The Liberal Democrat Candidate visited me in the shop yesterday and had much to say that I found interesting, at the moment, with the way the polls are going, there now seems a possibility that he could wind up our MP.To understand the polls the bbc website is useful see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8609989.stm
Like the other two main party candidates he seems a reasonable sort, who would probably make a reasonable constituency MP, I particularly liked the way he dealt with my awkward question about raising the tax threshold.
I pointed out to him that doing so would leave the poorest, those below the tax threshold just as poor and it would give just the same to millionaires as it would to me.
His answer was, “I don’t know and I am an accountant, but I will find out and come back to you”, I look forward to his answer.
If you follow this blog you will know that I published the before and after boundary change maps at http://thanetonline.blogspot.com/2010/04/north-and-south-thanet-constituency.html and due to the fairly large changes in the boundaries it is quite difficult to predict the outcome here, as we really do have a very different constituency to the one we had in the previous general election.
I suppose that like a lot of people up and down the country I am starting to seriously view this election as a three horse race for the first time, the question for me is becoming less one of, the lesser of two evils in terms of a national government and more who would make us the best MP in the case of a hung parliament.
This is made more complicated by not having any idea of what sort of government would be formed in the case of a hung parliament.
Trading this afternoon with all of the problems made considerably worse by local and national government over the past 22 years since I have had a shop in Ramsgate, thinking selfishly as a small shopkeeper for a moment, these include:
24 hour shopping in supermarkets.
The no smoking ban, meaning my customers have to fight there way through several pubs customers smoking on the pavement outside.
The local leisure facility council owned sites, from the silted up marina to the Pleasurama debacle.
The obvious breakdown of civilised behaviour, from dangerous dogs to the nonworking class.
24 hour shopping in supermarkets.
The no smoking ban, meaning my customers have to fight there way through several pubs customers smoking on the pavement outside.
The local leisure facility council owned sites, from the silted up marina to the Pleasurama debacle.
The obvious breakdown of civilised behaviour, from dangerous dogs to the nonworking class.
I wonder really if any party has either the will or the ability to put things right.
