LibDem Negative Campaigning - New Low

The LibDems are very much predictable in the vicious and negative style of campaigning - the sort which led their former Leader Hereward Cooke, a decent man, to apologise to council for it (background here). Yet amazingly, despite poll after poll saying people don't like negative campaigning it seems to work. I wonder, however, if they can both be negative and mislead at the same time and still get away with it?

The following is taken from the latest "Simon Wright school of negative campaigning" - just a small section but from an A3 leaflet designed to knife Labour and suggest only the LibDems can beat them here (without a word about the Greens who actually do hold the ward).

Take a look ...
You would think from this that the LibDems has valiantly tried to stop the madness of Labour spending £1.5m of taxpayers cash on a "huge vain white-elephant of a project that was doomed to failure" (words taken from my first speech on the issue ...)

Yet, no. LibDem Councillors voted FOR this money to be spent and did so every time of asking.

Every time Labour wanted more cash to throw at this project, the LibDems said YES YES YES.

Check out the roll-call of those who voted for this money to be spent and you will soon find ...

"Councillors LUBBOCK, WATKINS ..."

and most embarrassingly ...

"... WRIGHT."

I wonder if Simon Wright knows his wife voted for this money to be spent? (For the record, the Conservative Group have voted against spending the money on every occasion we could have).

But wait - they have a chance to redeem themselves!! In 2008 and 2009 there were budget proposals on the table to reduce the unitary spend and use the money elsewhere. Surely if they were that concerned that would have voted FOR these measures?

Nope ... all LibDem Councillors, including Ros Wright, voted against Tory plans to scale back on unitary spending.

The the U-turn is sharp, the hypocrisy is breathtaking and no wonder people are losing faith in politics.

The LibDems vote, consistently, for unitary spending and then oppose it after the project fails.

This takes the LibDem negative campaigning to a new low - because it is designed to mislead.

David Cameron's Contract With Norwich South

At the start of this election campaign I invited you to join the government of Britain. My message was that we're all in this together, and we've got to stop pretending that government is the answer to every problem.

So during this campaign I've been talking about the new, active part I hope people will play in making the country better and building the Big Society.

Now, as we get into the final week of the campaign, I want to set out our side of the bargain in a contract with you. This contract - as you can see below - is a no-frills, no-nonsense commitment to do some very specific things if you vote for us.

With trust in politics at an all time low and people tired of politicians breaking their promises, this contract couldn't be clearer. If we don't do the things it sets out, if we don't deliver our side of the bargain: vote us out in five years time.

David Cameron
Leader of the Conservative Party

A contract between the Conservative Party and You
We go into the general election on 6 May with trust in politics and politicians at an all-time low. And I can understand why: the years of broken promises, the expenses scandal, the feeling that politicians have become too remote from the people - they've all taken their toll. That's why I'm making this contract with you.

For too long, you've been lied to by politicians saying they can sort out all your problems. But it doesn't work like that. Real change is not just about what the government does. Real change only comes when we understand that we are all in this together; that we all have a responsibility to help make our country better.

This contract sets out my side of the bargain: the things I want to do to change Britain. But it also makes clear that I cannot do it on my own. We will only get our economy moving, mend our broken society and reform our rotten political system if we all get involved, take responsibility, and work together.

So this is our contract with you. I want you to read it and - if we win the election - use it to hold us to account. If we don't deliver our side of the bargain, vote us out in five years' time.

We will change politics
Our political system needs to change. Politicians must be made more accountable, and we must take power away from Westminster and put it in the hands of people - individuals, families and neighbourhoods.
If you elect a Conservative government on 6 May, we will:
1. Give you the right to sack your MP, so you don't have to wait for an election to get rid of politicians who are guilty of misconduct.
2. Cut the number of MPs by ten per cent, and cut the subsidies and perks for politicians.
3. Cut ministers' pay by five per cent and freeze it for five years.
4. Give local communities the power to take charge of the local planning system and vote on excessive council tax rises.
5. Make government transparent, publishing every item of government spending over £25,000, all government contracts, and all local council spending over £500.

We will change the economy
Gordon Brown's economic incompetence has doubled the national debt, given us record youth unemployment, and widened the gap between rich and poor. Unemployment is still rising, and this year we will spend more on debt interest than on schools. We need to get our economy moving.
If you elect a Conservative government on 6 May, we will:
1. Cut wasteful government spending so we can stop Labour's jobs tax, which would kill the recovery.
2. Act now on the national debt, so we can keep mortgage rates lower for longer.
3. Reduce emissions and build a greener economy, with thousands of new jobs in green industries and advanced manufacturing.
4. Get Britain working by giving unemployed people support to get work, creating 400,000 new apprenticeships and training places over two years, and cutting benefits for those who refuse work.
5. Control immigration, reducing it to the levels of the 1990s - meaning tens of thousands a year, instead of the hundreds of thousands a year under Labour.

