3,965 votes. I look on that figure with mixed feelings; sadness because we couldn’t reduce Patrick’s majority (and we came behind UKIP and Labour), but pride that such a significant amount of people backed the ‘New Deal for the Dales’ message. On what has been a very sobering election, I feel a sense of privilege.
I’ve had time to reflect on our campaign in the Dales, and I can honestly say that I wouldn’t change anything about our approach if I was given a TARDIS. Prior to my selection in 2014, the Derbyshire Dales Liberal Democrats didn’t have any social media channels; we not only changed that by building up hundreds of followers on Facebook and Twitter pages, but we revamped the local party website. I was able to get across our (and my) values on a regular basis through various video interviews, whilst getting these values across in person through good old fashioned canvassing. I had great responses from constituents with regards to the election leaflet. Whilst I’ve no doubt that there are many critics of it, the only people to come to me to criticise it were two Labour activists and a Conservative; they were hardly likely to praise it! I was always keen to stand up for young people, but I also felt immensely encouraged by fellow Christians, who appreciated that I was prepared to put my faith above the parapet, so to speak.
I felt saddened by the loss of so many talented MPs, and watching the swing against so many Liberal Democrats standing for election was excruciating. There was more of a stunned silence rather than ranting when we saw the exit poll at home. Whilst this may sound rather hollow, I did well to hold on to my deposit when half of Lib Dem parliamentary candidates lost theirs, whilst the swing against me in the Dales was lower than the swing against the national party. These are small crumbs of comfort, but for myself and many others not much could have been done to prevent the landslide against the Liberal Democrats nationally. On the lighter side of things, me and my family had the novelty of ordering a ‘Ben Fearn burger’ in Matlock, as all of the candidates had burgers named after them. It was certainly strange to hear my brother say “could I order six Ben Fearn burgers, please?”
It hasn’t always been plain sailing, and one door knocking session in particular got me down. One person asked who I was before I’d even approached them, and when I said which party I was with, brushed me off. When I said “well as long as you vote for someone”, they retorted with “you do realise that approach will cost you votes?” I couldn’t believe such a cynical attitude. Another constituent told me they had voted Lib Dem twice but wouldn’t ever again due to the Coalition; after they had slammed a tax cut (the personal allowance increase) which has benefited me and my family, we had the following exchange:
“Very well, would you be prepared to vote for us at a local level? Councillor Burfoot has done some excellent work…”
“I shall be voting Labour”
“Oh ok, which Labour councillor will you be voting for? What do you like about them?”
“.....I shall be voting Labour”.
Clearly, such political passion did not extend to local matters or concerns. Another constituent gave me this response:
“Hello, I’m the Parliamentary Candidate for the Derbyshire Dales. Have you kept up to date with the election?”
“No, but I won’t be voting for you (shuts door)”.
I hadn’t even said which party I was with! This exchange frustrated me as the person in question was the wife of a former teacher that I know of, so I had at least hoped for some sort of conversation based upon a shared context, even if it didn't result in a vote of support. The 7am declaration time at the election count also wasn't fun (we had arrived at around 11.30pm with no sleep), not to mention refreshing the Twitter feed on my mobile to see the loss of MP after MP (losing Vince Cable and Charles Kennedy especially hurt).
The five debates between myself, Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative), Andy Botham (Labour), Ian Wood (Green) and Amila Y’Mech (Humanity) have been lively affairs, and I’m pleased that two of them (Wirksworth and Ashbourne) have been recorded; I had publically called for screened debates in 2014. I felt very nervous before each one, but they are great for democracy, and the exchanges were passionate. I only wish that everyone in the constituency could somehow view them; I’m sure that a lot of orthodoxies would be challenged. I’ve been happy with my performance at each one, and I’ve had people approach me after each debate to congratulate me and to urge me to carry on, whether they were going to vote for me or not.
The groundswell of support has been incredible, from family and friends. I genuinely couldn’t have done it without them. The local party have been immensely supportive, whilst my local church (Darley Dale Hillside) and fellow Methodists have been greatly encouraging. Support mechanisms like these are crucial for sustaining you throughout an election campaign, especially one which for me started in January 2014. People have asked if I’ll stand again in 2020, when I’ll be at the grand old age of 27. This’ll be a politician’s answer, but I honestly can’t commit either way; a lot can happen in five years on a personal and national level. The idea of having the same candidate for two elections certainly appeals to me, as you can build up a base of trust and familiarity in that time, but we’ll see. What I can tell you is that I feel emboldened again to fight for liberal values, especially as membership in the party has gone up by over 7,000 since polling day, giving the Liberal Democrats over 50,000 members.
There’s hope for the future. Many people have said that, whilst not voting for me, they wish me the best and want me to keep at it. This encourages me just as much as people who say that they’ll vote for me, and I mean that. I only get frustrated if people refuse to give me a hearing simply because of my party banner. I’ll leave you with the words of a constituent who didn’t vote for me, but who wants me to continue:
“Dear Ben,
Although I did not vote for you, I want you to know how impressed I, and a number of people I have spoken to, are with your performance in the hustings.
Your enthusiasm, clarity, integrity, as well as your grasp of issues, have impressed us, to the extent that we want to encourage you to continue! We see a great future for you in politics, especially if can refrain from becoming part of the 'machine'.....
