Sandwell election. Labour candidate for Smethwick and John Spellar.

Express & Star

Chat with Smethwick Labour Candidate Gurinder Singh Josan and exerts from a chat with former MP John Spellar.

Transcript

00:00How you doing sir? So we've got Gurinder Josan for Labour for SMEVC and how are you feeling then?

00:05Are you feeling confident or you know close race or what's your thoughts at this stage?

00:11I mean I think it's really really exciting because this is you know democracy in action

00:16and we've done everything we possibly can over the last few weeks. We've been out there

00:21canvassing, campaigning, campaigning for people to vote in every single day.

00:25They've got out there today, they've cast their vote. Those votes are now being counted

00:31and this is the beauty of our democracy. Every single one of those votes has the same value

00:36and to watch them being counted is really quite exciting.

00:40So I bet you've done some steps haven't you these last few weeks?

00:43Oh yes.

00:43Hey you've had your work out.

00:45Yeah we've done some walking.

00:46Yeah yeah and what's it kind of been the feeling on the doorstep? Have you generally

00:51found positive reception?

00:53Yeah I mean SMEVC is an area which is very diverse.

00:57Yeah.

00:57Both ethnically but also geographically in terms of the demographics of tropical areas

01:03and you know there's pockets of deprivation and you know better off areas as well.

01:10And one thing we have found across the pack is the absolute you know dissolution that people

01:18have with the current government.

01:19Yeah.

01:20People just absolutely want some change and not willing to vote for the government as well.

01:24Yeah.

01:24Matter of fact you know what the exit poll is trying to suggest

01:27is that people are wanting change and they suggest people are voting for change.

01:33Over to you John.

01:34Yeah well John first of all congratulations on the news tonight that you're receiving a

01:40peerage so tell us a little bit you know your reaction to that.

01:43Well I'm very pleased to do that. Look forward to continuing a lot of the political campaigns

01:47I've been running over the years particularly backing British industry and getting Britain

01:52working and also working to support a Labour government which is pretty certainly what

01:57we're going to have today.

01:58How long have you known about this peerage?

02:01Past.

02:03Quite a while then.

02:04I'm coming.

02:05Okay.

02:07For you then it was quite an odd night tonight because so many years you've been here with

02:13the pressure on you personally.

02:15So how are you feeling this evening?

02:17Are there any regrets that you're not the one standing tonight?

02:20Well it's been an interesting and strange campaign.

02:23Normally I'd be out there campaigning for myself.

02:26I've been very pleased with the reaction like that but also for my successor,

02:30for Inder Jose, because many people know him for the work he's done in the community

02:36and his father before him.

02:38But also I've been very pleased to hand over to someone who I know will do a good job for

02:43the people of Smelling and Alderage.

02:45So I'm delighted and that's it.

02:48But I've always enjoyed being an elected politician.

02:52I've now got to adapt to a new way of life.

02:54But what a night to do it when we're heading towards a historic victory.

03:00So your thoughts then when you saw the exit poll come out at ten o'clock?

03:05Yeah, I must say that exceeded my expectations.

03:09You always fear, being a politician, having won a by-election and then lost a seat in Northfield,

03:18you always look slightly on the pessimistic side.

03:20You are standing down.

03:22Will you still be there with an advisory capacity for whoever wins tonight?

03:25Whoever.

03:26If people want to ask me, I'm always prepared.

03:28But people have to make their own...

03:32No, people always do things slightly differently.

03:36Nobody's saying how I would do it.

03:39What I would say is if you look at the results in the Warley, now Smaddon constituency over

03:45many elections, I think it's shown that we've had a formula that works,

03:50one that actually delivers for the public.

03:53What I'm pleased to see, both in the figures but also in the response we've had in the doorstep,

03:58the public seem to understand and appreciate that.

Category

Transcript

Recommended