Each week a different PPC provides us with an insight into life as a candidate and gives us a flavour of their own campaign and interests. If you are a candidate and are keen to be featured, please email Jonathan Isaby.
This week’s diary is written by Melanie Hampton, who was selected in November 2008 for Mitcham and Morden. Angela Rumbold gained the seat for the Conservatives at a 1982 by-election and held it until the 1997 general election when she was defeated by Labour's Siobhan McDonagh, who Melanie will be challenging at the general election. She needs a 16% swing to gain the seat. Melanie is a wife and mother who also runs her own Insurance Broking business. She describes herself as "fun, feisty and formidable and more than up for the challenge of this seat".
Monday 16th November Being a female politician is an advantage because women tend to be good listeners and that is exactly what I have spent the last year doing, knocking on thousands of doors and listening. Today we took the fight against the expansion of a recycling plant to stage two. The community don’t want this and I agree with them. Months of hard work tramping the damp and windy streets, but 535 concerned residents signed the petition and a number came with me to hand this in to Councillor Diane Neil Mills. Diane is smart and effective. She pulled off a new train station in 22 months, she gets the job done and yes, she listens too. The “other man” in my life was also there - Richard Hilton, my hard working chairman, canvass companion and now friend.
This is politics at its very best identifying those local issues, championing the cause and believing that People Power does work. It will be some fight to prevent this project but Melanie is in terrier mode and is not going to let go or give up!
Tuesday 17th November
Dog tired today. Let no one pretend that fighting a challenging seat is easy, it is hard, hard work. I am always chasing the money to fund the next round of literature, fitting in the admin and nurturing a growing number of activists, squeezing in as many events as possible and the endless round of canvassing. Another advantage of being a female candidate… multi-tasking is in our DNA.
Tonight we had out Executive and I remember why I love M & M. All I promise them is months and months of hard graft but we all sense that this is our time and that we will gain council seats and that the parliamentary seat is within our grasp. A long but lively meeting covering a lot of ground and with some really good ideas coming out of the group. Can’t resist it… women are very good team players.
Wednesday 18th November £1,000 donation yippee! Dinner at the Carlton Club with Damian Green. He is a very good and thoughtful speaker. Immigration is a huge issue in M & M and he very kindly met with me in the summer to discuss residents' concerns.
Thursday 19th November
Meeting cancelled again which is irritating. This year in Birmingham I spoke about the need to encourage people back into the work place by using mentoring. I am looking to set this up in two areas, for women returning to work after child breaks and for youth unemployment. The meeting was to discuss working partners for this initiative. Concentrate on case work instead, an urban fox issue, a visa query and two planning application issues.
Friday 20th November
Huge good fortune. A very experienced businessman has offered to set up and run a Job Club for us. I am one of the lucky ones and my business has given me and my family material success and as such I believe that it is very important to give back to your community. I have worked with CCHQ to set up a Job Club and this is a huge bonus to have someone of David’s calibre to take on this much needed project in our area. We have a lot of self employed folk and also several industrial estates. This also lets me use my business experience in a positive way.
45,000 People Talk magazines arrived today. I have been working on this since June and it was worse than having a baby. I was so lucky to have a friend who was a brand manager to help me convey my message in a readable way. I am learning so many new skills and we have to accept that the media in all its forms is a vital tool. We are all bombarded with so much literature so it has to be right to get people to read it. Now the small problem of getting them delivered. Politics is very unhealthy with so many meetings after work and grabbing that take away on the way home. The leaflets should banish those extra pounds!
Saturday 21st November Doing what I do best – talking to the people. I get such a buzz out of canvassing. Great morning with no rain and lots of helpers and we launch forward with the battle bus. M & M’s very own Boadicea, her chariot a very battered silver ford but with a faithful and strong heart taking the message out to the people.
Welcomed two new activists and remember fondly back to my first canvas session in Fishponds Road. Not a name that anyone could forget. Democracy is a wonderful thing and we are all privileged to live in a society where we are free to express our views. As a woman who has lived a real life, with its share of financial hardship and personal sorrow, I can sympathise with the voters. On occasions it is a humbling experience as too many people live very hard lives. Rain by the afternoon but we soldier on.
In the evening we have a family party for my uncle’s seventieth birthday; a joyous and happy party with my lively and loving Irish family on top form with singing and speeches. My family means everything to me and without their unfailing support I could not do this. So at the end of a really positive week I salute and honour the contribution of not only my team but above all my family, husband Michael, James, Alexander and Bella. Thank you all.
Last week's Diary was written by Rahoul Bhansali, PPC for Streatham.