We will change society
We face big social problems in this country: family breakdown, educational failure, crime and deep poverty. Labour's big government has failed; we will help build a Big Society where everyone plays their part in mending our broken society.
If you elect a Conservative government on 6 May, we will:
1. Increase spending on health every year, while cutting waste in the NHS, so that more goes to nurses and doctors on the frontline, and make sure you get access to the cancer drugs you need.
2. Support families, by giving married couples and civil partners a tax break, giving more people the right to request flexible working and helping young families with extra Sure Start health visitors.
3. Raise standards in schools, by giving teachers the power to restore discipline and by giving parents, charities and voluntary groups the power to start new smaller schools.
4. Increase the basic state pension, by relinking it to earnings, and protect the winter fuel allowance, free TV licences, free bus travel and other key benefits for older people.
5. Fight back against crime, cut paperwork to get police officers on the street, and make sure criminals serve the sentence given to them in court.
6. Create National Citizen Service for every 16 year old, to help bring the country together

Campaign Diary - Days Nineteen & Twenty

I am almost too relaxed now to write this having had the whole day off campaigning to spend with the family. Needless to say the weather was naff the moment we left the house. Enjoyed a wander around a quieter-than-usual City, distracted by too many cafes. Got home and had one of those manic sorting out the house moments. Turned the place upside down in the name of simplifying our lives.

Yesterday was also a manic effort and I have to pay tributes to all those who helped us get out a constituency worth of letters to people voting by Post this year. In fact the support was so good we managed to grab a few hours of doorknocking around Eaton Rise and the Newmarket Road too, where the response was good - but the "outs" won by a country mile! Today I am glad to say that my team were more active than I was and our latest leaflet has started to make its way out across the constituency.

It made me wonder; people are handing back leaflets now - not because they aren't voting for us, but they say that have been saturated by them. I said recently that I recieved 2 different LibDem tabloid newspapers on one day and I am told they were delivering 3 things together yesterday too. Is this too much? Can you get "too many political leaflets"? Another resident told me that all 4 parties had delivered them on one day. We have done quite a lot of leaflets and letters in this campaign but we've been trying to balance this with doorknocking; other parties have chosen just to deliver literature. I suppose the result will tell us which strategy worked.

Does anyone out there have a view on how many political leaflets are "too many" in a General Election?

Campaign Diary - Day Eighteen (the day Newsnight rolled into the City)

Well, today was eventful and have just finished watching myself on Newsnight and that 30 second clip sort of dominated the day.

It began with a Group Leaders meeting at City Hall, a sharp reminder that life goes on outside of the election and I still have an important job to do representing the people of Bowthorpe and Earlham and also the Conservatives in Norwich.

By 10.30 we were all at the Age UK / Age Concern Hustings held at the Vauxhall Centre. It was a great meeting and the Labour, LD, Green & UKIP candidates were there. Funnily enough the questions weren't all about older people's issues (which you might have expected). It kicked off with Britain's member of the EU but soon covered immigration, skills, the Lisbon Treaty & the funding of the voluntary sector. I was told by two of the audience that they felt I had "won" but I am not clear what that means in terms of these local debates where there is more agreement (yes, even between Tories and Greens) than you might imagine.

In the afternoon I did a quick interview for Heart Radio about the election campaign and then the whirlwind that is Michael Crick came to town. It was quick but fairly intensive. He just throws questions at you, plus the camera is always on. He made the critical error of thinking Mike Gillepsie - my agent, and somebody whom the party ought to employe PDQ after the election - was my brother and then went on to criticise the spelling of my name (no "h", you see) so that set us off well! He was stunned to note I was wearing a rosette - no idea why, I wear it pretty much all the time so people know who I am and can come up and chat if they want to. We then had a persistent Green heckler, although he soon got bored. Crick just raised an eyebrow. I think that said everything. Interestingly his questions focused on the campaign and the debate last night and yet the clip they used was my attack on Charles Clarke and his attempts to re-package himself as a Labour rebel rather than take responsibility for the last 13 years of government. Crick asked questions about my current career and if I had declared it on leaflets; the answer is yes and I am proud of being a teacher and proud of my school. Apparently some candidates don't tell people what they do for a living and don't put it on leaflets. Others - like Green Adrian Ramsay and LibDem Simon Wright - are "career politicans", which means they don't have jobs. Crick also asked where we recieved our funding from and seemed a little stunned to note we had raised the spending limit from small local donations. He then probed every bit of election material we put out - including our 2 latest leaflets for this week - and found nothing to raise. I am not moaning about this, I thought Mr Crick was very, very thorough in what he did and it was impressive to see what happens close up. The report itself was very fair and balanced, clearly stating the 4-way marginality of the seat and included clips of supporters of each parties. I think Newsnight did the job well, and Crick's scrutiny was detailed (I wonder if the other candidates got this??). The funny bit was the mess up with the name tags - they called Adrian "Simon", then corrected themselves but still spelt his name wrong!

