Each week a different PPC provides us with an insight into life as a candidate and gives us a flavour of their own campaign and interests. If you are a candidate and are keen to be featured, please email Jonathan Isaby.
This week's diary is written by Karen Lumley,
candidate for Redditch in Worcestershire, where she will be challenging the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, who has been MP for the seat since 1997. Karen stood in the seat in 2001 and then gain in 2005, when the seat was retained by Labour with a majority of 2,716. Boundary changes reduce Jacqui Smith's notional majoirty further to 2,163 (based on the Rallings and Thrasher figures), meaning that Karen needs a swing of 2.6% to gain the seat. You can read more about Karen's campaign on her website.
Monday
The first bank holiday in May. Have had a brilliant weekend at our caravan but now it's back to work with the team in Redditch. I am meeting Betty for lunch today. Betty is one of my “stuffers” and also one of those who organises my ladies' luncheon club. We are looking at a new venue today but when we get there we find that it is closing down! I am really behind Jeremy Hunt's campaign to save our local. I’m afraid that the pub we visited today is yet another victim of this Labour Government...
We have county elections here in Redditch as well as the Europeans so are busy trying to increase our representation. We have an excellent team of candidates and I’m hoping they will all win. We have two out of the eight seats at the moment, so I am hoping for great things. We are out this week with Brandon and Jane and guess what one of the main issues is on the doorstep is tonight? Yes, it’s our MP’s expenses and that bath plug is raised again and again. It saddens me that the public perception of politicians is so low at the moment, especially when I am out with my councillors and council candidates, who all work so hard for their local communities. We have a good team out, as you can se,e and it is a pleasure to be out and about with them.
Tuesday
Today I took my husband Richard to the station to catch the train to London where he works all week. Then it was off to the office. We are very lucky that Bromsgrove let us have some space in their office. I work very closely with them and Julie Kirkbride MP, who - as my mentor MP - has been a tower of strength over the past two elections. Her help and guidance is invaluable.
Naomi, my assistant, and I work our way through the paperwork that has come in over the weekend and plan my activities for the next week and then we are on to printing for the local elections. Many hours later I leave for my monthly meeting with the Leader of the council.
We took control of the council last year for the first time in 25 years and now have a majority of just one, so times are difficult. Carole is a very strong character, a bit like me really, and we get on really well. We talk about what will be coming up in the next few weeks and I raise a few queries I have with her. I then head round to three of my stuffers to give them their latest work to do. Three coffees later I’m heading back home to get changed for canvassing.
Wednesday
My first visit from the Shadow cabinet this week is Andrew Mitchell MP, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. I head to Birmingham International train station to pick him up and get stuck in a queue as there has been an accident, but he is quite happily waiting for me. We go to west ward where we meet Terry Spencer, one of my candidates, and do a spot of canvassing before going to Johnson Controls - a local company that makes seats for Land Rover. They were very welcoming and frank about the situation they find themselves in due to the economic climate. We meet with senior managers and have a tour of the plant and meet the local trade union representative. We then go to Church hill to meet Brandon for another round of canvassing and Andrew sees another part of Redditch. I then take him to Worcester for the next part of his visit.
This afternoon is a meeting with my campaign team chairman and my Campaign Manager for the local elections, Richard Murphy. Richard, who is pictured here with me, brings back some surveys that have been returned. I update them both on the current situation and we discuss and review our plans for the next few weeks. When I arrived in Redditch many years ago, Richard was my Campaign Director and he’s now back for the locals. I have now remembered just how hard he works!! But it is in our interest so we do as we are told.
Thursday
I’m off early this morning to shortlist for a teacher at Vaynor first school. It is one of the largest first schools around and I am Chairman of Governors there, a highly challenging but highly rewarding role. They are a great team and do a fantastic job - and I often wonder how they find time to fit everything in. The changes I have seen imposed from the centre over the years have been enormous. We shortlist several candidates and there was just time to get home and changed.
Guess what? Another Shadow cabinet member is due! This time it is the Great Party Chairman Eric Pickles. I loved his introduction to the war room that was broadcast a couple of weeks ago. He came into Redditch station and we went to the town hall to meet Carole Gandy, council leader, and the deputy leader, Mike Braley. We do the photos for the local papers and Eric talks to the press before we have a private meeting with the team where a frank discussion ensues. I wouldn’t expect anything less of course. We then had a sandwich lunch with our members at which Eric took a wide variety of questions and in his usual way handled them brilliantly. He is campaigning every day up and down the country and I take my hat off to him. I dropped him off in Telford to continue his journey.
On the way home it was a good time to catch up with my kids on the phone (hands free of course). Lizzie is a Conservative agent up in the Wirral. She has two seats to look after and is very busy all the time. It’s hard to get a word in but I’m planning to go and see her next week and her first question is whether I will be going canvassing with them. Coals to Newcastle comes to mind. It will be great to see her though and have some time together. Next it is Chris. He still lives in Redditch, although in his own flat and works for a big national company here. He’s also very busy and wants to know what I want. Nothing new there then.
Friday
Today is a home day. I am catching up on paperwork, both to do with our business and my casework. Being a candidate takes up so much of my time I sometimes wonder what I did before! My husband often says he has to make an appointment to talk to me. I get several calls from the team today asking what we are going to do next week and offering ideas for future visits from the Shadow Cabinet. Richard Murphy drops in with a few thousand newspapers for me to have delivered by Sunday. No pressure there then! I pick Richard up from Birmingham international and we head home via the pub to play on the quiz machine.
Saturday
We are out delivering today. Richard is quite patient with me and is a brilliant deliverer. He tends to do double the delivering to me as I seem to spend a lot of my time chatting to people in their garden, so the delivery takes twice as long. We manage to deliver all the newspapers Richard brought us yesterday between the team, although I have had a couple of calls from the team saying how sore their feet are. They have also delivered thousands of letters too so all in all a good weekend. We spend the rest of the day writing invitations to our Silver wedding celebrations later this year. I can’t believe the time has gone so quickly but am looking forward to the party.
Sunday
As Richard lives in London in the week, Sunday for us is a family day. Redditch is of course our main home and we do jobs around the house and in the garden and had a nice Sunday roast. Usually Chris joins us, but today he’s playing golf with his friends. All in all, a lovely day recharging the batteries, ready for another week on the campaign trail...
Next week's Diary will be written by Peter Lyburn, PPC for Perth and North Perthshire. Last week's was written by Tim Archer, who is PPC for Poplar and Limehouse.
