North East Fife Election Communications
Let’s take a whirlwind tour of my thoughts so far on the local election communications, a big factor in forming the decision on where I’ll be placing my cross on Thursday… actually it will probably be Tuesday or Wednesday as I’ve got a postal vote.
As someone who voted SNP at the Scottish Parliament election I find myself torn to support the independence cause in the upcoming election! The candidate, Rod Campbell, doesn’t seem to have much attachment to North East Fife. I’m sure Rod is a very amenable professional person but I cannot find evidence of any interest in North East Fife politics, issues or constituents.
Let’s look at his online biography to prove this point:
Rod Campbell is an Advocate. Born in Edinburgh, he was educated at Reading School, Exeter University and the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde.
He has a degree in politics and qualified as a solicitor in both England and Scotland. For a number of years he was a partner in an international law firm based in London.
He qualified as an Advocate in 2007.
He is Convener of the Perth South branch of the party and a member of the party’s Appeals Committee. He has fought four previous elections for both the Westminster and the Scottish Parliaments.
Can anyone spot anything about North East Fife in there?
But wait there is some hope in the leaflet that has been coming through the letterboxes of NE Fife:
Rod has family ties to the East Neuk.
WTF does that mean? Did his Granny’s second cousin three times removed go to a dentist who was born in Fife! These kind of statements are absurd and show desperation to put something about Fife into an election communication.
More alarmingly he appears to have his political roots in Perth, not Fife! Perhaps that explains why his election leaflets are being delivered by Royal Mail and not the party faithful of Freuchie and surrounding areas.
What about that leaflet? A generic central office spiel that doesn’t highlight a single local issue. It also doesn’t help that he’s stuck way in the back of the SNP candidates photo which can only indicate the powers-that-be have decided he is one of the also rans with nae chance. It felt like a game of “Where’s Wally?” when trying to find him in amongst the other candidates.
Sorry SNP, your choice of candidate and the ill conceived and lazy election communication suggest to me my vote would not be for a local champion on this occasion.
Similar issues surround the choice of the Labour Party, Mark Hood. He is a councillor operating in Gordon Brown’s constituency. Although he appears to be a capable local politician he does look to be a townie with very strong ties to Lochgelly and surrounding areas – that’s two parliamentary constituencies away! The demographic, rural nature and issues of North East Fife are likely a million miles away from his experience earned as a councillor for Lochgelly and Cardenden.
Goodness, he doesn’t even have a filled in profile page on the main Labour Party website! Doesn’t really fill you with confidence about Mark Hood and his party.
Labour are a tired worn out party who really don’t deserve to be re-elected. There campaign slogan should be tweaked to: “Fighting for OUR future!”
This may be slightly irrational but I cannot ever see a time when I’ll be a Tory voter! Like the majority of Scots, we have long memories of how Maggie Thatcher and her cohorts destroyed Scotland, used us as a testing ground for the Poll Tax and the general contempt she had for the nation of Scotland. I also don’t believe in enough of their beliefs and key policies to place my mark in their box.
However, it is only fair to give Miles Briggs the same scrutiny as everyone else! I find his election communication to be a good mix of local and national issues which do at least look like a proper campaign. I’m also personally aware that he has been taking an active role in local issues throughout North East Fife, a big plus point. But it is unclear if he lives and works out of Fife… the election communications is carefully worded to give that impression but he could easily live and operate from anywhere in Scotland!
Finally we come to the incumbent, Sir Ming Campbell. He is one of the most respected politician at Westminster, has a sizeable majority, is highly respected in the NE Fife community, gives money and support to many local organisations and has a home in the constituency.
His election communications have also been a mix of local and national issues and have been hand delivered by party supporters – how’s it going Ewen!
He sent a letter out to the flood victims of Freuchie Mill following the 2008 floods with some very sound advice. Not really that sure of how much he has done by way of lobbying for flood issues since but he did make a token effort at a time when his constituents needed it.
It is disappointing to see his online resources not being used to put across more of the issues and policies. His main website hasn’t been updated in weeks!
CONCLUSION
Both the Labour Party and the SNP election communications are a massive disappointment and failure. The Conservatives and Lib Dems are showing the others how it should be done.
Sir Ming is certainly well ahead at the moment to win my vote. He’d need to have a “Gordon Brown Bigot” moment to change my mind!
Feel free to try to change my mind by posting a comment!!!
