"From behind the car's darkened windows steps the Reform candidate for the Gorton and Denton byelection, dressed in the trademark gilet that makes him look less like a politician and more like a man who has come straight from a grouse shoot. As he enters the church where the electoral hustings will take place, a leaflet is thrust into his hand, which as he will later discover with a horrified grimace,"
"Over recent weeks the former academic and rightwing firebrand has been a curiously intangible presence in the constituency whose representation he is seeking: perpetually detectable but not remotely approachable, always visible without ever really being seen. None of the dozens of voters I spoke to across the area over the course of two weeks in February had actually glimpsed him in the flesh, much less seen him on their street or doorstep."
Matt Goodwin arrived at a Levenshulme parish church from a black Volkswagen, wearing his trademark gilet and reacting with horror when handed a Communist League leaflet. The leaflet carried policies such as amnesty for all immigrants and defending Cuba's socialist revolution. Goodwin is portrayed as a former academic and rightwing figure who has been a visible but elusive presence in the Gorton and Denton constituency. Many local voters reported never having seen him in person or on their doorsteps despite his claim to campaign daily. The campaign appears tailored toward online visibility and media moments rather than consistent street-level engagement.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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