After the fun and games we sorted ourselves out and started to deliver our letters to people who have Postal Votes, with several teams across the City. I joined our Eaton group to help and we ended up doorknocking as well. The feeling was good and we felt people moving over to the Conservatives. Two people mentioned Cameron's debate as their reason for switching to us, but yet more voters turned off by the negative LibDem campaign. I also met the owner of a significant local business who had decided to vote Conservative this time on the issue of wanting to pay down the debt quicker. I think the issues and debates are getting through.

Got home to find 2 different LibDem tabloid newspapers delivered - why together, unless they were struggling to get material out. Perhaps they don't have enough activists? Hmmm, I also wonder how close they are to the election spending limit?

Tonight Cameron faced Paxman and I thought he was calm and detailed in his answers. Cameron is looking more and more Prime Ministerial in the way in which he conducts himself -I thought it was impressive and certainly Paxman didn't get a knock out blow. People have picked up on the cuts for the North East and NI, but I would assume that all regions would share in the painful decisions to come - after all, "we're all in this together".

Tomorrow is a big day with plenty of letters to deliver and doors to knock on as Postal Votes hit the mats in Norwich South!

Campaign Diary - Day Sixteen

Today was mad and I found myself criss-crossing the City. This morning I spent time writing personal letters to all those people who had written, especially for policy information. I am keen to write my own views to local people and not just a standard template response so this always takes some time to do. In addition I wanted to carry on my phone calls to party members to thank them for their support. This afternoon it was back to the classroom, and then onto the South Park area of the City where a big team of Tory canvassers took to the streets. There was a good response and people seemed keen on talking about issues.

Then tonight all the main candidates were at the UEA for a debate hosted by the BMA - there were some very detailed questions but again we found ourselves, except perhaps the Greens, in agreement about the fundamentals of the NHS if not the specifics of policy! The audience was small but lively!

And now I'm just watching the complete demolishion of Vince Cable by the BBCs Stephanie Flanders and Andrew Neill; good to see Ken Clarke back in the frontline taking the lead in warning against a Hung Parliament.

Campaign Diary - Day Fifteen

Who are these people that are switching to the LibDems?

No, really, who are they? I am not disbelieving the polls but if there had been a sea-change of opinion you might have thought we would be feeling it on the streets by now. I spoke to a Green canvasser I met today and also to a friend of mine on the Labour campaign and none of us had picked it up, so it isn't just us. Yes, more people are being "out and out" LibDems but most of those said they were LibDem anyway. OK those people who say "I'll read all the stuff and see how I feel on the day" are usually LibDem but we're not having Conservatives switching. In fact, today we found several Liberals coming the other way. As I say, I'm not doubting the movement but it does seem like a media-poll narrative that hasn't hit the streets (yet).

I spent the morning teaching and then the afternoon helping a team canvassing in Sunningdale and then doing two areas of Town Close in the evening. Response was very good indeed and issue raised included public sector pensions, immigration, Europe and differences in experiences on the NHS in different areas of the country.

p.s. Best thing about today's canvassing was knocking on the door of an old uni friend I haven't seen in years and didn't even know was living back in Norwich! Funny old world, sometimes!

Campaign Diary - Day Fourteen

And today it was back to work ... well, for half the day. We had training in the morning about Safeguarding Procedures and then coursework moderation. After all the campaigning it was an odd - but subtly pleasure - to do some schoolwork.

In the afternoon we headed to Thorpe Hamlet where we discovered a surprising number of people in to talk to. My favourite was a lady who is now voting Conservative because she was pleased to have a candidate who shared her thoughts on educational inclusion practices. There was a lot of movement amongst the left-wing candidates (including former LibDems voting Labour) but a steady and growing number of Conservatives. Other issues raised were transport and road layout in the City!

