More Canvassing Stories - David Cameron on Israel and overdeveloped allotments

Unlike many people I really enjoy canvassing. I genuinely enjoy talking to people. Generally we tend to go out in teams, but if I'm honest, I prefer going out on my own. If you are part of a team and you get talking to someone who is really interesting, you feel the need to cut short the conversation and dash off to "catch up". I don't really like having that pressure. Some of the most interesting conversations are with people who won't vote Lib Dem, for various reasons. The conversations haven't been about politics, but about life in Mill Hill. I had a great chat gentleman in Sunnyfields who was a committed Conservative. He wanted to know what I thought of the "spin" aspect of politics. He told me that he thought John Major would be the last "real" Prime minister.He felt that the Leadership debates on TV were a terrible thing because it focussed on the person not the policies. As we parted he said "Do you really think voting in the Council elections makes a difference?". I replied "I'm not getting paid to do this, so I guess I must". I hope that if I'm elected, he won't ask me that question in four years.

Another Tory voter who I had an interesting chat with had problems with the allotments at the bottom of her garden. Strangely enough, it turned out that I'd been advising a friend (who is non political) who had been helping her to deal with the problem with Barnet Council. He'd sent me an email confirming that Barnet Council would be acting on the matter just before I'd left to go door knocking. She was pleased to hear this. Asked her why she hadn't contacted her local Conservative Councillor who is involved with the allotment society, as to me this would seem a natural thing to do. She replied "Oh, I was told he was too busy with the election" ?????

Another interesting chap was a Jewish guy who was a Lib Dem supporter. "Did you see what David Cameron said in the Financial Times about the West Bank?" He asked. I hadn't. He said "Wait here". After five minutes, he returned and said "Put this on your blog". He'd printed off an article and highlighted the text. As you have to subscribe to the FT (which you can do for free), this link may not work (you will be prompted to subscribe if you don't) :-

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c562cb5a-3cfd-11df-bbcf-00144feabdc0.html

If you don't want to subscribe, here is what he said :-

The would-be prime minister also gives an indication that he will be prepared to join Mr Obama in taking a tough line with Israel on the issue of settlements. “Unlike a lot of politicians from Britain who visit Israel, when I went I did stand in occupied East Jerusalem and actually referred to it as “occupied East Jerusalem,” he says. “The Foreign Office bod who was with me said most ministers don’t dare say [that].” He describes the lack of progress in the peace process as “depressing”.

We also had a chat about my blog. The chap in question is an avid reader of all of the Barnet blogs. "Do you chat to Don't Call Me Dave" was a topic of much interest. I told him we chat quite regularly. He asked if we coordinated blogs. As we sit at different ends of the political spectrum, but have the same opinion of many of the problems of Barnet, he thought we should. "Not really". I like David, I think he writes a great blog, but I think we are both far too independent in our thinking and perhaps a bit too competitive to do that.

The most difficult moment for me was when I knocked on the door of an elderly lady. There was no answer and I was just about to leave, when the door slowly started to open. She had clearly dragged herself with some difficulty from her chair. As I saw her, I felt I'd seen a ghost. She looked just like my mother, shortly before she passed away. She'd clearly had a stroke and had difficulty with movement and speech. Before my mum died, I used to go and have a cup of tea with her every day. This poor lady took the leaflet and smiled and gave me a thumbs up. My mum died in August 2008, but despite her problems, she voted in every election. She was gutted when Boris Johnson won they Mayoralty. Like my mum, this lady was living independently.  As I left, I felt bad with myself. I know first hand what problems she's facing. I felt helpless to do anything to help and useless for this. Then I thought back to my mums situation. I first started to get actively involved in local Politics in Spring 2007 when the Tories privatised the meals on wheels service. My mum was left high and dry with no lunch for several days. The quality of the food was awful at first. The meals were often cold when they were delivered. I suspect that many poor old dears were left hungry for weeks as the system was sorted out. I kicked up such a fuss that my mum was given priority and became the first meal delivered on her round. It became clear to me that such disruption caused stress and would probably have killed people. That was the start of a long journey that lead to me standing for the Lib Dems in Mill Hill.

As I left this ladies doorstep, I realised I was doing as much as I could to stop people such as her, being treated so awfully by Barnet Council. The best way to help and protect her was to have a council which really cared for the people it looked after. That is why I knocked on her door. That is why I will work tirelessly whatever happens to fight policies which hurt people such as her.

I miss my mum. She was a feisty old soul and if she was still around she'd have been telling me to get out and work harder. Thats why I enjoy canvassing. It reminds me of why I am doing all of this.