Long and Winding Road to Moray

Yesterday I rose early to head into Edinburgh to catch a coach to Moray by Election HQ in Moray. Amongst the other travellers on the coach was fellow Lib Dem Blogger Alex Cole-Hamilton. So a merry band made their way north, picking up more at Willie Rennie's office taking the 4 hour trip up to Elgin from Edinburgh.

Shortly after we entered Moray we saw our first sign of election activity a Mary Scanlon poster in a farmers field. This was just a picture of Mary and her name but somebody had rather helpfully grafettied on 'Is a Tory, they had also added devils horns, trident and a tale. Slightly further along we can across another of Mary's poster with the same additions to the picture but this time the words 'Is Still a Tory'.

Finally after leaving at 8am from Edinburgh we reached Linda Gorn's campaign HQ just before midday. We were greeted at the door and sent straight back out to various locations for delivery. Being asked to try and get back for a walkabout with Linda and Charles Kennedy about 1:30. However, when we got back we were told there were enough people available for the walkabout and would we mind more delivery, of course not was the answer so off again. This time we were off to New Elgin just next to the High School. We managed to do third walk this time in the city centre before having to catch the return coach at 5:30.

But the reaction on the ground was interesting. The electorate are not concerned about the article in the Northern Scot many in fact know just how 'impartial' the paper has been in the past. Indeed the Northern Scot articles this week have made many people realise just what a threat the Liberal Democrats are to the Scottish Nationalists in this election. The SNP have apparently been talking about a two horse race while also saying that the Tory vote has imploded. So the electorate have been asking who is the second horse then.

Apparently the SNP candidate Richard Lochead is not best liked locally by many Nationalist sypsthisers and activists, the Labour campaign is basically non-existant and Mary Scanlon apart for trying to avoid mentioning that she is the conservative candidate is still reeling after last weeks revelations.

So what will happen on Thursday? Obviously the only poll that matters is what goes into the ballot boxes but it is looking too close to call. The next five days are vitally important, it is possible that two blobs of Lib Dem gold will be linked up on the electoral map come the early hours of Friday morning.