Then after I joined the other Norwich South Candidates (except the BNP) at a Trade Union meeting. It was enjoyable - the audience was, of course, challenging. The only applause of the night went to the Revolutionary Workers Candidate. I felt a little like groundog day - the RWP candidate said every issue was a symptom of capitalism whilst the UKIP candidate blamed everything (and, I mean, everything) on the EU. The LibDems were challenged about their policies on Trident and tax cuts, the Conservatives about homophobia in the party and Labour about Clarke's external work above being an MP. He stunned us all when he said he took on extra jobs to make up the salary he lost when he quit the cabinet - amazing! As always, the Greens had little or no scrutiny.

And home, to lesson planning, marking, blogging and a film called "Adam" about a couple where one of them has Aspergers. Fascinating film that really highlights the issue.

Campaign Diary - Days Nine - Thirteen

Apologies for lack of Campaign Diary; a constituent said they were disappointed when it disappeared last Tuesday. I thought few people would be interested in my daily movements but it has been mentioned a fair few times in conversation and email. So let's give it another go. One of my "honesty pledges" is to put, wherever possible, my MPs diary online.

So, what have we been up to over the last few days?

This morning I took part in a short debate on the BBC Politics Show in the East, along with 3 other candidates. I am grateful for the txts, Facebook and Twitter messages. I've done a lot of these but you still get nervous and anyone who said otherwise is fibbing! Charles Clarke seemed in good form and confident, and I've no idea why given the doorstep response! The questions were on the debate, education & the environment. The practice question was on Europe. Although I gave the LibDem candidate a bit of a hard-time over their manifesto, it was a positive and lively debate. The best line, though, undoubtably came from Chloe in the audience who said that whatever we think about the debate it was further personalisation of politics over policy debate. The rest of today is spending time with my family!

Yesterday we hit the doors in several areas of the constituency. I enjoyed the time in Bowthopre for two reasons; firstly I get instantly recognised on most doorsteps but secondly because people are able to point to my record of action as a Councillor and know I mean business as our MP. But it was in Wensum that the campaign seemed to come alive. I was canvassing one of the areas off the Dereham Road - and no party came out well. The Greens were attacked for being "all talk", especially their Councillors, the LibDems were playing "fantasy politics" with their manifesto and Labour and the Tories were "just the same". We have to do more to engage with people and give them a reason to vote - to demonstrate the differences. I am sure Adrian Ramsay would be furious (as am I) to be told that there were no difference between the Greens and Conservatives! Interestingly people said only the Greens and Conservatives had gone door-to-door in that area.

So what differences can we demonstrate? The big one has to be the economy and the differences on public spending. The Conservatives would start to get the debt down now; the debt is the biggest threat to the recovery. We would do this through reducing wasteful or unnecessary spending. Labour would keep this waste and start cutting next year (why the delay - if it is "wasteful" spending, cut it now.) Also on crime you now have the Conservatives talking about new powers for the police and honesty in sentencing, whilst the LibDems would not have any prison sentences under 6 months in length. On Transport, the Conservatives support Norwich Airport, dualing of the A11, work on the A47 and making the Acle Straight safe - the Greens support none of these. But are we getting these across sufficiently?

On Friday we had the uber-blogger Iain Dale helping out. He has written a report here! We were out canvassing in Mancroft when the call came and so we decided to take a risk and take Iain to a more challenging area for the party. We could have zipped to an area where we were sure of pledges of support to get a good write up but chose not to - a risk, but one that paid off. Very little LD or Green support, a number of Labour switchers to us, some good core Tory vote but winning by a mile were the "I used to vote Labour but never again" brigade, many of whom are yet to make up their minds. Iain has always been a great supporter of the party in Norwich and are grateful for his support.

I could write more, but I am needed for a re-enactment of the Sleeping Beauty story!

Campaign Diary - Day Eight Part II

In my genuine political excitement by the Tory manifesto (yes I want more power, I want more control over those who deliver my services, I want less government in my life and I want more say over how my money is spent) I had forgotten to fill you with what we had been up to!!

This morning was another early start - when are they not - and we headed straight out to the doorsteps of the City Centre to test the public opinion. There was a lot of Conservative support but here, far more than other places we have visited, many people wanted to hang fire and see the Tory manifesto before making a judgement. One interesting story to share - one gentleman said he was fed up with cries of "change"; the Greens, he said, offered change - but it was the wrong sort of change. "Being different doesn't make you right," he warned.

