In 1995, shortly after I was selected as prospective Parliamentary candidate for the constituency of Conwy, I was presented with a book entitled How to be an MP. It was written by the former Conservative Member, Ivor Stanbrook, who had taken Orpington from the Liberals at the 1970 election. I considered the gift an enormously good omen, because Stanbrook was the first Member of Parliament I had ever met and, moreover, his son Clive had been a contemporary of mine in UCL Conservative Association.
As it turned out, it was nothing of the sort. The 1997 general election was, of course, a depressing rout for the Conservative party and Conwy was lost. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Stanbrook’s book, which was a light and informative read.
One of its chapters was entitled “The election campaign: think of it as a four-week holiday!”. The tenor of the advice it contained was to relax, enjoy the final stage of the electoral effort and not over-do it. I considered this a piece of counsel easier to give than to follow: certainly, I have always liked campaigning, but a relaxing experience it usually isn’t. The pace is unremittingly frenetic and one invariably arrives at the count feeling pretty exhausted.
This campaign, however, is quite different. Sure, we are working as hard as ever, but this time we have the benefit of the most glorious weather I have ever experienced at an election. The sun has shone brightly every day, allowing us to enjoy the glorious North Wales scenery to its fullest advantage.
On Wednesday, we were campaigning in Old Colwyn. I knocked at the door of a clittfop house and was invited in by its owners. They wanted to show me the view, which was stunning, looking westward across the sweep of the bay, its waters sparkling and remarkably calm, with the silhouetted mass of the Great Orme rising in the distance. It was a sight, on such a day, to rival anything I have seen on the Mediterranean coast.
Yesterday, I was in Ruthin with a large team. A visit to Ruthin, of course, is a delight even on the bleakest of days, but yesterday particularly so, as it basked in the warm spring sunshine against the backdrop of the shimmering Clwydian hills.
And the weather makes a difference to people, too. The campaign teams are invariably in good spirits and the constituents seem genuinely pleased – or, at worst, not over-irritated – to see us. We all return back to base at the end of the day feeling tired but cheerful. What’s more, everyone has developed a healthy tan and, having lost a couple of pounds in weight from pounding the pavements, is looking trimmer, too.
So Stanbrook was right, after all. A campaign can indeed be as good as holiday.
But only if the sun shines.
