I was lucky to spend some time at a fundraising quiz with and for the young activists involved in the Clarion Tour.
It is obvious that they are having a great time, building a good team, doing good work and wonderful soft politics as they go.
They are proving that doing stuff that is non-political builds a political base. (as an aside I reckon I do just about as much casework in my weekly visit to Countdown as I do in twice the time at my office. It is the off-duty thing which many MPs don’t get.)
So far they have been recieving a very positive reception everywhere they go, they have been helping out a kindy in Orewa, helping out with Riding for the Disabled building fences in Waitakere, moving boxes for the Wash Trust and cleaning windows at the Glen Eden shops. They have been creating food parcels in Maungakiekie, helping out in Hamilton with the Western Community Centre, painting, scrubbing graffiti, they painted Andrew Little’s office bright red in New Plymouth, in Whanganui weeded and cleared track with machetes at Bushey Park, helped out at Project Jericho emergency housing, and conducted surveys at the AP and I show in Levin with Darren. They have also been in Ohariu restoring bush back to pre human times with the Rainbow Gardners.
Next they will be in Nelson with Maryan helping out with a project 44, they will be in Motueka at the community gardens and in Hokitika with the local city council painting mountain murals, then they will be in Queenstown helping Plunket.
See: Clariontour.co.nz for more information
Fantastic initiative. Keep it up, MPs too. More votes gained if you put your entire election budget into this sort of thing, ran zero glossy ads and responded to the media only when cornered.
Admit it: the Spin Party now owns the traditional battleground outright. Learn from 2008, Mt Albert, Mining, Lenslide and Winnie. Go guerilla.
So good to see Labour MPs out and about finally. It would be nice if you actually worked everywhere and not in marginal seats though. I also struggle with the idea that you did stuff to the help the community everywhere except in the seat where the Labour Party President is. In that case the “community involvement” was painting his office.