I can’t help but feel sorry for Craig Murray, though I think he is being too harsh on 
himself by saying he is “probably the worst political candidate in history†following his experience in Norwich North.
The Honest candidate who is a human rights activist, writer, and former British Ambassador, Rector of the University of Dundee and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Lancaster School of Law, describes his devastating experience in today’s Mail
“The 953 votes I garnered in Norwich North last week – just 12 ahead of the BNP – in a campaign totalling £46,000 cost me nearly £50 each.
“It would have been much more effective to stand in Norwich market and accost passers-by with the line: ‘Vote for me and I’ll give you 25 quid.’ I might have ended up in jail – but I’d have doubled my vote.â€
It certainly makes one wonder why so many minority parties and Independent candidates want to put themselves through all this, though Murray had genuine intentions following the MPs’ expenses row and regarded himself as a credible, qualified and experienced alternative candidate to vote for. He describes how he started with high hopes and reckoned that if he could get a good result, perhaps Esther Rantzen, Martin Bell and all would come charging in for the General Election, and give Parliament a real leavening of independent MPs, who were genuinely not in it for a lucrative career but to serve the public good.
However, while Rantzen and Bell might be familiar household names and enjoy a degree of popularity, I doubt the same can be said of Murray; I doubt many people had heard of him in Norwich North before the recent by-election. Despite his honourable intentions, Murray came sixth out of 12 candidates – and the last candidate only pulled 23 votes. How much did they cost each?
Murray also boasts that he was able to attract streams of volunteers from across the world to deliver leaflets, from as far as Ireland, Ghana, New Zealand, Australia, Uzbekistan, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Sweden, France and Poland. As admirable as this is, I wonder how many came from Norwich North where it really mattered as these volunteers would have had the knowledge to discuss important local issues with constituents and may have been able to influence them.
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The fundamental problems for Independents, as I found out myself, when standing in the local elections a few years ago, is the corruption of a system that allows major political parties to throw their party machine behind canditates, without the true costs being reflected in their filings to the Electoral Commission.
Its also noteworthy that the winner only polled 18% of the vote – time for electoral reform me thinks as promised by the Labour Party when they were in opposition!
It is important to get all the local issues across when standing in local elections. His campaign should have been run locally covering local issues.
Geoff makes a good point about the corruption of the system.
The problem is you can’t go around saying you want a cleaner type of politics then put out attack leaflets like he did against Chloe Smith.
http://norfolkblogger.blogspot.com/2009/07/murray-attack-leaflet.html
The FPTP system marginalizes smaller parties. It needs STV [PR] to bring smaller parties into it.
It’s a nasty business and I reckon you have to accept that if you decide to go into politics.
A very sad story in many ways, but hopefully some heard his message and his sacrifice will not have been totally in vain.
In some ways you have to admire people like this, but Nick Starling’s comment is quite interesting.
you want a cleaner type of politics then put out attack leaflets like he did against Chloe Smith.hopefully some heard his message and his sacrifice will not have been totally in vain.
as I found out myself, when standing in the local elections a few years ago, is the corruption of a system that allows major political parties to throw their party machine behind canditates
Vote for me and I’ll give you 25 quid.’ I might have ended up in jail – but I’d have doubled my vote.â€