Comments on: The LDV weekend meme: worst canvassing experiences

By: Charlotte Gore

Charlotte Gore — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:28:10 +0000

I’d do this meme but my canvassing experience is very light and to be honest I enjoyed it mostly

By: Terry Gilbert

Terry Gilbert — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:39:07 +0000

, Norwich, April 2004: Timid woman comes to the door, listens politely for about 30 seconds, and is then elbowed aside by huge tattooed gentleman. ‘Lib Dems? Yeah, I’ll vote for ya! Better than that f****** Blair I voted for last time!’ I could not resist asking whether it was the Iraq war which had changed his mind. ‘Iraq? Nah! We should’ve gone in and sorted them f****** out years ago!’ I didn’t discuss policy any further – merely thanked him for his vote, and moved on.

By: Ann-Marie

Ann-Marie — Sat, 30 May 2009 21:09:52 +0000

Most bizarre (for this year)
The man who wanted less government money spent on nuclear weapons He explained that as a result of the Chernobyl explosion all metal on earth was radioactive. This radioactive metal was useless in the space station so they had dive down to German ships sunk in WWII to get the only non-radioactive metal that was suitable for this purpose!!!

Maddest Tory
The man who walked to a door, next door to where I and a colleague were chatting with a member, despite the big Lib Dem poster board in the garden. When told there wasn’t any point in him calling there he accused us of being typical Liberals and trying to damage the democratic process. He wasn’there long.

Most embarrassing
Many years ago, canvassing for a by-election in Greater London I knocked on the door of a leading Tory councillor and had no idea who he was. You’d have thought my colleagues would have pointed out he lived down that road.

By: rochdale cowboy

rochdale cowboy — Sat, 30 May 2009 21:09:16 +0000

Local council by- election – 10 minutes before polls shut and 2 of us were doing final knock up – came across Mr Idiot who ranted on about how he had been called upon by every f’in party all day over and over. I politely informed him that it must be because he had told every canvasser from each party that he would vote for them – and that therefore it was his fault – well I knew he wasnt going to vote. Back on the pavement my colleague asked if we were finished and I said – could you just do this last 1 – pointing to Mr Angrys door ……. it really was worth it

By: tony hill

tony hill — Sat, 30 May 2009 20:24:54 +0000

This is decades ago, so hopefully the party is now a bit more professional about dealing with constituents’ complaints about candidates: canvassing a council estate in Norwich a very irate woman came to the door and proceeded to tear us off a strip because the previous Liberal council candidate had subsequently been convicted of rape. She and other local people had written to Jeremy Thorpe and warned him about this guy, but had been ignored.

By: Iain Coleman

Iain Coleman — Sat, 30 May 2009 15:18:37 +0000

Most Surprising: as PPC in North East Hertfordshire, I got the quite friendly response “I’m not sure. It’s either you or the BNP.” Fortunately, the BNP were not standing.

Most Embarrassing: canvassing on autopilot for local elections in Cambridge, I knocked on one door and asked the chap inside if he would be voting Lib Dem. He informed me that he was a Labour Party member,and quite kindly pointed out the enormous “Vote Labour” stakeboard that I had just walked past to get to his front door.

By: ceedee

ceedee — Sat, 30 May 2009 12:29:18 +0000

The most insightful?
March 1992, at the end of a long day canvassing for Dave Nellis in Coventry. As dusk fell so did the snow. Heavily.
Stumbling back up a garden path to the person attempting to keep the record of intentions, I inadvertently mumbled: “No. 74, the lights are all on but there’s no-one at home.”
And laughed so hard I slipped over in the gutter. Maybe you had to be there…

By: Stephen Tall

Stephen Tall — Sat, 30 May 2009 12:26:51 +0000

Editor’s note: I’ve deleted a couple of comments on this and another thread. LDV welcomes thoughtful / constructive / intelligent comments from political opponents. But the comments threads are not here for anyone to post mindless abuse. Further such comments will result in those individuals who persist being banned from commenting on LDV.

cheers, stephen

By: Atropos

Atropos — Sat, 30 May 2009 11:17:51 +0000

Canvassing experiences are common across the political spectrum. On the whole, even people who are agin’ you are civil about things, but some encounters endure. I was leafleting in the east midlands in 1997. We Tories were in for a caning, but nil desperandum. as I
worked down the street, a door was opened ostentatiously where I’d been a few minutes before, a screwed-up leaflet was hurled into the gutter and the door loudly closed. On walking back to inspect, the use to which the leaflet had been put was immediately obvious. As it was hard, shiny, heavily finished paper, I hope the protest was worth the discomfort.

By: The British Citizen

The British Citizen — Sat, 30 May 2009 10:53:36 +0000

Who should be Speaker? Nobody. You all need sacking and the whole ‘Houses of Parliament’ farce needs to be closed down. All politicians are useless, greedy chancers.
You have all shown your true colours and we’re not accepting party politics any longer.
It’s time for REAL change. http://is.gd/JNBt