After waking up feeling sore and stiff, before packing up an leaving for a General Election Planning Meeting at The Hotel Norwich which preached assessing resources and targeting before driving home and watching some evening television and seeing the situation in Yugoslavia defies all optimism and the separatist Croatians are being rapidly beaten into submission by the (Serbian) army with peace talks getting no chance
I slept very well in my bed at Heronshaw but then woke up feeling very stiff and sore after yesterday's efforts. I just shaved and dressed before serving myself some cereal, tea and apple juice and then started working on the computer again. This time I produced some draft objectives for the general election campaign ready for today's meeting and just managed to do so and get the Range Rover packed up in time to leave for the Hotel Norwich. On arrival, I found a long queue for registration on what turned out to be a very well-attended and successful event.
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I had taken along a computer database and mobile filing case and so was well prepared for the day’s work. We first heard presentations on the importance of having credible campaign positions and then being realistic in what could be achieved to ensure that party workers would end up coming out of the campaign with motivating accomplishments rather than disillusionment. Then we were asked to assess our human resources in the realisation that each delivery round session can be some 200-250 addresses and that each canvass session can cope with about 50 electors so that only a certain number of wards can be targeted in the four weeks of the campaign. Next came the cycle of printing, batching and delivery dates and the other events that had to be achieved within the election month and finally, the costing of the plan and its presentation to another group for their reaction.
All this took until late afternoon and then I stayed on later to chat to Sue & Rick Sutton and Alicia, a new activist for the Huntingdon constituency. It was a pity that Sue missed the morning session as I would have liked her to have taken that lesson in the reality and practicality of the forthcoming campaign. The drive home to arrive at around 9.00pm, and to get the chance to unpack and to see the latest episode of our favourite TV programme, The Elliott Sisters. The situation in Yugoslavia defies all optimism and the separatist Croatians are being rapidly beaten into submission by the (Serbian) army with peace talks getting no chance. It was fine again today but the glass was falling quickly with rain expected.