Time to get organised? (1 Viewer)

[Legia Sky Blue]

First of all I must apologise, as I am currently working abroad and do not expect to return to the UK until 2023, so I acknowledge that the following is a case of asking people to engage in something I can't do myself until that time, and if people want to criticise me for that fair enough. However, I think this issue is vital to the future of our club, and waiting until 2013 is likely to be too late, so I thought I would put this out there, hoping that others will be out there able to take something like this forward.

I am often impressed by the intelligence and knowledge displayed by so many posters on here, which I think could be put to good use in us getting organised to effect local politics for the benefit of our football club, and sidelining the ineffectual SBT. Pete and Mark set a great example earlier this year and deserve great credit for that. I have long argued that we need to get actively involved in local politics, as Charlton and I think Wolves fans successfully did previously, in order to guarantee our clubs future, by ideally having a CCFC supporting candidate stand in every ward in Cov, on a single issue, non partisan political basis, aimed at protecting the interest's of the football club. I fully anticipate that CCC will actively seek to pressure Warwick Council into blocking the proposed stadium project at every corner, so I feel we have to do something effective to counteract that. Local elections come round regularly so the opportunity is there to affect and influence them through that process.

Turnout at Local Elections is traditionally low. It would not take much to actually win seats and a well organised campaign could easily upset the cosy apple cart of our local politicians. Simply canvassing actively, bringing in ex players in support where possible, could be hugely impactful on an electorate that are largely disinterested and disengaged by local party politics. Social Media could also be used to feed video montages of managers, players, famous matches and occasions, showing the value of CCFC to the City. The general disenchantment with local politics also provides a groundswell of possible voters wanting to exercise a protest vote, by socking it to the established political parties, which could also be fed in to, so that we would not only be reliant on CCFC supporters as voters, particularly stressing to those non CCFC supporters, the economic and cultural benefits the football club brings to the City, particularly if it were in the Premier League, and of course by stressing the continued ineptitude of the City Council (whether Labour or Tory).

I am absolutely positive this could work to CCFC's advantage, but am I living in dreamland? Is there anyone out there who could and would stand for election and/ or help organise, and campaign on this kind of basis if it could get up and running?

 

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[Sky Blue Harry H]

You got a like partly for content and partly for effort. Our perceived impotence in all of this has left a lot of us frustrated.

 

[shmmeee]

Wasn’t this tried?

The bare facts if it are even a well liked, widely supported new entrant would have trouble breaking through. The number of people as annoyed as you with the same specific beefs as you is not as large as you think. For most CCFC won’t be the number one issue politically and for those where it is a non zero number will disagree with your analysis and for those that do a non zero number will disagree with your remedy. You frame it as “a CCFC supporting candidate”, as if every CCFC fan has the same views when clearly that isn’t true. Or this place would be a lot quieter.

IMO you’re better off piggybacking off the existing political system, even Farage realised his weight was in influencing those with power not wielding it himself.

If it were me wanting this, the first thing I’d be doing it looking for sympathetic councillors that are already there. Or failing that dead eyed bastards who will support anything for a few extra votes. Marginal seats obviously prime territory. The problem here is it’s been years and there’s no councillor from either side or none that’s been willing to stick their head above the parapet. I’ll leave it as an exercise for the reader to figure out why.

So next level down is finding challenger candidates that maybe have less skin in the game and want a stick to beat their incumbent with. In theory politics should be a perfect capitalist system, if your elected representative doesn’t meet your needs, the guy wanting to replace them likely will. Assuming what you’re asking is both feasible and not politically toxic. Bashing the council is rarely politically toxic so should be no worries there.

Make a list of wards, next year is a bumper year because of the COVID postponements I think so double candidates. Could be wrong there I’m just assuming. For each ward spend the time between now and then contacting the incumbent councillors and polling them for their opinions on the topic. Make a spreadsheet of this data. Group in Hard Sisu, Hard anti-Sisu, ambivalent, and couldn’t care less about football. Work on the middle groups until you have clear pro and anti groups identified.

Then for the anti candidates get to know likely challengers in their ward. Organise ground troops and printing resources and other stuff election candidates always need and offer that support. Previous time should’ve been spent building a contact database of people willing to help anyone who makes this a top issue. Offer this support to the best placed candidate to win each seat who is sympathetic to your cause.

Be public about what you’re doing. You aren’t really trying to win elections. Just build a majority view in the council one way or another so you want it well known what your demands are and how those who you have identified as going against them can call off the mob. You don’t care who wins. You care that who wins has the right opinions

IMO if that sounds too hard you’ll never win an election because that’s the absolute bare minimum you’ll have to do to even make a dent in an actual election result. If it doesn’t, it’s a cheaper and IMO more effective route for political change. Even if it means you don’t get Grendels face on an election leaflet.

 

[Legia Sky Blue]

Thanks Shmee I respect your views, but just to respond to some of the points you have made:

'Wasn’t this tried?'
When and by who? I remember some independent candidate trying to hitch hike on the club's grievances very late in the day, but that is the opposite to what I'm suggesting. If I remember right he was an embittered ex councillor who is just the sort of 'politician' we should avoid representing us. It has to be an ordinary fan, say Otis for example (don't laugh) who does not belong to a political party and has not previously stood for office (I'm presuming this is not the case) so that people do not believe they are voting Labour or Tory by default.

