cornwall canvassing

So here is a snippet of Cornwall canvassing ……

With our local MP we called in on a an elderly woman as she laid tucked up under her crocheted blanket and her feet up, sitting in her living room with her carer tidying up around her.

She explained that she recently suffered her third stroke and although she was recovering well she wouldn’t be able to help us with this election. She told us that she used to help that nice Mr Pardoe (who was an MP in 1966!).

We thanked her for her support and I asked her if she would rather have a postal vote this time, “oh that would be nice” she said ….. I explained she would need to fill in a form, she said she was too ill to do that, but her daughter calls around in the evening and would help her fill it in.
I leave promising to put a form through the next day.

After a successful day canvassing I called again at the lady’s house. As promised I brought with me the form to complete to send off for a postal vote .

I knocked on the door “hang on a minute” I hear her say from inside, a neighbour parking his car near- by shouts over to me that he thinks she is out as she often take herself to Plymouth on a Friday. “surely not” I think to myself “not as she is so ill at the moment”.

The door swings open and I’m greeted with a spritely old lady cigarette in her mouth, pushing her dog back with one leg.

“yes what do you want?”

“Hello” (I smile), “it’s me Phil Hutty I called to see you yesterday…… I have that form for you to fill in”

“What form?”

“Sorry,” (I check her name) “Mrs V ######?”

“yes” she leans forward and fixed me a glare.

“sorry, err…. I called yesterday ….. with the MP?.........We talked about Mr Pardoe?…… I said I would bring this form for you so you can have a postal vote?”

“What for the election in June?”

“Yes” (I felt I was getting somewhere), “you remember I said I would. You told me your daughter would help you fill it in.”

“What the elections! The elections!!!!…….. I don’t think so…. That Mr Brown and Mr Cameron……..oh no I don’t think so!!!!!”

“No, no, I’m from the lib Dem’s “

Clearly that worked…….

She slammed the door in my face!

I moved her vote from the certain to vote for me to the “Probable” line on my canvas card.