Technorati Tags: bigot, Conservative Party, election, Gordon Brown, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Mark Hood, Miles Briggs, Ming Campbell, North East Fife, Rod Campbell, SNP
david macdiarmid said,
Wrote on May 3, 2010 @ 11:49 am
John said,
Wrote on May 3, 2010 @ 12:34 pm
It is 20 years since I last voted Lib Dem and even then I’ve only voted for them twice in my life… I don’t believe that makes me a Lib Dem supporter. I’m happy to state that I have no affiliation or association with any political party and will happily listen to any case put to me by the politicians and activists. That’s why I was happy to vote SNP at the last Scottish Parliament elections as it was important to elect an SNP government and get the tired LibLab coalition out.
I’ll have to defer to your first hand knowledge of the SNP communication delivery method. Will ask the postie tomorrow morning on what leaflets he has been delivering in our area and remedy any inaccuracies immediately. The only person I’ve “caught sight” of delivering election communications has been Ewen Jardine. I was also highly critical over the lack of updates on Ming’s website at a time I’d hope more attention would be getting paid.
Perhaps you can answer the big questions asked in this blog article of the lack of local issues in the SNP leaflet and why Rod Campbell would make a good MP? I’ve seriously not seen or heard anything about the candidate for me to form an impression. A couple of paragraphs written on the man is no where near enough.
I’ve tried to be pretty balanced in my apprasal of the election communications and base my decision on electing a strong representative to send to Westminster. I couldn’t care less who will go onto to be our
PresidentPrime Minister nor the horse trading that may occur in the future between the political elite!p.s. My election papers are still sitting here with not a cross put anywhere. There is still a chance to convince me otherwise and could be easily convinced to vote for Rod if only I had some facts on the man, his beliefs and what he has done and will do in the future for the people of NE Fife. That isn’t much to ask for is it?
Alastair Macpherson said,
Wrote on May 3, 2010 @ 1:04 pm
I find this analysis and naive > Ming Campbell did not start off with any connections with NE Fife (I have read his autobiography – have you?) So by your lights he should never have become an MP for NE Fife in the first place. He is not universally respected (his own party judged him unfit for leadership). I have twice in my life had recourse to my MP. First time when I lived in Falkirk and my MP was Dennis Canavan – a man of integrity and honour who defied his party because his principles were more important than party loyalty – he delivered a real result for me. Second time when I lived in Fife and appealed to Ming Campbell (who was a contemprorary of mine at university) The best I can say for Ming was that he was totally useless. Ming has chosen to sit at Westminster where he can do virtually nothing for the real needs of NE Fife (Health, Education, Local Authority, Policing are all devloved to Hollyrood) If you had been at the recent hustings in Cupar you would have witnessed him squirm when expenses were mentioned (Expenses were far more generous at Westminster!!). Ming has left NE Fife in the hands of Iain Smith – have you met him – I have? Nuff said!
In short ,sir, your analysis is naive and your knowledge of Ming Campbell cannot actually have been gained by asking him to do something to justify his cushy Westminster existence.
John said,
Wrote on May 3, 2010 @ 5:12 pm
I don’t have problems sleeping hence the need to read politician’s biographies doesn’t exist
. Consider me to be an ALMOST ordinary NE Fife voter who’d like to hear about the candidates, local issues and policies of relevance. There are more than enough other outlets to hear the national campaign lines.
Absolutely, Ming shouldn’t have been a candidate in the first place based on my thinking, but we’re now 23 years down the line and he has proved his commitment to the area – we are where we are! Now if we can wind forward a quarter of a century to present day, I’m asking what Rod has done already and plans to do for NE Fife. Instead of his supporters answering my questions, easily putting me down by showing the star potential of the candidate, you make an attack on Ming. I’m actually interested in hearing about Rod’s strengths, ideals and policies to make me change my mind. It could so easily be changed through this method, but putting down the opposition only leads me to conclude people have to be brought down to win votes!
I don’t really get your point regarding Ming not being able to do anything that is decided upon at Holyrood! He can still lobby and scream and shout about any issues just as local councillors and MSPs can comment and lobby on reserved issues. It is the expectation of the public that politicians help out whenever and wherever they can.
Iain Smith MSP isn’t really relevant to who the public should be voting for in this Westminster election. I’d have thought he would have been brought up through the ranks by the local Lib Dem party members showing their approval. You’re making it sound like he had a “Ming Coronation”… sounds way too much like a Labour Party plotline
. I have indeed met him.. nothing more to say!
Yes indeed much respect is shown for Dennis Canavan. The Labour Party got their comeuppance when they took him on.
