One of the big news stories this week has been the selection of Devon GP Dr Sarah Wollaston to stand as the Conservative candidate for Totnes in the next general election. Totnes is a safe Tory seat, so it seems very likely that Dr Wollaston will be heading to Westminster at some point next year.
What was unique about the selection process was that it was run along similar lines to the way some American primaries are run. Every voter in the region, regardless of which party they support, was eligible to vote to select who they wanted to represent the Tories.
Many commentators have said that, because the process was so expensive to run, it may not be repeated. But it has shown a real appetite for change among voters – perhaps not surprising in the wake of the MPs’ expenses scandal.
Some 24.6% of voters took part (more than take part in some council elections, apparently) and the fact that they chose Dr Wollaston, a person with no political experience, sends a real message to those already in power.
Dr Wollaston beat off competition from the chair of a local council and the mayor of a neighbouring town. During the three-week campaign she had little time for campaigning because her practice was battling to deal with swine flu and her locum called in sick. Yet despite this, she still won convincingly.
There is an interesting piece in today’s Times by Nick Bye, the mayor of Torbay, who Dr Wollaston beat in the selection process. He says that part of the reason she succeeded was because she realised that party-political point scoring was not what voters want.
‘The victory of Dr Wollaston … was not a victory for anti-politicians or anti-politic,’ he writes. ‘Rather, it was a victory for a different style of politics. Voters clearly want their MPs to be much less partisan, much more open-minded and pragmatic in the way they deal with issues.’
I would imagine that the fact Dr Wollaston is a GP also played a part. Despite what the government and the Daily Mail would like to have us think, GPs are highly valued and trusted by the general public. They play a key role within local communities, are respected and are in a position that people can relate to and understand. For many, a GP would be the ideal candidate to vote for.
So, could Dr Wollaston’s success herald an influx of GPs to parliament?
