Cats are amongst the Missing Million as Bournville Labour Party supports voter registration in Stirchley

On a drizzly Saturday afternoon, members of Bournville Labour Party took part in #MissingMillion, Labour’s nationwide doorstep campaign to help people register to vote.

Conservatives ignore independent advice on electoral registration

Labour has launched the voter registration campaign because after winning the election in May the Conservatives have ignored independent advice to wait until the end of 2016 to fully implement Individual Electoral Registration, so that any difficulties could be ironed.

As a result of the Government’s decision, an estimated 1 million people are expected to disappear from the the electoral register on 1 December. And this is on top of the million or eligible adults who are already missing from the electoral register.

As a former local government equalities officer, I am aware of the flaws with the present system of household registration. There have been well-documented abuses of the system, resulting in electoral fraud such as the kind seen in Birmingham in 2004.

But it’s also well-understood that even under the current, more straightforward system of household registration,certain groups of people, notably private renters, black and ethnic minorities, the unemployed and the lower paid, are more likely to be missing. And historically, these groups of people are more likely to vote Labour than they are Conservative.

I hate to be cynical but it does seem rather convenient that at the same time as the Conservatives are feeling the heat over changes to Tax Credits which will leave 3 million families on average £1,300 worse off per year, the Government is pressing ahead with changes to electoral registration which will make it more difficult for those very same families to punish them at the ballot box.

Greetings from drizzly Stirchley

Steve McCabe MP (second from left) out in Stirchley with members of Bournville Labour on the Missing Million electoral registration drive

I’m pleased to say our voter registration drive in Stirchley went pretty well, despite the best efforts of the weather.

For starters, turnout was good. There were six of us in total, including new member Paul (one of the hundred-plus new members who have joined since the General Election). Paul did really well on his first time out, talking to residents on the doorstep in a relaxed and friendly way that people really responded to.

We were also lucky to have in our ranks our local MP Steve McCabe as well as Mary Locke, who stood for local election in May and will hopefully stand again next year. Having Steve and Mary out with us gave residents greater confidence that their concerns would be listened to and brought home the importance of being able to vote for someone who is on your side.

Sadly, the wet weather meant we weren’t greeted by the same number of mildly bemused cats as normal. I did briefly see one cat but it dashed across a road and disappeared before I could get my smartphone out of my pocket.

Fortunately, word of Cats of the Campaign Trail is spreading and I received a photo via Twitter of a cat spotted on a #MissingMillion session in North London on Sunday. My colleague Kelly from Helpful Technology encountered this black and white cat whilst helping people in Harringay, North London, register to vote. By the looks of the dappled sunlight in the photo, I’d say Harringay may have been a bit luckier with the weather but you can’t have everything.

Black and white cat spotted in Harringay on the Missing Million drive by my colleague Kelly

After finishing our session, we did what cats are famed for and headed off in search of a warm and dry environment. We decided to try the P Cafe in Stirchley, the new independent business which opened in May of this year. I’m pleased to report the cafe served very nice coffee and Brendan, the cafe’s owner, was very friendly towards us. If you ever find yourself in Stirchley, I recommend you pop in and check it out.

Don’t lose your voice – register to vote

Unsure whether you’re still registered to vote? If in doubt, you can register to vote via the GOV.UK website (you’ll need your National Insurance number to hand)

Want to make sure your friends and family don’t lose their right to vote? Please share information about Labour’s #MissingMillion campaign with your friends and family. Find out more over on the Labour Party website.

Cats of the Campaign Trail Roars Into the Corbyn Era

This afternoon, members of Bournville Labour Party got together in Cotteridge for our first campaign session since Jeremy Corbyn was elected Leader of the Labour Party.

Officially, we were out to get residents’ views on the local high street and how it might be improved. Unofficially, I think we all saw the session as a chance to see what residents made of our new leader. As such, even Corbyn supporters like myself were feeling a little nervous.

I’m pleased to say our campaign session went pretty well. For starters, we were joined by two new party members, Liz and Ted, who were very nice and displayed a relaxed confidence talking to residents on the doorstep.

Bournville Labour volunteers Stuart, Liz, Joan and Ted on Heathcote Road in Cotteridge

I was also pleasantly surprised by how we were greeted on the doorstep. With it being a Saturday afternoon, a lot of people were out but the people we did manage to speak with were friendly and, by and large, happy to ‘stop and chat’ with us. I didn’t encounter anyone who said they were put off voting Labour as a result of Jeremy Corbyn becoming Leader. Quite the opposite, in fact. Quite a few residents we spoke to said they were enthused by the change in leadership and two people asked if they could start leafleting and helping out for Bournville Labour.

It wasn’t just the human residents who responded positively to our presence. The cats of Cotteridge were on fine fettle, too. I only managed to catch one cat on camera but he/she did not disappoint (sadly I haven’t yet been able to persuade my Bournville volunteers to take snaps of cats they see on my behalf).

The featured image of the black and white cat roaring is a little misleading. The cat was actually very friendly and it was opening it’s mouth to make a friendly meow rather than anything fearsome. For proof, look at the picture I took a few second before the roar that never was:

Black and white cat strolling up to me on Cotteridge Road

It’s still very early days but I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction we got out and about in Cotteridge. I hope Bournville Labour will seize the opportunity presented by so many new members joining the party to develop a vibrant, sociable local Labour Party which is in tune with local residents’ concerns and aspirations.