I’d have liked to have attended the recent hustings if only to hear from all the candidates in the one place and watch the debate. Unfortunately I had to earn some pennies that night. Every MP squirms about the expenses debacle, a case of a plague on all their houses. You had an prime opportunity to say something positive about Rod’s performance at this event but only managed to mention something everyone already knows… MPs got caught with their hands in the till and it now causes every single one of them enormous discomfort. If the general public are really that disgusted over Ming’s claims then I don’t see him surviving Thursday… let’s see how that turns out.
Going back to a previous point, I was out at a call in Falkland this afternoon and an SNP election communication was dropped through the door so I’m happy to report I now have seen with my own eyes the proof of leaflets being hand delivered to others.
Let’s wind forward a bit to the next council elections, David MacDiarmid (SNP) is already getting my mark as I have first hand experience of his drive and committment to the community and have read his recent newsletter to learn about the other good work he is doing. I didn’t even vote in the election when he got first elected but I’ll be making the effort to ensure he gets my vote next time around. He has earned it.
So come on, how about being positive about your man and give me a reason to change my mind. Slagging off the opponents and the “because he’s not Ming” assassination isn’t a winning strategy… learn from how Labour is getting it so wrong nationally PLEASE!
John said,
Wrote on May 4, 2010 @ 2:49 am
Just looking over this again and I realise I made the assumption that an earlier commenter Alastair Macpherson is the Alastair Macpherson, Convenor of the SNP NE Fife Branch in 2008 or at the very least a namesake that supports the SNP. This may not be the case and I apologise to Alastair if I’ve confused him for another.
The crux of this blog post was to highlight the primary mechanism for candidates to connect with the electorate… the election communications that drop through the letterbox. I found it interesting that my Falkland customer reacted with almost complete disdain at the leaflet behind his door. He thought it was a Lib Dem leaflet on first sight and continued with this disconnect even after I pointed out it was from the SNP. Don’t think his attitude would have changed even if it had been a Labour or Tory leaflet!
I also took this as a jumping off point to show not a single candidate has embrassed new media as an election tool. This is interesting in light of the prediction of this being the first Internet election, well up until the first UK Leader Debate when it got changed to the TV election.
Yes, it does piss me off to see political parties choosing candidates without strong connection to an area they are looking to represent and serve. Another plague on all your houses in my mind.
In light of Ming’s majority, I’d expect the other candidates to go all out with high quality leaflets, activists doing the door knocking, utilisation of new media and large scale use of old media. As someone who doesn’t really read newspapers, preferring to get my news online and through TV, I may have missed some important coverage in the local and national press relating to NE Fife. Younger generations very much live in the online world so all the parties are missing a very big trick in connecting with the younger constituents. Perhaps it will be the next generation of politicans and their activist who will have the skills to use new media to connect with this and future generations. I really hope this isn’t the case or we may well lose a sizeable majority of the Internet generation of voters!
Looking at this tactically, the only real challengers at the last few Westminster elections has been the Conservatives, which makes any vote for Ming a vote to keep the Tories away from the reigns of power in Fife and maybe even prevent a Tory majority at Westminster. We can but only hope for a balanced parliament and more grown up politics occuring as a result… okay I may have taken that too far!
Alastair Macpherson said,
Wrote on May 4, 2010 @ 1:04 pm
Hi John
No need to apologise – I am the former convenor of NE Fife SNP – I have no respect for people who snipe at others from behind a shield of anonymity – don’t you agree?
On reflection some of your points have merit and, taking on board your plea for a positive approach, I would very much appreciate the opportunity to meet you to discuss your ideas. Obviously I see some flaws in your arguments but hopefully we can resolve these in civilised discussion.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Alastair Macpherson
John said,
Wrote on May 4, 2010 @ 3:54 pm
Hello Alastair,
Absolutely agree with the hiding behind anonymity which is why the doman this blog sits on has the full registration details available for everyone to find me. A little dig around the older blog post also exposes plenty of details about me that would allow people to find out where to find me. I’ve even got an Avatar with my photo for easy identification.
I’d be delighted to met up with you, have a friendly debate and share ideas on ways to improve the conversation with the good folk of North East Fife. Beating Ming Campbell at any election is going to be a monumental task for any party and will require a long term campaign strategy to overturn his majority. The Tories appear to have had a good go at a longer term strategy this time so it will be interesting to see the effect it has on their share of the vote. The Cameron factor doesn’t really come into play up here in Scotland!
Regards
John
Alastair Macpherson said,
Wrote on May 4, 2010 @ 9:08 pm
Hi John
Thank you for that. I think I have your contact details and I am writing to you to set up a meet.
