Posts Tagged ‘The Labour Party’

May17

A Party Activist’s Election: Afternoon Day 2

By: Tim Neale

May 7, 2010 UK General Election 2010

general election 2010

general election 2010

11:00 I’m awake again. I can’t sleep much. I turn on the TV to catch up on the election results. What is going? What will the politicians do next?. I hope they’ve had more sleep than me.

I eat breakfast and read The Guardian online message boards. Time flies when I do this. A couple of hours later I eat dinner. I’ve not slept properly in 36 hours and everything is fuzzy.

14:30 I arrive back at Stevenage Leisure Centre. The local count’s in progress. This time I wander around. It’s a similar set up as yesterday but with each ward having a separate couple of tables.

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Popularity: 30%

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May15

A Party Activist’s Election: Morning Day 2

By: Tim Neale

May 7, 2010 UK General Election 2010

00:30 I leave the Red Lion and head for the count at Stevenage Leisure Centre. I am an ‘Official Counting Agent’ tonight. I’ve been advised to get there sometime after midnight, “Not much happens before then.”

As I walk from the Old Town I fall in with four guys. Three of them are Labour and one Conservative. In Stevenage You can’t tell who’ll be voting for whom from appearances. We’re definitely post-tribal.

One asks who I voted for today. I decline to say. He apologises for asking. Everyone takes the secret part of voting very seriously. They turn for the leisure park to go clubbing. I carry on to the Leisure Centre for the count. I feel very grown up and sensible.

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Popularity: 32%

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May14

A Party Activist’s General Election: Day 1

By: Tim Neale

May 6, 2010 UK General Election 2010

general election 2010

general election 2010

05:30 My alarm goes off. The big day has arrived. Today in Stevenage we will be voting for a member of parliament and local councillors. I stumble around my flat, half asleep, hoping I will wake up soon.

I’m starting the day ‘telling’ at Fry Road. I need to be there for opening at 7:00. Telling involves sitting outside of a polling station asking for voters’ polling card number.

06:30 I leave home. It’s bright and crisp and way too early. I walk to the polling station, there are no other tellers around when I arrive. The Labour teller turns up. We shake hands and introduce ourselves. Howard is a Labour councillor for the ward although not running this year.

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Popularity: 26%

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October2

Tracy Chapman: Why

By: Tim Neale

Meanwhile on a planet far away…

New Labour still think they can win the next election. It was their conference this week. I can barely watch them any more, my blood boils within a minute. I have to turn the TV off.

Watching the usual suspects trying to spin their way out of the latest screw-up brought this song to mind.

It’s by Tracy Chapman and from one of my all time favourite albums. My best memory of TC was her playing the Nelson Mandela gig at the old Wembley in the late 80′s. She stole the show with a brilliant set.

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Popularity: 4%

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