On Thursday we spent the whole day canvassing - St Austell Bay, Foxhole, Quintrell Downs and Crantock. As always it is so good to get out and meet people and listen to their concerns. Its wonderful just how engaged so many people are in this election. The national press keep telling us that the general public is just not engaging and are disinterested – well as is often the case, this part of Cornwall is quite different.
Friday, as usual, started with our campaign team meeting and then off to Newquay for more canvassing. One of the unwritten rules is that you shouldn’t knock on any doors until after 9am. However, in my eagerness I knocked on the first door and then noticed, when it was too late, that it wasn’t quite 9 o’clock. I was quite relieved to find the person had been up surfing since 6am and was more than happy to talk.
Mid-morning we stopped for brunch at Andy’s Café in East Street (recommended!) for a break. Some people noticed my rosette and a small crowd quickly gathered and we had a great time sat out in the sun talking about the real issues of this campaign.
Then we headed for St Dennis and as usual the main topic for discussion was the incinerator. Again I was able to confirm my support for the fight against this proposal. I will be speaking in support of the local people to the public inquiry this coming Wednesday.
We started the day on Saturday in Newquay where I called into the golf club. It reminded me that it is over a year now since I last played golf. I imagine that few MPs get time for a regular round either so I guess this something I will hopefully have to get used to – I'm not very good anyway and apart from it being something I could do with Mark and the boys, secretly think its a good walk spoiled if like me, you spend most of the time hunting for balls in the rough.
We then set off for Roche in the campaign bus. As we were heading down the A30 some people in a lay-by flagged us down, so we pulled over. It was a group of people from Par who were there supporting their friend, Dave Atkinson,
who is cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats to raise funds for the Haiti orphans. You can donate to Dave's campaign through JustGiving at - http://www.justgiving.com/David-Atkinson0 They pledged their support for my campaign which was great.We had a great response from people in Roche, but we experienced one of the issues that concerned many of them first hand. The traffic through the village was heavy and fast and we took our lives in our hands a few times as we went door to door. This is something I will look to address with the police and local councilors.
We headed back To Kingsley village for lunch and a meeting with Shadow Minister Nick Herbert - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. I was delighted to show him around and introduce him to David Simpson, one of the owners. Nick was amazed at the range of local produce. It is an example of all that's best about Cornwall, which our policies for rural communities will continue to nurture. The Conservative Party have pledged to return power to rural communities and make sure they get fairer funding, as well as help our fishermen and small farms and local food producers, give incentives for rural business growth, bring in clearer food labeling to clearly show where food is from and support initiatives that improve the natural environment.Then it was off to some Park Home sites near Mevagissey where I heard, not for the first time, the issues residents have with services and rentals. This is clearly a growing problem for people who live in these communities and something I want to look further into if elected.
The day finished with a refueling stop at St Austell's biggest hostelry and then the team hit the streets in the Gover Valley area of St Austell. We knocked on one door just as Doctor Who was on TV – this gave me the chance to shamelessly mention my eldest son Ben's claim to Dr Who fame as an actor in the series.
Sometimes it can be difficult to know how effective all the literature we send out is, so it is especially encouraging when people respond to let us know they have read our leaflets. I have had lots of emails telling me how much people are appreciating the fact that I am not engaging in negative campaigning but simply stating my case and what I stand for. An example of the many emails I'm receiving along these lines is this extract below, from a Newquay couple.
Hello Caroline,
Just a quick message to wish you well for the coming election.
My wife and I have, rather ashamedly, not voted for over 16 years, but feel inspired and compelled to this time around, mainly as a result of various difficulties the Country, and us as a family, are facing.
We have decided we will be giving you our vote of support, with a big part of this being down to the positive nature of all your locally focused literature......... I find myself getting frustrated at Lib Dem's wish to always criticise opposition and them also banging on about being the "local" choice...whatever that's meant to mean in a County that has so many people moving in and out.
So....Good luck and fingers crossed.
On Sunday I tried again to spend the day relaxing, catching up on household chores and doing some therapeutic cooking.
However, I did spend time planning the week ahead – the campaign is now gathering pace and I look forward to keeping you informed of everything that will be happening in the final 17 days!
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