You don't say

Today Tony Blair admitted that his government sets too many targets. Welcome to our world Mr Blair, it has been blindingly obvious to all of us that you and your ministers are clueless and target obsessed.

It is curious that you have had this "road to Damascus" style conversion less that a week before the General Election. I am willing to put money on the fact that you will have selective amnesia just after May the 5th if you get back in.

I wonder if this sudden bout of honesty has anything to do with the label "liar" being a little too accurate for comfort?

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Aspiring MPs get through a lot of shoe leather, I have just worn through the sole of another pair of good shoes, I'm not worried about losing my deposit but I have probably got through about £500 worth of re-soling requirement.

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Two wards at Lewisham Hospital are planned for closure. I and other local Conservatives were at Lewisham Hospital to oppose the closure. The nurses who were going to mount a protest didn't turn up, I have it on good authority that they were instructed in no uncertain terms that they should not. The other political parties were conspicuous by the absence.

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Freddy, my eldest, had his third birthday today. An early morning present opening session was good fun after which I walked the dog and went to the Hospital demo. Freddy got some great gifts, a floor rug with a road network on it for his cars, a mini ten for the garden, a kite and some track and trains for his Thomas the Tank Engine railway set.

Freddy has been getting Thomas train set gift since his second birthday (a year early according to the age guide on the box) and has always been very precise in the construction of the track and the running of the trains. A future "Fat Controller"?

Lots of public speaking

In the last week I have addressed a youth forum of Operation Black vote, a meeting of Lewisham NUT and a husting at Hither Green Baptist Church. The common thread was that the Labour representative got a hard time at all of them. This confirms what I have been hearing over and over again while talking to people, they are not happy with Labour at all.

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I don't get a chance to watch much television at the moment (or listen to music, or read books, or run, or see my family for that matter) so I missed the live Q&A session that both of the main party leaders, and Charles Kennedy, sat through. I was pleased to hear that none of them got an easy time and once this election is over I will try to watch the programme on the BBC website.

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Just to set the record straight and for the sake of fairness, I saw Cllr Andrew Milton at the Hither Green Baptist Church hustings and he looked very smart, as did Richard Thomas.

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I also want to set the record straight on an issue of policy. In a letter to postal voters Bridget Prentice claimed that the £200 winter fuel allowance and the free TV licence would be taken from pensioners if the Conservatives got into government. This is completely untrue and has never been Conservative policy. I an only assume it was added to the letter to try to scare pensioners into voting Labour, as postal votes have now all been submitted it is too late to put out a clarification letter. I just hope that any voters reading this will understand the depths that the Labour party will stoop just to get re-elected.

We have been criticised for putting honesty and integrity at the forefront of this campaign, actions like this letter give me confidence that we are right to do so.

All I want is a level playing field

I like the BBC, I think that it is one of the greatest institutions we have. It is particularly distressing when such a well respected body fails to play by the rules. This news report in the Telegraph highlights a very serious breach of the BBC's code of conduct.

The BBC creating artificial disruptions during a political speech could be a legitimate activity if each of the main parties were put through the same ordeal and if it were not during an election campaign. The fact that the BBC directed hecklers were only at Conservative speeches during a general election campaign is particularly damaging. It is unlikely the program will go out before polling day but it does make me feel rather uncomfortable about the impartiality of the BBC now. Pity.

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Only Labour could do it twice, they spent more money on schools and managed to create a funding crisis which led to teachers being made redundant and now they manage to turn "record investment in the NHS" into near bankruptcy for hospitals. What a talent.

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Here is a bit more coverage of the meetings I had on Tuesday.

Royal salute yesterday, stinking cold today

Yesterday, being the 21st of April, was the Queen's birthday. I know this because I was shoehorned into my very smart uniform to command my regiment's saluting troop for the firing of a 21 gun salute at Woolwich Arsenal.

We do three of these a year, one for her real birthday, one for her coronation and one for her official birthday. These are quite good fun, a chance to dress up and show off, I'll put some pics up on the site once I get them from the photographer. The inspecting officer was Major General Andrew Richie CBE, who is our Honorary Colonel and Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. At the moment one of his biggest headaches is how to ensure that HRH Prince Harry can concentrate on becoming an officer rather than worrying about the press. I don't think it will be an easy job.

General Richie was very interested in my campaign and wished me the best of luck, in a non-partisan way, naturally.

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Today I feel absolutely awful. I think I have a cold coming on, not really what you want when you are in the middle of an election campaign. I will drink a gallon of orange juice, have a hot bath and try to have an early night.

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I have seen the local Lib Dem's election leaflet, very creative. I wonder if there is a single seat in the country where they do not claim to be the only party who can win? They don't seem to let reality get in the way of a good story, the fact that they came third last General Election, last Lewisham Mayoral election and last European does not seem phase them. Also, if they were to win here it would mean that they would have won the general election with a majority almost as big as Labour currently have. Realistic? I don't think so.

