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 Alan Wright, who was selected as candidate for Hartlepool earlier this month. Alan is Hartlepool born-and-bred, with a high
local media profile as a former BBC presenter in the
area and as a columnist in the Hartlepool Mail. He now runs his own media consultancy business and is an accomplished after-dinner speaker. He will start in third place, with Labour MP Iain Wright
currently enjoying a majority of 7,478 over the Liberal
Democrats.
Sunday August 9th
It’s been a full four days since my (pleasingly) unanimous selection by the Hartlepool Conservative Association and it’s been a whirlwind ever since. We made the front page (and most of page 2) of the Hartlepool Mail last Thursday and the response since has been fantastic. I’ve even had a complaint from my local Civic Centre that their switchboard is melting with calls from well-wishers who want to talk to me. There’s obviously a belief around that PPCs automatically get an office suite and a team of staff supplied by the local council – dream on.
Bit of time off today with a trip out in glorious sunshine to Durham County Cricket Ground with our two grandsons, Joshua (9) and William (5). They love it – cricket coaching, a picnic in the park next door, and then watching the big match. William (pictured) soon gets into the swing of raising his 4 and 6 boundary card at frequent intervals. I love coming back here to the Riverside Ground at Chester-le-Street. In a previous life in the early Nineties, I was Chief Executive here when we built the new ground. Then, it was just a pitch and a portakabin; now it’s a glorious international ground. Even better, three Durham lads (Collingwood, Harmison and Onions) are in the England team – even though they are getting roundly stuffed by Australia. Without the Durham set-up though, they may never had aspired to the top.
Monday August 10th
Busy time today with a series of meetings to start building the campaign team. We have a cracking town centre site in mind for our main office. It’s very high profile and just a stone’s throw from the Civic Centre, so that will be a daily temptation. Just need to raise a fair bit of money quickly then. I tell the team that, at Durham cricket, we went from a standing start to raising £2.5 million – no pressure.
In the evening, meeting to select our candidate for a by-election in Elwick ward of the local council. This ward is a lovely rural area with chocolate box villages. Just wanted to stress that in advance retaliation to non North Easterners who presume we live in a grisly area with whippet abuse taking place on every abandoned pit heap.
Finish off with another meeting with supporters as the sun sets over our Marina. Formerly the home of derelict shipyards, this is now home to a superb coastline and a bustling Marina which will host the Tall Ships Race in August 2010. This was all built during the time of City Challenge and the Teesside Development Corporation during the last Conservative Government. We need another one soon to rebuild the impetus in danger of receding under a very lame Labour dominated local power base.
Tuesday August 11th
Start the day at our local hospital for a check-up. I had a bit of a health blip in June when I was diagnosed with colon cancer, followed by major operation on July 8th. I was very lucky in being diagnosed very early and will live long enough to be the oldest serving Prime Minister. I’m fine now, and get a smile from my splendid consultant. His advice to get back into action apparently didn’t include playing squash and standing for Parliament - but he approves.
Everyone I met during the treatment process was superb. My key contact nurse is a reader of my weekly column in the Hartlepool Mail (six years without a break) and urged me to nag men into getting checked early. Mission accomplished in last Saturday’s column and the reaction is great – prepare for calls from local GPs telling me their surgeries are too busy.
Afternoon meeting with Dorothy Wonnacott my Campaign Manager. She’s great, has a sense of humour like mine, knows the business backwards – and we’ll work together really well.
Tea-time train direct from Hartlepool to King’s Cross courtesy of Grand Central. Spot on time – leave town at six and into London just after nine: great example of private enterprise working well. They have a business model of picking towns like Hartlepool which didn’t have a direct London service, and are doing great business. The service is very comfy with free wi-fi, and I’m writing today’s entry with lovely countryside rolling by. They’re putting on extra services on this route next month, and have recently been awarded more routes to serve West and South Yorkshire from the New Year. Ideal for the extra intake of northern Conservative MPs next Spring!
