Campaigning: Contested Meanings, Patient-Families, and Last Minute Labours

Abstract

The process of campaigning lasted several years, although the intensity increased as the parliamentary votes drew near. Here we identify a set of campaign strategies and central issues undergoing contestation, specifically the development of an interpretative package used to render the techniques knowable in particular forms through particular terminologies. We also consider the compelling and emotive nature of patient-family experiences. While those in the for-cluster harnessed the political capital of patient narratives for maintaining media, policy, and parliamentarians’ attention, they also experienced a burden of risk under the media glare, and the associated emotional and institutional labour of offering protection. We also discuss how against-cluster campaigners responded to face-to-face encounters with patient-families. Finally, we focus on the promissory, ethical and bureaucratic labour of last minute campaigning.