over Don, good to have the Birmingham Conservatives A-Team in Kingstanding!
PT, please trawl my posts and comments and find how many times I’ve mentioned Robert Alden, I believe it’s once, just above.
You keep saying I have obsessions with Tories, you accused me of having an obsession with Iain Dale after I had written my first ever post about him.
Gary, you must really be kicking yourself, with some actual work and a couple of good leaflets you could be a councillor right now, bad luck.
I’m not kicking myself at all!
I worked in my ward, I put out some good leaflets and besides I got a 10% swing for Christ sake.
I’m 18, I have all the time in the world to be a Councillor.
Enjoyed the meeting, Gary. I particularly appreciated the spirit of co-operation between the Kingstanding councillors (them that turned up) and members of the public around tackling alcohol and drug abuse. I look forward to Sion Simon moving an EDM to help crackdown on soft licensing laws in response to the written representations the Labour councillors decided to make on our behalf.
Tom, I’m clearly obsessed with saying that you’re obsessed with Tories, but the other time you introduced Robert as irrelevant material in a debate was here when, in the face of all evidence, you were predicting Ken would beat Boris.
ah well found! i clearly am obsessed.
To summarise, Tom
1. Your post had factual accuracies – it has further mistakes I could point to, by the way.
2. The post contains bizarre boasts about Erdington CLP that are out of sync with all evidence.
3. You have made a false assertion about a Tory councillor.
4. You have then lied about how often you have mentioned that councillor on this blog.
Are you sure you’re cut out for this blogging lark/commenting on Birmingham politics?
To summarise PT,
1. You consistently moan about grammatical and spelling errors yet you utilize the phrase “them that turned up”
2. You spend an inordinate amount of time participating in pointless blog comments and postings
3, You are generally an unpleasant person with little regard for anything other than your own ego
Are you sure you’re cut out for being a decent human being / involvement in any real political involvement?
How about sanrtitg an Investment Club and learning about money?
Hi Peter –
Are you trying to escalate things?
I’m just trying to enjoy myself!
Love and kisses PT.
So how did the leafleting go the Tom?
It was a beautiful morning. I got chased by a nasty dog and my arms caught the sun.
I believe Tom, Tom and Alex also found the campaigning experience most enjoyable.
75% of one ward covered in a week.
tomorrow starting on another
aim to have the constituency covered by the end of june
how are the conservative association doing?
Erdington CLP will be having a campaign day tomorrow, they have 15 promised attendees and 6 maybes.
That’s evidence PT, I havn’t made any assertions about that CLP that I havn’t failed to back up.
“Tom, Tom and Alex also found the campaigning experience most enjoyable”… big turnout then.
how many people did you have out campaigning today?
4 labour students joined leafletters in erdington.
Thomas we haven’t yet ‘formally’ changed hands with the old committee… due to the guilds bureaucratic nature we have yet to ‘sign the documents’ ! Trust me campaigning and other such issues are in hand. It seems that time is on our hands so I wouldn’t waste your time worrying about us, you’ve got plenty to worry about at your own end!
I don’t doubt that the Labour Party remains active – a friend of mine received 20 abusive calls yesterday from Labourites for having the temerity to ‘criticise a government minister’.
As a member of Conservatives Abroad, I tend to have a roving role so I don’t tend to have a view on what’s happening in every constituency. You can ask Gary Sambrook if you want to know what’s happening in Erdington. I’m far more focused on Birmingham Hall Green and Birmingham Yardley.
so what on earth do you base your accusation that my “post contains bizarre boasts about Erdington CLP that are out of sync with all evidence.”? I’ve given you the evidence, and you clearly no very little on the subject yet you insist on spending your time talking as if you’re some kind of established authority. As for Gary Sambrook, the last thing I’d ask for from him would be advice about campaigning. I saw one of his leaflets that was put through my gran’s door and found it hilariously wonky, complete with spelling and gramatical errors with poor photos.
Dan, I had already organised two events before officially signing the papers, being in the middle of handover doesn’t prevent you doing things.
tom look at the situation logically:
1) the new committe is here there and everywhere at the minute (post exams i have been actively involving myself in derbyshire)
2) we havent yet signed the official papers so we are not officially recognised and incidently it wouldnt suprise me if you had ‘organised two events before signing the papers’ after all rumour has it your chairmanship was partly a ‘coup’ ( got to love labour unity!)
3) most of our members are either still in exams or have just finished exams… and… most crucially…
4) Is there an imminent election? Do you have information I dont?! I see no reason why this week is so crucuial.
Before you start… of course i recognise campaigning is important but at this precise moment in time it is not the be all and end all. Trust me we will campaign and whats more we will win. Labour need the head start.
Between 2007 and 2008 local elections the Conservative vote rose by about 18% and the Labour vote fell by about 24% in Birmingham Erdington – a swing far far more significant than either the national or the city average. Your party’s campaigning in all four wards in Erdington was a joke.
In one breath you say that there is a ‘distinct lack of morale’, but that Erdington CLP has some sort of stiffened resolve. It doesn’t wash.
You sound satisfied with the idea of 15 turning up to a campaign day on a sunny Saturday. If all your councillors and MPs and their partners turned up you’d have 16! Who’s missing?
So because I’m dyslexic means my lealets are rubbish?
I really do love Socialists (finger down throat).
Besides leaflets can’t of been that bad to have got over a 10% swing matey.
dan, my chairmanship was partly a coup? how does that work, i love the guild rumour machine. Have you been reading the BULSinside posts and not quite getting the joke. it would have been very bad tact to had done a coup seeing as i’m living with the ex-chair next year.
maybe get someone to check your leaflets over gary.
PT, i think erdington clp has turned a leaf and is finally getting a grip, you’re still attempting to sound like an authority on the subject, something i found laughable. usually you come on here and make sweeping generalisations in the hope that no one picks you up on something.
this debate is all abit too strange for me, my post was targetted at BULS members who i wanted to demonstrate why campaigning was so important and now it’s become about who does more campaigning.
This is very funny, I think your all taking this a tad too serious…
I just want to set the record straight – Dan your talking out of your arse if you think there was a ‘coup’. In other news wheren’t you uncontested when you ran for BUCF? – I heard no one else wanted to do it…
Also Dan, I never thought you would let your society become paralysed by paperwork. If your having problems email vpsad@guild.bham.ac.uk and I’m sure Lizzy can help you out.
Gary – no one is claiming your leafelts are rubbish because you dyslexic. However, I know in wards where I work every leaflet is checked and double checked to ensure that it is accurate and professional.
Dom – You’r as irrelevant as ever… keep up the good work. I’m glad you enjoy yourself on this site though, it makes it all worthwhile.
Peace out comrades!!
jared0379 on June 24, 2011 @SuperHomeBrewer ok, taknhs Jeff! You seem like a really honest guy. I am going to friend you and message you. Thanks again and talk to you soon!
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