David A Broad
A personal story
More than 40 years, told day by day
A successful intervention at the Huntingdon Constituency meeting after some intensive conciliation efforts and secured their endorsement of the choice of Mark Rainer as candidate.
Then catching up with Diana to realise that problem was that our downstairs central heating valve had failed and had to be replaced but at least I was there in the afternoon so as show the fitter where the under-floor installations were.
The bid to sort out our neighbouring LibDem colleagues continued with meetings in the evening, but most of the day was clear for me apart from the host of telephone calls to and fro. I was late up and later still out with Sam and so let Diana go out shopping on her own whilst I got my chores out of the way.
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Sam had his longest walks for some time and enjoyed the experience immensely and I dropped by Robert Ward's house in Molesworth and found out what his plans were for his farm.
Then on this evening's meeting of the St Ives Liberal Democrats where I took the bull by the horns and laid out the planned basis of the campaign, inviting the key protagonists to join the organising group for a short chat.
The dog got his longest walks for some time and enjoyed the experience immensely. He now enters water without question and the dummy-holding practice is beginning to pay dividends as he now picks them up correctly.
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I was still tired after the week but carried gamely on with my journal and being political advisor to this new enlarged HDC LibDem group. we had the early morning spectacle of Debbie's guests Tabby and Jo joining her for a swim which was quite amusing.
I was also becoming advisor for the neighbouring St Ives by-election planning, planning to attend their branch meeting to help reconcile warring factions.
This was nothing compared with another huge row has broken out in the Tory party in the wake of their humiliation in the local elections and, with the Euro Elections coming soon, they are in complete disarray.
I was still tired after the week but carried gamely on with my journal, completing the belated updates by late afternoon. Debbie's party friends had a picnic tea and were up late last night swimming by the light of the pool floodlight and then again this morning before leaving for home.
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Celebrating Debbie's 15th birthday with her old favourites friends Jo, Zoe and Tabby but, as it was raining, we could not go to Wickstead Park. Diana took them to lunch and then left them at the cinema for the afternoon.
They were then at home, eating and swimming and watching videos in the evening and out late in the garden by floodlight swimming in the pool again but then we had the worry of Daniel's friends being in the house with four nubile and overactive 15-year-olds!
The news is of terrible ructions in the Conservative Party about the chance of a leadership election to replace John Major and all this in the run up to the Euro Elections in June.
I was very tired when woken this morning but got showered and then dressed in my dressing gown in time to join the family late for breakfast. It was the day we were celebrating for Debbie's 15th birthday, and she started it by opening all of her cards and presents and she had got some good ones too!
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The election aftermath catching up with walking and training Sam and noting that the farmer opposite has chopped down and grubbed out a number of the mature willows in Mill Meadow which was a shame.
Then some time writing up our election results as a news release and then eventually along to Sally's to agree the copy, get my things together, copy across data files and dismantle my computer for carrying home.
Then counselling Terry Clough on the wisdom of not standing against Terry Hayward on the parish council but instead making his peace and getting assurances that they will restart with a new and better relationship.
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A very successful District Council Polling Day, organising our helpers at the polling stations and committee rooms and thankfully moving away "Cambridge Cable", who had decided to set up shop right outside Sally's house and were about to dig up the road!
I had to clear the computer room to get some room but there sat Louise and later Ross McKay which surprised me. and, when Louise stormed off and burst into tears as a result! As the feedback came in, I was reviewing the figures from Priory (which was getting our supporters out quite well) and from Buckden where Derek and Terry's team were really cooking and gelling with a willing band of helpers.
By late afternoon a good system was in place everywhere else and I realised that Louise had not been around her own three polling stations so, feeling bad about leaving her to it earlier, I made a point of taking her to all three in turn so that she could go in and thank the polling officers.
The results soon came and we had retained Sally's Priory Park by a mile, Percy's Offords comfortably and beaten Tory Terry Hayward out of sight. Poor Louise did well in a non-target seat but, as expected, did not come very close to winning.
LibDem Jane Brine beating Tory Council Chairman, Joyce Day in Sawtry and this was added-to later when I found out that dissident St Ives activists Ron Heinrich and Stuart Littlewood had got Charles Looker in for us in Godmanchester. Our seats were therefore up from 8 to 11, the Tories down from 39 to 36 and Labour the same at 4
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