Bringing in the big hitters

I am quite delighted to announce that Ken Clarke, the Shadow Business Secretary, visited me in the constituency today!

You can see the link on the North East Somerset Conservative site here.

Then, as proof if proof were needed. The picture:

I apologise for the fact that the picture is so small. I assure you it is decidedly NOT because, as many Lefties would be all too quick to point out, because we were afraid of getting caught out using my office helpers as crowd fillers.

No doubt it has something to do with technical issues and Conservatives not mixing.

Problems with posters

I have no idea why Tory posters are so susceptible to being vandalised or mocked, but it seems now that even my own posters are no longer safe.

Posters have cropped up around North East Somerset over my own signposts. Imagine, me, of all people, being spoofed. It is utterly unforgivable.

Click on the image to see it in full view. It rudely says “Don’t get Mogged on May 6th”.

I tell you now, cease and desist!

The One Man Army

I have been unable to get back into writing the blogg until now, because at last, over the past few days I was permitted to venture out of the house and into the constituency.

Even better has been the fact that over the weekend I participated in some media debates, on the Politics Show West on Sunday, and then just afterwards a special segment on Radio Bristol. Any fans of yours truly will have seen my performance and been quite impressed. In fact, I finally got a call from Tory head Office, and they were so pleased with the way that I had remembered all my lines and kept to what I was told to say, I was even allowed to talk to the BBC, albeit under lock-and-key.  Go here to read it, Mr Barltrop kindly links back to this very blogg.

After all the fuss in the press, like the profile of me in the Times, and the numerous articles asking for my whereabouts, we were obliged to give this national interview to Channel 4.

You can see the clip below. There is a bit of guff about animal welfare or some such nonsense, so I advise you to hop along to my bit, which comes at 8:40:

You will probably have noticed that the difference between my segment, and those of the ghastly lefties is the style of campaigning. I am a one man army, so to speak, while the Labour candidate is off talking to constituents and the Lib Dem candidate is haunting the streets, I am slowly and quietly popping my leaflet through each letter box all by myself.

Admittedly, it is partly because my campaign does not have any money or donations, as I explained here and then again here and then partly because we do not have any volunteers. I shall go to the trouble of point out that it is not my fault. It is not as if all the Somerset Tories, (and do not forget that we control the local Council) have given up on me, or that they do not wish to be seen with me. It is just that most of the Tories here are somewhat too old and crusty to be sent wandering around the hills by themselves.

Far better to leave it all to me!

PS. I do actually know when Pheasant Season is. It’s from October to February; anybody knows that! I was just feigning ignorance for the sake of “not being a toff.”

Kraft: Capitalism at its best!

One of the most important issues facing the North East Somerset constituency, after my election of course, has been the inevitable closure of the Cadbury’s factory in Somerdale.

This is a leaflet, generously funded by Lord Ashcroft, that we sent around Somerset in Autumn 2009, in which I praise Kraft to the rafters for indicating its intent to keep Somerdale open:

In addition, here is what I said on the matter in September, as reported in the Bath Chronicle:

“As an investment professional, it seemed to me that the business case for closing Somerdale had never been properly worked out and the cost savings were phantasmagoric. That Kraft intends to keep it open vindicates this view. It shows capitalism at its best. Hostile takeovers are a warning against management complacency.”

The news release from which this quote was taken has actually been removed from my northeastsomersetconservatives.co.uk website, I cannot for the life of me think why. Perhaps my local Tories are less techno-savvy than the man who does my typing for me.

I knew all along the plant was totally worthless and there was no point keeping it open and I have been proven correct, and you have the evidence from September to show for it.

Of course, in Somerset I am all in favour of raising my future-constituents’ hopes, which have been dashed several times over already regarding the plant, so I did not believe one more time could hurt. As I result, I decided to change my tactics and have suddenly become critical of Kraft, on the face of it at least, for their misleading statements:

Here is the explanation provided by The Week In :

Instead of putting the matter to rest, I remain convinced that a little bit more posturing will help me squeeze a few more votes. Let us hope my apparent change of tune resonates in the voters’ ears!

Tags: Bath Chronicle, Cadbury, Keynsham, Kraft, Somerdale