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 Annesley Abercorn, candidate for Hazel Grove in Stockport, Cheshire. The seat was held by the former Conservative Vice-Chairman, Sir Tom Arnold from 1974 to 1997, and it is currently held by Liberal Democrat Andrew Stunell, who has a notional majority over the Conservatives of 7,694. Annesley requires a 9.9% swing to take the seat. Annesley was selected as the Conservative candidate in December 2007, works as an adviser to Oliver Letwin MP and is Chairman of The Bow Group. You can get in touch with him through his Facebook page or campaign website.
Monday
I wake up early to meet Oliver Letwin at Euston station before heading up to the North West of England for one of his Shadow Cabinet regional tours. I am very grateful that as part of his North West tour, he is going to visit the Hazel Grove constituency. As I grab my rail tickets, I’m conscious of the fact that I’m probably one of the few candidates who still qualifies for a Young Person’s Railcard but I am grateful for the discount which adds up quickly through regular train travel between London and Stockport.
It turns out to be a really good day for my campaign. Oliver being here just makes such a big difference. We visit Romiley Primary School where there is a fantastic reception: Oliver has been here before in fact - during the 2006 local elections, the school was threatened with closure and relocation by the local Lib Dem council in order to cope with increasing pupil numbers. A fantastic Conservative campaign to save the school prevailed which was led by our Association Chairman, Cllr Syd Lloyd. When Oliver last came, he was refused entry because it was election time. This time we got in and the local press have shown an interest. The school now has an impressive brand new extension to cope with the increasing pupil numbers. Most importantly, the school has not had to move and the local community around it is in tact.
Later, Oliver and I visit the Furniture Station near Hazel Grove train station who specialises in rejuvenating donated second-hand furniture and kitchen appliances for people on low incomes. A whole house can be furnished for less than £40 and I think the lads there do a fantastic job. On my way out, I spot a redundant 1950s ‘Hoover’ vacuum cleaner that is not fit for purpose. As someone who collects all sorts of weird and wonderful things, I ask them if I could buy it and they say yes!
We then head to Bredbury Hall, a lovely country hotel in the constituency, for a fundraising drinks reception at which Oliver is speaking. As usual, he is very impressive, giving us an insightful account into the state of British politics today and detailed answers to questions from Association members. We raise nearly £1,000 and everyone seems to have had a great evening.
Tuesday
I spend the early part of the morning on the phone to my campaign assistant, Rob Dean. Rob is a great chap to work with and keeps me sane when I am on the campaign trail. We talk about ideas we have in relation to organising a social action project. There are areas around Hazel Grove which need cleaning up – green spaces where the grass is overgrown, rubbish dumped and broken glass. There are loads of places within the constituency which the Council talk about cleaning up but nothing happens. I believe in action which is why I have been really impressed with what local Conservatives and our candidates have been doing all over the country through social action projects. It's about just getting out there and doing something for the benefit of the local community. So now that the weather is getting better, I am hoping to get a bunch of volunteers from our Association to clean up the area around Fiveways which has been neglected for a long time.
I’m at work and the afternoon arrives. I pop down to one of the cafeterias in Westminster for a sandwich and bump into Graham Brady MP, who is my parliamentary mentor. Graham has been of great support and has given me a lot of sound advice. It's always nice to have a friendly face to support you as a parliamentary candidate and I’m very grateful to have him on board.
Back home later, and I watch a repeat of tonight’s episode of EastEnders on BBC Three. I never miss an episode of this fine show. I think its British television at its best. I also watch Corrie sometimes but am a big fan of EastEnders.
Wednesday
A big day for me and my campaign: Sir John Major is going to be my Guest of Honour at a London fundraiser. I’m excited and at the same time nervous - what a great privilege it is to have a former Prime Minister support me in this way. When Sir John left office, I was 13 and I remember it vividly. Little did I think then that in the future, he would be coming to support me at a fundraising dinner! It’s a great honour.
I go to the venue early to make sure that everything is in order – the table plan, the menus etc. The room looks fabulous and everything seems to be in hand. By 7pm, the first few guests start arriving and the pre-dinner reception gets into swing. The white burgundy on offer is especially delicious. I head outside to greet Sir John. He arrives just after 7.30 pm and we head straight into the reception where I begin to introduce him to various friends and supporters who are at the event. He instantly puts people at their ease, which is always impressive to watch. A bit later, we sit down for dinner and the evening is going really well.
While coffee is served, Sir John delivers a superb speech and takes questions before finally departing. The raffle and auction take place, which is conducted by Emma Whelton who is a real star. Emma is a PhD student based in Stockport who offered to help on my campaign from time to time. It is really nice of her to come all the way down to London for this dinner and conduct the auction. She seems to be a natural: her charm and wit raise loads of cash for my campaign. I can’t believe how generous some people are being this evening – especially given the current economic climate. A great time seems to have been had by all and I am thrilled by the success of the event. The money raised will really help me to move forward.