From the City and Thorpe Hamlet it was great to get together with Conservatives from across the East of England because Norwich was hosting the regional manifesto launch. We welcomed David Willetts, Shadow Universities Secretary, to the City and he made a passionate and humerous speech to activists. It was another high profile media event and a third senior Conservative in a week shows how seriously we are taking this seat. There's more to come in the next week too!

And with activists gathered, there was little to do afterwards than to head mob handed to the doorsteps and we went into Wensum and along the Dereham Road. We got a very friendly response and the issues raised included reform of the benefits system, education and anti-social behaviour.

Another day where I end up tired but happy!

Campaign Diary - Day Seven

Now my feet are really starting to hurt!

A day on the campaign trail has taken me all over the constituency today, starting off in the South Park area and heading up Newmarket Road delivering letters which tell people why I decided to stand for parliament. This letter has got a response so far and is relentlessly positive and goes into what I hope to achieve as an MP.

I then went over to the studios at Radio Norwich to pre-record some election clips and then the horror of a Pop Quiz and some questions about the constituency. I thought I knew very little about pop music, but clearly teaching in a High School and having small children have benefits because I did rather well. I got all the constituency questions right - good job given the fact I live and work in the City!

This afternoon we had a number of visits to do and I particularly enjoyed dropping by one residential home - not least because of the excellent tea and biscuits (first sit down I'd had all day). IIt was good to have time and comfort to discuss issues that you rarely get on the doorstep. These "coffee morning" style events are also good because the audience are self-selecting and they choose to hear from the candidate. Clear from discussions that the actions of the City Council are damaging Mr Clarke's campaign and many people are frustrated with being told by one party that other parties cannot win! We managed to get around 5 events this afternoon at whirlwind pace - well done to the team who managed to keep up!

And this evening we hit the doorsteps in Town Close and found a very good response. A lot of people still concerned about the possibility of a hung parliament and what the LibDems would do. One lady put in best when she said she couldn't wake up with a LibDem MP but to find Gordon Brown still there! There was genuine anger about the LibDem campaign but people very much welcomed our positive campaign. In addition, education was a big issue and so too was the economy. One businessman I spoke to said he had his head in his hands over Labour's NI rise. People seemed very pleased to see us and it felt very good on the ground.

Home just in time to watch Nick Clegg getting the Paxo treatment on the BBC. I am afraid his answers on tax, a hung parliament, immigration and the NHS were very poor indeed. He was much better - and much more passionate - on education. Clegg doesn't come across as a very strong media performer, but I was told by someone he was deliberately poor to reduce expectation for the debate. Can it be true ...?

I'll be thumbing through Labour's manifesto later so will let you know what I think!

Campaign Diary - Day Five

Well today turned out to be as hectic as I predicted yesterday! we started the day bright and early in the Bowthorpe Main Centre, handing out leaflets and holding an "NHS surgery" (of the political sort) to see what people's views on health are. We got a gerat response, and it is interesting that the vast majority of people have a better personal experience of the NHS than they percieve as the national picture. There was a lot of talk about Tory plans to make cancer drugs more widely available. In addition the other thing that came across strongly was that people felt there was a lot of waste in the NHS that could be redirected back into frontline services.

From Bowthorpe to the doorsteps of Eaton Village where the talk moved from health to the political system. The Tory posters here clearly outnumbering all other parties it was a good reception. We met quite a lot of LibDem voters who want change and Gordon Brown out of Downing Street so are voting Conservative this time. Many people said they would be concerned by a hung pariament and that Clegg would prop up Labour (with good reasoning- the LibDems have done little else but back Labour against the Conservatives this week, to little avail).

From Eaton we went to the Anglia Square shopping centre for the seocnd half of the NHyeS day of action. We met a team working on Chloe Smith's campaign and also by South Norfolk's Tory Leader John Fuller. It was very much little good old fashioned soap-box politics (JM would be proud). Plenty of debate, some genuine disagreement and people really wanting to engage. The eprson who sticks in my mind was a young Mum who said she was furious with Labour for their scare stories about Tory policies on Sure Start. Parties shouldn't ever do this to people.

And then, finally, over to Town Close and another batch of deliveries. The shoe leather took a pounding but it was worth it to get the last of the leaflets out here. And tonight another mamouth session of replying to constituents letters and emails - am enjoying every minute.

And tomorrow - well, tomorrow belongs to my three lovely young ladies!

Campaign Diary - Day Four

Today has been a day for catching up, to reflect on the campaign so far and to plan for the days ahead.

