Founder of Labour Society of Campaigners: Rule changes open up selection races to more creative communications
Whilst all the attention has rightly been placed on yesterday's critical local election (and wiser more heavy weight commentators will have cast their interpretations of the results over the coming days and hours) another important election in Labour circles is bubbling in the background. Next weekend Gedling constituency selects a new Parliamentary candidate.
When applications opened on March 31st, Gedling, with a majority of 679 and a little over 800 members, became the first CLP to run a selection process under the Party's new rules. It’s the area I call home and where I was, until recently, a member of the Executive and am still Secretary of our Local Campaign Forum.
The new truncated process, at just over 6 weeks, brings some fundamental changes that anyone with an interest in running to become a Parliamentary candidate for Labour (or with a general interest in communications) should take note of. Crucially, the new rules remove all restrictions on the amount and type of physical and digital (with the exception of email) communications can be sent once shortlisting is complete, replacing those restrictions with a catch-all spending limit.
Previously, candidates were restricted during the shortlisting stage to two mail drops of no more than four sides of A4. This limited the way potential candidates interacted with the process - perhaps the most innovative offering would be an A4 tri-fold wrapped in an A4 letter, maybe a further A3 tri-fold in a vertical format.
Now, the prospect of A5 booklets, die cut pieces and different paper sizes are a realistic option for a creative candidate who understands how the look and feel of their communications are another tool in their arsenal, reinforcing pitch and brand - after all no one really believes your claim to be a “creative and modern campaigner” when your pitch is delivered on a single A4 sheet, folded in half on poor quality paper that has clearly been printed on a home printer.
One of the early trends in campaign selections (and as many will be aware, whilst only Gedling has formally started, the firing gun has long been fired on many marginal seats across the country) is the battle between those candidates determined to show their own personal weight and achievements, versus those who pitch along a “we, not me” narrative and tone, focussing on their ability to bring people together.
Another growth area is the rise in organisations who can help candidates with not only their messaging but the systems needed to deliver it and even organising support, like the organisation I founded, Minerva Campaigns, and We Are Civitas. All of them have experienced professional campaigners and communication experts at their core with nuances in their individual specialisms. The rise of these supporting organisations will make a bug difference to the quality of campaigns candidates can run, enabling members to have more information at their fingertips to be able to choose the candidate they think best to represent their values, party and community as a future MP.
Similarly, expect to see the Labour Party Graphic Designers network play a large role in design across the selections, and with many activists having got to grips with design packages such as Canva there should (hopefully) be a general rise in more competent design across all selections. I’m sure many of the members of Labour In Communications will likely be involved in selections across the country.
As mentioned above, the systems needed to deliver efficient communications have become more important than ever, due to the short timeframe with a membership list - candidates have the ability to openly contact members for just two weeks. Text messaging services, phone banking systems and data capture forms have all increased in importance, as has an effective Facebook page capable of running adverts based on CSV uploads. Don't be surprised to see candidates have more understanding of “look-a-like” Facebook advertising as they look to increase reach prior to the two week shortlisting window. If there’s one practical bit of advice I’d give potential candidates now (other than the obvious need to start engaging members ASAP and build a team) it would be to set up a candidate Facebook page and sign up to be able to run adverts, anticipating the often lengthy delay that Facebook has on approving political pages.
Trade Unions now have a more defined role within the process compared to previous years, with those affiliated to the Party effectively helping candidates both guarantee a place on the longlist and engage with union members across a CLP in advance of that all-important membership list dropping. Again it’s realistically the ability to communicate earlier with a group of members who a candidate cannot access for longer due to the new rules which really increases the importance of affiliates to the process.
So for many of you, I imagine the reason you would read such an inward looking blog as this would be for some nuggets of advice around how to run a selection process, to which I offer the following summary:
Understand the process. The new rules and timeframe have fundamentally changed the organising priorities for wider communications though doesn’t replace the most important aspect for a candidate in terms of engagement, namely them sitting in members' living rooms and around kitchen tables on a charm offensive.
Build your team now. Don’t sit around and wait till asking people to commit dozens of hours to you in a small window and figuring out late where your skills gaps are. Due to the nature of the timeline and short window with the membership list there is far less capacity to overcome challenges whilst the selection is running than previously.
Build your communications strategy and grid now, including within that an analysis of what tools you can utilise to give you the largest bang for your buck.
The very best advice I can give is, perhaps perversely, to enjoy the process. For all the stresses, trials and tribulations they bring, selection procedures for Labour's Parliamentary candidates are designed to increase their skills and stress test the candidates and they are highly effective at doing this. Always remember it is a privilege to represent the party and particularly local parties with incredible members who have changed thousands of lives for the better in their local community, just as the incredible community activists who work together across Gedling CLP to show that Labour being on people’s side isn’t just a slogan to be tossed around, but something to be proven by doing not only the right thing but also doing it the right way.
Nathan Oswin is a twice national award winning campaigner, founder of Minerva Campaigns and the Labour Society of Campaigners. He can be contacted here.