THE LAST ELECTION
The VOICE of Prophecy! Final Fulfilment Edition, 20/21
9 May 2021
TUESDAY 18 APRIL 2017: there I was, minding my own business – preparing for a relaxing day, having busked on Easter Monday. In the middle of the morning the BBC was carrying a live statement to the British public from “strong and stable,” Prime ministers THERESA MAY (as she had become by fiat), announcing a “SNAP” general election for 8 June!
There had been a General election in 2015; and the referendum in 2016; Local Elections were less than a month away; these were now to be followed by another GENERAL ELECTION! – Why? Political opportunism! All the polls were showing a massive majority for Mrs May’s conservatives against Jeremy Corbyn’s left leaning Labour Party (perhaps approaching Blair’s victory against Major?); and despite having said she would not call an election – SHE DID!
Almost immediately, and I don’t really know why, but my GUT REACTION was that “I’m going to stand in this election!” I didn’t have the experience, the money or a hope in hell of winning; but nevertheless, I felt I should make a stand to articulate my utter dismay not to say CONTEMPT for the politicians and their manipulation of situation for their own advantage; AT A TIME WHEN THE NATIONAL INTERESTS SHOULD BE PUT FIRST!
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
Standing as an INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE for a parliamentary seat is not an easy task; particularly when there are only 7 WEEKS and you have no local political infrastructure to fall back on!
I decided quite early on that despite the considerable costs involved, I WOULD PRODUCE A MANIFESTO and take advantage of each candidates right to have an “Election Communication” distributed within his/her constituency by the Post Office without charge.
THIS, I can tell you was no small undertaking; but I thought it my best opportunity to put my message across and stand any chance of getting elected (or saving my deposit).
CANVASSING
Without a group of election volunteers to call on, and with the time pressures being so extreme, the opportunity for me to engage in door to door canvasing (with up 70,000 voters in the constituency) was very limited. However, I did do a little; for which I produced several flyers in comparatively small numbers.
DRAFTING and re-drafting my manifesto; because of it’s colourful design, overcoming technical difficulties (due to producing the artwork in WORD rather than PDF) literally kept me up for many nights.
IT WAS ALSO A RACE AGAINST TIME to get the finished artwork printed, after going through several stages of APPROVAL by the Electoral Services. (I remain forever grateful to APS Printers, 4a West Parade, Lincoln LN1 1JT, for going the extra mile, without which I would not have got ANY election leaflets delivered by post, let alone 28,000).
MY MANIFESTO
The VOICE of Prophecy! Final Fulfilment Edition, 20/21
9 May 2021