Regards
Alastair
Eoin Ryan said,
Wrote on May 5, 2010 @ 10:11 am
Ming might “have a home” in NEF, but how many nights has he actually spent there in the last 23 years while he double jobbed as a QC and MP?
What you also failed to point out was that Ming’s address on his nomination papers is somewhere in Edinburgh! Why not give ones address as the one in NEF, if it really exists!!
I could afford to give a few shillings to local organisations if I had two high paying gigs!!!
John said,
Wrote on May 5, 2010 @ 12:17 pm
A quick look on Google finds this:
http://www.terrafirmachambers.com/our-advocates.html?advocate_id=41
I do remember reading something a while back where Ming did state he keeps his hand in with the occasional bit of law to maintain his professional registration / status. Now if he is operating as a full time or even majority part time QC then I would have a very big problem with it, as would the press who usually expose MPs working away at other jobs they consider inappropriate.
I’ve yet to see anything from any other candidate that indicates they would only have a single job, that of MP, if elected so who’s to know what they would be like in similar circumstances.
I’d be surprised if Ming has spent considerable time in Fife over the last 23 years as he’s supposed to be our representative at Westminster, over 400 miles away. Unless indicated otherwise, it is a safe bet to think any address on campaign leaflets is not that of the candidate. It may be the election agent or the party’s premises.
Again I’m not the best person to be playing Devil’s Advocate for Ming which is why I asked in earlier comments for people to justify their candidate. Please tell me what they’ve done, what they plan to do and why they will be a better MP than Ming. Is that really too much? If I wanted to observe negative campaigning I’d simply watch the Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dee campaigns on the national media that are the same tired lines over and over again! Yawn!
Does anyone else think four weeks is too long for this circus? The public should only have to put up with this parrot politics for two weeks maximum IMHO. If parties can’t get their message over in a few weeks then why bother! I’m also sick of all the staged media events instead of proper campaigning. We have lost a tradition and important features of British politics… the heckler and politicians who can engage and debate with them! It is now a national media event when the “greater mouthed” heckler is spotted.
I’ve heard something today that could make me votes Tory!!! Clive Anderson on the Daily Politics when asked for his predication said, “Harriet Harperson [sic] will be PM…” His train of thought was a Lib Lab coalition government that would see the removal of Gordon Brown due to the Liberals refusing to work with him. That leaves the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in power as the PM. That would be the doomsday scenario!!!!
Amy said,
Wrote on June 4, 2010 @ 11:46 am
Ming might “have a home” in NEF, but how many nights has he actually spent there in the last 23 years while he double jobbed as a QC and MP?
What you also failed to point out was that Ming’s address on his nomination papers is somewhere in Edinburgh! Why not give ones address as the one in NEF, if it really exists!!
I could afford to give a few shillings to local organisations if I had two high paying gigs!!!
John said,
Wrote on June 4, 2010 @ 1:28 pm
How am I supposed to know that? If other political parties cannot build a strong enough case to use it against him in an election campaign then why would normal citizens have the slightest incline of how big an apparent issue this is for the constituents of NEF.
As no one has supplied proof nor has made it part of the political campaign against Ming then the majority of the electorate in NEF is neither aware nor cares about “two jobs” Ming. I realise Ming is shown on a website as an Advocate available for hire, but how many hours a week does he work as an Advocate? To make this a proper case may I suggest some proper details, time he spends working as an Advocate, etc – in other words some real facts. Make Ming answer the case in the public domain if there is indeed a case to answer. The commentors have been making a great deal of this issue on this blog post but I don’t recall seeing it on any election communications from any of the other parties!
I didn’t fail to point out details on nomination papers – I simply didn’t care enough to go to the length of locating and scutinising nomination papers. So you’re arguing the case that Ming doesn’t own any homes in Fife? Strange how local politicians of a non-Lib Dem ilk have already confirmed he does have a home in NEF.
There are many rich individuals who could afford to help out local organisations but many don’t. The point was I know that he personally makes the effort to give money to a number of local groups, groups who desperately need all the funds they can secure to keep the doors open, a simple action that counts well for him when I’m trying to come to a conclusion on where to place the “x” on the ballot paper.
The main point of this blog post was to provide a critique on the election communications and how those had influenced my voting. It was recognition of the effectiveness of the elements of the Conservative and Lib Dem campaigns that dropped through the letterbox and provided feedback on why I was turned off by the leaflets from both “Scottish” Labour (there an oxymoron if I ever saw one) and the SNP.