Ros Scott's Election Diary Days 13 & 14: Romsey & Winchester (Wigan, Leigh and Makerfield Liberal Democrats)

Wigan, Leigh and Makerfield Liberal Democrats <rushforth@cix.co.uk>

Ros Scott's Election Diary Days 13 & 14: Romsey & Winchester

April 14, 2010 12:01 PM
Originally published by UK Liberal Democrats

Days 13 & 14 - 13th & 14th April: Romsey & Winchester

Having been on the road pretty much constantly for seven days, the so called day off on Tuesday was actually spent catching up- E Mails, letters, phone calls, running personal errands. I also spent some time in Party HQ, as there is a danger of feeling disconnected when you're out and about so much. Thanks to modern

communications, you're never actually out of touch, but its good to spend face to face time with your colleagues.

Wednesday and I'm back on the road again. Taking the train from Waterloo, I'm off to Romsey, where I'm met by Sandra Gidley who has been a really effective MP since her stunning bye-election win in 2000. We head off to meet with the Chief Executive of BKP, a local re-cycling company, who give us a fascinating insight into both the practical problems faced by the waste industry, and also more strategic questions about how environmentally sustainable much of our recycling actually is.

The company intends to open a waste to energy facility in Devon in the Autumn, and is considering a similar one in its Romsey site. Dealing with the very real concerns of local residents will fall to the next MP, so Sandra takes a keen interest in both the issues and the site. We are met on site by a reporter from the regional tv company, Meridian, who can see that this will be an important issue for

the region in the future.

We are driven over the border into Winchester & Chandlers Ford, a transition marked by the sighting of a large orange diamond marked "Martin Tod". We have a quick sandwich in the Otter pub in Otterbourne, and then meet colleagues for a spot of afternoon canvassing - a lot of people out at work, as you'd expect, but a positive response from the people we meet. Martin has been campaigning hard since being selected, and has clearly built a good reputation for hard work. The idea of being out on the stump takes on a new meaning, as we canvass someone working in a garden, who turns out to be the owner of "Stumpbusters".