Building local coalitions

 

David Canzini

 

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Also in this section:

• Why negative campaigning works Jonathan Upton
• How Boris Won: The Lynton Crosby Interview Iain Dale
• Ten ways to improve a speech John Shosky
• From Facebook to ballot box Jag Singh
• Campaign doctor Christian Schnee
• Learning Lessons from Crewe and Nantwich

One of the biggest words in US politics is coalition.  But the word doesn’t have the same meaning in the UK where we assume a coalition is when parties or groups work together. In the US, a coalition is a group of voters or special interest bodies who throw their weight behind a candidate or a party.

 

In UK campaigns, building an American-style coalition could be the answer to the accusation that all parties are the same.  Such a coalition would enable a candidateto stand out by creating a local coalition from across the political spectrum.

 

I can hear the cry: “The problem is that community/issue groups say they are not political”.  But the issues such groups are concerned with are political and accordingly they want local or national politicians to solve their problem or legislate on their issue. 

 

The answer to the question of “why should I bother” lies in accepting that the electorate has little or no regard for politicians.  The road to success and bucking trends therefore is to seek out third party endorsements to support you - a local coalition!

 

Coalition of Community Groups
There is no substitute for knocking on doors to establish the issues people are most concerned about or going to the council office or local church to find out which groups have booked the local community centre for meetings.

 

Candidates should offer to speak to, or meet, the groups and if they can support the group’s aims shouldn’t be shy in asking for their support. You may not get the whole group, but consider the benefit obtained if you garner the support of a number of individual members. Those individuals can then become part of your coalition. Imagine the power of an endorsement that says:

Coalition of Pressure Groups
There is always a campaign to support this or oppose that.  In many instances the issue concerned is the responsibility of a local authority.  So find the ones you support, offer your support and ask for their endorsement. The issues could range from:

• Save Our Hospital
• Campaign for a School Crossing
• Parents for Traffic Calming

 

The principle lies in bringing together as many individuals or groups willing to support the candidate and stay the course for the duration of your campaign.

Coalition of Professions
Generally speaking, the most trusted people in local communities are members who have a profession.  To build such a coalition you will need to employ a slightly different strategy.  Individual members must be recruited with a view to having them recruit colleagues.  If you adopt this tactic you will be able to build coalition groups like:

• doctors for…
• teachers for…
• carers for…

Remember, groups of supporters don’t have to include many ‘locals’ and it’s not essential to have a life beyond the campaign.

A word of warning though, do not promise more than you can deliver and if you offer to back a view or cause - do so! If you let people down they will not hesitate to let other people know, probably through the local or indeed national media.