was interesting. We have started discussing budgets and strategies, not only for the elections next May, but for the forthcoming General Election in, presumably, 2009; and now, somehow, I feel a part of it all, rather than a bystander.
one might think it quite flattering to be asked to consider standing as a local councillor in 2007. Except that they want me to consider standing here in the village, where there is no hope of us winning 🙂
still, if I do want to be involved, it would be good practice, and being a school governor will get my name out there in a small way in a few months time. I shall have to ponder. My biggest fear is Stephen Twiggery – I don’t want to stand and then find that – inexplicably – I win, unless I can be utterly sure that I want to do it, and b) can find the time to do it. Still, I have a few months (but not many) to think about it.
Except that they want me to consider standing here in the village, where there is no hope of us winning 🙂
Think of it as a) useful in keeping the Lib-Dems in people’s minds, and b) as very good experience in campaigning.
This week I had the interview and was given full approval to stand as a Lib-Dem candidate in next year’s council elections, which I am pleased about.
congratulations!
but as I said, I need to be sure that I can cope in the very unlikely event that I win. And I’m not sure that I have the time right now – and I think I’d be much happier as a backroom person.
I’m happy to run EARS, do the leaflets design, knock on doors, etc. But I’m not sure I want to be a representative. Still, I’ll think on, as they say.
I understand your dilemma. When I stood before, I was fairly certain I wasn’t going to win, but there was a point when I wondered whether the unthinkable might happen, and how I would cope. The trouble is, no matter how securely ‘other’ the seat is, if you run a really good campaign you may win … And I know from stories I’ve heard that it can be a real propblem if a ‘paper’ candidate does inadvertently win!
Can a winning candidate demand a recount?
Tricky … it depends on what point in the process it’s okay to for the agent to kill the candidate and thus force a by-election. I think by the time the count comes around, it’s another by-election rather than the ballot standing as is.
it happened here in – I think – 1997. The Libdems went from about 14 to 29* seats, and quite a lot of people who stood were somewhat taken aback to find they were now councillors.
*date and numbers approximate – this is just from something that someone said last night.
I heard similar stories on my travels in Kent recently. It was a huge problem for the party as they now had a clutch of highly reluctant councillors.
yeah, ‘paper’ candidates winning can be a real nuisance, to the candidate especially. In Camden in 2003 we had someone get elected unexpectedly (three to be elected in ward, we won one of them and our first in that side of the borough in a very long time) who promptly told the group leader that he wouldn’t accept the election. At the subseqent byelection shortly afterwards we lost it again, unsurprisingly.
otoh, a few years ago I was at conference and one of the people from Newcastle was being asked by someone from elsewhere in the country how close joe – a permanent paper candidate in one ward – had been to getting elected. The response was “Oh, you mean Cllr Joe …”
Mostly, it is a case of fighting every seat as you (a) don’t know what the electorate will actually decide come the day, and (b) if you don’t stand then people think you aren’t really that serious the next time you do stand, even in a different election.
Go for it!