Well spotted Bruno. 4500 Members... Members of what?? people who have paid a £1 per week to enter a draw at some stage. Indeed he clearly is continuing his "Ignore the Radio issue and just threaten to ban supporters"
Interesting hes in print disagreeing with the fans.. I wonder if he thinks some are getting too big for their boots and is giving a little slap to get them back in line?
I wonder if the circle or worm will turn at some stage.
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Alexander O'Neal 1987 "I'm fed up cos all you wanna do is criticize "
Take it from someone who has ben the election agent on many winning council seats, this cannot succeed or even bother the main parties because:
1) It has no real gripe (The ground has not been sold to Sainsbury's)
2) The avid base of the "party" is as diverse as Croydon and Broadstairs.
3) There is the likelihood that many within proximatey (sic) of the ground would actually welcome the chance to have their free space (i.e. parking,) back on a Saturday.
4) The BNP/UKIP in Bexley already have between 11-21% of the protest vote sewn up.
5) To overturn a councillor, let alone take votes, requires the following:
a) Dedicated canvassers (at least 3 canvassing visits per househould.)
b) Targetted, non main policy ideology. (The BNP and UKIP campaigned on issues other than their chosen Nazism/Anglophilism) to achieve reasonable council votes.
c) Campaign literature, that is readily updated and relevant. Could our protest group even agree?
d) Profiling of the people you need to get out to vote. Council elections rarely get more than 25% of the electorate out. To do so, a copy of the electoral roll is required and everyone on it must be canvassed way before the next council elections and put into groups whereby a strategist will thereby define who to target. Who knows how to do that, here? Bertie and me only, probably?
e) "walks", the wards divided up into "walks", normally one eighth of the ward takes approx 2 hours between 3-4 people.
f) Transport: Sitting voters will only come out to vote if the local party promises to drive them to the poling station. When they want to go, not you.
There's loads more, but alcohol has dented me.
The most important fact to remember is:
6) Unlike when they are challenged by serious and competetive parties (UKIP or BNP-both Nazis,) do the lethargic councillors ever act on local concerns. To get the back up of some old biddy who has sat for something like 20 years and then to discover the same old biddy holds loads of power on the council, and upset that person with a one-off, single issue campaign is tantamount to objective suicide.
I would advise that Welling's group approach the councillors in marginal seats (or their opponents) and offer them their physical and dynamic support during the elections, in return for whatever it is they want. 540 potential voters spread over the range we are is not much of a political bargaining tool.
But, what do I know? Lecturing at the Lib Dems conference in Blackpool next Tuesday and the Labour Conference on the 26th in Brighton on how to beat single issue parties, means nothing.
More harm than good can come of this, ask Margate........
