Inside the Tent

Belle Saint James, wedding coordinator extraordinaire, organises the election campaign of her best friend Clara-Rose Duggan. Belle is quite sure that there can't be that much difference between organising a wedding and organising an election campaign. There are many commonalities. The general logistics need to be organised well in advance and developed in a methodical manner. There are customs and traditions to learn and incorporate and a set of rules to abide by. And, just like a wedding, you have to manage expectations, hold all participants together, intervene, conciliate, mediate and resolve of all sorts of problems. You have to maintain a steady hand and ensure that all expenditure is within the budget. Finally, there is the day, the culmination of all the activities. Belle is the first to admit it is all a bit of a shock and somewhat of a learning experience. She is amazed, disheartened, disgusted and invigorated, sometimes simultaneously, at some of the antics which take place.