April 13: Citizen Cameron and Power to the People....
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There's no denying a sense of
guarded optimism among Kent's prospective parliamentary candidates
about their prospects on May 6.
During a visit to Aylesford's Royal
British Legion village - in the heart of the marginal Chatham and
Aylesford constituency - where a jovial shadow defence secretary
Liam Fox helped launch the party manifesto after
its national launch, I caught up with a few of the candidates and
detected that they are feeling pretty good about their chances of
ousting Labour.
Mind you, you'd be hard pressed to get
an of them to admit as much in public - being bullish about
winning is not something candidates are ever advised to do. (But
they do repeat the mantra "we're not complacent")Part of the reason
they are upbeat is what they see as the lack of any real Labour
activity in their target seats.
Still, at least the veteran county
councillor Keith Ferrin, who is helping mastermind
the Kent Conservative campaign, was characteristically upfront and
said he was confident of a clean sweep on May 6 in Kent. He tried
to entice me into a bet but I declined.
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Not since Wolfie
Smith, the anti-establishment Trotskyist revolutionary of
1970s comedy TV sitcom "Citizen Smith" has the slogan "Power To The
People" been invoked with so much conviction by a political
party.
But will voters be enticed by David
Cameron's offer to voters to be part of government and take a role
in running schools, parts of the NHS and other public services?
I'm not sure talk to any school and
they'll tell you they have the devil's own job to recruit parent
governors but the Conservatives aim is to tap into public
disaffection and frustration with the state and their apparent
inability to do things for themselves.
I also think there's a problem about
the vested interests of some groups who might choose to get
involved and do so only to pursue a particular agenda or because
they have an axe to grind.
Still, there are some eye-catching
ideas not least allowing residents to veto council tax rises.
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Campaign quote of the day: "Don't say
goodbye Gordon, say goodbye Brown!" Gordon Henderson, prospective
Conservative parliamentary candidate for Sittingbourne and Sheppey,
appeals to his colleagues not to blight his campaign as they
gather for a photocall and are urged to shout out the phrase.
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The Conservative manifesto has been
printed in hardback with the appearance of an old classic novel or
one of those retro books that are so popular now, like "Dangerous
Activities for Boys."
It's certainly a twist on the normal
glossy brochure we've become accustomed t and could explain why a
few people at today's event were queuing up to have theirs signed
by Liam Fox, who did so happily but with a certain look of
bewilderment as he scribbled his signature. Perhaps they'll become
collectors items. Or maybe not...
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Reh Christi sweeps up in his car
which, I note, has a large photo of the Gillingham prospective
parliamentary candidate prominently displayed on its
doors.
Very new Conservative and just a touch
brash and clearly not to everyone's taste, it seems. "Who would
want to put a photo of themselves on their car?" asks one who can
scarcely contain their distaste.
Tuesday, April 13 2010
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