The Importance of Mr. Gott
SIR,--Alan Watkins's article on 'The Importance of Mr. Gott' in your issue of January 21 was extremely interesting.
This is the first recognition I have read by a leading commentator of what I consider to be one of the most important lessons to be learned from the last general election, namely, the growing tendency for the electorate to 'cross party lines' and vote for or against the candidate. The candidate must exercise more imagination and initiative in projecting his personality and ideas to the electorate. Of course, if he has no personality or ideas he would be wise to accept Mr. John Anson's advice and go to bed for the duration of the campaign. In an attempt to encourage this approach to cam- paigning, Andrew Bowden, the prospective candi- date for Brighton Kemptown, and I are collaborating in writing a book on modern electioneering methods, an 'M and B for Candidates.' We would appreciate any ideas or suggestions from your readers.
Incidentally, Mr. Peter Walker, as one of the most imaginative campaigners in the country, may well have devised 'impact canvassing; as stated by Mr. Watkins. but it was certainly not at the Devizes by-election. It was used by Dr. Alan Glyn, under my direction as 'Candidate's Aid,' in Wandsworth Clapham, when he won the scat from Labour, as long ago as 1959.
The object of the system is to maximise the poll among the candidate's supporters and it therefore creates more impact at by-elections and local elec- tions where the poll is usually lower than at general elections. I used this method with considerable success as a candidate in the LCC elections at South Lewisham in 1961 helping to increase the Conserva- tive vote by 2,800 and achieving near-record polls of over 50 per cent in all the Conservative wards. To my knowledge many other candidates have used this method of projection with varying degrees of
SUCCCSS. JOHN MACDONALD
Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Paddington North 21 Newman Street, London, WI
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