Campaigning? The BBC might be able to help…
In case you've been wondering how to take over the world, but haven't quite got enough support from your neighbours yet, I came across this page of advice on campaigning and drumming up support for your cause from the BBC Action Network site today.
Ok, carry on as you were… /al
Posted by Alex on Sun 1st July 2007
Special thankyous
As some of you may know, we are only allowed to spend up to
Posted by Alex on Fri 16th March 2007
Day 4 done: end in sight…
Only about 5 hours of canvassing left in the run-up to the close of voting. While all the other candidates sleep, I'm uploading today's photos and trying to find all my receipts…
Today's been another whirlwind of fun and scaryness. I crashed my first lecture alone at midday, and while I received huge rounds of applause in both, it was an experience which left me shaking!
I've really enjoyed speaking to students, and even a couple of lecturers, about their take on anything and everything student-orientated, but especially about the things that UPSU Media can help to improve. I still feel “the fear” when approaching students, of course, but I'm also gaining a lot of self-confidence from this, which I reckon is no bad thing.
I'm seeing and hearing of a lot of candidates - who started the week as laid back as you could imagine - becoming a tiny bit stressed by this whole experience. I'm sure I'd be feeling it too if I wasn't so exhausted. If I had the luxury of being able to offer any support to them, I'd point out the obvious; no matter what happens, at the end of the day you've all done a great job (which they all have, from everything I can gather!) and that the worst-case-scenario is that they have to get a proper McJob next year, or resume their studies in some cases.
Either way, no matter what happens, everyone who has taken part in this year's elections have proven that it *is* possible to have an election where the vast majority of candidates are well on the ball, clued-up about the positions they're going for, and who are prepared to work tirelessly to prove their worth.
Tomorrow is going to be a very, very hard day for all 14 candidates. Only 6 - at the most - will come out of it with a job next year, but every one of us will have learnt a lot about our own abilities to push through our limitations, about who are our best friends, and what it is that the student population really knows and thinks of the Union and its elections.
From a more personal point of view, I think every single candidate running for MAPO (with the possible exception of RON, who I haven't yet seen out and about… ;o) has worked as hard as they can to canvass votes this year. I also happen to think that each MAPO candidate has brought to the table some amazing ideas, and I really hope that, whoever takes the position tomorrow, they spend some time talking to the other candidates and looking at their manifestos to harvest these valuable ideas for UPSU Media in 2007/2008.
At the end of the day, the real winners of tomorrow's count will be next year's students. I wish every candidate the very best of luck, and I look forward to seeing the Union going on to even bigger and better things next year, regardless of whether it's down to myself or one of the other MAPO chaps to broadcast the Union's great range of opportunities.
Unless I can get to a 'pooter tomorrow afternoon, I doubt I'll be writing much else in here for a short while, so to everyone who's bothered reading down this far, to everyone who's worked tirelessly for little more than thanks and promises of my becoming their slaves in return, to every single person who took the time to talk to me while I campaigned, and to everyone who went to the trouble of asking their friends to vote for me too, thank you. No matter what else happens, this is what makes elections worthwhile for me, and this is what student democracy is all about.
Peace out /al
(Oh, p.s: vote responsibly: votealexh.co.uk ;o)
Posted by Alex on Fri 16th March 2007
Campaigning: day 3 - burning cars, sunshine, PWs
I've got 5 minutes to finish getting ready this morning, so here's yesterday's highlights in a bullet-point stylee…
- Burning car on Hampshire Boulevard: I arrived with a fire extinguisher at the same time as the Fire Service. Guess who got to play with this fire? Yup, not me: boo :o(
- Sunshine: where'd that come from?!
- Posh-sounding hockey boys with megaphones: pure comedy - good times
- PWs: finally getting used to having strangers coming up to me and start chatting (usually it's people whose faces I've forgotten - I'm terrible for that). Still not used to receiving compliments though!
Right, that's enough if that. Today's the longest and busiest day of campaigning, ending at Bar Bluu. Wanna come along? Everyone's invited :o)
/al - votealexh.co.uk
Posted by Alex on Thu 15th March 2007
Campaigning: day 2 - highs and lows…
2 days done, 2 1/2 to go.
I managed some sleep last night, but nowhere near enough for someone who needs as much beauty sleep as me… ;o)
- Today's low: a very grumpy lecturer!
- Today's highs: friendly people, finally finding the courage to talk to anyone and everyone I don't know, watching Elle and Nicola hold a lecture theatre's attention, having other candidates offering to help me create stickers, finding the courage to crash Pure's committee meeting alone (and not being thrown out straight away!), bouncing crazy plans off the other candidates (and finding out they're maybe not so crazy), dancing in T&E…
Today's been a whirlwind of activity, going from feeling the “is my best enough to win this?” fear to meeting people in the street who complimented me on my lecture speech (none of which are planned or scripted), having more people than I can shake a stick at around me in bright orange tops, and resolving an issue with a candidate who I'd inadvertently offended (d'oh!).
