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