'You frame it as “a CCFC supporting candidate”, as if every CCFC fan has the same views when clearly that isn’t true'
Of course you are correct on this. I have previously been on the anti SISU side of arguments myself, particularly in respect of the move to Northampton. I am still wary of them. However, while we keep arguing about the past, we are endangering our future. The question of whether you are pro or anti SISU should be taken out of the equation to maximise support. CCFC need to be playing in Cov regardless of whose historic fault it is where we are. Leave the arguments about the past to these message boards. If we can accept that reality I don't see why people who apportion blame in different ways for our situation, cannot put that aside for the common goal of ensuring CCFC's future in the City.

'IMO you’re better off piggybacking off the existing political system, even Farage realised his weight was in influencing those with power not wielding it himself.'
I disagree. Charlton didn't need to do that when they were locked out of the Valley. If they could get people elected in a cosmopolitan borough like Greenwich I don't see why we couldn't in Coventry. The career politicians in Greenwich took fright at losing some of their kin, and were persuaded to allow the club to return to their home. I think you also underestimate CCFC's importance to the City, over a standard 'protest' candidate. If you are campaigning as a CCFC candidate, handing out Sky Blue posters/ car stickers etc, people are more likely to display them. A CCFC campaign would get more press (in the Observer anyway) than an alternative 'protest' candidate, particularly if it was supported by 'name' players organised through the ex players group. It would also get more social media attention. A normal 'protest' candidate would not be able to muster 200,000 people onto the streets of Coventry as we did after winning the cup, and you are not therefore comparing like with like.

Of course there are many issues with what I propose, not least financing. It would probably need a proper fundraising effort and the support of a wealthy backer like Overson. If it's not possible then following the lines of your last few paragraphs is certainly a way to try to get our influence over councillors, it's just I don't trust that once elected they will honour any pledges made to us.

 

[BackRoomRummermill]

You have to understand in politics the things that matter are benefit , housing , tax etc. Cov will be well down the pecking order club wise . If you want action write to your MP or the sports minister , standing for elections is not going anywhere , no poo poo what you said as I can hear your view , but there will be other ways

 

[Legia Sky Blue]

..... but Charlton have already shown this kind of action can work, Writing to an MP or Sports Minister is completely futile though!

 

[shmmeee]

If you want to go for it, you’ll still have to muster support. Might be best to choose one symbolic seat (Duggins?) and target that.

I don’t know the situation with Charlton but the idea of people finding CCFC less political isafair one.

 

[Magwitch]

Standing a candidate in the next Lord Mayor elect seat is the way, I think that may well be George Duggins also the Labour leader and stand someone else in the Tory council leaders seat. councillor Blundell for balance. This issue isn’t party political.

 

[Legia Sky Blue]

Looks like I was wrong about Charlton fans actually getting elected, but this makes interesting reading nevertheless.

If You Know Your 'istory: The Valley Party | CAS Trust

(By Rick Everitt - this article was first published in the club programme in 2010, and is being kindly reproduced in conjunction with our "If You Know Your

www.castrust.org

 

[Legia Sky Blue]

If you want to go for it, you’ll still have to muster support. Might be best to choose one symbolic seat (Duggins?) and target that.

I don’t know the situation with Charlton but the idea of people finding CCFC less political isafair one.

Targeting Duggins seat would be a good starting point.

 

[capel & collindridge]

I think we may need to agree a broad manifesto that nearly all true CCFC supporters could identify with. Avoid campaigning for specific solutions (e.g. Must be Ricoh, Must be UoW, Wasps Out, SISU Out etc.) but in favour of achievable outcomes, if elected officials were really to put their minds to making them happen. So the kind of outcomes might be:

* Commitment by local MPs, councils, civic organisations and local businesses to work with CCFC to ensure the city continues to have a top class football club by building on our present team's success on the pitch .

* Making sure CCFC is able to play football in or very close to the city within a maximum of 4 years in a ground it can call its own.

* Promotion of CCFC as a central player in the 2021 City of Culture calendar of events.

* Working in partnership with CCFC to promote community schemes and activities that raise the profile and standing of Coventry nationally.

* A cross-party political group of MPs and Councillors to celebrate CCFC's past and present successes and committed to the creation of an environment that will enable these successes to become increasingly frequent in the future.


These are illustrations of the kind of broad outcome we might aim for. There is sufficient knowledge and talent within this social forum to greatly improve on these examples. Once we can decide what the key issues are and how we want them addressed, we could then decide the best strategy to publicise our demands (e.g. events, demonstrations and activities) and the best tactics (e.g. best wards in which CCFC candidates for local councils might stand).

Minimise the differences between us and maximise the overall support for CCFC in the community - even nationally and internationally as well - stressing how a successful football club is an essential ingredient for the future success of the whole city and surrounding area.