Hustings - and the rest of week one.

I'm giving this election a real crack. One of the casualties is this blog. Not enough hours in the day. But it's Sunday night, and there's time to spare. Actually there's been enough time today to catch up with what's happening in the garden, (next post) where I'm intending to spend four hours on May 7th. All I did today was look, and snap.

Much of my time had been spent writing for leaflets and media articles - including another piece for Guardian Comment is Free. And delivering some of them. And walking the streets, meeting people. Lots of interesting discussions. Spoke at length to one man yesterday. Thought I had his vote in the bag. Then he told me he lived in Radnorshire, thought the Lib Dems were for him, and he never voted anyway. Then I met a lady who was in a real state. She'd been waiting for a late train, had been taken short, and had "wet herself" because there were no toilets at the station, and she suffered a bladder complaint. Not sure whether to contact Arriva Trains, the local council or the urology dep't. I thought she had a legitimate point, and its one I'll follow up.

We have a spate of hustings coming up in Montgomeryshire. First one was in the Black Boy in Newtown this week. Main focus was the environment, and there were about 50 there. Ukip and the Independent, Bruce Lawson were not there. Don't know whether they were invited, but seems to me that the Ukip candidate has got a good case for inclusion. In the last big election ( to the European Parliament) Ukip came in second in Montgomeryshire. It was nice to see the Labour candidate finally put in an appearance. He showed himself to be a man of many opinions, most of which were totally contrary to Labour Party policy. I rate Heledd Fychan, the Plaid Cymru candidate. We disagree about a few things, but I feel I can have a discussion about ideas with her. Strange how its possible to disagree with someone, and at the same time have respect for them. Lembit Opik did not impress me at all. Now, I'm as mild mannered as you can get, but even I was forced to intervene on one of his answers. He was trying to claim that he had delivered improvements to the idiotic new traffic light system that has crippled Newtown. Total B******s. It was nothing to do with him at all. It was the work of Newtown's Councillors, and was already in place before the publicity stunt he organised. He was just trying to claim credit for someone else's work - and not for the first time. So I told him so in public.

Should have a bit more time to call by my blog this week, though William Hague is calling by Montgomeryshire tomorrow to give me some support. I'm a big fan, and I'll enjoy that.