What a day

Yesterday was a busy day. On top of the usual activities associated with campaigning I spent the day either meeting with or addressing groups of black people. I spent the morning at the press launch of Operation Black Vote’s manifesto, lunchtime was with the editor’s forum of the Voice newspaper and the evening was with ADVAD an umbrella organization for the Africa Diaspora in the UK.

The first of these events was with Operation Black Vote, this organisation is brimming with people who are passionate about the role that black people in the UK could and should have in British politics.

The press launch was held in Brixton which Simon Woolley, OBV’s National Coordinator, described as the “spiritual home of black Briton”. Onlookers fell into one of two categories, the first group were clearly interested and committed and were genuinely pleased to see black people getting involved and making a stand. The second and unfortunately larger group were clearly a little bemused by the whole process.

Although by itself the number of black and Asian candidates being fielded by a politically is not significant I am very pleased to say the Conservatives have the most. We have 41, the Lib Dems have 40 and Labour have 32. We have achieved this without quotas or positive discrimination. Well done us.

The next stop was to the offices of the Voice newspaper for the editor’s election forum, again in Brixton this gave the opportunity for a range of interest groups to address the main political parties face to face. It was a heated and passionate debate.

Finally I addressed ADVAD in Bethnal Green at a meeting looking more specifically at how the main parties would address issues affecting Africa and Africans both in Africa and here in the UK. Once again the meeting was full f passion and there were enough potential questions to fill much more than the two hours that the meeting lasted.

What a week

It wasn't my intention to make this a weekly BLOG but it seems to be drifting that way, at the moment evenings are more than a little busy.

The proper campaigning has started and it looks like it is going to be a hot one.

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I wrote a piece for The Voice about education, read it here. This an important area which does not get the attention that it deserves, a good education system is the foundation for everything else and at the moment it isn't as good as it should be.

I know that Labour will say that I'm talking down the teachers or the children but I'm not. I know plenty of teachers who are very unhappy with the current state of affairs, the problem will not be solved by greater government intervention, the problem is government intervention.

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Well done Paula. Paula's marathon time was a little bit quicker that my marathon time. I ran (and walked) the London Marathon in 2002 and I can tell you that it is very, very hard work. This election campaign sometimes feels a bit like a marathon although I have a much better chance of coming first.

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I think this picture says it all, be careful when you try to deceive as fate my highlight the truth. The rather unfortunate positioning of Tony's fingers gives a different message to the one he intended.

I find it very interesting that a party which has so passionately jettisoned its socialist roots still has its manifesto in a "little red book". Put "little red book" into Google and this is what you get. Not what Tony would want methinks.

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I have received criticism that we are overplaying the immigration section of our manifesto, I don't think we are but I always take criticism seriously (but not to heart). I now realise why this impression may be being formed, I attended a speech in Watford where Michael Howard was speaking in support Ali Miraj our candidate there.

The speech focussed on British attitudes to fairness, over regulation by government, political correctness and it culminated in a proud comment on our success in fielding more black and Asian candidates that either Labour or the Lib Dems. What was reported? The short passage about our immigration policy.

They say that politicians complaining about the media is like farmers complaining about the weather. You might not like it, but you can't change it, so learn to live with it.

Bigger than politics

The death of Pope John Paul II has had a bigger impact here in the UK than I had imagined it would. It is interesting that he is being described more as a humanist and a force for political change than as a religious leader, perhaps in our increasingly secular times it is hard for many people to connect with the religious side of the Pope. Pity.

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My best wishes go the HRH the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Despite all the problems in the lead up to the wedding I thought it all went rather well. Having a little less pomp and ceremony didn't diminish the event at all, in fact I rather thought that it added to it.

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We all know that it happens but it is still sickening to read about the effect that Labour's central control has over the health service. This article in the Telegraph highlights exactly why I feel so strongly about getting Blair out of office.

There can be no justification for putting peoples lives at risk for political expediency.

It also seems that MRSA is rife in children's' wards across the country. This article in the Times makes horrific reading, particularly when I remember reports of MRSA in Lewisham Hospital at the time that Susie was there giving birth to our youngest son, Rupert.

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Next week will see the election kick off properly. I wonder if the Labour party will be able to keep it a clean fight? I doubt it.

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Something very amusing! Put the word "liar" into www.Google.co.uk and see what happens. This article in the Times sums the whole situation up rather nicely.

Busy times ahead

The general election has been called today. I will keep you informed as always.

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Yesterday I attended a meeting of the Lewisham pensioners forum, it was quite a heated event, I was pleased that the Conservatives plans were well received. I almost (but not quite) felt sorry for Joan Ruddock MP, representing Labour, she was getting a pretty rough ride. As they say, you reap what you sow.

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In the evening I was up in Great Portland Street recording for BBC 1Xtra. What a really great bunch of people, I've said it before and I'll say it again. I think that the BBC is great despite all their faults.