canvassing

Like many people in the UK I have become disillusioned with the status quo in our national politics.

With a general election announced this week for May 6th, I thought I would try to be positive. I decided to become a party activist for the first time. Be one of those people knocking on doors and cold calling to talk about politics.

This fits in with my life policy of trying something new every year. And of pushing myself outside my comfort zone occasionally.

John Mead, Julia Davies

Knocking on strangers’ doors is definitely outside of my comfort zone. I can’t remember when I was last so nervous. I have been giving presentations at work for years no problem.

I spent Wednesday evening accompanying Julia Davies, our candidate for Parliament, to learn what to do and say. I knocked on my first door on Thursday night.

All week I had been thinking about this momemt and no one answered.

Then no one answered the second door or the third. Someone answered the next door but did not want to talk to me, and so on.

Not a good evening, few people answered the door to me. Perhaps I’m intimidating. Maybe no one feels guilty in ignoring me.

Perhaps they can sense I am terrified and I am secretly hoping no one answers the door. It’s lucky I am not a door–to-door salesman. I would starve.

But, by the end of the evening I was feeling better about the whole thing and will be back out Monday to Thursday for the next few weeks.

Tomorrow I will be in the Town Centre shopping precinct giving out leaflets and posters. This’ll also be outside my comfort zone.

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