There will probably be some light blogging because the school holidays started last Friday. That evening we went to the Brooke School Carnival and enjoyed some good weather and dancing through the village.
We were lucky enough on Saturday to have Baroness (Gillian) Shephard speaking at a Norwich Conservatives Garden Party; we managed to dodge the rain and had some superb strawberries and scones. There was a large crowd and Gillian made it very clear that Gordon Brown had gone from the “great clunking fist” to a “great girls blouse” in just a year. She was in fiesty form and left the membership in great spirits for the upcoming elections.
On Monday I joined a group of campaigners at the Planning Committee site visit of the new City College Development. It was fascinating to see how the plans would look on the ground (thanks to some yellow paint) and also think about the height and density of the buildings. I still have grave concerns over the suitability of the eco-building given that it is in a conservation area and don’t feel it will blend into the community very well. The brillantly organised CRC campaign group will no doubt keep local people informed in a way that others have not.
I then went on to meet some residents regarding the parking situation on Dereham Road and had organised some council officers to meet them. There are so many different factors at play – not least who owns the highway that many of the ideas people have for dealing this situation aren’t possible. Most importantly we all agreed on the need to ensure safety and will be working hard to achieve this.
Tuesday night was Full Council night at City Hall, where we debated a Green motion on renewable energy, but the set piece event of the night was the administration’s review of the boundary commission’s report on unitary. I think that Steve Morphew actually managed to hit the right tone in his words, but LibDem Leader Brian Watkins seemed to go into full Churchill mode urging everybody to unite around the City. It was a bizarre piece of work and in the fullness of time Brian may regret his words.
Yesterday and today were family days; yesterday spent in Bury St Edmunds and today on the North Norfolk coast.
We are currently in the process of delivering a major city wide survey and I have a breakfast meeting to discuss our campaign tomorrow. Apologies if blogging is light in the days and weeks to come…
On Saturday morning I went to see the Sewell Toy Library, which operates out of the Christ Church Center in Magdalen Road. It was a pleasure to see in action – though my eldest did walk away with a deeply irritating piano – and there was a steady stream of people in and out. For a minimal cost, you can hire out toys and even play with a lot there and then. Knowing how fast my girls favourites come and go, this is a great way of ensuring they have something new to engage in every week. It is run with the help of 2 of the local – Labour – ward councillors and they and their team deserve a huge amount of praise for running a fantastic community initiative.
That afternoon we went on a fmily trip to try and collect as many “elephants” as we could around Norwich. One of the things you could never criticise Norwich City Council for is not putting on, or facilitating, enough free events for familiies in the City. We saw – at my count – roughly 27 of them. Emily enjoyed any with stripes on, although I was quite taken with the conceptual elephant on Millenium Plain outside of the BBC building. Emily literally kissed and hugged every elephant; a great afternoon in the sun.
Sunday morning we went out delivering leaflets in Eaton for our newly re-selected local candidate Niall Baxter. Niall ran one of the most amazing campaigns I have ever witnessed and no candidate could have worked harder. Niall is really well known around the ward now and I am thrilled he is to carry on working for local people; he added 4% to the Tory vote and made Eaton a real fight for the first time in years.
Yesterday and this evening we’ve spent the time putting the finishing touches to my parliamentary campaign team and writing our next leaflet and survey. Later in the week I am visiting a community group and meeting with the organisers of a youth football team. Busy, but enjoyable; so the hour I got asleep in the garden this afternoon because I was locked out was total pleasure!
Armed only with four gallons of water and a vat of suncream, we all headed to the Garden Show at the Norfolk Show Ground this morning. The weather knocked both of the girls out (pretty much) although Emily shot back into life when she saw a giant flower that you plugged into the garden tap and it squirted randomly around the place a high volume stream of water. Unfortunately, after parting with a fiver, we got home and the damn thing exploded at the plug end and the flower ended up drooping with a disappointing dribble coming out of one end. I felt rather more crushed than Emily, who soon moved on to the next fad, but it played on my mind for the rest of the day.
The show was very, very good and was incredibly diverse; more than just plants, equipment and garden furniture, it also included charities and community groups from around the City and I enjoyed the chance to talk to some of the organisers and businesses about how they views the current situation. Many spoke about increasing burden of red tape, from all quarters including national and local government, and the fact that such problems put people off volunteering.
One advantage of having fought the parliamentary seat before and having a high profile in local government is people knowing who you are and coming over to chat. That was helped today but a rather flattering piece about me in the EDP and also a letter in the Evening News which dug down deeper into the election results which showed the strenght of the Tory vote in Norwich.
We then came home to clear up the garden and set up the kids toys; sadly after about 5 minutes my back went and I was forced to watch my poor, long suffering, wife did all the work (!!!) although I never get away with it for long.
This evening, up until this blog post, I have spent writing our “thank you” leaflets and rather splended they look too.
By 8.30 this morning I was at the Norwich City Council Group Leader’s Meeting – I wish I could say more, but the issues involved are largely confidential – but it is a method by which all the players on a hung council can work together constructively and honestly; it usually works. This morning was a long one and we seemed to go round and round a bit followed by deciding on a volley of reports.
By this afternoon I was at a Norfolk Conservatives Meeting; a forum by which senior representatives of the party can get together and work together constructively and honestly; it usually works. This meeting was, too, a long one.
