More canvassing on a pleasant sunny day but with the cold breeze a hazard as we make good progress in Southoe as well as Paxton and local efforts will now be put into Eaton Socon and Priory wards as our victory seems assured here. My swimming pool clearing slowly after my work on it. An emergency debate in the House of Commons over changes to the state benefits system and new more-enforceable driving offences are being created
Slept better, but am tired through a succession of late nights and needing more sleep. Let Diana have the Range Rover to go to Cambridge today and I stayed behind to do some more canvassing. Francis Williams didn’t turn up, but Joe Wilcox did and we did some good work up St James Road & Elm Close. Home very tired to make my own salad lunch and then I lay on the sofa in the lounge and napped a while, I was so tired. Later on I went out to the summer house with today’s paper and read it. Then I called Nigel and went over to see him for an hour before tea. He is recovering from his accident, but seems very preoccupied with his work and may be moving towards another problem, if he does not ease up.
Spoke to Charles Frost, the conservatory man, today and agreed the go-ahead for the work to be done. Tea, the ducks and doves, and then the evening canvassing. I was helped by Peter While and Michael Pope tonight. I set the remaining ‘Park’ roads for Peter, went round Beeson Close with Michael and then left him to Gordon Close etc, whilst I went over to Southoe and did some more canvassing there. Met a few people, including another couple of the Parish Councillors, and then sat down and talked to Malcolm Haslop, my main contact there, about policies for the village. Returned back after 9.00pm for a meeting with the others to review our progress. Now that we are running away with Paxton, we will try to finish off the canvassing in the next week then put more effort into Eaton Socon District Ward and Priory St Neots Town Council Ward, where we may also do well. The meeting finished late, but in good heart. The news is still centred on the hijack and today a plan was agreed to allow 12 hostages off of the plane in return for the aircraft being prepared for a journey to Algiers. In the Commons the Speaker has granted an emergency debate on the changes to the state benefits system, which decision puts the government under more pressure than it has been for some time. There are to be changes in the motor driving laws, to replace the unenforceable charge of ‘reckless’ driving with ‘very bad’ driving, to lead to more prosecutions of atrocious drivers. The weather today was pleasant, with a hot sun, but a cold breeze, reminded us that the chilly weather is not yet over. The swimming pool is gradually clearing.