Outside the vacuum

“I’m voting UKIP, and you know why” – that was it, the entire conversation. A quick utterance, then a disappearance behind a closed door. I did not know why. It is possible I had spoken to this voter before, and they were referring to an earlier conversation. This encounter was the complete opposite of another. A young man leapt out of his white van: “excuse me, are you the Labour candidate” he asked before adding “you’ve got to stop UKIP, they are maniacs.” A few more exchanged pleasantries and then he was back in his van and off.

At another door I was confronted by someone exclaiming: “oh no, not a politician – you are all cheating on expenses”. Again, they were not inclined to discuss. They had their views and were not prepared to see their prejudices challenged in conversation. For the record, whatever people may make of my politics, I do not cheat on expenses – I have yet to claim any anyway. Few politicians do cheat, which is why I find people like Lord Hanningfield so infuriating. He is a serial cheat who is giving all politicians a bad name (and highlighting the absurdity of an unelected second chamber – he will return to the House of Lords after his suspension).

Two gentlemen stopped me on my rounds and we had a good debate. They were working class lads whose frustrations were leading them towards UKIP. At the end they said they appreciated that I was prepared to engage in debate and was honest, and said that they would have voted for me – pity I am not up for election this year. Debate is important and one of my fears is that there is an absence of debate across the borough – a small clutch of hustings excepted. It could be the many votes will be cast in a vacuum, many voters not seeing much, if anything, of the candidates. I could understand the decline in public meetings and doorstep engagement if this was being replaced by the new media. Find me a UKIP supporting blog in Southend-on-Sea, aside from the appalling Southend Patriot. If the blogosphere in Southend-on-Sea is anything to go by we are in for a Labour landslide. Much that I would hope that would happen, I strongly suspect it will not.

The local UKIP Chair may think I am a fool for trying to engage with everyone, I find this rather insults the voters.