Labour Leader Ed Miliband gave a speech earlier today in Derby in which he set out an ambition for year-round campaigning on your street.
But I know we can do more. Not just campaigning at these elections for your vote. But also campaigning year round for change on your street, in your neighbourhood.
This is a fine sentiment, but has he done his sums? Is year round campaigning actually what the Labour Party should be aiming to do? Or is that just part of a community political process? Don't get me wrong, I don't want to discourage this line of thinking. I just want the resource implications acknowledged and members encouraged to think and plan in those terms. Otherwise, Ed, if I may address you personally, you risk widening the gulf between yourself, our party and the electorate. People understand time and money, they have to wrestle with completing demands day-in, day-out.
BTW as I no longer have any input into the policy prescriptions you set out, why should I bother to campaign? Time for a return to resolution-based debate, providing the resolution is the result of local collective deliberation and not a personal agenda? Whatever, you are going to have to be bold to break the current political mould.