No clouds and sunburn

Day 12: Anticyclone and no flying means not a cloud or vapour trail in the sky today. There is an unbelievable silence too with no Stanstead flights.
Clare and Cavendish are a great mix of old and new, big and small houses. Clare also gets first prize for best sandwich so far at the deli and cafe in the High Street. Interesting, how one farm with boards its fields can give a disproportionate feel!
The pub on the Green at Cavendish gets the prize for best pint on this tour of South Suffolk (please note probably first pint while out on doorstep but it was needed today!)
The Nick Clegg performance continues to be the first thing most on the doorstep mention. Nick has really set things alive. It is going to be an interesting 2 weeks still to go.

Street Lights outside bedroom windows

Day 11: Monks Eleigh is yet another treasure of South Suffolk with its community store and varied architecture. This is the morning after the night before, when the leaders debate occured.

Nick Clegg excelled and on the doorstep he has won by a mile and even non Lib Dem voters think it. Personally, I think, Cameron looked agitated, annoyed that it wasnt going well. Brown did better than probably people thought he would do but his attempts to say we'll reform, were rightly smacked down by Nick Clegg, by pointing out "so why did your MPs vote against recall of MPs who have done wrong?"

I think a chord has been struck. For 65years we've shifted between these 2 parties, its time for change that works for you.

Photo call this pm with 2 young women, I've been helping, who have homes on a new development where they go out and come back to find street lights erected by their bedroom windows. Just a bit of common sense and an odd metre here or there and there would be no issue. The streets are not adopted yet by the council so its getting the developer to shift them before the roads adopted.

By election day

Day 10: Little Waldingfield is a delight. A beautiful village close to Sudbury. The positive welcome continues but here immigration is a big issue but for some with a real anti European point of view. I wonder about the illogicality of one comment that they want no migrants here but they wish they could move to ....

Evening brings the Count for 2 by elections. We win in Great Cornard South with 41%, Cons 37% and Labour 22%. A Lib Dem gain from Con. Colin Wright will be an excellent councillor.
In Sudbury East, we lose to Independent Nicky Dixon (who will be excellent) but we get 47% which is a great performance by Oliver Forder.
That is 3 out of 4 wins in by elecctions in a month. The Tories are losing their grip.

Hold onto those balloons

Day 9: Market Hill, Sudbury might have been cold from a chilling wind but a warm welcome was received from shoppers on the whole. The odd Tory made their point which was usually funny, the team gave out balloons and leaflets and some good discussions were held. Non Sudbury members of the team came away very positive.

Next the BBC Breakfast crew were up to feature a behind the scenes look at a campaign. We'd organised a visit to then highlight the issues facing small businesses and the need for more vocational training. Little Cornard was used as its got a great range of academic and highly skilled craft workshops. We even gave them some electric guitar.

PS. Not exactly sure what Labour, Tory and UKIP offered but of no consequence as not using item an email tells me today.

Affordable Housing needed

Day 8 Labour should be worried. Today, lots of past Labour voters not going to vote. How could the Government and the body politic allow such disconnection. Yet, when I explained how the Lib Dems would reform politics with recalling MPs, PR and taking the big money out of politics, there was a resonance.
Join Parish councillors from Melford over their site to provide some affordable housing, problem Melford is over 3000 people so government rules do not allow exception sites outside boundary of built up area. This is crazy. We need affordable housing and labour isnt helping rural areas.

Most interesting comment of the day, goes to an elderly gentleman whose pearl of wisdom was, "what any government needs is a strong opposition." How true, how well can Parliament scrutinise the Government? And big majorities bring don't allow it.

Just when you think the piles are getting smaller!

Day 7: Leaflet piles have a tendency to spread across the floor and just when I thought real progress had been made and the carpet was really visible again, along came the next one. Getting to the kitchen is becoming like one of those sport exercises you see where you have to run on tip toe.

To the campaign. Half the day was lost taking youngest daughter to hospital for some jabs, she's going to do Childrens Nursing in September and the list of vaccinations before she starts is long!

Another friendly, warm welcome day on the new estates of Sudbury and I called into school to see a few of my students busy doing coursework and revision classes in the library during the Easter Holiday. I'm sure they'll get the payback with their grades.

Byelections on Thursday in Sudbury East and Great Cornard South. Results and turnout will be interesting.

Persuading the disillusioned to vote

Day 6: Do MPs realise what they have done? Today, has been one where people who need a voice feel they have no one to trust. As a new boy to this, it is shocking that people should be so disillusioned with politics. I had 3 good conversations with residents who weren't going to vote but by the end of listening to them, I had persuaded them it was their real chance to have their say. Democracy matters!
The public actually really like the idea of co-operation. Well done Vince and Nick for raising this on debt and deficit.
As one resident said today, big majorities are so dangerous.
Highlight of the day, a fellow (now retired) teacher offering to teach my classes so I could campaign more!