Via Duncan Borrowman comes the welcome news that Hilary Stephenson, one of the party’s most experienced campaigners, has been appointed to succeed Paul Rainger as Director of Campaigns.
Among the many campaigns she has run was the (relatively) recent Cheadle by-election to defend the seat following the death of Patsy Calton MP, which saw local man Mark Hunter successfully sent to Westminster.
We wish her well!
6 Comments
AS no one else has – let me be the first the say Congratulations to Hilary.
I have know, and worked with, Hilary and think she will make a great Director of Campaigns.
Hilary is a sound choice. A very experienced campaigner and a real team player.
I have worked with her ever since we were both key seat agents in the run up to the 1997 election.
I am very much looking forward to working with her.
Congrats to Hilary – a first rate campaigner and will be a big sucess in the job
In particular as someone from the North with experience of fighting on both the anti-Labour and anti-Tory fronts she will be a great talent to have in her new role.
Hilary is a safe pair of hands and I’m sure she will be very good.
However, she has already been heavily involved in the Campaigns Department for many years so her elevation is unlikely to bring anything new to Lib Dem campaigning.
The party does need to think about how it stays ahead of the game in terms of campaigning, particularly on the ground. In many ways, the constituency campaigns are the same ones that were being fought 10 years ago.
I wouldn’t assume that just because Hilary has been heavily involved in the Campaigns Department for ten years means she will not bring in new ideas.
Much of what we do in campaigning has been the same for a lot longer than 10 years, and it is right that we keep what works. but is clearly also the case that we need to keep ahead of the game with new techniques, or by updating older techniques.
Hilary, most of our colleagues and I are well aware of this and keen to move things forward.