Campaign Diary: Gather The Nominations While Ye May

Each candidate for a Parliamentary Election needs to be proposed and seconded plus gather the assent of 8 other individuals living in the constituency. While some parties may do this as a quick grab the first ten activists they can I think this is a time for a little bit of personal time with the members or supporters of the party that are going to sign.

It is a change of pace. When you are out canvassing you generally want to find out a few basic answers and more on to the next door. When you are delivering you tend to have checked out the location of the next letter box on your way up to the one you are delivering, and then are folding the next one as you make your way between them. With getting nominations there is time for a chat, sometimes a cup of tea (although best only to accept at alternate houses) and for the member to engage with you as isn't always possible in party events.

They get one (or two) on one time with you, and you do get a little bit of time to relax. Although you sometimes find yourself answering policy questions that you had voted on at some point in the last few years that are now in the manifesto.

It was time well spent though and I'm sure the members appreciated me finding out how they were and them being able to ask how the campaign was going. A temporary slowing down from the frenetic pace that the next 4 weeks have in store.


However, that was Thursday and now it is all go, go, go again. I own 4 clipboards, one is set up for canvassing, one for hustings, one has the paperwork for the council, the other is the diary, to do list and contact details. I generally have two of them on me at any one time, sometimes three.

Campaign Diary: The Leader, The Press and The Poster

Today was one of those days that will be easier once the Bathgate to Airdrie extension in completed later this year. The word had gone from Andrew Reeves for us all to available at 9:30 this morning for the launch of the Scottish campaign for the general election. For me that means either going into Edinburgh and out or hoping on the X14 bus at 7:20 to head into Buchanan Street. I took the first option, it is quicker, even the time for mishap is smaller. So I planned on the bus hoping the M8 wasn't too congested this morning.

Last night while many of us were out campaigning we got the details sent to us. We were to turn up at Pacific Quay, Glasgow. For those of you who don't know that is the location of the new headquarters for both BBC Scotland and Scotland Television; in other words the hub of the Scottish television world. We were to be joined by Tavish Scott, Charles Kennedy and the leader Nick Clegg himself. The event was to unfurl the new poster campaign.

And what a campaign it is. Yeah a little bit retro but hoisting the Tories by a petard of their own previous making.



The Tories are actually going to increase your tax burden by £389 in VAT. Because of course George Osborne’s great idea, possibly while in the bathroom, on the eve of the chancellors debate was to half Labour’s future increase in National Insurance. He's going to have to pay for it somehow. No doubt in another of his trips to the bathroom he came up with that eureka moments.This is against the Liberal Democrat promise to rise the personal allowance for income tax to £10,000, lifting 3.5 million of the poorest paid out of tax altogether and giving people £700 back.

The Liberal Democrats tax cut is paid for by closing many of the loopholes that allow the richest to pay proportionately less than the cleaner in their offices on minimum wage, green taxes on polluters. The other thing about National Insurance and VAT is that they are regressive taxes which affect the poorest far more than the richest. Income tax being a progressive system an be made fairer to the poorest by differential tax rates or raising the limit at which they start paying it. Currently you get taxed on the £6746th pound you earn. Something that Alistair Darling didn't increase in his budget last month. Something that the Conservatives didn't notice until long after Nick Clegg had mentioned it in the debate; if only they’d been bothered to stay in the chamber to listen.

However, back to the event, before his arrival the press core that was travelling with Nick turned up, including that other Nick, Mr Robinson. Then from around the corner Nick and Charles headed towards Tavish who greeted him. Then with a parting of the press core the trio strode towards where we candidates were waiting next to the billboard. Nick said a few words and there were press questions to him often as one on ones at various locations around the area. The first journalist to actually come up to the hoard of Scottish candidates for Nick Robinson, his opening words were you’re just standing here getting ignored. He then went to grab his overcoat, while he joked about him being a soft southerner. Of course Nick Robinson is from the north, just the north that is south of Scotland.

There were a few press pictures as Nick came back to us to wish us luck and say his goodbyes, for now, then by the time our commitment was over, I’d missed one X14 back to Bathgate but had time to do a delivery for Katy Gordon in Glasgow North before catching the next bus. See even when your transport arrangements get messed up there is still a time, a place, a fellow candidate who is more than willing to use your services.

So home for a quick lunch before heading out unto the streets of Linlithgow.

Scottish Lib Dem Campaign is Lauched

Speaking before today's official launch of the Scottish Liberal Democrat election campaign, UK Party Leader Nick Clegg said that the Liberal Democrats are offering real change for Scotland on the 6th May.

Nick Clegg said:

"In this election, the choice for Scots is clear.

"Vote for Liberal Democrats who will bring about real change and build a fairer Scotland.

"Or stick by a failing Labour Party that long since abandoned you.

"The SNP cannot make a difference at Westminster, and in Scotland the Tories aren't in the game.

"But the Liberal Democrats are set to make gains across Scotland.

"We start this election second only to Labour and we have them in our sights.

"Fairer taxes, political reform, a sustainable economy. This is the change we offer Scotland."

As for me I'll be through at the launch now (Yes this blog post has been post dated) look out for me on the news coverage.

Dear Auntie...Yours Disgusted of Bathgate

I've just sent this off the following to the BBC complaints department.

I am disgusted to learn that the BBC has chosen not to show the DEC appeal.

If such charities as British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Help the Aged, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, and Save the Children cannot be trusted to make an impartial appeal I doubt that the BBC is truly as impartial as it wishes to appear.

I use the BBC sources as one of the top party political bloggers and often link through to news on you site. I will be refusing to do RSS feeds and various Twitter updates. I shall be obtaining my news for use on my blog from other sources until the DEC appeal is shown on the channel my taxes help fund.

I urge you do a number of things.

Write and complain to the BBC, this can be done via their website.

Sign the online petition.

I encourage you to join the Facebook Group The BBC has refused to run the Gaza appeal on TV - help change its mind

If you are a fellow blogger, don't use BBC sources in you blogging until this is overturned. Advise the BBC of this in you complaint.

If you use Twitter and Follow any of the BBC News Tweeters unfollow from them. At the time of my unfollowing there were 10,022 followers of @bbcbreaking. This is a visable number to us and the BBC of just how widespread the feelings against this decision.

Last week the web lobby managed to apply pressure on Gordon Brown over MPs expenses. This week we appear to be asking the BBC to be humane.