Leaflets

Last time I stood I wondered about the benefits of leaflets. We (the candidates and parties) take great care* over them, trying to distill our thinking into a few words and then hoping that the message gets across. But what is their fate? Do they go straight in the bin? Are they glanced at first? Does that depend on your predisposition? I’m quite positive about them; as I’ve delivered my second leaflet a number of people have said – “Oh yes, I saw your first leaflet” or “I’ve already got one, thanks.” But here’s some other angles:

Someone said he had found my first letter in a cottage he was working in and it had been of great value to test whether or not the boiler was still leaking; it was just the right size to slip underneath. He could quote from it so he must have read it first.

After golf one day, someone else said: “John. These leaflets. Do you mean what you say?” I said yes. I couldn’t speak for others, but I had worked hard to set out what I really thought. I was impressed with the Conservatives’ approach: we had a design template (blue and green) but then each candidate wrote their own election address. There’s a degree of consistency but it does  mean that each leaflet reflects the individual’s views. Which is good.

I hadn’t seen an opponents’ leaflet yet – but someone I visited to said that a Lib Dem leaflet had just been delivered (by post). I asked to see it; they immediately looked for it in the bin. It was actually the county wide leaflet rather than an individual one and again it seemed negative – the old “Only the Lib Dems can beat xxx” trick. In other words, don’t vote for who you want, vote to stop something else. I had a non-political friend helping me that day – they agreed that it was a negative leaflet and unprompted noted that the Conservative manifesto was positive, talking about what they would do. Which is also good.


*Update:

I thought we all took great care over our leaflets, but I've just seen the latest leaflet from my opponent which says he has the energy, commitment and enthusiasm to deliver for Warkworth. That did surprise me given Warkworth is a few Divisions away: I can only think that not all candidates do take great care over their leaflets!