On disability and knocking on doors

I have Crohn's disease. I don't consider myself disabled but it does come with a couple of bonus health issues that you wouldn't expect: arthritis and sacroiliitis (inflammation of the joint between the pelvis and the spine). Most of the time I manage it and crack on with things, but this Sunday my back pain was bad enough that I couldn't walk around my own house without the aid of a walking stick for a few hours.

The Friday before, I'd been out canvassing, doing the same thing every other candidate is expected to do: knocking on doors and pounding the streets like someone without any of the things I've described above. I love talking to you all about your issues and the things that you're most worried about. But I do want to talk about the effect that pounding the streets might have on some candidates, because the two things sit uncomfortably next to each other.

Doorstep canvassing has been one of the most rewarding parts of this campaign. I've learnt more in five minutes on the doorstep than in five hours reading Hansard, but it is physically brutal. Hours on your feet, uneven paths, steps, standing, waiting, walking between houses, day after day. For me it has meant real flare ups. For someone else it might mean it simply isn't possible at all.

So here's the question I keep coming back to. If the unofficial "requirement" to get elected on the Isle of Man is that you knock on every door, then could some people be locked out of standing for MHK? Could someone who is a wheelchair user, or who has a condition that makes hours on their feet impossible, realistically win a seat in the House of Keys?

I don't think anyone designed the system to exclude the physically disabled. But a norm doesn't have to be written down to have that effect. If the accepted path to election is one that a part of the population physically cannot walk, then we're quietly narrowing who gets to represent us. For a Tynwald that legislates on disability, access, health and social care, that should matter.

My flare up resolved in a few days and I was back pounding the streets by Tuesday, but I don't have a firm answer for how we mitigate the expectation that doors must be knocked by the candidate to be elected. Postal and digital campaigning help, but voters here reasonably expect to meet the person asking for their vote. Public meetings can help but the majority will not attend.

I thought I'd raise this while it was fresh in my mind, as a reminder that there is a barrier to becoming an MHK that most will have not considered.

If you've ever faced this, as a candidate or a voter, I'd love to hear from you.