HARRIETT Baldwin, the MP for West Worcestershire which includes Tenbury, makes a very striking point in her column when she says that decisions are made by those who turn up.

Anyone who has ever been involved in any kind of election campaign knows that most people have made up their minds and cannot be persuaded to change.

Elections are won and lost on successfully identifying and influencing those who can be influenced – so-called floating voters.

But just as important as this, if not more, is ‘getting the vote out'. A supporter is no good if he or she sits at home and does not bother to cast their ballot.

A big factor in the success of the ‘Leave’ campaign in the EU Referendum was its ability to get its vote out and, more than that, the ability to get people who do not usually vote to go to the polls.

One thing that Nigel Farage said which is hard to argue with is that there were many on the Leave side who were so motivated that they would have been ‘willing to walk across broken glass to vote'.

In contrast to this, the ‘Remain’ support was much ‘softer'.

There are, of course, many different reasons for this.

Of course, the campaigns were different. For ‘Remain’ it was defending the status quo against a background of many years of Euroscepticism and explaining some complex choices. But I, for one, found it difficult not to feel like I was being sold pile cream – something which was necessary but about which even those selling it had very little passion or enthusiasm.

By way of contrast, ‘Leave’ was, on the face of it, offering something new, different and anti-establishment in an environment of disenchantment and loathing for the ‘political class'.

Another factor that can affect the outcome of elections is the perception of the likely outcome and here there is cause for a debate on the role of opinion polls and their ability to shape as well as reflect how people vote.

Again to take the Brexit campaign as an example. From start to finish, the polls and general consensus was of a Remain victory – not by a landslide but by more than enough.

This did three things.

Firstly, it enabled ‘Leave’ to position itself as the underdog reinforcing a claim to be on the side of the little people against the big bag political establishment.

Secondly, it emboldened people, even lukewarm Remainers, to cast a vote for Leave not expecting to win but as a way of ‘giving David Cameron and the establishment a punch on the nose'.

Thirdly, it gave reluctant Remain supporters an excuse to stay at home and leave it to others in the belief that ‘it would be alright on the night'.

In a year when there will be important elections in Ludlow, the message is to take Harriett Baldwin’s advice and get involved because, if you don’t, you cannot complain if the outcome is not what you want or expect.

Oh and also be sure to take opinion polls with a bucket not a pinch of salt.