Thursday
I ring various people this morning to thank them for making last night so successful. I then take some time to look again at the expenses for the local MP for Hazel Grove. It turns out that he is claiming the maximum amount available from the Communications Allowance - despite voting against it previously - and has claimed thousands for new windows in his flat and carpets/soft furnishings from John Lewis.
I think that the whole issue of MPs' expenses is depressing: it has damaged Parliament and British politics, but I am hoping we can move forward from all this. We still should be very thankful that we have one of the oldest stable democracies in the world and that a majority of our MPs are in politics for admirable reasons and do a great service to the public. With this in mind, I tune into BBC’s Question Time for some topical debate over a takeaway curry and a bottle of Cobra beer.
Friday
Today I am visiting Aquinas College on the edge of the constituency to speak to some A-level politics students. The principal of the college is warm and friendly and greets me with some coffee and biscuits before I proceed to speak to the students. I am a bit nervous at first because I don’t know how they are going to react to me, but it seems to be going really well. I give a talk to them on how and why I got involved in politics. They all seem to be interested in what I have to say, which is encouraging. I then take about half an hour of questions. It’s been a great visit and a couple of the students say to me afterwards that they would really like to get involved in my campaign which is good news.
I then head to my home in the constituency to find that the toilet is blocked. No moats here for sure. I pay a small amount of rent per month for some basic accommodation in the constituency, which serves me well. This is what angers me, because if I am elected as the MP for Hazel Grove, there is no reason why I couldn’t continue to live in the same place at little expense to the taxpayer. No furniture, no food, no treats, no communications allowance, no John Lewis. That is my pledge to the people of Hazel Grove if I get elected.
Saturday
A new day and the sun is shining. Breakfast in the café at the Co-Op supermarket in Marple, my favourite place on a Saturday morning. They do a great fried breakfast - not healthy I know, but it's just what you need before a busy day of campaigning ahead. I get that down my neck, washed down with some strong filter coffee, before heading to Hazel Grove train station where we are to meet my campaign battle bus – an old London Routemaster. I arrive at the station car park with dozens of people looking at the bus with the look of great intrigue on their faces. Fantastic. This is just the sort of impact I wanted it to have.
I have owned this British icon for nearly 10 years now and before I was selected as the parliamentary candidate, it was mainly kept in storage and not used very much; I took her to the odd bus show in the summer. But now, it's wonderful to be able to use my bus for campaigning purposes as it’s a great tool and everybody loves it – especially all the children that see it. A small team on board the bus hand out leaflets all day to hundreds of people that walk up to the vehicle. Camera flashes, people pointing, kids wanting to climb on board; the bus always makes a big impact.
After all the bus excitement, I go canvassing with some helpers. We get quite a good response on the doorstep. A lot of apathy, however. We continue until 6pm at which point I head into Stockport with my campaign assistant, Rob Dean for a couple of well earned pints. He then suggests going to watch the new Star Trek film. I’m not really into sci-fi stuff but I have to say that this is a superb film and I strongly recommend it. The special effects are simply breathtaking. Sweet popcorn and Maltesers on tap. A really enjoyable evening.
Sunday
I start the day at the Marple Co-Op supermarket café again, but this time I am good and don’t go for the fried breakfast (opting instead for a pot of tea and some toast). We go out doing more canvassing in the Marple area. Marple is a really nice part of the constituency. Hazel Grove is a semi-rural constituency and Marple does have some very remote rural areas within it. The area covers just over 11 square miles of countryside, ranging from heavily wooded valleys to hill-top moorland. The area around Marple Bridge is particularly picturesque. Local sons include Craig Cash, Bruce Jones (Les Battersby) and Timmy Mallett - and it is supposedly after here that Agatha Christie named Miss Marple. We knock on doors and cover a lot of ground because we have more people out today which is great.
The Hazel Grove constituency is rumoured to have the largest concentration of pubs in any UK constituency - of which I’m very proud. With this in mind, lunchtime arrives and I am in pursuit of a traditional Sunday roast. I’m thinking roast beef with all the trimmings, which for me is food heaven. So I head to a lovely pub, The Hare and Hounds on Dooley Lane, Marple. It is renowned for its good selection of ales and good food. Just what I need. So I head to the bar and order a pint of beer from a local brewery and the roast beef, which is absolutely fantastic.
After that meal, I am feeling incredibly full and thinking that my show of restraint at breakfast has been totally cancelled out. I head to the bar to talk to the landlord about the ‘Save Our Pub’ campaign which I am about to launch, and he is very keen to take part. So I will pop around again next week with some petition forms and a poster. It is very important that we support our local pubs. They are not only the hub of the local community but an important part of our country’s heritage and way of life. Long may they continue to serve the great British public!
Next week's Diary will be written by Caroline Nokes, PPC for Romsey. Last week we featured a Diary from Andrea Leadsom (South Northamptonshire).