Wednesday August 12th
I’ve cunningly planned London meetings so that they are all within walking distance of my hotel. Wonder again how many thousands of pounds are wasted every minute in people getting around London. High time several Ministries and public departments were re-located to the regions: loads of money saved, better quality of life for workforce and government closer to the people it’s meant to serve – what’s not to like?
First meeting with my speaking agent – I’ve been on the after-dinner/compering circuit for nearly 30 years which is why I look like this. Can’t find said agent – perhaps he’s a secret agent. Eventually catch up – he was waiting in the wrong hotel reception. As was I – if we had brains we’d be dangerous.
Next an excellent meeting with a Scottish contact regarding rolling out our programme aimed at boosting presentation skills in young people. The idea came from several of our clients where we work in media training and presentation skills – they were convinced that many young people missed out on life chances because of skills lacking in this area. Business partner Wendy and I ran a pilot scheme for 600 youngsters in the North East last year – and it worked like a dream (the finalists are pictured here). Another key priority for new government: giving young people (15 year olds) the tools to succeed – and the aspiration to want to.
Thursday August 13th
Wake up to the papers and media full of Alan Duncan’s comments on rations for MPs. This story has legs and will have run on by the time you read this, so I’ll say nowt for now. Except – getting the image of the Conservative Party and its MPs right is crucial. There is still a belief in some parts that all Tories are rich, detached toffs. I’m pretty non-typical. My late dad worked in local shipyards and I grew up on a disadvantaged estate in Hartlepool, though I didn’t know it at the time. There are plenty like me, so we need to make sure the voting public sees the full mix.
Back home at 2.30pm and then a meeting with my local printer. We’re putting together a book called The Wright Stuff – a compilation of my newspaper columns. Fellow Lord’s Taverner Bill Tidy has kindly offered to supply some of his brilliant cartoons. Profits are going to be shared between a range of great local charities and we hope to have it out well in time for the Christmas market. I think I’ll start to call Brian my publisher rather than my printer. Then I can say I’ve had meetings with my agent and publisher in the last few days – my mum and dad would have been chuffed.
Friday August 14th
Drive into town including a pop into Tesco. My wife always says it takes an hour for me to buy a loaf because I know everybody. With over 20 years on BBC local radio, the newspaper column and now being a PPC (for over a week!) my supermarket trolley becomes a mobile speaker’s corner – excellent! One gentleman gives me a few quotes which are straight into the memory bank. He’s now retired (and knew my dad) and tells me that he’s going to vote Conservative for the first time in his life.
He’s a sharply intelligent, life experienced and a very well read man. He tells me that sub-prime Minister Mandelson’s return to government was the final straw for his Labour affiliation – and he’s not the only one. He quotes the final pages from Animal Farm when Orwell brilliantly describes the scene where the bemused animals can no longer tell the difference between the pigs and the humans. In my BBC Radio days, I had the exclusive interview with the then Hartlepool MP each time he resigned in disgrace. I’ll happily pop back into the studios for an hour when the third one is needed – perhaps the Rothschilds will supply a satellite link to Corfu?
Saturday August 15th
Meeting first for the Cleveland Fire Support Network, where I chair the Board of Trustees. It’s a pilot scheme (along with Merseyside) to get the voluntary sector to work alongside firefighters on home fire safety visits etc – this has saved many, many lives already. We are planning our Awards Evening for next month with old friend Jeff Stelling, of Sky Sports, due to co-compere.
Then on to Hartfield Retirement Village just around the corner from me. I work a few days a month on their business development and this place is superb, led by main partner the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust. I’ve watched it since it was a construction site and I feel like a proud parent as I show visitors around. It’s the kind of place you and I might like to retire to – vibrant, high quality and the best around – with top quality restaurant, gym, bar, shops – you name it. We are also planning an Awards Night for November to celebrate great work for people aged 50+ in Hartlepool. A flash of inspiration while jogging, we are calling it the Silver Stars Awards. To my surprise, the name wasn’t registered – it is now.
Finished just in time for my beloved Hartlepool United to take on Charlton Athletic in League One. Such a great week can’t possibly end in disappointment can it? Yes it can – we lost 2-0...
Last week's Diary was written by Caroline Righton, PPC for St Austell and Newquay.