Bigotry

Seasoned political campaigner as I am, there’s hardly anything that shocks me on the doorstep.
Except working with a pregnant candidate recently, I’ve encountered bigotry from another age -- the Stone Age.
Admittedly forty years ago it was considered acceptable to believe a woman’s place was in the home. But it really is shocking that in the 21st century some people still think a woman should make a choice between having a career or raising a family.

Today’s LibDem Lie: Sorry this blog will no longer mention the name of Britain’s third party, or the despicable things they say in connection with the above subject.
Fortunately the police have started arresting them.

Hoovering Votes

So what does the Chairman of a local Conservative Association actually do?
Well today’s job was to go to a neighbouring constituency and Hoover the carpet of the venue for their official General Election campaign launch, then stick up posters on the walls.
Unfortunately these were largely ignored by the audience, who were more interested in the fantastic views over South West London from the top of the Tolworth Tower.
They were treated to an equally impressive speech from their Conservative candidate Helen Whately, with Shadow Justice Minister Dominic Grieve as the support act.
Kingston & Surbiton is one of 24 Liberal held seats which need to change hands to usher in a Conservative Government.
Afterwards I was able to convince a floating voter that a new Conservative MP in Kingston would hold David Cameron to his commitment last Saturday to keep investing in the local hospital, something no other candidate can promise.

Loose Lips Sink Ships

You can never be too careful campaigning in close proximity to parliamentary candidates, and we are continually warned to be careful what we say.
Campaigning is meant to be fun, but with mobile phones and scurrilous journalists all about, one inadvertent comment posted on YouTube can cause huge embarrassment.

Visit by Bicycling Baronet

My first job Friday morning was to pressure spray months of mud and grime off my trusty bicycle. This was in readiness for the journey to Surbiton to meeting Sir George Young MP, a.k.a. the Bicycling Baronet.

Here we are pictured by the Berrylands pub, for a campaign lunch stop. (From left to right: Berrylands ward council candidate David Hutchinson, Sir George, parliamentary candidate Helen Whately, myself and Berrylands ward candidate Karen George -- picture courtesy of the third ward candidate Peter Topp)
Unlike Sir George, I’m not yet up for taking my bike on the buses. However, hopping on the train is very efficient, though you have to avoid the morning and evening rush hours.

Kingston, worth fighting for!

That is the Conservative slogan to win back control of the local council next month, after eight years of financial mismanagement by Britain’s third party, with now the highest property tax in southern England. Plus a mansion tax in the pipeline!
Over a hundred local residents packed a cinema theatre in central Kingston upon Thames for the official launch of the Conservatives' Borough election campaign this Wednesday evening. A series of polished speeches by some of the council candidates were interspersed with their own video reports on local issues.
Then there were presentations by neighbouring MP Justine Greening and local parliamentary candidates Helen Whately and Zac Goldsmith.
Zac explained why only the Conservatives understand that preserving the environment is about so much more than carbon. For example hiking charges for parking near local shops just encourages people to drive further afield to hypermarkets. And people avoid residential parking charges by paving their front gardens, further blighting the street scene.
Above all, green taxes should no longer be stealth taxes, penalizing past choices, but be accompanied by incentives to promote responsible living.

Out of Power

You don’t need to be a student of 20th century British politics to understand why Britain’s third party have been out of power since the 1920s.
Just come and read the vindictive propaganda they distribute in Spelthorne. Indeed they seem to be resorting to personal attacks right across the land, which will only ever attract the protest vote. It's not the British way.
Last autumn they cheekily questioned whether in fact a retiring local councillor was actually ill, right at the time he was in intensive care at the local hospital.
And now they query the credentials of one of the best up and coming Conservative politicians in the country by detailing his previous applications for vacant parliamentary seats.
The truth is that competition to become a Conservative parliamentary candidate is a hundred times greater for Britain’s third party, so hardly surprising even the best don’t succeed the first time.

Great Candidate: Rotten Government

Obviously the Labour Party is seriously bad news for Britain, as we slip lower and lower down world league tables, and social cohesion is disintegrating whilst the gap between rich and poor is at its widest for a generation.
But here in Spelthorne we have a marvel in the Labour’s Parliamentary candidate, Adam Tyler-Moore.
Following my blog two months ago he’s still leaving his leaflet hanging out of letterboxes. Also the content lets him down badly, as it's so nasty and scurrilous that only the most loyal Labour voters would appreciate it.
However the man is so polite, personable, knowledgeable and well presented, and he’s being very well received on the doorstep.
And boy, does he get around. He’s like a ferret, as each day I come across more and more residents he has spoken to in every town and village, right across the constituency.
He deserves second place in Spelthorne at the General Election, and then to earn a safe seat elsewhere next time.

Dis-Proportional Representation

During my visit to the dental hygienist yesterday, the last thing on my mind was the appointment of Conservative Party candidates in next year’s Spelthorne Council elections.
But it would seem that was exactly what Silvio Berlusconi was thinking about whilst having his teeth fixed last month, after being attacked in Milan before Christmas. He has just nominated his oral hygienist Nicole Minetti (pictured) to stand for the regional elections in Lombardy next month. And a great looking choice if I may say.
You see under proportional representation -- much vaunted by Britain’s minor third party -- the leadership gets to choose the candidates for Parliament by means of the Party List.
Doesn’t sound very proportional to me.

