The sun shines on the righteous, they say, and it certainly shone for us on Friday when our Norfolk TPA branch were campaigning and petitioning Norfolk residents for lower Council Tax. The only downside was that some hoodlum stole a supporter’s handbag. Nevertheless, in a morning’s work we signed up well over 200 new supporters.
Petitions are a great way to recruit new people to the campaign. You have your pitch – arguing for a reduction in Council Tax – which gives the incentive for people to sign and be told further about the campaign. It’s putting the point across which is important and telling people about our campaign and how we’re fighting for lower taxes and better government.
The one problem that our campaign lives or dies with is to get people to go out and do their bit for the campaign. You can’t imagine the number of calls I’ve had over my 15 months at the TPA where people call in to moan but when asked what they’ll do to help the issue, the heartbreaking reply comes forth “oh, I’m not a campaigner”.
You don’t have to deliver 10,000 leaflets in one day. We’re not asking an impossible task. What we ask is you spread the word, tell people about the TPA and recommend they join up. It may be cliché, but if everyone does their bit, we get more done while everyone can do a bit less. Signing up 10 new supporters a fortnight isn’t a hard task, not when poll after poll shows this country is screaming out for lower taxes. Writing a letter to your paper takes no more than 10 minutes. But it makes the world of difference to our campaign.
This week Tony Flynn, a man in his 70s, will be recruiting for the campaign. We have campaigners leafleting as we speak, bringing people into the tent so the forces for lower taxes can grow ever stronger.