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 Alex Story, who has been candidate for Wakefield since June 2007. Aside from having represented Britain at the Olympics as a rower, Alex has worked as a financial journalist and an investment banker. Although Wakefield has not elected a Conservative MP since the 1930s, favourable boundary changes mean that Alex now requires a swing of 8.8% to overturn the notional Labour majority which will be defended by the Labour MP, Mary Creagh.
Friday 14th August
Arrived in Wakefield on the 10am train for a meeting with my agent. The Alan Duncan story is running its course and the public aren’t in the mood for anything that sounds like MPs being unremorseful. And neither should they be. They make life on the doorstep immensely difficult at times because they can’t sensibly be defended.
Our meeting at the Wakefield party's Zetland Street HQ mainly involves dealing with mail and the inevitable glut of conference fringe invitations. By afternoon we are out on the street in Crigglestone with a few activists for a canvassing session. We have been doing this for over two years now and we really enjoy it. It never ceases to amaze me how much we learn from people.
At 7pm we are back at Zetland Street for a meeting with local councillors about how the campaign is going in their individual wards and how resources will be used over the remainder of the campaign. It goes well and there is general agreement. By 9pm we are in “Harry’s Bar”, the Real Ale drinking HQ of the Wakefield campaign team. I can’t really drink too much as I have a half marathon to run in eleven hours time...
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