Outdated Labour

I no longer mention by name the third-rate party in Spelthorne, as they are totally ineffectual, even in Sunbury where they have councillors. As usual they claimed to oppose the Conservatives’ budget, but failed to present any alternative at Surrey County Council last Tuesday.
However I’m worried for the main opposition, the Spelthorne Labour Party. Their parliamentary candidate is very enthusiastic, but sadly let down by their internet presence, or rather lack of. All he’s done is a couple of tweets back on 2nd January.
And Stanwell’s Labour councillor Victor Agarwal -- before he disappeared off to Swindon last month -- promised us a daily blog, but hasn’t written a word since June last year!
In fact so out of date is Labour’s website, they’re still promoting their previous parliamentary candidate, and apart from one news item 18 months ago, all the content dates back to 2007.

Ethnic Minority Politicians

I first noticed the term ‘BME’ only a few weeks ago, and I choose not to remember exactly what the initials stand for -- something to do with ethnic minorities, and by implication their promotion.
I’ve been unwittingly promoting ethnic minority politicians for years, not because of their background, but because of what they have to offer regardless of their ancestry. I find the BME agenda distasteful.
There was nevertheless a row yesterday about the fact that Operation Black Vote was quick to report the selection of Labour’s Stanwell County Councillor Victor Agarwal for the marginal seat of Swindon North, yet it took them a while to catch up on the selection of Conservative Kwasi Kwarteng for the winnable seat of Spelthorne.
I was however grateful for OBV’s fulsome apology.
For me, Spelthorne has the best candidate in Kwasi, and Swindon are welcome to Cllr Agarwal (though not as an MP).

Chasing Votes

I spent Friday evening chasing Spelthorne’s new Labour Parliamentary Candidate around Upper Halliford -- still wet behind the ears he hasn’t yet learnt to push his leaflets right through the letterbox.
He says he’s going to commute from Staines station -- interesting, as he doesn’t live here. He harks back to 1945 the last time Spelthorne voted Labour. A pity that the only person who remembered him call at their door was a Tory Party member. I’m glad he’s concentrating on Shepperton and Sunbury, areas where Spelthorne's third party rely so much on squeezing the Labour vote.
I found quite a few people interested in next week’s Open Primary to choose the Conservative Party candidate. Funny how people have different views about the same person, but that’s democracy. Gordon Brown isn’t completely written off, and there are worries whether Cameron is Thatcherite enough -- but that’s what they thought about Thatcher in 1978/9, before the word was invented!

Agarwal Abandons Spelthorne

A month ago I was puzzled as to why the Spelthorne Labour Party had ditched their bright young hopeful Parliamentary candidate Robert Ferguson (born and bred in Sunbury) for an outsider with a double barrelled name.
Now the plot thickens, when today we learn that Spelthorne’s most popular socialist has clearly been over-looked.
County Councillor Victor Agarwal (born and bred in Stanwell) has had to go carpet-bagging to Swindon to find a Parliamentary seat.
Is this the same suicidal mentality that caused Labour to ditch Tony Blair -- their most successful election winner ever -- in favour of Gordon (bottler) Brown?

Conservative Camaraderie

All applications are now in to be Spelthorne’s next Conservative parliamentary candidate.
Time to reflect on the research stage. Just as the public’s respect for politicians is at an all time low, I can vouch for the fact that there has never been a group of more worthy people applying to be Conservative MPs, and it’s really sad that so many will be disappointed.
I’ve met quite a few politicians in my time, and there are some charlatans and ambitious back-stabbers out there. Unfortunately a few of them are able to blag their way through both the Parliamentary Assessment Board and the traditional hustings selection meeting.
But we can take comfort in knowing that the vast majority of aspiring Conservative politicians are a conscientious and dedicated bunch -- they really do care.
I was particularly struck by the sheer camaraderie amongst the seasoned campaigners, never hesitating to help each other even at their own expense.
British altruism at its best.

Is Spelthorne Jinxed?

With just 24 hours to the deadline for applying to be Spelthorne’s next Conservative Parliamentary candidate I thought I relate just some of the calamities that have beset them.
One guy’s plans were interrupted by a leaking roof which caused the ceiling of his daughter’s bedroom to collapse, causing significant disruption.
Another candidate had the worry of tending his three-year-old son in hospital for a fortnight, suffering with an abscess on his lung -- fortunately now recovered.
The husband of a third contender suffered from whiplash after being T-boned by a young lady at a roundabout, causing the family car to be written off.
And a fourth hopeful had to abort his visit to the area when he wricked his shoulder.
Surely above average misfortune?

Liz Truss

Here’s hoping Liz Truss survives the outrageous attack on her well-earned nomination as Parliamentary Candidate for South West Norfolk at tomorrow night’s meeting (16th November).
To describe her detractors as Neanderthal is a bit harsh, but Conservative Party members who aren't able to Google, nor to consult with people who are computer literate, certainly are antediluvian.
They should not have a decisive say in the selection of parliamentary candidates in the 21st century Conservative Party, and consider the harm they have already done.

UPDATE 9pm on 16th November: Congratulations to Liz Truss on winning the vote (by 132 to 37).
Common sense prevails.