Polls open tomorrow for three days, so I'm going to have to ramp things up another notch. Tonight I'll probably get less than 4 hours' sleep, but at least I don't have an exam tomorrow, unlike one of the other candidates (my heart goes out to you in a big way fella).
I can't even begin to thank everyone who's helped out to far enough for all their effort, but big, big Kudos has to go to Tom Worman who's been working his socks off for me all day, all of last night, and all of tonight, without even being asked to. Top man! :o)
Posted by Alex on Wed 14th March 2007
Campaigning: day 1 done
Too exhausted to even attempt English, so here's a list of thankyous instead…
- Tom, Claudia & Beth - thankyou for helping with campaigning today,
- Elle & Nicola - thankyou for introducing me to the ways of campaigning fun,
- Kate, Beth, Nat & Rachel for coming to the Reg,
- Fran, Darby, Tash, Kat, Jaffa, and any other campaigners I bumped into today - nice to speak to you all :o)
- Holly - lovely to see you back in town, lady.
- Darby's friends Ben, Ben & Wossisname (sorry fella, forgot your name) for letting me crash your game of Touch Cup earlier,
… and a couple of sorrys…
- Angry Bossy Shouty Woman - promise I won't upset you again :o)
- Sloppy for not being in Tiger tonight! Too tired chap - sorry!!
- … to anyone else I've forgotten to thank or apologise to today. I'll remember you tomorrow - promise!
Peace out /al :: votealexh.co.uk - help make UPSU Media better than ever :o)
Posted by Alex on Mon 12th March 2007
And so it begins…
I've just finished work on votealexh.co.uk - my little campaign website. Doesn't look *too* bad, does it? (Can't see the pic? The website isn't turned on yet then - pop back later for a peek :o)
As I write this, it's almost half five, and I have to be up in 35 minutes, and elections campaigning begins in a little under four hours. Already, I've noticed subtle changes - people leaving campaigners' Facebook groups, for example - as people start to consider who they want to vote for in the UPSU Elections.
Overnight, the streets of Portsmouth will have changed; gangs of young men and women will be seen roaming the streets in search of similarly young people. Wearing bright and gaudy outfits, and making noise to match, these gangs have a simple message, and it will be simply broadcast:
“VOOOOTFURMISSHERSCHWELLASHISH” they shout. Or at least, that's how I remember it sounding during last year's elections. Either way, the mornings will bring with them many students looking tired and grumpy, students who haven't had enough sleep, have drunk too much caffeine, or who simply walk around with a glazed look of comfusion and exhaustion.
Naturally, some will be less well-behaved than others as they spread their message. Whatever they get up to, (almost) all have one thing in common - a belief that they're on the right team, supporting the right person. When it comes down to it, that loyalty will be all the reassurance that some unsuccessful candidates have to fall back on, but I know it can be a great comfort to know someone believes in you.
Campaigning begins for all of us elections candidates tomorrow. I've been up for 20 hours now, and have to be awake again in just over one hour. Today has been one of the most hectic and eye-opening days of my life as I've scrambled around trying to tie up loose ends and get people involved to help me.
There have been some surprises as people turned up to help out who I barely knew, and a lot of work has been done today which I could never have completed alone; even if everything else falls apart and I find myself seeking employment and clutching a P45 before the end of the week, that alone has made all of this worthwhile for me.
I don't know how the next 5 days will turn out, but I do hope everyone who's running takes something away from this whole experience, even if it's just that they don't suffer stage fright as much in the future as they look back on their Hustings night and remember the fear fun.
I'll try and keep blogging, even though I'm sure you've got better things to do than read my ramblings, but if you've read this far, then thankyou :o)
Peace out /al - http://votealexh.co.uk to make UPSU Media better than ever
Posted by Alex on Mon 12th March 2007
Blind faith, smashing apathy…
I had a slightly one-sided mini-conversation with someone last night which perfectly highlighted the side of elections that makes me want to cry.
I spotted a friend-of-a-friend while I was out who I've never spoken to before. Tapping her on the shoulder, I opened with “You're so-and-so's friend aren't you?”
She replied with, “Don't bother trying to get me to vote for you; I've already promised my vote to
The thing about that exchange that really depresses me is how some people are prepared to vote for a candidate because they're friends rather than taking the time to read the manifestos, maybe come to hustings, or even hold back on making a decision until the campaigning week when the candidates are out and about and can be stopped in the street for a chat.
The outcome of this is that, in Students' Unions across the country, there are always people involved with the Unions who have a horror story about a candidate winning an election who simply wasn't up to the job, despite an arguably better candidate running.
The reason for these horror stories is exactly the same reason why involvement in Students' Unions country-wide is lower than you might otherwise expect - pure, unabashed apathy.
