There are 3284 electors in Waldingfield Ward and they live in 1636 houses.
On Saturday morning we knocked on the door of the 1636th house and were happy to find that its owner was a supporter which added to the feeling of satisfaction of having completed the first round! Canvassing the ward over the last two weeks has been far more enjoyable than I expected. The weather has been kind to us, we have met (and drunk tea and coffee with) some very pleasant people and have engaged in a number of interesting discussions on a wide range of topics.
What has been depressing however is the lack of engagement with local politics and related community issues that one meets on many doorsteps. For every person who takes an interest there are at least two who regard the whole electoral process with indifference, if not hostility. This is reflected in the turn out figures. The percentage of electors in Waldingfield who came out to vote at the last election for Babergh was a paltry 34.15%.
In the Times on Saturday a grandmother wrote about the difficulty she was experiencing in persuading her 18 year old grand-daughter to go out and vote for the first time. When the older woman reminded the girl about the fight of the Suffragettes for votes for women it transpired that despite being at a good school she had never even heard of the Suffragettes!
In recent months I have been revisiting a number of 19th Century novels, such as Felix Holt by George Eliot and the Palliser Novels by Trollope. The excitement and vibrancy that surrounded elections in earlier days is clear from the etching above that depicts the Middlesex elections of 1806. At that time the vote was regarded as a privilege and something that people were struggling to achieve. Nowadays it seems we take it for granted.
What can be done to stimulate in politics again? People seem increasingly unwilling to get involved with their local communities, and lack of interest in local politics is part of this unwillingness. Is it something to do with education? When I was at school we held mock elections and regularly discussed contemporary political issues. To what extent does this happen today? As I have discovered over the last two weeks engaging with people in the community is very enjoyable and life enhancing. It is in my view sad that many people seem to prefer to live their lives vicariously through soap operas instead of connecting with the real world.
To some extent it is up to politicians to try to reach out to people to encourage them to participate. If I am elected to Babergh on 3rd May I will certainly try to get involved in any initiatives that raise awareness and interest in the democratic process and the way that our communities are run.
On Saturday morning we knocked on the door of the 1636th house and were happy to find that its owner was a supporter which added to the feeling of satisfaction of having completed the first round! Canvassing the ward over the last two weeks has been far more enjoyable than I expected. The weather has been kind to us, we have met (and drunk tea and coffee with) some very pleasant people and have engaged in a number of interesting discussions on a wide range of topics.
What has been depressing however is the lack of engagement with local politics and related community issues that one meets on many doorsteps. For every person who takes an interest there are at least two who regard the whole electoral process with indifference, if not hostility. This is reflected in the turn out figures. The percentage of electors in Waldingfield who came out to vote at the last election for Babergh was a paltry 34.15%.
In the Times on Saturday a grandmother wrote about the difficulty she was experiencing in persuading her 18 year old grand-daughter to go out and vote for the first time. When the older woman reminded the girl about the fight of the Suffragettes for votes for women it transpired that despite being at a good school she had never even heard of the Suffragettes!
In recent months I have been revisiting a number of 19th Century novels, such as Felix Holt by George Eliot and the Palliser Novels by Trollope. The excitement and vibrancy that surrounded elections in earlier days is clear from the etching above that depicts the Middlesex elections of 1806. At that time the vote was regarded as a privilege and something that people were struggling to achieve. Nowadays it seems we take it for granted.
What can be done to stimulate in politics again? People seem increasingly unwilling to get involved with their local communities, and lack of interest in local politics is part of this unwillingness. Is it something to do with education? When I was at school we held mock elections and regularly discussed contemporary political issues. To what extent does this happen today? As I have discovered over the last two weeks engaging with people in the community is very enjoyable and life enhancing. It is in my view sad that many people seem to prefer to live their lives vicariously through soap operas instead of connecting with the real world.
To some extent it is up to politicians to try to reach out to people to encourage them to participate. If I am elected to Babergh on 3rd May I will certainly try to get involved in any initiatives that raise awareness and interest in the democratic process and the way that our communities are run.
