Diary of a Parliamentary Candidate Part 1
Created | Updated May 26, 2005
Some of you may have noticed a lack of activity from Demon Drawer one of the most prolific researchers on H2G2 for most of this year. There was a very reasonable explanation for this. He had been preparing to stand in the UK General Election that was held on 5 May. Well he is back and is going to tell us all, well as much as he is able and can remember, about it over the next few weeks. Dates, however, will at times be vague.
Episode 1: A New Candidate
What inspires someone to stand for Parliament? When do they first get the vision that they can stand?
I've been a member of the Liberal Democrats on and off since my student days. When I moved to Scotland I got involved in a small local party which has, at present, no representation at any level, a bit of a come down from my student days in Kingston where the party was challenging the Conservatives at every election, in my time. So to stand in the area was hardly down to hoping to get elected, at least not in this election. One problem being a small local party does have, though, is that the General Election candidates for Westminster or for Scotland tend to come from Edinburgh or elsewhere and have no commitment to the area. Therefore my primary inspiration is to be a local representative; to inspire others in the area that Liberal Democrats live here and have ability.
Sometime in 2003
It was during the 2003 Scottish Parliamentary Elections that the idea was first muted about me standing as a Parliamentary Candidate. One of the other younger members (believe me there weren't many of us) was upset about the fact that, once again, our local party was having to look elsewhere for candidates. Was there ever going to be anyone locally who had the credibility to stand for high office. They muted the idea that we should both fill in the candidate's application form and put ourselves forward for the two local constituencies.
An idea was born.
Scottish Conference Spring 2004
I finally pick up a form. It is big! Incredibly big! Think of the biggest application form you have ever had to fill in for a job and then triple that, at least. It started out like a normal job application form - personal details, education and employment history. Then it went on to political experience, your views on party policy including one thing you think needed changing and comparing the policies and philosophies of the party with that of the other three main Scottish parties. It wasn't so much the form that was intimidating as the amount of space left for your answers, but isn't that always the way. I started work on it.
After the conference
I told my local party that I had a candidate's application form and was looking at getting it completed in time to stand in the next Westminster election. They were happy to wait to fill that seat until I had gone through the approval system, glad to have a local candidate to put on the slate. As one of the local members is involved in the candidate selection process she said I would be fitted in once I was ready for assessment.
After the Local Party Meeting
I started to fill in the form but procrastinated like crazy. Being a
perfectionist, I'm never truly happy with any of the answers past the personal data on page 1. Plus I'm also still heavily involved in the local issues - Post Office closures, abysmal local transport provision and the removal of some key services from the local hospital in Edinburgh.
Federal Autumn Conference, Bournemouth
Charles Kennedy tells us that he believes that the General Election is going to be called for 5 May 2005 and advises us all to put that into our diaries. So while I attempt to complete the form on the long trip back up from Bournemouth I instead find I'm reading The Orange Book a book of essays on possible future policy direction from some of the party's leading lights. Will I ever get this form completed?
Next week the urgency increases.
Diary of a Parliamentary Candidate Archive
