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On the stump: called on a lady resident who said,' No I don't normally vote LibDem, but you are the only one of the parties who has called.'
Doesn't mean she will change her mind but it reinforces my belief that there is absolutely no substitute for face to face canvassing.
But it has its drawbacks as when you get asked questions of a rather detailed kind about what the manifesto says about care for the elderly that you can't answer and have to get back on.
Resident from Southbourne (why call me?) called and left message on my ansafone. Not much in any of the leaders' manifestos about the environment or animal welfare. Not much good if there is no planet to live on having all these other policies and some elephants are faced with extinction by 2020. I called her back on the following day, pointing out that the LibDems had major policies on the environment and indeed had supported the government in the 2008 climate change bill that Mr Tyrie had opposed.
As far as animal welfare is concerned in fact there is a section in the manifesto entitled enhanced protection for animals that may not do much for elephants but will do something for animals nearer home. For a view of the manifesto see Chichester Liberal Democrats website and search on 'manifesto'.
Out canvassing with the candidate, met so many people who said they would never want Brown to return to Number 10. It's sad in a sense that he has this bad public image because in many areas this government has done not badly, especially in health, education and support for ordinary people with bus passes, winter fuel payments etc. But also met one resident, a life long Conservative voter, who would not be voting for the party this time but for us.
'As you didn't walk across my grass I will vote for you,' one resident said as I was delivering our Focus. 'The others all did.' People notice these things. I make a point of walking up and down paths but will be even more attentive in the future. It is a small thing but shows respect.
Second debate. Saw only the second half where I thought they were about equal. Efforts by the right wing press, the egregious Mail, Telegraph and Express to smear Clegg on grounds of the donations he received into his personal account were dismissed contemptuously and were never to resurface.
YouGov poll gives us 33 per cent! Well as Napoleon's grandmother is alleged to have said. 'Pourvu que ca dure! ' But it has certainly added zest to the election. I think people are signing up to a different approach to politics, eg 'A plague on both your houses.'
Local Government Association weekly, First, sets out the parties policies for local government. Lib Dem policies are easily the best. Replacement of council tax by local tax based on ability to pay, returning business rates in full to councils and basing them on site values, scrapping central government inspection regimes, giving people a say in policing and health with elected police authorities and health boards. These would make a real difference.
First leaders debate. Clegg did well, Cameron less so and Brown did better than I expected. From Saturday's Daily Telegraph it is clear that the Tories are rattled. Get Clegg is their priority. We may now expect rather closer scrutiny of Lib Dem policies but I think most can stand it. I don't agree with their prohibition on nuclear power, this is the old sandals image and am not sure regionalising of immigrants is a sustainable solution. But many other policies are really good such as effectively scrapping Trident (we don't need nuclear weapons, haven't done for very many years), cutting class sizes, the only effective way of raising standards, and saving all that pointless paper barrage to head teachers from central government.
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