Is Door-to-Door Canvassing a Waste of Time?

karen3212

I wouldn't mind meeting the politicians in my area to be honest, I'm undecided about some of my preferences.
I've got a few friends that live in various areas in the same the constituency.

We have set a plan where we ask the politicians the same questions, and mainly as about their own personal feelings on doing x y or z.
Now we tell them all that we're defo going for the party but we need to know their own personal feelings on for instance crime, and which do they think given the money might be available, is the best way to solve it.

Then we compare the answers, and see if they are looking at our houses first and then slanting the answer, can't wait to meet them.

brianthebard

nesf wrote:

Yeah I'm having serious trouble there. Over half of the available candidates in my constituency are left to hard left economically which really doesn't suit me.

Just don't pass down preferences? You can't do much more than that in fairness.

nesf

brianthebard wrote:

Just don't pass down preferences? You can't do much more than that in fairness.

I know, but I feel a civic obligation to actually go and figure out what order in which to rank them.

*shrugs*

Gran Hermano

mike65 wrote:

Can I suggest a sheet of A4 with 100 point type

NO POLITICAL CANVASSING THANK YOU

in a strategic position.

Mike.

And leave your green bin beside the front door with another sign
requesting that all political propaganda be deposited directly inside.

Dontico

After reading some posts in this thread, I just want to dispell some lies.

I go canvassing every few days. The vast bulk of people I come across tell me that they like it when my man knocks on thier door. We dont know who has voted for whom. We canvass everywhere. Every 30,000 of those houses in our area. Gated or not.

Only once has someone complained to me about canvassing, I argued with him that we werent trying to sell you something like a sales person, but that RB wants to be thier employee.
Analogy time:
Like businesses, prospective employees, go out at search for employment. Rarely do businesses go looking for individual workers.

Bottle_of_Smoke

spurious wrote:

Instead I found it pathetic that FF expect that a handshake from 'Bertie' would make me change my political allegiance. It's what comes of their not having any 'real' political leaning and glorifying the personality I suppose.

"Bertie? Sure you're desperate with that money and brown envelopes and the state of the health service and all, but sure of course, you've shook my hand so I'll give you a first preference."

Baa, as the sheep say.

I'd imagine it would pull a lot of votes. It's hard to know exactly what the subconscious effect it has on the undecided.

Jesus Wept

I remember years agowhen my brother was studying for the leaving cert, it was election time, there was a lot of door to door canvassing.

She wrote a large note on the door explaining that 'Canvassing disqualifies' and that it was because someone was studying for the Leaving Cert.

They still came knocking/ringing. :eek:

Gobsh!tes.

Dontico wrote:

Only once has someone complained to me about canvassing, I argued with him that we werent trying to sell you something like a sales person, but that RB wants to be thier employee.

Well of course you are, you are selling yourself, and you are selling RB (whatever/whoever that is).

Dontico wrote:

Analogy time:
Like businesses, prospective employees, go out at search for employment. Rarely do businesses go looking for individual workers.

It's the equivalent of sending your CV out to 500 different jobs, when you may only be qualified for 50 of them.

Or sending your CV out to 500 households, in case some of them are employeers and have vacancies

I think if people are interested in a given party, or in a given election, they will find out what they need to know by themselves.

The_Minister

nesf wrote:

Yeah I'm having serious trouble there. Over half of the available candidates in my constituency are left to hard left economically which really doesn't suit me.

I go right down until I hit someone who I could not in good conscience put in government (SF etc). Then I stop.

nesf

The_Minister wrote:

I go right down until I hit someone who I could not in good conscience put in government (SF etc). Then I stop.

Hmm. Good point, I find the whole what your civic duties are in voting interesting. There's usually very little discussion beyond just having to vote normally.

I suppose I could stop at Labour, they are about as far left as I'd want to see in Government tbh (i.e. they're for the most part centerist) but I'm having trouble with the Greens of all people. While I like seeing the main parties pursuing green policies, I find a few of the positions of the Greens to be nonsensical tbh.

Victor

Ibid wrote:

Not very polite though is it?

I once had a canvasser knock on the door for a particular candidate (that had persviously threatened me and friends). The look on the canvasser's face when I said "Leave. Now." was interesting.

mike65

Name names! :eek:

Mike.

Chakar

I've recieved FF canvassers at my door today, I assured them that I would certainly be voting for FF. Although I have to say they weren't talking much, they didn't even do the spiel.

bug

Ibid wrote:

Not very polite though is it?

No, not at all.

But then again they don't visit me to ask me for my vote or opinions any other time of the year other than at election,when they want something.

