Not Mayor, But Maybe MP?

6 Weeks To A General Election

I was not successful in my quest to become Mayor of Greater Manchester. But I was successful in beating the LibDems, Greens and Reform UK. This must indicate that my vision for tomorrow resonated with the general public – over 50,000 of them to be precise.

This campaign was going to be a one-off. I had promised my wife that it was just something I wanted to get out of my system and once it was over our life could return to normal. I did not lie to her for I do not lie to anyone. But during the last few months of the campaign, I realised that it was not a one-off. The more I spoke to people, the more they asked me not to quit the fight if I did not become Mayor.

Many told me I gave them hope. I communicated exactly what they thought and wanted to say but were not brave enough, did not have the words, or lacked the confidence. Whatever the reason, they saw in me a reflection of themselves – and they liked it.

I knew I was not going to beat Andy Burnham to become Mayor. For my plan to have been successful it needed financial backing and a scandal to hit Burnham – neither materialised. I fought to the end for that is what patriots do when they are trying to save their country.

On the day of the mayoral election result, I glanced at the percentage of votes I had amassed in each local authority area and Oldham jumped out at me. I received twice as many votes in this borough than anywhere else. That was very interesting.

I knew instantly that I was going to stand in Oldham at the forthcoming general election for it made sense based on the number of votes I had received. But other parliamentary seats needed to be assessed for winning an election is a little more complicated.

I started to check out the history of specific seats and if they ever switched. How many votes won the seat and by how many compared to second place? Who else has declared their intention to stand? Was there a history of independent candidates standing locally and doing well?

I looked at seats in Bury, Wigan, Stockport and Wythenshawe in Manchester. The more I looked, the more I realised that Oldham East & Saddleworth ticked all the boxes.

This seat is held by Debbie Abrahams of the Labour Party with 20,088 votes in total which was 43% of the vote share. Her majority is only 1499 votes which is easily overturned. Several independents are sitting on the local council and many others are involved across the borough. None have entered the race presently. Interestingly, George Galloway’s party have already announced their candidate for this seat. This is a huge problem for Labour and will take many votes from them.

All in all, Oldham East & Saddleworth is a perfect parliamentary seat for me, especially if you take into account the 5,000 local votes I received as the mayoral candidate. Labour’s vote may be halved due to Galloway. The Tory vote will collapse as it has across the country. No other independents have thrown their hat into the ring and may not now that I have declared. The wild card is Reform UK - will they stand?

My campaign starts today. The election has been called. I need to recruit a small army of local volunteers and attract some funding to help finance leaflets, a website, and advertising. It is all doable for it has all been done before.

The only downside I see is that I lose. This is not a real problem for I have experience in losing elections - it is not a big deal in the grand scheme of life. But if I win, the upside may lead to the first step on the ladder to improving our country for everyone.

Wish me luck in this new quest.

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Checkout my 3 books:

• Feminism: Myths, Lies & Ungratefulness, 2023: https://shorturl.at/AEMQW

• The Making Of A Beggar, 2022: https://cutt.ly/29ykEuT

• Lessons In Courage, 2021: https://t.co/ey8xhpF6os

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