A good rest

To those of you who visit this site regularly, and there are some even now that the election is over, I apologise for not updating this BLOG until now. I have spent the last few weeks focusing on work and family which are both in need of attention.

I am amazed to see how brazen Blair has been in stealing the headline initiatives that the Conservatives were promoting. He is shameless.

What amazes me is that the voters of this country cannot see through this sham government.

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I watched a TV documentary about an undercover reporter who exposed the dirty tricks and the media manipulation that was carried out by Labour during the general election campaign. I thought it was fairly damning stuff. When I discussed it at work I was shocked by how unmoved my colleagues were. They were being systematically lied to be the party of government and they didn't seem to care.

They say that in a democracy you get the government that you deserve and I now believe it wholeheartedly. It has made me even more determined to pursue a career in politics because I want to make sure that there is at least one person in Westminster who is completely appalled by the cynical attitude showed by Labour in the program.

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Politically I am nothing. All the unsuccessful Conservative candidates received a letter telling us that the candidates' list had been dissolved and that we will all need to re-apply. Until I am accepted onto the new list I am officially nothing, just a punter like everyone else. I am sure it will help to keep me grounded.

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Who have I got my money on in the Conservative leadership race? I think that David Davis is making a very strong showing and would be the most logical place to put a flutter, which is why I dot think he will get it. The party seems to have a habit of not picking the obvious contender.

I wouldn't have a problem with Davis, I don't subscribe to the hard line caricature of him at all. He takes a tougher line on some social issues than I do but I agree with him wholeheartedly on idea that the state should be small, efficient and discrete. I also think that as a party we should have the courage to make the moral case for lower tax and less state interference, and not bowing to the emotional blackmail of the big state brigade.

I generally feel more politically affinity with David Cameron but I think that his relative inexperience in the house and a desire to update the party's image may cause difficulties. I would hope that the more experienced heads in the party stand shoulder to shoulder with him if he does win and not throw him to the wolves.

I think that as a party we have grown up at last and will accept that whoever get the top job needs the support of the whole party to succeed. the real battle is with the Labour party not with other Conservatives.

Back to work

After the blissful weekend spent with the family today was the final step back to normality, my return to work. And work was actually not too bad. There was general interest in the result and plenty of "well dones" and then back to the reality of laying out magazine pages, talking to agencies, booking adverts onto the system etc.

I got back home in time to help get Freddy out of the bath and into bed without having to rush back out again to campaign.

Very nice!

Back to normality

Election day was hectic, getting up at 6 in the morning and not getting to bed until 4 in the morning on the 6th leaves you very tired.

The result itself was a bit of a mixed bag for me, I managed to cut the gap between Labour and ourselves but the Lib Dems snuck up on us a little, you can see the full results here. Still that is all behind me for the moment.

I have had the chance, for the first time in months, to spend some time with my family. On Friday we flew a kite up on the heath and had lunch in Greenwich and today we had a belated birthday party for Freddy. I can understand why politicians on their way out claim to want to spend "more time with their family".

Final furlong

It has been a good day today, out and about in Downham, Blackheath, Lee and Grove Park. I got a positive reception from almost everyone which made up for the abuse from the idiot last night. I was wished good luck from a couple of staunch Labour supporters who said that they would be reluctantly voting Labour.

I am not going to write very much today as I hope to get an early night.

Thank you to everyone who has helped in the campaign, thank you to all the people who have promised my their support and thank you to Susie who has put up with so much. I am confident that we will have a good result tomorrow and I am looking forward to standing in a drafty school hall at two in the morning.

See you all on the other side.

First real abuse

Not bad, over a year as the candidate here and my first bit of real frothing at the mouth, swearing, jabbing finger bit of abuse came tonight.

The great irony was that I was "off duty". Today has followed a fairly traditional pattern, delivering in the morning, a bit of work on the phone around lunchtime, out and about in the afternoon and evening. I popped back to the campaign HQ (office) to catch up with my agent before grabbing a curry on my way home. I was having a chat with the owner of my local and award winning curry house when a slightly drunk man came in. I was still wearing my blue rosette which became a red rag to this particular bull.

My main problem was keeping a straight face, his torrent of accusations and abuse was as impassioned as it was incoherent, I was accused of not believing what I said and for only being in it for the money. This was followed by a bit more of the general abuse rounded of with an order to "shut up" despite not having actually said anything.
It will be worth it in the end.

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What to wear on polling day? The sombre suite with white shirt and understated tie or the understated suite with white shirt and sombre tie? Or turn up naked?

The first two options would be safest, the third would guarantee me TV coverage. If you see a naked Tory on the TV at 3 o'clock on Friday morning its me. If you see a smart but understated Tory it could be any one of 600 of us.

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Got home to find Susie and the boys all asleep. Not being at home much to help out is taking it's toll on Susie, she is constantly exhausted. She has made all of this work possible by being so strong in all of the non political aspects of my life, she can also label a thousand leaflets quicker that anyone else I know. Thank you Susie.

Really rumbled

Bridget's "misleading" letter is getting quite a bit of coverage, here is a write up in the Times of her and other Labour fibs. I wonder if Alistair Campbell has been on the phone giving her a few pointers about letter writing, that would be fun.

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Rosie, our dog, has been getting a lot of walks at the moment, she is now very familiar with the paths and front doors of Lewisham East. She has been quite well behaved considering she is only one year old.

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The end of the Skylark is upon us. It is a very British space rocket, small understated and surprisingly effective. Goodbye.

Rumbled

Tony Blair got a bit of a grilling from Sir David Frost about negative campaigning and the first example he used was the letter that Bridget sent to postal voters. You can watch it here.

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How many pieces of evidence do we need? The Sunday Times has published a damning report on a meeting held months before the war in Iraq, it shows that Blair had already made his mind up to go to war and was planning ways of justifying his decision. Here is the article.

This is just another nail in the coffin of Tony Blair credibility, I just hope that enough people take a stand against him.

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I reported yesterday about how Labour's NHS billions have been squandered rather than reaching the front line. Well have a look at this assessment of Labour's education spending, scary stuff.

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And here's one about the police.