So David Van Day fancies himself as an MP and two of my readers think it is a good idea, although one says he "is not whiter than white" - great credentials for an anti sleaze candidate! Another one thinks David would make a good MP.
On checking a few websites I discover that David is a C List celebrity who was a contestant in "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!" David was born plain David Day in 1957, is a failed actor and singer married to a Page 3 model, once ran a burger bar and has recently had a facelift. In 2007 he tried and failed to reinvent himself as a local politician in Brighton. During his election campaign David made an offensive remark about gay men, reported in the local press and as a result he came bottom of the poll in the election.
According to press reports, David spent £100,000 on cocaine in his pop star era, cheated on his girlfriend Tereza Bazar, and dumped his journalist girlfriend on live TV earlier this year. Just the sort of person we do not need in Mid Bedfordshire!!
If David attempted to stand for election as an MP, especially on an anti sleaze ticket the national media would crawl all over his past and make his life a misery. If David chooses to stand against Nadine Dorries in Mid Bedfordshire, he must first do lots of research (he knows nothing about this area) and even more walking as it is a very rural constituency.
Any prospective MP or local councillor needs a few more skills than just self promotion, singing and jungle experience! In the past 3 weeks, I have knocked on 2,000 doors, coped with lots of personal abuse about MP expenses, and written and delivered thousands of leaflets. During 20 years of experience as a Councillor on 4 different Councils, I have dealt with hundreds of personal resident problems, campaigned energetically on all sorts of issues, sat through endless committee meetings and read huge volumes of local government documents, to say nothing of coping with a hostile local press and sometimes aggressive constituents.
May I suggest that any TV "celebrity" tempted to stand as an MP first undertakes an intensive training programme in speed reading, walking long distances, public speaking, writing, negotiating and dealing with difficult people and a hostile press. Also if they want to stand as "anti sleaze" candidates their private lives must be beyond reproach and squeaky clean!
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