More power to your elbow.
The struggle continues”.
I’ve had time to reflect on our campaign in the Dales, and I can honestly say that I wouldn’t change anything about our approach if I was given a TARDIS. Prior to my selection in 2014, the Derbyshire Dales Liberal Democrats didn’t have any social media channels; we not only changed that by building up hundreds of followers on Facebook and Twitter pages, but we revamped the local party website. I was able to get across our (and my) values on a regular basis through various video interviews, whilst getting these values across in person through good old fashioned canvassing. I had great responses from constituents with regards to the election leaflet. Whilst I’ve no doubt that there are many critics of it, the only people to come to me to criticise it were two Labour activists and a Conservative; they were hardly likely to praise it! I was always keen to stand up for young people, but I also felt immensely encouraged by fellow Christians, who appreciated that I was prepared to put my faith above the parapet, so to speak.
I felt saddened by the loss of so many talented MPs, and watching the swing against so many Liberal Democrats standing for election was excruciating. There was more of a stunned silence rather than ranting when we saw the exit poll at home. Whilst this may sound rather hollow, I did well to hold on to my deposit when half of Lib Dem parliamentary candidates lost theirs, whilst the swing against me in the Dales was lower than the swing against the national party. These are small crumbs of comfort, but for myself and many others not much could have been done to prevent the landslide against the Liberal Democrats nationally. On the lighter side of things, me and my family had the novelty of ordering a ‘Ben Fearn burger’ in Matlock, as all of the candidates had burgers named after them. It was certainly strange to hear my brother say “could I order six Ben Fearn burgers, please?”
It hasn’t always been plain sailing, and one door knocking session in particular got me down. One person asked who I was before I’d even approached them, and when I said which party I was with, brushed me off. When I said “well as long as you vote for someone”, they retorted with “you do realise that approach will cost you votes?” I couldn’t believe such a cynical attitude. Another constituent told me they had voted Lib Dem twice but wouldn’t ever again due to the Coalition; after they had slammed a tax cut (the personal allowance increase) which has benefited me and my family, we had the following exchange:
“Very well, would you be prepared to vote for us at a local level? Councillor Burfoot has done some excellent work…”
“I shall be voting Labour”
“Oh ok, which Labour councillor will you be voting for? What do you like about them?”
“.....I shall be voting Labour”.
Clearly, such political passion did not extend to local matters or concerns. Another constituent gave me this response:
“Hello, I’m the Parliamentary Candidate for the Derbyshire Dales. Have you kept up to date with the election?”
“No, but I won’t be voting for you (shuts door)”.
I hadn’t even said which party I was with! This exchange frustrated me as the person in question was the wife of a former teacher that I know of, so I had at least hoped for some sort of conversation based upon a shared context, even if it didn't result in a vote of support. The 7am declaration time at the election count also wasn't fun (we had arrived at around 11.30pm with no sleep), not to mention refreshing the Twitter feed on my mobile to see the loss of MP after MP (losing Vince Cable and Charles Kennedy especially hurt).
The five debates between myself, Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative), Andy Botham (Labour), Ian Wood (Green) and Amila Y’Mech (Humanity) have been lively affairs, and I’m pleased that two of them (Wirksworth and Ashbourne) have been recorded; I had publically called for screened debates in 2014. I felt very nervous before each one, but they are great for democracy, and the exchanges were passionate. I only wish that everyone in the constituency could somehow view them; I’m sure that a lot of orthodoxies would be challenged. I’ve been happy with my performance at each one, and I’ve had people approach me after each debate to congratulate me and to urge me to carry on, whether they were going to vote for me or not.
The groundswell of support has been incredible, from family and friends. I genuinely couldn’t have done it without them. The local party have been immensely supportive, whilst my local church (Darley Dale Hillside) and fellow Methodists have been greatly encouraging. Support mechanisms like these are crucial for sustaining you throughout an election campaign, especially one which for me started in January 2014. People have asked if I’ll stand again in 2020, when I’ll be at the grand old age of 27. This’ll be a politician’s answer, but I honestly can’t commit either way; a lot can happen in five years on a personal and national level. The idea of having the same candidate for two elections certainly appeals to me, as you can build up a base of trust and familiarity in that time, but we’ll see. What I can tell you is that I feel emboldened again to fight for liberal values, especially as membership in the party has gone up by over 7,000 since polling day, giving the Liberal Democrats over 50,000 members.
There’s hope for the future. Many people have said that, whilst not voting for me, they wish me the best and want me to keep at it. This encourages me just as much as people who say that they’ll vote for me, and I mean that. I only get frustrated if people refuse to give me a hearing simply because of my party banner. I’ll leave you with the words of a constituent who didn’t vote for me, but who wants me to continue:
“Dear Ben,
Although I did not vote for you, I want you to know how impressed I, and a number of people I have spoken to, are with your performance in the hustings.
Your enthusiasm, clarity, integrity, as well as your grasp of issues, have impressed us, to the extent that we want to encourage you to continue! We see a great future for you in politics, especially if can refrain from becoming part of the 'machine'.....
More power to your elbow.
The struggle continues”.
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