Thursday night, and I decide to hit the pub for my customary half a bitter shandy weekly treat, yet here, there is no escape from the Battle of Broxtowe.
To quote The Pixies: ‘Politics goes so well with beer’, and talk invariably turns to the campaign. Friends who were previously apolitical have been inspired to take an interest, and round the table I ascertain I’m with two labour supporters, two tories, one lib dem, one green, one UKIP and four undecided. Between answering pub quiz questions we argued, debated, and it dawned on me that this is the true fertile ground for politics. This is where the election is fought, in pubs, in coffee shops, anywhere people gather.
This seems lost on Soubry, who attacked ‘man-in-the-pub’ politics at a recent hustings. This might sound like the bitter rantings of a man snubbed by her refusal to engage via Beestonia (and her remark that I was ‘sexist’, which was a rather bizarre accusation, silly girl), but I am amazed that her campaign is failing so badly. Mitchell, Watts and Palmer have all commented here, have engaged in debate, yet she finds it below her. This seems indicative of her attitude towards the electorate in Broxtowe, she isn’t able to get her campaign over to them. It can’t be easy, a few months ago it seemed like she could just sit and wait for May 6th, strolling into power riding on the national popularity of the tories and Ashcroft’s lucre, but now she seems to have a real battle to depose Palmer.
A previous comment on this blog tells how Soubry didn’t reply to a constituent’s email, instead sending a out-of-office. This isn’t an isolated incident. A local businessman I was chatting to last night, wrote to Anna several weeks ago, asking her position on certain areas of policy that would decide who gets his vote. He even headed it ‘potential conservative voter’, yet it still remains unreplied. I should be flattered her rebuke to myself took just 7 hours to recieve: I sent it as 2am, her response arrived just before 9am.
The invite still exists Anna, anything you send will be faithfully posted up here unedited. The offer is also extended to the other candidates, even Mick Shore, the former Ku Klux Klan organizer and arse-faced tosswad from the BNP. He’ll probably accuse me of misandry (look it up) for that description…
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A strange email this morning from someone purporting to be Soubry’s Campaign Manager, asking for details of Beestonia’s readership: how many people read this. I replied, and now wonder, if it was a genuine query, why? Any ideas out there?
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This afternoon I did what I do most days, and went into Beeston for coffee. Strolling in for my caffeine fix, I was rather shocked to see Soubry sitting inside. I thought better of saying hello. Possibly the least comfortable coffee EVER.
Later, a fellow caffeine addict told me she had just seen her in the bookies. Could this be linked to the revelation on the broxtowe2010 website that Ladbrokes are offering 3/1 on a Labour hold in Broxtowe? Was she hedging her bets with a flutter on Dr Palmer?
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Politics aside. Tomorrow the Uni Campus is opened up to the public for an open community day, more info here http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/Community/OpenDay/CommunityOpenDay.aspx. Come along, its forecast a great sunny day, so you can grab an ice-cream and potter round Highfields afterwards.
Beestonia 
With our archaic and undemocratic political system meaning that the only real interest in this election is in the marginals, I have sent several e-mails to each of the Broxtowe candidates asking them to state their position on a number of issues that are important to me.
The response so far is as follows: Response to all enquiries – Nick Palmer and David Watts; response to some, but not all – David Mitchell; response to none – Anna Soubry, Michael Shore and the UKIP bloke.
Guess I must come across to the last three as too common, not white enough or possibly European. Or is it just that right-wing politicians are pig ignorant and don’t actually give a toss about the people they expect to vote for them?
I suspect the latter.
Her campaign strategy would have been developed many months ago when she looked certain to stroll it. Now, it seems like all the money in the world (for this, read Michael Ashcroft) can’t help it. As a previous comment suggests, the lack of engagement with people here is really showing through.
I think I’m seeing a theme here. Check the comment below and also previous comments on other posts. While that this is an incredibly busy time, its evident these emails have been opened, otherwise my missive would remain unread.
Evidently she sees it as pointless to respond until after the election, so Broxtownians have no way , outside the sound-bite heavy arena of hustings, to check her stance on policy whatsoever. While Mssrs Mitchell, Watts and Palmer are keen to engage with the electorate via platforms such as here, I can’t help shake the feeling Soubry finds it below her.
This is anathema to the mood of the constituency, where Palmer has proven to be an effective, responsive respondent to those he represents. This is not a partisan observation along party lines: I was chatting to a bloke tonight who lives in a safe tory seat, and whilst not being a natural Conservative, is happy with the incumbent as he is effective.I think this quality greatly outweighs party allegiance.
Good workwith Nottingham Graffiti by the way, its a cracking read.
i have received no such mailings.
try using: shorebnp@ymail.com
I emailed Anna Soubry using three different addresses she’s refered to; they were all returned undeliverable, so I turned it into a letter and posted it – no reply.
Whereas, on various occasions over the course of the last pariliament, I’ve emailed Nick Palmer in the early hours of the morning, and received a reply within minutes. I’ve also had responses from several government ministers to whom he’s forwarded my suggestions. Even on areas where I disagree with him, I feel like he’s considered and represented my views. That’s how he’s won my vote.
See my reply above….I suspect Im not the only one noting a trend here…
Your email from Soubry’s Campaign Manager will have been to size up the likely impact the views and comments expressed in the blog will have. For instance, if you have a readership of 1000 beestonians you are worthy of Anna’s valuable time to engage with, whereas if your readership is 3 blokes and a dog you are not (in their view).
(BTW Nice shot of the back of my head at the hustings – I really must speak to my hairdresser…)
From the BBC this morning:
“My long-held theory is that every pub’s a Parliament, that the real politics of this land are discussed in pubs” – so says UKIP’s Nigel Farage.