Paul Speller’s Election Diary
August 27-September 3 (Three weeks until the Election.)
Use your vote, pretty please!
With the election creeping ever closer, political reporters find themselves more and more gauging the level of interest in what’s coming up.
But we are insecure beings.
Does anyone really care about an election as much as we do, other than the candidates?
Sometimes, given the state of some campaigns, you do wonder whether the candidates even care as much as we do on the Tynwald press bench.
In terms of everyone else, it’s more a worry about whether they find it as interesting as we do. You don’t need to care deeply about politicians themselves but you should be interested in what they are doing, or in the results of what they have done.
The evidence over the past few days, happily, has been promising.
Emerging from an election coverage planning session with my colleague Charlie Morrey, we were confronted by a trio of members of the farming community who were keen to engage in debate about the prospects, pros and cons of various candidates.
And the discussion was reassuring in terms of the level of knowledge and interest from others, particularly given they aren’t paid to pay attention to such things.
That’s not to say the dialogue was entirely complimentary about the candidates. Nor should it be, necessarily. Honest opinion is a good thing.
And it is in search of honest opinion that Morrey and I are tootling around all the constituencies to get a taste of what people around the island are thinking about.
There have been a few who have warned us we wouldn’t be able to broadcast what they think of their politicians.
This, if nothing else, demonstrates they have never listened to weary reporters reflecting profanely after a long and frustrating Tynwald sitting. (Also, even if you’re a bit sweary, we could do an x-rated blooper reel.)
Some have told us how they’ve been fed up with politicians for a long time and have given up on believing their vote will make a difference. So, they won’t bother.
Now, while I understand the sentiment – we all understand the sentiment – I will always urge them to use their vote.
There are so many reasons why you should vote, from the sacrifices others made in the past to allow you to have that vote, to the people in other places who even today are denied such a fundamental right.
It comes down to this:
Your one vote may not make a difference on its own.
But if every single person who does not believe their vote will make a difference actually gives it a try and votes, that might just lead to change.
Sad but true
When you have you spent the first half – and more – of your career as a print journalist, you never quite lose the affinity for hard copy of any kind and the published product at the end of it.
Sad? Maybe.
So it is that, with each hard copy manifesto that comes through my door, I look to see details of publisher and printing.
It won’t be the only thing that will decide with whom I entrust my vote.
But for anyone who campaigns on the importance of supporting local businesses, i.e. all candidates, I’ll certainly be looking.
You can read last week’s entry in the Election Diary here.