Edinburgh Conservatives pitched in over the weekend to help Chloe Smith win this weeks Norwich North byelection.
Iain McGill, Edinburgh North & Leith Westminster Candidate & Stewart Geddes (Edinburgh West) were on the 07.05 flight from Edinburgh to Norwich on Saturday, and returned on Sunday night flight at 19.25
We found a very well run campaign, lots of supporters pitching in a & Conservative victory well within our grasp.
We were pressed into immediate action, and kept active by a very efficient team in our sector - they turned the Conservative Home coachload of 29 London based volunteers around and onto the streets of Norwich in 5mins flat so the 2 Scots were dispatched tout de suite!
We delivered all Saturday morning, had a pub lunch with 2 new friends, and canvassed for the rest of the day - we canvassed the traditional Labour area of Norwich - and got a good reception - all things considered!
There is a real voter frustration - they liked their old MP despite his expenses and feel he was shabbily treated by Gordon Brown - and a lot of apathy aswell.
A well advertised hustings in the previous week brought 12 candidates out and 3 members of the public!
Our activists outnumbered oppostitions be a long way - and have for the whole campaign - volunteers helping Chloe so far now number into the thousands - really impressive numbers - and our literature is sharper and more proffessional looking than the other parties.
The other parties are fighting a campaign based on the fact that Chloe worked as a researcher for an MP in the past and that she would vote to repeal fox hunting - "Vote Labour or the Fox Gets It" and "Be Careful Not To Wake Up With A Tory MP On Friday Morning" giving us a
giggle in campaign HQ.
Saturday night was catching up with friends from St Andrews (Gabrielle, Stephanie and James deserve mentions) and London and doing our bit to boost the local economy with curry, beers and dancing.
Sunday was back to pounding the streets - lots of deliverys as the never ending mountain of literature got delivered - still, it beat Chloes Sunday job - personally signing thousands of letters - writers cramp!!!
Eric Pickles was touring the patch thanking volunteers - he's always fun - and seemed pleased that Scots had made the effort.
We got lunch at HQ with the Conservative Home bus - did they pay extra to hire a blue one? - it was good to catch up with friends like Chris Kelly and Havard Hughes aswell as put faces to names like Jonathon Isaby.
Afternoon was back delivering streets we'd canvassed the day before - and then a couple swift well deserved pints in the Whalebone pub with the new friends we'd met before the taxi to the airport and home for a good nights sleep!
The byelection buzz is special - it's nice campaigning in a team of 1000s - all pulling for the same cause, and knowing that the big wigs are doing the same - 40MPs a day are pounding the streets as well as the voluntary party.
Back refreshed for the challenges in Edinburgh in the run into the election - and inspired by the great folks I met down there - confident that Chloe will win and looking forwards to the announcement on Friday lunchtime that the Conservatives are a step closer to Government.
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