A Little Unexpected Work for me to do

Monday 19th November 2012

I hot footed it from the Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Council offices to the Labour Hall not remembering why Kevin Wilson wanted me to be there for but I would soon find out.

It seemed it was to stuff envelopes for the postal ballot applicants that had been approved for one, and the system was as follows

1. covering letter
2. confirmation of ID form
3. ballot paper
4. ballot envelope
5. candidates statement (Kevin Wilson was at pains to fold half the pile of copies so that both candidates had equal billing)
6. freepost envelope

I was aslso asked to check that all paperwork was in order (which it was) then I put all the papers in the envelopes sealed them and put second class stamps on.

I was asked to keep a pile of ballot papers to take with me to the final hustings and count, he then used a makeshift box which was sealed with labels and we both signed each one very inventive we are in the Labour Party.

With that I went home and posted all the letters at the post box outside the Heelands shops!    

The Candidates

Emily Darlington 

I am an active campaigner in Milton Keynes, out on the door step for Super Saturdays, helping organise street stalls and taking part in Party meetings.

I campaigned for our council candidates in May where we gained 7 seats and 7 great councillors putting us in good stead to win the council in 2014. It was great to see Labour gains for the Liberal Democrats in Bradwell, Campbell Park and Wolverton and to see Margaret Burke beat the Tories in Stantonbury. 

I have national experience, travelling across the country as a volunteer in the 2010 General Election to organise campaign visits for Gordon Brown and other ministers.

- In the 2005 election, I worked at Labour HQ, helped draft the business manifesto and working in the press office.

I was a special adviser at the Department of Trade and Industry and the Treasury covering issues of innovation, economic growth and personal taxation. In government, I helped deliver 28 days holiday for all workers, simplifications to child tax credits and an increasing science budget.

Rebakah Peterson  

I have been an active member of a Labour-affiliated trade union for 19 years, and I joined the Labour Party as a full member in 2008. I am a delegate to the National Policy Forum (NPF) for the trade union section, division II, and have attended the NPFs held in Gillingham, Wrexham and Aston. Further to this I am elected to the Crime, Justice, Citizenship and Equality policy committee, regularly attending and contributing to the meetings alongside shadow Cabinet members.

I attended the Labour Party Conference in 2011 in ex-officio capacity as an NPF member, and I represented South West Bedfordshire CLP as a delegate at the 2012 conference in Manchester. I have also attended the London Labour Party conference on behalf of my trade union ASLEF on two occasions. 

I stood as a town councillor in the 2010 local election for Leighton-Linslade, although I was unsuccessful, and I have campaigned in local, regional and national elections.

I attend my local Labour branch meetings when shift-work commitments allow, and I am engaged in jointly setting up a local trade union liaison (TULO) group.

 

Meet the Candidates

Saturday 17th November 2012

Kevin Wilson had rang me the day before to see if I could arrive at the Cross and Stable on Downs Barn at 10:00am to set up as he had to go canvassing as the day clashed with a super Saturday campaigning event.

I met Kevin in the car park and was given a couple of bags full of tea bags, coffee, sugar  biscuits and a couple of cartons of milk, the Caretaker was a couple of minutes late as her son had lost his shoe, but once inside I got out cups, saucers and laid out the biscuits on a plate filled up both kettles, Carole Baume came to the rescue and offered to make cups of tea and coffee for members and said how organised I was and Kevin said I was very domesticated, Dave Newens thought I was a bit optmistic with the amount of cups I had laid out, I chatted with one of the candidates about yesterdays victory in the Corby by election and the first Crime and Police Commissioner Elections.

I was also tasked with getting members to give me their contact details, before going into the meeting room, I offered to hover near to the doors to greet late comers.

There was about twenty or so who came out which was not bad then after both candidates statements there were two tables for each candidate to chat and members to ask questions, it seemed to go very well and went right up to the time allotted.

Sadly I missed what was said and did not get involved with the question and answer sessions around the table as I ended up having a long chat first with Carol Wood in the kitchen and then Pete Marland in the hallway.

I had a couple of complaints about the event clashing with Councillor surgeries and the Super Saturday but what ever we did it would clash with something and we had a tight timescale to do all this in, and from someone about being featured in a candidates leaflet but at the end of the day candidates are responsible for the content they produce.

I helped to clear up by putting the banners away etc and lugged them both along with the bags full of the tea coffee etc into the back of my car and drove to the Labour Hall.

I unloaded everything and saw Pete Marland and Sarah Richardson with both candidates and Kevin Wilson.

As drove out from the car park Emily Darlington stopped to offer to meet up for a chat which I will take her up on her kind offer. 

   

Its Shortlisting Time

Saturday 10th November 2012 

I arrived at the Labour Hall for the Shortlisting meeting to interview two candidates Emily Darlington and Rebakah Peters.

Both from two very different backgrounds one who working at the Treasury as an advisor and worked for the Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling MP and now runs her own business, the other a train driver and ASLEF union activist.

We had agreed a list of questions and went round in turns to ask them, one candidate had a cold but still did very well, and again the statements and answers to all the questions were tackled very differently from each candidate both were very good and we had no problems in letting them through to the hustings and campaigning stages with party members.

It was just a shame one candidate withdraw due to family issues and another due to a clash of a teaching committment.   

A Conference Call Beckons

Sunday 4th November 2012

Stayed at home most of the day and tried to keep reminding myself that there was a longlisting conference call at 6:00pm, in the end I wrote a post it note and left it on the coffee table that way I could not forget.

When the time arrived I wondered whether I would be able to hear everyone as the noise from the fireworks was pretty loud.

I dialled the number given too me and discovered I was the first in the conference room, it is strange hearing everyone introduce themselves most of us were there but we were waiting for one other person, (although Pete Marland thought I was not there!) not all of us were on as someone gave their apologies due to a family illness a sister that went down with appendicitise bless her.

We in turn and in althabetical order (which mean't I was first) made our views known and decided all candidates were interviewing Dave Newens who was chairing then discussed about the questions we would ask etc.

It was differcult not to cut across each other but we all had a good discussion, near towards the end I had to laugth when Pete Marland asked if he could be excused as he wanted his tea and I concurred so did I we said our goodbyes.   

Milton Keynes North Selection for a Parliamentary Candidate

Monday 24th September 2012

Its that time again to select a Parliamentary Candidate, I had sent out an email to those members of the Executive Committee living in the present Milton Keynes North Constituency, who would form the Selection Committee to invite them to todays first Selection Committee meeting.

This time it will be conducted under an All Women's Shortlist, we met at the Labour Hall to agree the membership of the committee, the Regional Organiser along with the NEC Observer was there to go through the process to agree the membership freeze date, a budget, the membership list and of course a Procedures Secretary, oh how I dreaded that one, of course readers of this blog (I doubt there is many of you) will know I had undertaken this role for the selection for the Milton Keynes South parliamentary spokesperson (I use this term as I'm not sure if the same legal rules apply, I do not want to get into trouble and kick start election expenses it has always been etched on to my brain), anyway as there was not a queue of takers when I was asked I mock tried to hide underneath the table to show my weariness of taking on the role for a second time but of course dear readers I did accept the nomination as they say in Local Government circles.

To be fair the last time went very smoothly and the local organiser did most of the donkey work, (I mean that in the nicest way of course) but it was still a lot of work for me to do, still if I'm honerst I still enjoyed it and will most likely will again.

So that was it a short and sweet meeting and now the fun and games begin.