If you spend a long time in politics, sometimes you leave meetings and wonder what you did when you were then and what was actually achieved. No, come on, we’ve all been in them.
In between these two meetings I did achieve something; a very tricky housing problem that took a great deal of time and a visit to the Customer Service Centre at City Hall. It took a while, but we got a result – a decision that will make a great difference to the life of one family. I thought little of it at the time but as I sit back blogging tonight, and wonder what I did today it was this act that stood out.
I got back home to spend a few hours in the sunshine with the girls …
In what was meant to be an aside to the launch of the Tory families policy, the political story has appeared to move onto the decision of Leader David Cameron to invite the ITN cameras into his home to film the family at work and play (read more ). Actually I believe this can only add to the news coverage of what are set to be an excellent set of policies.
So should Cameron have done this? Undoubtably the answers is that this is a personal choice. Tony Blair played the family card really well and benefited; clearly Brown isn’t going to, and thats his choice. I actually think Cameron is right about one thing – the British public want to know what makes him “tick” and if we are to have this man as our next Prime Minister we’d want to know more about the kind of man he is.
I have never used my wife or family on any party political campaigning (although we did get our picture in the paper when Emily was born – a media hit that wasn’t reproduced for Olivia, may I add) but I do talk about my children both on this blog and on the doorstep – because they shape who I am and what my political beliefs are. People ask if I have a family and I always reply to them, normally in gushing terms!
Louise is ultra-shy when it comes to publicity and politics; she married me, not my career. She stays out of everything; occassionally coming with me to a fundraiser or even but her focus in life is being a great mum and a great teacher. She isn’t a trophy Tory-wife and I don’t expect her to fawn by my side at events and suchlike. If she ever chose to get involved, I’d support her, but I don’t think it’s likely! She supports me 110% – by keeping my feet on the ground, telling me when I’m being an idiot and occassionally smacking me with reality. That’s more important to me than anything else.
So, if Samantha Cameron was fine by it then why shouldn’t Cameron open his doors to the news, and thus by extension the nation? That’s what personal choice is all about; I may not do it, but I admit I was fascinated by the news coverage.
We’ve had a great day in our house and I am rather pleased to say that Louise had no idea what we had planned for her in the morning!
After the complusory lie-in and breakfast in bed (at which she wasn’t prepared for a two-girl fight over a pain-au-choc – Emily won, but Olivia gave as good as she got) came the present. Now Daddy really wanted to buy Mummy a smoothie maker, but as he has foolishly promised a nearly-3-year-old that she could choose, Mummy instead got a …
… toy sweet shop. Well, the shop was a toy but the sweets were very much real. Emily loves playing shop – she has a great imagination – but Olivia seemed to be more into shoplifting than paying for her goods. Oh well …
Then after this I managed to completely pull the wool over her eyes by arranging a surprise lunch at a new restaurant in the City, complete with family and friends on standby. Louise was totally stunned; more so for the fact she almost managed to walk past everyone she knows! The food was amazing and service very good; the restaurant was heaving and I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere that busy in a long time – but newly opened restaurants and Mother’s Day seems to attract a lot of people! Then from there, back to ours…
A really fun day out; the girls have been non-stop so we’re both shattered. Now settling down for an evening working on election material. A great end to a great day!
We’ve had a weekend away (aside from an interview with on the Congestion Charge and with the about city council finances) to celebrate my Dad’s 60th birthday. Needless to say there was a surprise party – photos and a brilliant video of my half-cut father trying to pay tribute to his family but failing miserably to come – and a fantastic night of eating, drinking and dancing. Emily was the star of the show and did a turn in her new spotty party dress; Olivia slept through most of it. This morning we went out, just the immediate family, for a meal at a new local French restaurant and then headed back to Norwich. This evening I have been working on some events and publicity for the new Norwich CF and writing to all those people who against the Congestion Charge.
Louise recieved a letter yesterday confirming that our details were amongst the 25million lost by the govenrment last week.
This is staggering incompetence, although we have become used to such things from this government. When we signed up to receive Child Benefit we were assured of the safety of the data we were providing.
Getting a letter from HMRC that tried to reassure us has done the opposite. I have no faith that the discs are still on government property and am still having to monitor our bank account very closely.
Gordon Brown has heaped pressure after pressure on HMRC, making them perform more tasks on a smaller budget. The Chancellor has proved he is no “safe pair of hands” either. There are a lot of questions that need answering.
Families, like mine, from across Norwich will not forget this blunder for a long time to come.
Sorry – I had to use a terrible Firework pun sometime! Yesterday we hosted our first firework party at home, so much time was spent digging holes and making tubes from which to fire rockets. Sausages were burnt (I mean, cooked), beer was drunk and enough high explosive to ensure a breakout at Norwich prison was detonated. Following the complete failure of the afternoon test run – during which Norwich almost had two by-elections – I was slightly concerned but it did go without a hitch, execpt the one rocket that went up and fell straight down to earth exploding in the garden. Just like my childhood – and Emily had a great time!
Today we have been on a bit of a mission – Emily has been hurling herself out of the cot recently and so this morning I made her bed up and we have bene searching for a Thomas the Tank Engine duvet cover. When we found it, Emily declared that she wanted a Monster duvet cover instead! When she should have been looking at the Disney Princess range, my daughter had Spiderman in her grip walking up and down saying she wanted a monster on her bed!
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