So whilst the team were out delivering in the Golden Triangle, we were sitting down and working out the messages and themes for the day ahead. We took delivery of our next leaflet - if I may say an excellent A3 newsletter focusing on the economy, NHS and my record in Norwich. All very positive. You'll see this going through doors in the next couple of weeks.

From there we went door to door delivering letters and leaflets to New Costessey. We picked up an extra deliverer and it is good to see more Tory posters up. Issues raised included immigration, Labour's NI rise and what we are calling the "real life experience" debate - should an MP have done something before going into politics, with more and more candidates being "career politicans"? As always in Costessey there was plenty of debate!

We then hit the phones, talking to people across the City. I was telephoning members to thank them for their support - so many more people want to help at this election! It was at this time that the MORI poll for Norwich South, showing an increased Labour majority, myself in second place but the collapse of the LibDem vote, and so the media went mad for comment.

Tonight I was insistent that for the first major canvassing session we went back to where it started for me, politically - Three Score in Bowthorpe. This is where Louise and I had our first home. It is great going there, not only because of the number of Tory pledges, but because of the famililar faces and being the ward Councillor so seeing people that I have helped over the years. It took ages - of course - to get round, but more posters went up and we had an incredible canvass. Again issues were along familiar lines - economy, crime and tax.

Am trying to get an early night - I have 4 campaign stops tomorrow!

Day Three - Campaign Diary

Some days turn out just like you expect them to - and others, well, don't.

This morning's efforts at Norwich Station were well recieved - as predicted yesterday we got some smiles from the same commuters seeing us twice! From there we went on the doors in Eaton; and it was great to see the first of many blue posters going up in gardens. And then the call came - David Cameron was on his way to Sprowston High School to focus on some elements of Conservative plans for National Citizen Service. The head there - Andrew John - really has done an exceptional job at the school and it was a great place to show off what could be done if we provide the right opportunities for our young people. I met with David Cameron and he was very supportive of our campaign and very keen to see me replace Mr Clarke as our MP here in Norwich South. Mr Cameron really does have a great grasp of what is needed, both in education and the country as a whole. Having your party leader express such faith in your campaign really does give you a boost!

From there over to the Golden Triangle where we were meeting voters around the Unthank Road area. Despite claims but some parties about who is where in the public standing, the people I met were split between all four parties - and more, I met my first BNP voter. It was a worrying moment, but the voter said it was all he had left; after voting Tory in the 80s, Labour in the 90s, LibDems in the 00s and the Greens locally he believed we had all failed and the BNP was the only way he could make his voice heard. I spoke to him for some time and after chatting about the reality of BNP policies I left him thinking again. It shows all parties have a job to do in raising debate. There was better news as we picked up an extra member and got a new Conservative registered to vote!

This evening was spent on the doorsteps around Newmarket Road where a host of issues were raised - from inheritance tax to the voting system (I think my A Level Politics teacher knowledge of this shocked the resident!!). There was a lot of Conservative support today, but boy were the drives long and I need an early night!

One last piece of good news - LibDem Simon Wright has now agreed to the Clean Campaign Pledge. I hope his election material matches what he has just signed up to! Well done to all of the candidates, the people of Norwich South will appreciate this and hopefully the standard of debate will be better for it.

Campaign Diary - Day Two

Today was obviously a lot calmer and less hectic than yesterday but just as busy. A combination of good old fashioned campaign activity and some very boring stuff ... but if you are interested in what candidate really do, read on.

We started off with an early morning leaflet drop around Thorpe Hamlet and speaking to commuters heading for Norwich Station. It was a good chance to meet people but they are often in a rush so conversation was - erm, limited. We may go back tomorrow and have a great chance of seeing the same people, so maybe (suggested one gentleman today) we could have a conversation day-by-day one sentence at a time?

After that it was back to everyday life and a family trip to the dentist (politics doesn't get anymore glamerous than this does it?) and then into the campaign office. So what kind of things are we up to when not on the streets?

What is surprising is how quickly the backlog of people wanting to be called or emailed about issues builds up. Although some are policy based and easy to be answered, a much, much greater number I want to answer personally because it is important that people know what I think as well as what the party wants. This can literally take hours if you put the thought and effort into the replies and calls. I have to say that most people are Conservative-minded who want reasons to firm up their support. Everyone who I spoke to was very pleased that we had taken the time to get in touch and most are amazed I do it myself and don't get a campaign worker to phone them.

