One of the benefits of the pandemic was it stopped people calling to your door. Charity collectors, people trying to sign you up for food box deliveries, and worst of all – politicians. I have yet to have any canvassers to my door, a situation I am most grateful for.
To be honest I go out of my way to avoid local politics. I don’t watch the news or The View, l don’t listen to the Nolan Show, I don’t follow any political people on Twitter – I really recommend ignorance as a strategy for a calm life. I know this is a bit ironic for a guy who helps runs a local political website but I like to embrace my Ulster-Scots thran side.
So really I am not in a position to judge how the campaign is going as frankly I don’t give a flying f*ck. As I have said many times I would be happy enough if they turned Stormont into a hotel and leisure complex. BUT others with their fingers more on the pulse have commented on the lacklustre campaign:
Are there any AE22 candidates not enjoying the canvassing, getting a poor reception on the doors and wishing the election was over?
— Choyaa (@Choyaa13) April 20, 2022
Yesterday I had an absolute nightmare canvassing
Freezing cold
Not many answered
Those that did weren’t giving much / anything away…Today is a new day
— Matthew Beaumont (@themrmatthew) April 15, 2022
You can understand the issue. People are worn down with the pandemic, then we have the war in Ukraine and the potential threat of WW3 hanging over our heads. Also, people are very sceptical that our local politicians can do anything about the Health Service or the cost of living crisis. They have been utterly unless the past few decades, there is no sign of improvement anytime soon.
The one entertaining aspect is the containing implosive of the DUP. I have yet to meet anyone in the real world who cares about the NI Protocol, I think the DUP have been hopelessly out of touch with their voter base and the SF Boogey monster strategy does not seem to work as well as it used to.
But then again what do I know? Nothing. And I am happy to keep it that way.
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
