- Details
Progress with my third and final election leaflet after a troubled night and back to canvassing in Southoe until the weather deteriorated later on. Unions helped enforce the NUS seamens’ picket line which prevented ferries leaving, the government have at last recognised that the new benefits system is underfunded by £100-300m and the massive fire at the Shropshire ordnance depot is still billowing smoke and spreading asbestos dust on neighbouring homes and gardens.
Had a troubled night, as my ribs prevented me from turning over and I was thrashing about for a while. In the end, Di moved to the spare room, so as she could get the rest at least. I checked with John Mathewman first thing and he had managed to get my A3 leaflet printed at last and he now intended to fold it this morning. I despatched Diana to collect the result during her visit to Cambridge this morning and I stayed at home. I started to tidy up my office etc, but the sun came out and the weather was milder this morning and so I resumed canvassing in Southoe. I had photocopied a larger batch of combined ‘out’ slips and reprints of my letter in last week’s Hunts Post and so I was not concerned about finding people out, as it was an effective leaflet drop for the ‘outs’ and ‘undecideds’. Home to lunch rather later than usual and I had to make myself a pork pie salad to eat. This afternoon, Mike Pope came to join me and we spent an hour and a half canvassing, before Di arrived with our supplies of our leaflets and we counted them out and packaged them up for 7 Little Paxton rounds and one further each in Southoe and Diddington. We then took off on our separate ways to get the results in the hands of the deliverers.
- Details
After nursing my painful side and bleeding hand overnight, I checked the flag-boards and then spent some more time canvassing Southoe and chatted to local families before calling back in Little Paxton to electors who had asked my canvassers for me to call. Thatcher’s Poll Tax Bill passes its third reading on the Commons and now only the Lords can stop it, The Uk might join the Euro-fighter project, P&O sacks the striking ferry workers and will field big trouble from other unions and huge MOD fire in Shropshire releases clouds of asbestos smoke with people warned to stay inside
I slept reasonably well considering my painful left side and bleeding hand. I awoke to find the sheet spotted, but nothing worse. Was up, showered and shaved in time for a cereal breakfast and the I used the bathroom etc and settled down in my office to start a morning’s work. Soon broke off to use the Range Rover to make a tour of the village to check on my election signs and then let Diana have its use whilst I went back and she went shopping. I read a backlog of local papers today and cut out the relevant press cuttings. Later I sorted out my canvass cards again and photocopied a number of things for my campaign. Lunch was of salad and then this afternoon, I made for Southoe to do some canvassing. I started in Lees Lane and had a good reception from the people there, before walking along to the top. There was the odd ‘Anti’ who had had a bad day and later apologised for his uncivil behaviour. Finally made my way along the High Street and met the Roberts who are related to the old Little Paxton Clarke and Robert families and we had quite a good chat about it. Thus late home to tea! After the cold wind of this morning, this afternoon was milder and better suited to canvassing.
- Details
Some time chatting to the Paper Mill security guards and agreeing the new security fence is ugly and then spending time on the games lawn, which is growing and maturing nicely before I had a nasty fall on the slipway, tending the ducks. Francois Mitterrand is now leading the French Presidential elections, with Jacque Chirac in second place, The US navy seems to be digging itself into a more open conflict with the Iranians in the Gulf. Chancellor Lawson has acknowledged the ‘unfortunate disagreement’ with the Prime Minister over exchange rates before the Budget and now the government’s managers are trying to head off a further back-bench revolt over the new rules for Social Security payments
A bit of a lay in this morning and I got showered and shaved long before Diana had the customary fried breakfast ready. I drove out to check my election posters – which were all intact – then had ten minutes to get a gallon of two-star petrol for the lawn mower before the meal. Unfortunately, I got way laid at Samuel James Island Mill, talking to the security guards over the question of this new oppressive security fence that spoils the view of the old brick mill from the Little Paxton approach road and the river. The men are dead against it as well and the workers now call the Mill ‘Stalag 5’. Home a half hour late for my breakfast, but I recovered the meal, if not Diana’s humour. Then the task of cleaning the Range Rover, which took most of the morning, what with the vacuum cleaning needed as a result of fetching the timber for the poster board repairs. Then I mowed the games lawn, which came up nicely and took just a single bin full of grass from the Atco Club. Less success with the main riverside garden lawn. I started to mow it with blades set high before lunch and then lower this afternoon and it was a pain. First the mower has too small a grass box anyway. Then the weedkiller/fertilizer (‘Toplawn’) has stimulated the grass growth and delayed cutting, so that it was a drag emptying the bin dozens of times.
- Details
Canvassing today in the blocks of flats due to the bitterly cold weather but this meant that I missed Michael Pope who wanted to help but failed to find me! On to Longsands College to join a meeting for the campaign ‘Doom’ pledged to fight the Priory Hill development. A Car bomb in Tripoli kills 52 people and South African Apartheid is under more pressure
Was awoken quite early by Daniella’s chilly hands, as she came in to say good morning. I took a long while showering and shaving and was quite late own to my breakfast of boiled duck egg (now cold). I got ready to go canvassing early to Southoe and set off, not realising that Michael Pope was due to help me. I found the cold wind too much for canvassing out in the open and so headed for the flats at Hayling Avenue, Davis Close and then Grove Court. It was thus that I avoided the disconcerting wind that put off any elector from keeping the door open long, but it threw Michael Pope entirely and he gave up finding me. Had a good chat with Ian James, an ex Comart/Byte Shop employee, who has since started up a training organisation in Grove House.