Since the Easter holiday I don’t think my feet have touched the ground. Easter itself was packed full of relatives all cooing over Emily and a wonderful meal at the out-laws in Taverham. Today I had a meeting with an EDP Reporter who is covering Norwich South at Prospect House, in Norwich. Really positive meeting all-in-all. Tonight I am working on our strategy to be first out of the blocks come the big announcement!

A lot of people, generally party members, hacks and a few journo types have asked me to comment on Howard Flight. Why, I replied, when we got the latest rather massive wodge of telephone canvassing results from the last week and not one single voter contacted (out of over a thousand) mentioned him?

p.s. Reason not to vote LibDem No. 341: Not sending women to prison because of the impact on families. And, of course, sending men to jail doesn’t at all impact on families!

Best comment of the day:

Voter: "If you must know, I'm a communist. So left-wing it hurts. That's why I'm voting LibDem!"

Senior Conservatives have hailed the launch of a new UEA Conservatives website as proof that the party is fighting back amongst young voters. Conservative parliamentary candidate Antony Little said: "This website is a vital tool in communication our message with students."

"The website includes profiles of the UEA Tories and of their policies and campaigns. It'll also be used to hold the other parties to account as well as selling Conservative policies."

"Labour broke their word of fees, students should believe them."

"LibDems want to charge students their new local income tax. Students shouldn't trust them."

"Only the Conservatives are fighting hard for students - by cutting out fees, investing more in universities and putting police back on the beat."

You can visit the new site by clicking here.

Survey Results (In full, where figures exceed 5%):

24,000 surveys distributed in February 2005 in: Cringleford, Eaton, Bowthorpe, Thorpe Hamlet, Lower Hellesden, Norwich City, Town Close, Golden Triangle, New Costessey, Lakenham, Earlham, Colney, UEA

Most important local issue:
Refuse collection 30%, Rising crime 25%, Council tax 19%, Traffic 8%, Education 8%

Is Norwich better or worse than it was in 1997?
Better 13%, No different 39%, Worse 48%

How do you feel in your neighbourhood
More safe 5%, No different 45%, Less safe 50%

Are your councils value for money?
Yes 16%, Unsure 24%, No 61%

Do you think your MP (Clarke) does:
A good job 8%, An adequate job 31%, A bad job 27%

Most important national issue
Crime 20%, Immigration 17%, Health 13%, Pensions 13%, Tax 9%, Europe 6%, Education 7%, Environment 7%

What should we do about:
Crime - More police 49%, Tougher Sentences 46%
Schools - Discipline 69%, Cut paperwork 26%
NHS - Cleaner hospitals 48%, More nurses 41%
Immigration - Annual limits 63%, ID Cards 22%
Tax - Cut inheritance tax 56%, Cut Stamp Duty 12%

It has been an interesting weekend in which we managed to juggle babies, politics and a big dose of oh-my-god-I’m-back-to-work-tomorrow. Emily isn’t sleeping too badly – regular feeds and if we go to bed late enough and rise early, she only wakes once a night. Ah. Just getting used to the idea of being a Dad – must buy a cardigan or something!

Saturday was rare as I didn’t go out canvassing – instead I juggled writing my election material and caring for Emily. Louise caught up on a week’s sleep in an afternoon! Instead we had teams out in Cringleford and (judging by the results) had a rather good time.

In a later post I am exclusively putting the results of our surveys onto this site. We had a massive response to these surveys and the outcomes should make all politicians think.

Today, however, we are just back from an association fundraiser – afternoon tea at the home of former Lord Mayor of Norwich, George Richards. A wonderful event and glad to see so many County Council Candidates there! The food was, unsurprisingly excellent, and well done to the enterprising lady raffling it off at the end! It often surprises me that such events raise such a lot of money – it should make the likes of Lord Sainsbury and the entire trade union movement think about who is properly involved in politics. Gave a speech entitled, “How to Beat Blair”. Quite pleased with it actually!

It is not often that I say a newspaper has things spot on, but tonight's Evening News did us all proud. I have also uploaded a not-very-good photo on our campaign website. Plus got the shock on my life when Ann Widdecombe phoned tonight to say "congratulations"! Ann is, as my sixth formers will testify, is a bit of a hero of mine. The Tories certain know how to welcome in a new life!

Well, we’re home – mother and baby doing fine (in fact, both are asleep now). Tonight is potentially another night without sleep. Louise started having contractions at 1pm on Sunday and Emily was born 10.09am on Tuesday! That’s a long time with no sleep! Emily has been sick on me twice now and looked rather smug about it both times. We must talk about the whole vomiting thing. Hmmm, should also have that “fatherly” conversation about boys too! So pleased that they’re home – still well up inside when I think at her, let alone when we cuddle!

