This video shot by ConservativeHome from a helicopter on Sunday shows a massive protest against the closure of key hospital services in Grant Shapp's constituency:
Grant set up Hospital SOS and it now has cross-party support locally and thousands of supporters (it took a thousand just to form that sign). This rapid mobilisation of grassroots groups is getting easier and easier to organise with the internet. A couple of weeks ago I cycled into a huge routeless cycle protest blocking the roads in Westminster, it was entirely organised through a campaign website and on Facebook. Flashmobbing often brings thousands of strangers together at very short notice to do an unusual act in a public area, such as a pillow fight or silent rave.
The catalyst for this is the ease with which anybody can film something and put it on YouTube for the world to see, these events are full of people holding cameraphones and camcorders.
Very aptly, I'm off to a Bebo conference on Politics 2.0 this morning. Joe Trippi, the author of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Democracy, the Internet and the Overthrow of Everything" and the campaign manager for Howard Dean's famous internet-driven presidential campaign, will be speaking.
Deputy Editor
What was the carbon footprint?! :op
Posted by: Edward | June 13, 2007 at 09:46
Out of interest, is every backbench opposition MP who objects to every government spending cut/reorganisation in his constituency always right? I seem to remember in the 80s opposition MPs often being very wrong. And I can't help but suspect that, at a time when the NHS has been positively doused in money, Shapps' isn't right either. I appreciate this post is essentially about campaigning techniques, but let's remember that no amount of technique compensates for being wrong.
Posted by: ACT | June 13, 2007 at 10:25
ACT,
Labour has been playing politics with health care across Hertfordshire, and Grant Shapps' campaign is definitely one that ought to be supported.
When Welwyn Hatfield went Tory in the 05 election plans to build a super hospital there were cancelled, yet the ageing QE2 is still due to close. Hemel Hempstead also changed hands and the hospital there is now due to close with no replacement in sight. These hospitals served the entire local area, and their closure without replacement will leave many facing a lengthy trip down a congested motorway in order to utilise hospital facilities.
Meanwhile Watford (Oh look a marginal Labour constituency!) is having it's hospital pumped full of cash!
Posted by: Chris | June 13, 2007 at 11:38
I wish Mr Shapp's Hospital SOS campaign well. I have very fond personal memories of the QEII at Welwyn Garden City as my son and elder daughter were born there.
It is disappointing that the proposed new hospital for the area has not materialised.
Posted by: pjb | June 13, 2007 at 11:56
This is only one of many local campaigns Shapps has launched and created. He took the seat in 2005 and is well on course to turn it into a safe Tory seat (7,500 +).
His method of campaigning has (deservedly)won him many votes across party lines.
He is bang on with this particular campaign. He is being supported by BOTH Labour and Lib Dem PPC's. Not only is this particularly clever politically but it demonstrates that the cause is correct.
He has also held public meetings with officials from the local NHS trust and shown that their forward financial planning ranges from non existent to abysmal.
When I have my first heart attack I don't want to have to spend 20 minutes sitting in a traffic jam on the A1 to get to A & E - quite simply the further away an A & E unit is - the more people will die. These are clinical issues being decided by politicians with ulterior motives.
I cant understand why Dave isnt screaming from the rooftops about the blatant political bias in the allocation of money to Labour seats at the expense of Tory ones.
If we had more MP's like Shapps I would be a lot more confident about our ability to win the next election.
Posted by: Oddball | June 15, 2007 at 00:03