Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Well, a dry a tear from my eye as the campaign comes to a conclusion. We finished off with a flying visit from Michael Howard – and boy was he in fighting form! – and then we took teams out to West Earlham, University, Nelson and Wensum. I wanted to finish the campaign where we had started it, the areas that need a Conservative government to start acting on the things that matter. Today I have been inundated with messages of support and good wishes – all university friends, family and colleagues. A few may even vote for me!

It’s been a fantastic campaign all in all and I have been so well supported and met so many people, all of whom want Norwich to be the best place it can be. To my regulars, especially the other politico’s who read this blog, is thank you and good luck.

Oh, and I should say: Vote Little!

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Today has been a frantic last minute dash to get everything done and I think we managed it. Tellers are in place, leaflets printed and people ready to go. The last day of real-time campaigning always feels slightly odd, and tonight’s leafleting and canvassing session felt a bit strange, knowing next time we’re doing it to get out the vote. Still, across the constituency today, in Eaton, Town Close, Nelson, Cringleford and University, people were coming across to us. In an election where tonight we got two new members from people on the streets, anything could happen.

People often ask me for my prediction – unlike the LibDems I don’t make predictions. Today I spoke to a gentleman outraged by the LibDem tactics. He said that whilst the opposition claim a two-horse race, in reality the voters decide who wins. “It could be the ruddy Revolutionary Workers for all they [the LibDems] know, people could vote for anybody,” he said.

Also today I have had a real variety of issues on the phones – from the lack of quality broadcasting on the BBC to immigration and from banning fireworks to my views on abortion. At least this election, I have to say unlike 2001, is a getting people interested. I also had excellent feedback on my column in today’s Evening News.

Tomorrow is our first GOTV day, so look out for big Blue teams on the streets!
Today has been a frantic last minute dash to get everything done and I think we managed it. Tellers are in place, leaflets printed and people ready to go. The last day of real-time campaigning always feels slightly odd, and tonight’s leafleting and canvassing session felt a bit strange, knowing next time we’re doing it to get out the vote. Still, across the constituency today, in Eaton, Town Close, Nelson, Cringleford and University, people were coming across to us. In an election where tonight we got two new members from people on the streets, anything could happen.

People often ask me for my prediction – unlike the LibDems I don’t make predictions. Today I spoke to a gentleman outraged by the LibDem tactics. He said that whilst the opposition claim a two-horse race, in reality the voters decide who wins. “It could be the ruddy Revolutionary Workers for all they [the LibDems] know, people could vote for anybody,” he said.

Also today I have had a real variety of issues on the phones – from the lack of quality broadcasting on the BBC to immigration and from banning fireworks to my views on abortion. At least this election, I have to say unlike 2001, is a getting people interested. I also had excellent feedback on my column in today’s Evening News.

Tomorrow is our first GOTV day, so look out for big Blue teams on the streets!
Today has been a frantic last minute dash to get everything done and I think we managed it. Tellers are in place, leaflets printed and people ready to go. The last day of real-time campaigning always feels slightly odd, and tonight’s leafleting and canvassing session felt a bit strange, knowing next time we’re doing it to get out the vote. Still, across the constituency today, in Eaton, Town Close, Nelson, Cringleford and University, people were coming across to us. In an election where tonight we got two new members from people on the streets, anything could happen.

People often ask me for my prediction – unlike the LibDems I don’t make predictions. Today I spoke to a gentleman outraged by the LibDem tactics. He said that whilst the opposition claim a two-horse race, in reality the voters decide who wins. “It could be the ruddy Revolutionary Workers for all they [the LibDems] know, people could vote for anybody,” he said.

Also today I have had a real variety of issues on the phones – from the lack of quality broadcasting on the BBC to immigration and from banning fireworks to my views on abortion. At least this election, I have to say unlike 2001, is a getting people interested. I also had excellent feedback on my column in today’s Evening News.

Tomorrow is our first GOTV day, so look out for big Blue teams on the streets!