I am also taking time to call party members and key supporters to chat about how they think the campaign is going. Amazingly from a few sheets of calls, not one single known Conservative voter is switching to another party - a 100% retention rate isn't bad when other parties are claiming (wrongly) we are out of the race!

I also spend time working on a very special campainging event for Saturday and setting up a BBC interview next week.

My other job today was to go round and personally thank a number of our leafleters. As I rose up in the party through the voluntary wing of the party I know that people don't have to go the extra mile for your campaign so a doorstep visit and a thank-you from the candidate is appreciated. We are now moving onto our second (and in some areas, third) leaflet of the campaign so it is important we keep people motivated. I was especially pleased with a new volunteer from Bowthorpe who is ultra-keen and just wants us to keep throwing work her way!

From there I went off to Eaton to help the team there put out a leaflet - though sadly the rain cleared people from their gardens so not many people to chat to! From a rain soaked Eaton back over to Bowthorpe to meet 2 local residents to talk through their issues with the council.

And the last jobs of the day were delivering a poster to a new site in Town Close and getting a proxy vote signed. In both cases they had asked to speak to me before they would do it - fair enough, really - and I am pleased to say something must have been right because they did.

Back home - Emily still awake (secretly I am pleased!!) and blogging.

p.s. Day Two and still no response from LibDem candidate Simon Wright over the "Clean Campaign Pledge". It's starting to look suspiciously as if he either doesn't want to sign or is looking for a way out.

Campaign Diary - Day One

This is my third General Election here in Norwich South - two as candidate and one as agent. I've done three sets of "flying starts" leaflets, launches and campaigns. This has been by far the best and has left us with a real feeling this election is there for us to win. I'll explain why in more detail.

Today has been a very funny day because we've all had to react to an event that we've known has been coming for a long time! Whilst the nation was glued to its TV watching the Prime Ministerial car shuttling back and forth from the palace, the wheels of the election campaign were springing into action.

At the request of a resident I spent early this morning at a residential home meeting having morning tea with people and discussing the day to come. Many people thought the election has been called given the posters that had gone up and the leaflets coming through doors. I got an angry lady saying she was put off voting LibDem by the sheer weight of material they had posted to her.

From there and into the office to rally party workers and get things ready for the day. It may sound a little silly but putting on my rosette - with my name emblazoned on it - it felt like everything was coming together. We then send teams off leafleting - and I went with a group to the City Centre.

Walking around with a Tory rosette on has been hard in past - people yelling "Labour" at you (or worse) hasn't always been pleasant. But today things felt very different. People smiled, said hello, willingly took leaflets and chatted about their views. I went out this evening with teams in Eaton and Town Close and must have spoken to a lot of people - I know all PPCs say this, but genuinely everyone I spoke to was either a committed Conservative voter or seriously considering it.

I also did my first major interviews of the day - for the BBC, local radio and the newspapers. Clearly they all believe that Norwich South will be an interesting seat and could go any which way.

As we waited for the launch in the Forum I was approached by 2 people - one, a lady from Bowthorpe who said she was keen for me to win and offered to display a poster and deliver for us. The second was the former owner of a shop I used to frequent as a student who wished me luck and said I would be getting his vote as a small business owner.

The Andrew Lansley launch was a great event, well attended and in the very modern setting of The Forum. Mr Lansley is - hopefully - Cameron's Health Secretary and I can see why. Attendees were very impressed particularly with his detail and grasp of policy. He certainly sent activists away with a spring in their step, back out onto the streets.

The feeling tonight out delivering leaflets was one of great relief that it had all started. I agreed - but this constituency is going to be very tightly fought and I do hope we can keep it clean and positive. Let's engage people with politics and debate ideas.

As of moments ago the LibDem candidate has yet to respond to the "clean campaign pledge" - I hope he finds time, as Clarke and Ramsay have done, to respond on Day Two.

So why does this campaign feel so different? There is such a positive feeling on the streets, the doorsteps and around the City. Norwich has a spring in its step - and so does the Conservative campaign.

Stories from the doorsteps

The LibDem campaign - costly and glossy thought it is - seems to be hitting the buffers somewhat as panicky canvassers come up against a truth on the doostep; their support is in freefall.

And tonight we were talking to one voter who said that when she said to a LibDem canvasser that she was voting Conservative this year, the canvasser immediately became very rude and aggressive, saying "you absolutely must not vote Tory or Green." The voter, shocked by this suddent turn in attitude, retreated inside.

This isn't the first case of this; we had a resident from Bowthorpe who said that the LibDem "wouldn't take no for an answer" and "seemed intent on having a fight" about their decision to vote Tory.