I would love to comment intelligently about the political news of the week, but having not even read a newspaper this week I couldn’t possibly, although friends do say that Mr Blair is having more trouble with the Lords ... fancy the “unelected” Lords standing up for liberty and justice! I do hope all those anti House of Lords types will write lots of letters to the Guardian proclaiming it the theatre of liberty!

This has just come out from our Media Department at my Campaign HQ and is the proudest entry on my blog:

Antony Little, the Conservative’s local candidate for Norwich South at the next general election, has become a father for the first time. Baby Emily Rose was born 12 days late at the Norwich & Norfolk after a labour lasting around 45 hours. Weighing in at 7lb 7ozs, Emily has so far been the perfect baby despite the struggle to be born!

Antony, 26 and a High School Teacher at Notre Dame School, and his wife Louise, 25, are “thrilled” at the new arrival. Both mother and baby are doing fine, and have been transferred to the Blakeney ward.

Antony said: “We made Norwich our home all those year’s ago because we wanted to bring up our children here. Little Emily is just so perfect in every respect and we’ve both totally fallen in love with her.”

“After such a long labour, holding and cuddling Emily is a real blessing. Babies really do change your life forever and Emily is now the centre of our lives.”

The couple – who live in Trafford Road, in the City Centre – are planning to take a year’s leave between them to care for Emily.

I may be away from blogging for a while … more news next week!

In a campaign that has been full of amazing moments, today had to be the most amazing. On a day where the snow ruined any chance of political activity (or, in Louise’s case, any activity at all!), the Norwich South Conservatives carried on.

Despite the weather, one team of UEA activists still went out leafleting in Eaton – madness. We also had teams of people telephone canvassing in Cringleford, University Ward, Bowthorpe, Town Close and Nelson. I’ve just got the figures through about the number of contacts we made today!

If the weather can’t stop us, I really don’t fear Charlie “House Arrest” Clarke!

Last night was the AGM of the Norwich South Conservatives and saw a new officer team elected, under the continued leadership of Trevor Ivory. In a well-attended meeting at the URC, Ipswich Road, we elected two new Deputy Chairmen and I made what was probably the most important speech so far. It was important to get the party faithful geared up the fight ahead – it certainly worked given the number of offers of help we received and extra donations to campaign funds. We also learnt today that we are three quarters of the way to achieving our Fighting Fund target (the money we need to spend on the campaign). I am feeling really confident at the moment, as you can tell! Still, we need to keep grounded for the fight ahead…

Last night was the AGM of the Norwich South Conservatives and saw a new officer team elected, under the continued leadership of Trevor Ivory. In a well-attended meeting at the URC, Ipswich Road, we elected two new Deputy Chairmen and I made what was probably the most important speech so far. It was important to get the party faithful geared up the fight ahead – it certainly worked given the number of offers of help we received and extra donations to campaign funds. We also learnt today that we are three quarters of the way to achieving our Fighting Fund target (the money we need to spend on the campaign). I am feeling really confident at the moment, as you can tell! Still, we need to keep grounded for the fight ahead…

Further to my declaration of weaknesses in the spelling department, a further tropical fruit to the person who can understand this:

Not a spelling mistake rather a solecism, in that you put in parentheses
(which should contain a subordinate clause) "(and most embarrassing spellin'
mistake)", this would be A.O.K however the rest of the sentence cannot stand
by itself and therefore renders it gramatically incorrect. Unless this of
course was a more subtle form of "spellin' mistake"?

Not from me, of course, but confirmation if it means anything or not would be appreciated!

I now have a weekly prize for the person that can spot my best (and most embarrassing spellin' mistake): this week a coconut goes to Acle very own Cllr Charlotte! Well doone!

In our recent City survey, the number one local issue that people complained about was rubbish collection. I have visited lots of street and blocks of flats where the problem is getting beyond a joke. People's lives are being made so much worse, and by the sound of things the LibDems are doing nothing about this.

Take a look at this site, because unless we work out a better way for councils and individuals to take responsibility for our environment, there may be serious consequences. Jim and the residents of Globe Place deserve better, quite frankly.

Even the Daily Telegraph agrees with me today (not a first, but an infrequent delight):

So if local taxation were raised entirely through income - adding an average 3p to the basic rate as the Lib Dems suggest - it would hit younger, working, voters who frequently have huge mortgages and are struggling to bring up families, while desperately trying to accumulate some capital of their own.

