I don't know what percentage of people decide or indeed change their voting loyalties as a result of pre-election campaigns. I suppose a significant number must, otherwise hopeful politicians wouldn't race around like dervishes during the month before an election in a mad attempt to make up for voter neglect by their party since the last election campaign.
Whatever the evidence or even the presumptions made, my instinct tells me that in Northern Ireland there are relatively few genuine floating voters. In line with our deeply embedded sectarianism I fear that irrespective of the brilliance or energy of the candidates we place our X mostly along tribal and/or class lines and in the pattern of our fathers and forebears.
If this is the case, and in reality most people have closed minds on the subject, do we really need all this pre-electioneering media exposure on radio and television? While it might fill the programme hours when little else is happening, I bet that most of us find party political broadcasts tedious and boring. Then there are the programmes when politicians are brought together before a studio audience or a keen interviewer when I find myself becoming increasing irritated by the style of engagement of the politicians from our major parties.
I know that the exhibition of the party's wares is a critical element of a functioning democracy at pre-election time, but do the individual's performances have to be so annoying and so combative with each other.
To preserve my good temper and my belief in the democratic process, (and maybe I speak for some readers as well) I would like to offer an ordinary voter's advice to all those hopeful people out there looking for votes.
When asked a question about your party policy please please don't launch into a tirade of sometimes very personalised criticism of your strongest political opponent. Resist the urge to treat us to a litany of their failures, and their absurd unachievable ideas. Just answer the question about yourself and your own party. Tell us what your party has achieved, is achieving and hopes to achieve in the future. Don't rubbish other people. Such is the level of the sterile slanging matches amongst parties especially in front of a television audience that the dialogue more resembles our favourite panto lines, 'oh yes you did – oh no I didn't' performance than a sensible informative discussion about competing party politics. This behaviour is so irritating and so frustrating that I'm beginning to feel that prospective politicians should be penalised if they slag off another party or individual. Harsh treatment, but it would do wonders in concentrating candidate's minds in explaining and defending their party's policies on economics, health, education, transport – in fact all the issues that really impact on how we lead our daily lives. Think about it. When did you last listen in to a sensible debate about these issues amongst our local politicians? And wouldn't you like to hear one before you cast your vote on November 26?
My next golden rule is possibly even more difficult to achieve. Admit when you or your party find particular issues difficult and be brave enough to identify policies that can be better defined within the context of a consensus-seeking, thoughtful all-party approach. The current tendency amongst political parties is to pretend that their particular approach has all the answers and in usual adversarial mode attack other parties for their short-sighted approach. Take the 11 plus for example, a difficult and very emotive issue for most people. There would be few of us who do not want to preserve the excellence in our schools and the excellent academic results of some of our children. Similarly most of us want to see huge improvements in the opportunities and achievements for the large number of poor children who are let down by our current system. So how do you preserve the best while improving the worst and provide equitable opportunities for all children? This is an extremely complex challenge needing a collaborative problem solving approach that can utilise the best ideas from everyone. What we get though is parties aligning along rigid standpoints.
What we do about the increasing violent crime against the old is another extremely difficult problem. Nobody, not even the most able international research institutes, has any easy solutions. It would be so refreshing, indeed quite amazing to hear politicians admit that their party hasn't got the answers, but that they do have the capacity and the will to listen and learn, both from experts and from other political parties.
I have one other pet gripe about politicians. They never admit to making a mistake, but I'll accept that that is a vote too far for them all to contemplate.