So I see them similar to that unwanted scrounger relative or begger, who you've told time and time again how to change his ways...but he she never does.
eventually you give up the ghost and tell them to go away or get real.

Why would I be more polite to a politician?

Dontico

The-Rigger wrote:

It's the equivalent of sending your CV out to 500 different jobs, when you may only be qualified for 50 of them.

Or sending your CV out to 500 households, in case some of them are employeers and have vacancies

I think if people are interested in a given party, or in a given election, they will find out what they need to know by themselves.

No. Richard Bruton is going for one job, to represent Dublin North Central. There just happen to be 30,000 directors(residents) for the company that is DNC.inc.

Alot of people dont know who to vote for, so I give them a leaflet to inform them about the product that is RB. Its more like telling them about a school to send thier kids to, they need to do it, but they havent made up thier mind.

When I canvass I usually only tell them about policies that may interest them. Like if they are a parent I mention childcare. I also write down what changes they want seem in the area. Then next RB will ring them back and ask them about it.

If I see a sign saying "no canvassers" I dont go in. If I see one saying "no leaflets" I dont drop.

TwoShedsJackson

mike65 wrote:

Can I suggest a sheet of A4 with 100 point type

NO POLITICAL CAVASSING THANKYOU

in a stratigic position.

Mike.

I've done precisely this and taped it to the front door. I restricted myself to 72 point type though

The_Minister

nesf wrote:

but I'm having trouble with the Greens of all people. While I like seeing the main parties pursuing green policies, I find a few of the positions of the Greens to be nonsensical tbh.

The Greens scare me. Alot of people are planning to vote for them despite not knowing their policies, some of which include massive carbon taxes and a halt to road-building (when asked about the motorway from Galway to Dublin, Ciaran Cuffe would only say "We'll get you there by train".)
The thing is, they know that they are going to do well, so they have stripped their website of the really odd policies, so no-one will realise till after the election what they stand for.

John Mason

i know who i am voting for, so if anyone comes to my door, i say "sorry not interested" and promptly close the door in their face

Time Magazine

bug wrote:

Why would I be more polite to a politician?

Practically every TD in the country holds "office hours" in once a week. They're available every week.

And incidentally it's their job to be in the Dáil, not on your door. You must have no idea idea how hard it is to canvass. If you're in e.g. a 4 seater, there's 80,000-120,000 people in that constituency, 20,000-30,000 houses. You want a politician knocking on 25,000 doors. It's far better to have a clinic in your local town center/hotel/pub at 3pm on Saturday tbh.

nesf

The_Minister wrote:

The Greens scare me. Alot of people are planning to vote for them despite not knowing their policies, some of which include massive carbon taxes and a halt to road-building (when asked about the motorway from Galway to Dublin, Ciaran Cuffe would only say "We'll get you there by train".)
The thing is, they know that they are going to do well, so they have stripped their website of the really odd policies, so no-one will realise till after the election what they stand for.

Yeah, exactly. A lot of people are planning on voting for them because they are "green" but without knowing exactly the kind of things they'd do in Government. I'm sure FG or FF would keep them on a short leash and keep it "sensible" but stuff like that "we'll get you there by train" comment just show that they've no idea of how things actually work. Build a fantastic train network and people will still complain about roads simply because they want to drive around. It will take time to convince people to use public transport more in this country and trying to shock them into doing it won't help things. In the interim we need both motorways and train lines. Some time in the future Irish people might turn first to public transport but it's not going to happen over the next five years suddenly.


I think the best way to describe it is that for most main parties green policy is necessary and that for the Greens it's more like it's a moral crusade.

Our man in Havana

I won't talk to canvassers. If a candidate wants my vote he/she will have to come to my door personally. I want to speak to the organgrinder and not the monkeys.

Dontico

Bond-007 wrote:

I won't talk to canvassers. If a candidate wants my vote he/she will have to come to my door personally. I want to speak to the organgrinder and not the monkeys.

Somepeople ask to speak to RB, then I go fetch him.

Monkey.

RainyDay

Bond-007 wrote:

I won't talk to canvassers. If a candidate wants my vote he/she will have to come to my door personally. I want to speak to the organgrinder and not the monkeys.

One of the main job of the canvassers is to open doors for the candidate. As soon as the candidate becomes free, he/she will head for the nearest open door. If you want to speak to the candidate, just tell the canvasser.

Our man in Havana

RainyDay wrote:

One of the main job of the canvassers is to open doors for the candidate. As soon as the candidate becomes free, he/she will head for the nearest open door. If you want to speak to the candidate, just tell the canvasser.

Not in my experience. "He is too busy to come to your small rural backwater" is the typical response from the canvassers.