Michael Deas on campaiging in Houghton Street

I ‘ran’ for F&S. I stood on the street for two whole days trying to get votes for me and other Green candidates…I admit it…here’s a sample of what happened…

Vote Michael for F&S…’Effing who?’

Hi there, have you voted in the SU elections? ‘No, I don’t believe in democracy, man. If you want power, you got to grab it!’

‘I’m definitely not voting for you, I heard you tortured donkeys.’

You get the picture anyway. It might suck to be the average student, walking down Houghton Street having leaflets and tacky slogans shoved in your face. But it’s not much better to be the person trying to shove those leaflets in your face. Yes, I know you think you’re funny, but I heard that reason for not voting ten minutes ago. Twice.

Standing out on the street convincing people you don’t know that they should vote for a position they’ve never heard of for reasons they don’t understand doesn’t exactly make you feel like a radical student on his way to saving the world. But that’s not the point.

Whoever wants to believe that LSESU elections are the first stepping stone to becoming a great leader of global change can do, but those who do don’t have much fun. The people who get the most out of election time aren’t the people who are running for Sab or exec positions, but the people who are on their campaign teams.

The guy who stood outside the Old Building in a dress all morning proudly bearing his chesthair in the hope it might produce an extra vote for Berry #1, he had fun.

The bloke who carried the Simon Douglas sign and serenaded us all with ‘1234…Simon Douglas…5678….SIMON DOUGLAS!’ for two whole days (thanks man, you kept us going), he had fun.

And I guess I had fun too…exercising my democratic right to waste paper and harass apathetic students…convincing people that if only they’d vote green in LSESU elections global climate change could be averted tomorrow…wearing someone else’s face on a T-shirt for two days…

But seriously, student elections don’t work not because of the people who run, but because Joe Student doesn’t give a fuck. And That’s worrying because if LSE students, supposedly the best minds in Europe, don’t give a fuck, then who is going to keep a check on career politicians when they are running for parliament instead of SU elections?