Blogging again

I'd sort of let this blog go to sleep, but Cornishcassandra has put it on his links, with the last time I blogged glaring out at me. 6 months ago. Election results. There were a number of reasons for stopping. Partly it just becomes a list of things a Councillor has done, as the Village Idiot pointed out last week, although happily he was talking about someone else! and partly because it's only read by people who are involved in politics and, for some reason, a large following I was developing in Inverness! The best way to talk to local people is still to get out and knock on their doors, which I've been doing with my Parking Survey. The old knock and drop, time consuming but a great way to communicate.

What I don't mention on the doorsteps, is that I've put on a stone since the campaign started, which for me was at the begining of February. In theory canvassing is good exercise, but in reality I would get home at half eight, make a pile of sandwiches and open a bottle of wine. Not much better once elected, too many buffet lunches and still home late to a pile of sandwiches. And no time for running. There's a Council up country that weighs the Mayor at the start of the term, and again at the finish, if they've put on weight they've obviously been troughing at the public expense. Looking bad for me at the moment. Still, I've been out twice this week, running down to Malpas and back, and I'm planning to do the Jamaica Inn to Brown Willy run on New Years Day. Won't be breaking any records, not least because my occasional running partner has reduced her training to having one of her Christmas chocs with her early morning cup of tea. But we'll be there.

Then, on New Years Day, I'll get on the scales. Thankfully not in public!

Truro Boscawen Results

At last a long and difficult campaign is over. Don't think I could have managed another week! But a good result to show for it, I got 578, Conservatives 512, Greens 155, Mebyon Kernow 149 and Labour 65 on a turnout of 41%, so LibDem hold! No time to sit about though, I couldn't deal with all the issues raised on the doorstep straight away, so get the ball rolling on them on Monday. Then there's the training, where the Council tries to swamp you with more stuff than you can possibly read, keep you of their backs, and the Thank You Focus for the Ward, oh and I'd better get round and thank my deliverers. We got out three Focus's, Blue Envelopes and a Good Morning leaflet, without their support I wouldn't have made it. Better look after them, because I think we're going to be needing them again soon!

A Morning Off

Had the morning off from campaigning today.  Went to a funeral instead, that of a young girl, only 26, who had been my daughters best Friend in primary school.  The beautiful old church in Wendron was absolutely full, they even needed the Police outside to sort out the traffic. The service was wonderful, and very moving.  I'm not usually a fan of power point presentations, but the slide show of her short life, set to music, had us all in tears.  I'd forgotten to bring a tissue, and why does your nose have to run as well? Reduced to wiping it on my sleeve.  Well done to Mum and Dad, it was a lovely send off. You were both very brave today, the months ahead will be hard.

Bank Holiday Campaigning

Good weekends campaigning.  Knocked on about 350 doors and telephoned 200 Postal Voters.  Up till now, I've had no real trouble with the expenses scandal, but Saturday afternoon was hard work. Better today, so perhaps it was just that I was dragging people from the garden on a lovely sunny day.  Or perhaps people don't feel the same need to be polite, when they finally get an actual politician in front of them, after all they've heard. And no matter how much I protest that I didn't claim any expenses as a District Councillor, we're all tarred with the same brush, I suppose.  Still, I managed to get my views on local issues across, mostly!

Campaigning

I've let this blog wither away over the last year, but now seems a good time to revive it.  I've been selected to fight Boscawen Ward, here in Truro, for elections to the new unitary authority, One Cornwall.  That's pretty much the Ward I represented as a Carrick District Councillor, so I'm very familiar with the issues, and am able to carry on with the campaigns I've been involved in.  First up, a plan to build 1000 houses on Newham farm, on the edge of Truro.  This application was so premature and poorly thought out, it's hard to see how they thought they'd get it through.  The Officers were against it, Parish Councils surrounding it were against it and just about every Statutory body consulted was against it, even the Police chipped in with 'concerns'.  How often do the Police get involved in Planning?  Stood up and expressed my residents anxieties, got to speak first so set the tone for the meeting.  It was unanimously rejected.  

It would be nice to think the Developers would take all this on board, and come back with a more suitable scheme.  But it looks unlikely.  Afterwards they had a go at me in the corridor. 'Elections, boys, that's what it's all about'.  Are the Police or the Officers or the Statutory bodies standing for election? The Parish's don't have elections till 2013.  So he must mean me. Well I'll oppose overdevelopement in Truro where ever it rears it's ugly head, I've got form for that.  See them at the appeal, I suppose.