Important press release issued today: There's more on the Norwich Conservative website.

Following yesterday’s public meeting at the UEA Sportspark about the future of Ellacombe in Thorpe Hamlet, Conservative candidate for Norwich Antony Little laid the questions that the NHS Mental Health Trust still need to answer:

Antony said: ”Nobody doubts the hard work of the staff at Ellacombe or the passion of the campaigners trying to save it. However, we do doubt the motives of the Mental Health Trust on some issues.”

Antony – who has been supporting Rita Steven’s campaign – added: “On the future of Ellacombe, the Mental Health Trust has previously said that they would back down on their closure plans if the public come out strongly against the plans. With a 2,000 name petition in North Walsham and a 1,700 name petition in Norwich, how much stronger must the public oppose these plans before they are shelved?”

The Norwich Conservatives are in the process of delivering around 20,000 petition slips on their leaflets arguing against the closure.

Antony said: “They must also answer the charge about deliberately running down the number of patients. If Ellacombe is still running as normal, why are people being turned away from it? We know people who cannot get a place at Ellacombe – to most people that looks like the Mental Health Trust is running it down. Will they now confirm that this is not the case and agree to look again at the cases of those who have been refused?”

Antony concluded: “Ellacombe is so precious to the staff, patients and carers – we will not give up on it without a fight.”

There is nothing that I enjoy more than scrutiny of the Lib Dem policy positions – where, that is, they have them. Today both the BBC and the News of the World take tomorrow’s LibDem Budget to task. The LibDems have so few policies – just council tax, Iraq and erm, that’s it really – to speak of that it is difficult to pin them down. They say things like “we want better schools” but fail to mention how they’ll achieve it. Soft words won’t get you very far, Mr Kennedy. Either that or their policy statements are in direct contradiction – for example, being against binge drinking whilst cutting the age of drinking down to 16. Strange, really. Most fun is the analysis of the Local Income Tax (LIT). True, pensioners would (some of them) be better off, but what of hard working families, with two incomes or maybe more, who are hit hardest? The LibDems want pensioners and the unemployed to benefit whilst the young and families suffer. All very good fun picking holes in the LibDems, but as the NotW say … they haven’t got a pray. Either nationally or in Norwich.

Am spending the day working on our latest campaign (possibly the last before an election), to be launched in the middle of the week. Have had lunch at the Trafford with friends and then my parents are up this evening.

A good day out canvassing ruined … at least by rain rather than snow! We had a productive time on the doorsteps of first the Golden Triangle then Town Close. When the skies opened we retreated and telephone canvassed for the afternoon – with particularly good results in New Costessey.

Best ‘phone conversation of the day: The women who demanded that we knocked on her door rather than phoned before saying she only wanted me to call so that she could say that she wasn’t voting for anybody!

Best doorstep of the day (or the Antony Little reminder that letters to the press do matter): A gentleman who had read a letter in today’s Evening News from a LibDem attacking Labour, said it was far too negative and was back to voting Labour. Shame, I thought I might have been in with a chance there!

Got home to find a letter from Michael Howard encouraging me to vote by post (that was one of nearly 10,000 sent out) – thought it was very well written. During the week, roughly 8,000 letters were sent out to senior citizens making them aware of our new policy to cut up to £500 off their council tax bill. We are really touching base with a lot of voters at the moment.

Last month we delivered another 25,000 surveys and I got into the office to find the first 1,000 responses stacked up for me to read. Plus the next load of Matters leaflets that have been printed. Plus 20,000 leaflets from Campaign HQ. We really are dealing with a lot of paper at the moment! If it wasn’t for the good cause of getting rid of Labour and Blair I’d be upset about it!

Also in today’s paper was a good bit about the traffic light problems on Queens Road – plus have been phoned by a journo about the problems with traffic around Trafford Road. Been a productive day all around, I’d say.

Spending this evening out for a curry on Magdalen Street (wife is now 2 days overdue and getting fed up) then working on the Tories new Sports Proposals.

Busy two days at school, avoiding snow... Monday evening was a Behaviour Management Committee and tonight a full staff meeting. I have come home and Louise is so tired that I have cried off the Council Meeting. Sometimes family come first.

Check out our website for the new updates!

Also was pleased to see that the Tories defended the Ruislip-Cavendish by-election. This is a three member ward where the sole Tory (against 2 LibDems) passed away. Our majority was next-to-nothing. The LibDems launched their famous by-election machine and ... increased majority to 95!