Now, don't get me wrong - I'm not for a second suggesting students “don't care”. The problem is that, from the day of enrolment, students are bombarded with information, leaflets, people telling them what they should and shouldn't do, and lecturers telling them their worlds will end if they don't spend every waking hour studying or in said lecturer's lectures.
In the face of this, it's not hard to understand why students don't find themselves too concerned about getting involved with their Unions. I know a lot of friends who assume - based more on the name than any real knowledge - that their Union is simply an organisation which has something to do with Trade Unions, striking, pickets lines, and political activism.
That view is simply not accurate, of course; a quick look around UPSU.net can show that the Union covers everything from clubs and societies, training and volunteering, to socialising and even part-time jobs.
The real problem here is actually sowing the seeds of interest in peoples' minds to begin with; the only way to do that with any degree of success, of course, is to look at what the Union actually does and offers to students, and base a clear, easy-to-grasp campaign on that foundation.
Of course, for many Unions, this daunting task becomes even more difficult to handle when the realisation hits that this has to happen *every* year, and that it's a process of continual improvement and pure hard slog to avoid “advert blindness” affecting their campaigns.
I've come full circle in this rambling discussion I think; we're back to where we began, because until students understand what the Union actually does, they can't be expected to make the connection to *why* it is that Sabbatical officers are so important to their time at University.
But, naturally, once the “who” and “why” is explained, I don't think it's that hard for anyone to see the reasons why they should be taking a much greater interest in the real abilities and motivation behind the elections candidates.
And there, in my idealistic world - which I know probably doesn't bear much relationship to the real world - lies the reason why the conversation I had last night makes me want to go and howl at the moon; it's YOUR Union, and YOUR right to vote. The benefits of having a group of Sabbatical officers in office who *really* know what they're doing are clear once you see the difference between the good and the bad ones.
For students who don't know, don't understand, or simply don't care what the Union's democratic process was conceived to provide for them, I hope someone more involved - and more eloquent than I am - takes the time to explain to them what it is they're missing out on.
Of course, the really daft thing about last night's conversation was that I was only going to say hello - I certainly wasn't thinking of doing my “vote for me” thing; that doesn't start until next Monday (and I say that with more than a little worry in my voice!).
As “they” say, “there's nowt stranger than people…” ;o)
Peace out /al
Posted by Alex on Thu 8th March 2007
Election loves and hates
More elections ramblings. Coming tomorrow: my hustings horror story (once I get round to writing it ;o)
Things I hate during the elections
- being a tiny bit suspicious of everyone in case they're digging for dirt on me
- not knowing whether this is the Right Way to campaign
- not knowing whether I'm doing enough to campaign
- annoying friends and family by talking endlessly about campaigning, my manifesto, my neuroses, and my lack of sleep
- not being able to think of unique campaigning ideas
- not being able to spend time working on UPSU.net
- feeling like I've made a total numpty of myself in public (i.e. hustings - listen for yourself and see what you think ;o)
Things I love during the elections
- that the things I'm most passionate about improving in the Union seem to be the things that other people would love to see improved, too
- seeing all of my friends - and even people I don't know that well - piling on stage behind me to help me sing my hustings song. I'll never forget that :o)
- coming up with new campaigning ideas
- spray-painting t-shirts. Mmmmm, chemicals… (!)
- making new friends on the campaign trail…
- … and having a good chat with them about the things they'd like to see improved
- figuring out that, even if I don't get elected, there's a fighting chance next year's MAPO will gain some good ideas from the other three candidates to get stuck into - there are some very good ideas coming out of this year's candidates.
I don't know how it's going to turn out, but I do know that these two weeks are going to teach me a helluva lot (as long as I survive the sleep deprivation…). In case I forget to mention it enough, thankyou so much to everyone who has or is going to help me out - I really appreciate it!
Peace out :o) /al
Posted by Alex on Wed 7th March 2007
Question time over, but more scaryness to come…
I've just come out of the Pure:FM Candidates' Question Time show. That has to be one of the scariest hours of my life, with the first question - along the lines of, “Introduce yourself and tell the audience a bit about why they should vote for you” - completely throwing me, and I found myself rambling like a loon in the first few minutes of the show. Never a good start, but I know all of the candidates were equally nervous.
As the show went on, we all settled down into the Fraggy banter. I think I managed to get a couple of key points about my manifesto aims across and, hopefully, I didn't come across as a complete numpty.
It didn't help that Hannah P was doing her best to put us off while we answered her questions; to be fair though, I probably was rambling on and on and on and…
This afternoon I've got to put together a 3 minute speech for tonight's Hustings, and then I need to go and finish off my t shirts (Want one? Let me know! alex.harries [at] upsu.net) - wish me luck! ;o)
Peace out //al
Posted by Alex on Mon 5th March 2007