No more parachuting in

摘要

On chilly winter evenings Sarah Sackman and her supporters push leaflets through letterboxes informing residents that she grew up "playing in Golders Hill Park and watching films at the Phoenix". The Labour Party candidate for Finch-ley and Golders Green also describes this slice of north London, which she hopes to represent in Parliament after next year's general election, in one word: "home". The emphasis is deliberate, she explains: being local helps to break down the suspicion with which voters can view politicians. The sitting mp has lived nearby for over two decades. Even here in Britain's churning, cosmopolitan capital city, an outsider would be at a disadvantage.