One would of had to have been living in a bubble for the general election to have passed them by. It was all over the television screens, the newspapers, on the radio, the web, everywhere. It seems like yesterday that I was out pounding the streets of Peterborough for Stewart Jackson and the Council candidates. Much like taking examinations, I was left with a feeling of helplessness on the night of May 5th, when the direction of the election campaign was largely taken out of our hands. All one could do was wait and see what happens. Oh the anxiety, oh the joy!
I began May 6th, polling day, with a taxi journey from Peterborough train station to the home of Stewart Jackson which, I must say was a beautiful place. I was struck by the hospitality of his family while I awaited my lift; a hospitality which I found was repeated by a number of people throughout the day.
I had been selected amongst others in the gang, to man one of the Campaign Centres, in which the Paston Ward Get Out The Vote (GOTV) operation was based. My job was to input and analyse the turnout of Conservative voters and determine, together with Stewart's sister, where to send teams to knock on the doors of Conservative pledges, who had yet to go out and vote. Sounds exciting doesn't it? The destiny of the Paston Ward Council candidate in particular and of Stewart, partly held in my hands. It was an experience bolstered by an ample supply of tea, pork pies and sandwiches; a food type in which my father often describes as "Gods food". Just to top it off, there was the added blessing of the Paston Ward Council candidate, in whose home I was based, being a fan of cricket, so I was also able to watch England's World Twenty20 match against Pakistan :-)
When the polls closed that evening, we headed down to the Town Hall to await the results. I spent the first hour sat on a bench on the ground floor, below where the action was taking place, without even a television to let me know what was going on. If anxiety was what I felt on the night of May 5th, just imagine how I must have been feeling now. Luckily, armed with this laptop and my newly acquired dongle, I followed the somewhat stuttered coverage of the Sunderland results (How I wish I had Jack Bauer's PDA, which seems to be free from the endless "buffering" and the little "loading" circles at the centre of the screen) Later, Matthew, the Campaign Manager, was able to obtain balcony passes for a few other members of the conservative campaign team and I, gaining us both an active television set and front row seats to watch the facial expressions of Parliamentary candidates; a rollercoaster of elation at Parliamentary gains and nervousness at holds or losses.
Considering the amount of work we all put into the campaign and the high regard in which I hold Stewart, it goes without saying that I was both relieved and delighted that he was successfully returned to the House of Commons with an increased majority. After a night spent on the sofa at the home of Matthew & Sam, I was also able to experience being a Counting Agent for the local election results the next day. My guy in Paston Ward was also sent to serve in Peterborough Council so a double victory for me.
I continue to work in Peterborough, helping out with the administration of Stewart's Constituency Office and covering for the Administrative Assistant when she is away. I was recently informed that I will be interning at Stewart's Westminister office from September to Christmas which, I must confess, I cannot wait for. My dreams of a permanent job in Parliament are becoming closer to reality day by day. I have also been contacted by the Policy & Campaigns team at the National Deaf Children's Society. Having experience from different perspectives might give me a key advantage in the field of equalities; something to think about perhaps?. Until then, there is a World Cup to enjoy and I, for one, will be cheering on England tonight. Do us proud boys!
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