Following the campaign: the views of… LibDem candidate Allan Witherick

We are pleased to announce a major achievement for our humble blog: Allan Siao Ming Witherick, a Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Broxbourne (a town close to London with a population of around 90.000 inhabitants) has been kind enough to make some time in his busy agenda and answer a few questions on how he sees the campaign.

Allan Witherick is an elected member of Hertfordshire County Council which covers 1 million people and has a deep knowledge on issues such as safety, adult care services and health. Thanking him for this much appreciated effort (and hoping that candidates from other parties shall follow his example too or else we’ll become LibDems fans!) we reproduce below Allan’s impressions on how the campaign is going so far

1. How are you following the British General Election campaign (through what kind of media)?
As a candidate I get it from all sides! I follow mainly by TV (rolling 24 hour news channels) and internet news (BBC website). But also I get some from facebook etc. My friends include people in most main parties and so actually the wall becomes an interesting resource.

2. Is there anything special that has surprised you so far?
The leaders debate has electrified the nation, and our party. It is hard to say fully why. Perhaps because the media suddenly realise that there IS a third party, a different party, another way. With the added media attention we are suddenly taken more seriously and this in turn generates new support. It does show how important it is for press to be on side.

3. Which candidate do you believe is communicating his message to the voters in a better way?
What is the message? Is it to vote for me? Then yes, since the debates the Liberal Democrat leader has really pushed this hard and has done well now the media have given him attention. If it is the policies, then no, no party has managed this, not because they have not tried in some cases, but because the media are uninterested, partly because they feel the public feels that way.

4. In the UK the maximum investment the parties can make in a campaign has been limited. Do you think this limitation is necessary? Will it help the parties to think for new ways of communications?
My party has had an interesting time. We don’t have the money of the trade unions (Labour) or the big business (Conservatives). As such we have always had less to spend on elections. This makes the cap actually important in helping to ensure that:
a) Less money is spent on elections as a whole
b) That even small parties can be involved and make a difference. This is really seen in local elections.
In many ways innovation is a by-product, with limited resources we are all doing this anyway.

5. Which kind of media do you think will be key to reach the voters (TV, Internet, written press…)? Why?
Catalyst media is fast becoming the issue. The TV Debate was a catalyst which has fed the internet and written press. Sometimes it is a website which is the catalyst which is then picked up by other media. Looking at the reality on the ground it does still feel TV, Newspapers, Radio, Internet in that order.
Why? Because TV, people watch the news. Newspapers are still main news source for many. Radio they listen in the car. Internet they have to make a conscious effort to use- and so most of what we see are the already interested.

6. British politicians are being pioneers in using social media and web 2.0 tools in their Communications with their voters. Do you think this helps them to get closer to their electors?
It can. But we must remember three things:
a) It is easier to delete an e-mail than it is to throw away a piece of paper- you at least glance at the paper.
b) Not everyone has access to, or uses internet and social media in this way.
c) Some aspect rely on pull- voters have to CHOOSE to come to you first. In my experience few do. Most only look when there is an issue they care about, and they already know which way they want you to vote on that issue.

7. Do you think any aspect of the British campaign can be applied abroad, especially to the Spanish one?
I think the main thing to learn is that you should always take candidates and parties seriously. There is an interesting article in paper which notes that, even with the Liberal Democrats getting 20%+ of the vote, the newspapers and media shut us out and did not take us seriously. They did not attend our conferences etc. Suddenly we are 30%+ in polls and they realise they have no contacts with us etc.