Monday, May 02, 2005

Back home from one of my now regular day-trips to Bowthorpe and what a day its been – we’ve covered the whole area with our newspaper and had to stop for chats along the way. Bowthorpe is becoming a really interesting place where the current Tory agenda – school discipline, value for money tax, controlled immigration, more police and cleaner hospitals – is really going down well. Had one chap declare very loudly out of a top window that he was never voting for “liar” Blair again, and would support me to get rid of him! Fine chap!

Yesterday (was that Sunday?!? It all blurs) was spent in New Costessey and Saturday before that in Eaton, Cringleford and Town Close. We’ve met so many people in this election, so many more than in the recent past. I’m getting recognised a lot at the moment – the lady serving in Tesco’s is voting for me, as is a Mum on the schoolgate on Friday.

Doing quite a bit of media work at the moment, particularly for the Radio. Good slots of Radio Norfolk talking about manufacturing decline in Norwich and for Broadland on crime.

The national campaign is getting me down at the moment. I think Howard is spot on to move back to the big 5 (see above) at this juncture, and Kennedy is looking like a complete opportunist by sticking to Iraq. Blair is just looking tired at the moment. I think most people are, in general, getting just a little bored of the national stuff.

Locally too we are dragging it out a bit. This week one lady complained that 5 pieces of Tory literature fell through her door. Well, the LibDems have made this seat a literature battle and has lost methinks! Last week was also the debates – I felt that churches together event went down very well and Clarke, whom I am reluctantly gaining respect for, did rather badly over Iraq. On Friday we went to the UEA where the other three parties bussed in their crowds. Bit more challenging, but with eight candidates causing the whole event to drag out, it was a bit long. Adrian Ramsay is a very passionate speaker, but doesn’t seem to be able to take the passion about the environment and apply it to other topics. My LibDem opponent is very robotic – he only seems to have three standard answers to any questions, don’t invade Iraq, scrap tuition fees or tactical voting. Bless. He even tried those on topics that had nothing to do with them! Charles Clarke is, of course, highly competent and very on top of his brief. Pity he won’t be around much longer. Mr Barnard and the UKIP candidate deserve praise for getting cannabis and Europe into every answer, the WRP candidate wasn’t half as revolutionary as I’d have liked and the EDP lady should really have been a Tory! Several people in the crowd said they’d switched their vote to me because of my debate performance. One even said she would vote for me because of my honesty!

I’m going to have a last-week burst of LibDem negativity watch – I have so many e-mails to choose from! But today I’m going to mention a phone call from a lady in Nelson Ward, who has pulled apart the LibDem Bar Charts apart and a letter from a gentleman in Thorpe Hamlet that includes a letter from Charles Kennedy that is full of anti-Tory and anti-Labour stuff. Interestingly enough, I noticed that the LibDem response to today’s Tory timetable was to call it negative. Hang on, if stating policies is negative then what counts as positive? Oh, anything a LibDem says…

Tomorrow we’re back in Bowthorpe for canvassing in the morning and then launching our get-out-the-vote leaflet in the afternoon.

Sunday, May 01, 2005

A little something to muse on...

Our vote on Thursday is about who will make Britain, and Norwich, better; about who will provide more police, cleaner hospitals, lower tax and discipline in schools. It’s also about who will be our next local MP.

If you vote Conservative, you’ll have a government that will treat senior citizens with respect, put more police on the beat, put Matron back in charge to clean up hospitals, allow Headteachers to tackle disruptive pupils and believes in value-for-money.

If you vote for me, you’ll have a local MP. I live in the City Centre, am married with a young family and teach at Notre Dame High School. I believe an area is best represented by somebody who is part of the community.

If you vote for me, you’ll have an active MP. I have been campaigning on issues that matter to people - against mobile phone masts, putting more police on the beat, freeing up our City roads, cleaning up St. Stephen’s underpass and for better recycling in Norwich. I have also worked with the community campaign to save Ellacombe Care Home.

If you vote for me, you’ll have an in-touch MP. I always keep in contact through my website, regular leaflets and on-line diary.

On the doorstep, people tell me that they are fed up with Charles Clarke and don’t believe that the LibDem candidate, who lives in Suffolk, can win. Please, use your vote to make the difference. I believe I can be the MP that Norwich South deserves.