Placing more election flag boards in key Southoe sites and back to do more canvassing in Little Paxton before driving over to Southoe Parish Assembly where sitting councillor Jeanette Green was also there and I was invited to talk about the benefits of local representation. The government has had to make major concessions on the Social Security side of the Finance Bill to secure support from their own back-benchers and 250 strike-breaking sailors are being flown over to Holland to try and bring the P&O ferries back as the strike hurts the company now that Hull, Dover and Folkestone are all hit by the troubles.
Slept a little better last night, but my ribs were still sore and I had trouble turning over. Awoke to my morning tea and got slowly up, showered and shaved, interrupted by the two girls, who wanted to come and see me. Breakfast on my own, after the others had finished, and then I got the Range Rover loaded with more election boards and drove off to place them – 1 in Lakefield Avenue, and then two placed one at each side at the corner of Lees Lane, where it adjoins the A1, to welcome people to the village. Back home then and I let the ducks out and set off for an hour’s canvassing before lunch. I tackled the end of Gordon Road and Park Side and found a few of the ‘outs’ and ‘undecideds’ in and willing to support me. Lunch and then I mowed the games lawn, as rain was expected. I was glad I did ‘cause, as I canvassed later, the rain began to pour and got steadily heavier, until we were awash by this evening. After tea and tending the ducks, I drove over to Southoe Village Hall for the Parish Assembly. I was later invited to talk to the few people there and emphasised the role of an attentive District Counsellor and extolled the benefits of local representation.
Miss Jeanette Green was there too and spoke about the (non) progress on the key outstanding issues affecting the village. The news today was of the government making major concessions on its new Social Security payments, so that it managed tonight to secure its back-bench support on the Finance Bill. Outright conflict is now raging between the seamen’s union and the ferry companies. Mass pickets stop the ferries sailing and now a strike breaking force of 250 men has been flown over to Holland to try to bring a number of ships home to tackle the void. Now Hull, Dover and Folkestone are all hit by the troubles. More cloud and showers forecast for tomorrow.