Sylviagony hops on a train in Brighton, heading for London

She sits down next to a fine looking gentleman and introduces herself

S: Good day sir! How are you today?

G: Why hello there young lady, I'm doing alright, could be better. Thanks for asking. How are you yourself?

S: Oh, I'm doing rather great myself. There's the upcoming election, and I think Labour will do rather well! I myself am running for the constituency of Sussex.

G: Oh really? Would you mind telling me why I should vote Labour? I'm a long time Tory voter, but my wife told me she is planning to vote Labour this election, and now I'm curious too.

S: Sure! I'd love to. But first let me ask, you said you could be doing better, is there something I could do to help, should I be elected to Westminster?

G: Well, you know, I live in Brighton and every day I go by train to my work in London, but today the train was late yet again, and I pay a lot of money for these train tickets! My father told me I should just get a car and I won't be late again, but despite voting for the same party as him I care a lot about the environment and climate change!

S: Ah yeah, I completely get that. I was also annoyed by the delay. I've got places to be! I'll tell you what, if Labour is elected to government, we will nationalise the train operating companies again and ensure the trains and railways remain nationalised. I totally get how other parties believe privatisation leads to competition which in turn should lead to better service, but in practice these companies still need to cooperate which results in an unaccountable effective monopoly. It is much better to have it controlled by the government, which in turn is elected by the people. MPs can be voted out, companies cannot.

G: Ah yes, that makes sense to me. But I imagine competition does lead to cheaper train tickets, does it not?

S: You would think so, and maybe it is true to a degree, but as you said yourself, you still pay a lot of money for these tickets. Under a Labour government we will invest money into improving our currently existing railways and trains, electrifying all our remaining railways and ensuring the trains are on time. That should lead to more people choosing to go by train over car, which in turn will make train tickets cheaper as the increased income means less has to be charged. And with our progressive tax plan we will be able to pay for these improvements and ensure our trains are in good shape, without charging people for caring about the environment.

G: Well, that all sounds great! I believe you've gained my vote! The Tories have done well in the past but they're just not doing enough to stop climate change and encourage the use of public transport, and I have never seen a Tory take the time to talk to ordinary people like me. Looking forward to seeing you in Westminster! Thank you for taking the time to talk to me!

S: No, thank you! It was great talking to you! There's some more people on this train I'd like to talk to to hear their concerns, so I will be going now! Goodbye!

G: I'll see you later! On the telly after the election I mean!

S: Haha, I really hope so!

Sylviagony stands up to speak to some more passengers

She sits down next to a young woman with a baby in her arms

S: Good morning, miss! How are you today?

W: Oh hello, I'm doing pretty alright! Just on my way to visit my parents in Crawley. How's you?

S: Oh, I'm doing alright too, I'm actually here to talk to voters about the upcoming election. I'm running for Parliament for the Labour Party here in Sussex.

W: Oh! Are you Sylviagony? I saw you on the telly just this morning!

S: I am! I was wondering if you'd have a moment to talk? I'm here to listen to the concerns of voters like yourself to improve things in Westminster.

W: Oh, it'd be an honour. I was planning to vote Labour anyway, but the Liberal Democrats also seem like a good party. As you can see I recently became a mother, and it is taking a lot of time and money to take care of my baby. In a couple years she will be going to primary school, and I'm afraid I'll have to spend a lot of money to buy all the supplies she needs. I was wondering what you could do for me?

S: Ah, children. I haven't gotten any myself just yet, but this is still something that is very important to me. For one, we will reverse the cuts made to housing benefits, which should help reduce the money you spend, and increase our spending on disability benefits, so should you end up in an accident, you won't have to worry about the money involved. We will also oppose any further cuts to welfare. When it comes to education we plan to modernise the education system and provide it with more funding, and we will cut class sizes to a maximum of 22 students. We believe that children deserve quality education and it is the duty of the government to ensure that they get it. Lastly we will also get rid of the outdated school uniforms. That should make school more affordable for parents, and allows students to more freely express themselves. No one should be left behind simply because they were born in a poor family.

W: Wow, that all sounds very nice! However, I can't help but wonder, would the Liberal Democrats not support all of these things too? Why should I vote for Labour and not the Liberal Democrats?

S: Good question. Whether they support it or not, if you vote for the Liberal Democrats you won't know what you will actually get. They might support a right-wing government for all we know! And it's not us who made the cuts to benefits! A Labour government will never support policies that directly oppose what we believe in.

W: I think I'm convinced, I'll be voting Labour again! Thank you for taking the time to talk to me!

S: And thank you for your support! I need to get going, there's a lot more people left to be convinced! Can't win the constituency with just a few votes after all!

Sylviagony stands up again, looking for more people to talk to

She sits down next to a tired-looking man

S: Hello sir, how are you this morning?

M: Oh, piss off.

S: Alright then.

She stands up again and sits down next to a less tired-looking, and more bored-looking man instead

S: Hello sir, how are you doing this morning?

B: Oh, I'm alright. But tell me, what do you want? I doubt you just sat next to me for some small talk.

S: You got me! I'm running for Parliament for the Labour Party and I'm here to talk to people like yourself to hear about your concerns and what I can do to convince you to vote Labour.

B: Oh ugh, I'm not really in the mood for this but sure, I'm pretty bored of this long train ride anyway, so I can spare a minute. I was planning to vote for the Libertarians like last time, but after the last government I'm not so sure.

S: Very understandable. Libertarians are all about tax cuts, and...

B: Actually you know what, you're right. I'm voting Labour. Not sure why I even voted for the Libertarians last time but as soon as you mentioned the tax cuts I knew I shouldn't vote for them again.

S: Well alright then, that was quick. Thank you for your time! Looks like the train is stopping here, so I'll have to get going!

B: It was my pleasure.

Sylviagony gets off the train to continue her campaign