problem poll

I was curious to read the YouGov poll that was published today in the Guardian, commissioned by Jon Cruddas MP.

It suggests that only 1 in 3 voters have been contacted by Labour since the general election in 2005.

Apparently 62% of people have had no contact with the party since the last election. That's a big worry.

Jon Cruddas, whose hat is already in the ring for the deputy leadership, said: "This poll is a wake-up call, but the debates we will have this year give us a perfect opportunity to turn things around. We're at our best when we have activists on the streets knocking on doors, speaking to people in our communities. Some people may think that clever direct marketing techniques can win us elections, but these results are a reminder that we can't beat the Tories without Labour activists on the doorsteps."

Quite true, but I hesitate to beat myself up about it. In Streatham South, the picture is somewhat different. We work hard and have a good voter contact rate to show for it. Every household regularly gets something from us, which is reflected in consistent waves of calls, emails and visits to our surgeries. Whether or not our leaflets are read avidly is another matter, but I've no reason to think we aren't communicating as much as we should be.

On top of that, we knock on doors all over the ward and make ourselves as visible and approachable as possible with walkabouts and street stalls.

But Jon Cruddas is right that we should never allow ourselves to become complacent. We need to keep Labour in government, and build on the progress of the last ten years.