However the good news is that they aren't always as direct. Another resident tells us that when he challenged the assertion that the Conservatives couldn't win, the canvasser became flustered and retreated quickly. And again, this time on the telephone, when another resident retorted that she wouldn't have her democratic choice limited by the LibDems saying that only 2 parties could win here, then the canvasser hung up on her.

I believe that canvassers are the face of your party - a question for all of us in this election is about courtesy to residents. Maybe we ought to have a "decency promise" on how we deal with people on doorsteps? I wonder if the other candidates would sign?

Business As Usual

I am incredibly grateful to all the messages of support we've had since the news of death threats on our Campaign HQ came out.

All of us on the Conservative campaign are deeply shocked at this and will continue to help the police fully with their investigation. We are very grateful to the team at Ferndale Business Centre who worked quickly to remove this vile statement.

In politics you get used to the rough and tumble of debate but this takes it to new levels. Our campaign offices are in the use a lot of the time, including at night for meetings with local residents. This is either a sick joke or a very real threat to local democracy because it is intended to make people not feel safe.

Many many people give up their time and effort to support my campaign to be our next MP. If this is an attempt to stop them, I have one message - it won't work. We are used to some unsavory elements locally but their opinions are best expressed through the ballot box, rather than death threats. This incident has made us more determined to get out there and sell the Conservative message to the people of Norwich. It's business as usual as far as we are concerned because democracy doesn't halt in the face of an unpleasant minority.

I would also like to thank my fellow candidates for their messages of support, including ones from MPs Charles Clarke and Chloe Smith.

That LibDem Election Slogan In Full

The problem with the LibDems election slogan - "Change that works for you. Building a fairer Britain", isn't that it is a Tory-Labour hybrid, but that is it too long and tries to convey too many messages in one go. The LibDems are about change, on your side and building a fairer Britain - none of them bad things may I add - but it was once said that any good slogan or policy should fit on a bumper sticker, but this one would require a very wide car indeed!

In many ways, it tries to be all things to all people, and thus typical of the way the LibDems have been for many years.

Winning the e-war in Norwich South

This excellent website seems to have taken a lot of time and trouble to review the online presence of all selected candidates in constituencies around Norfolk. He includes some very detailed feedback, including on websites, blogs, social networking and how they all link together. It is very thorough and Chris Bardell really does seem to have made something very up-to-date and useable here.

In an article in which the LibDems are described as just "adequate" and Charles Clarke is "uninspiring", it is good to see the efforts made by the Conservatives in the City coming out on top. We have put a lot of effort into our online campaign and it really does pay off - our doorstepping tells us this too. The Tory effort in Norwich South beats all of the other parties.

There are convincing wins for Brandon Lewis in Yarmouth and also Chloe Smith in Norwich North in their seats.

I am really convinced this is going to be an internet election and we are well ahead of the curve - with more to come still. I take on board what Chris says about the use of the facebook group - although my own page and the campaigners page does make up for some of this - so we clearly have more to do to improve further. Let's go for it!

Labour's Ipswich Choice for Norwich Seat

If Labour shot themselves in the foot by ousting Ian Gibson, then smacked themselves over the head with a mallet with their amateruish by-election campaign, they have done some almost medically impossible with the choice of John Cook (click here for more) as their General Election candidate.

Proving that all parties have issues with selections, Cllr Cook is an Ipswich Borough Councillor who lives and works miles away and whose association with Norwich is a decade old. Now rather than being able to take the fight to MP Chloe Smith, I understand Cllr Cook has already run his campaign into a brick wall as questions about his living and political arrangements surface.

Does Cllr Cook plan to move to Norwich, in his own property, and if so ... when?

If he doesn't, this must surely show that he doesn't believe he can win and won't commit to the City.

Does Cllr Cook plan to move his family with him when he does this to make Norwich his full time home?

Again if he doesn't and simple lodges or stays with somebody then how can he really claims to stand up for local people without understanding our City or its services?

Does Cllr Cook intend to stand down from his Ipswich seat now so he can focus on the campaign ahead in Norwich?

If he doesn't then questions may be asked about how he can represent one area miles away from campaigning in another. Will Cllr Cook continue to claim allowances in Ipswich whilst seeking to be elected in Norwich?

I am not saying Cllr Cook is a bad candidate but he certainly isn't a clear clean choice. Labour will have to spend the first few weeks of this campaign sorting out those issue during which time Miss Smith (not only to let the moss grow) will be consolidating her by-election lead.