Leila's blog

Mon, Apr 28, 2008

Springing into action (uhm)

It seems that not a May goes by without an election to wear out shoe leather. When voters naturally complain that they only see politicians on their doorsteps when there is an election, it is worth remembering just how many thousands of people we are talking about here. It takes 2 hours for four people to knock on 500 doors if your lucky. Multiply that by your average constituency of 3 - 5 thousand and it is a lot of work. Meeting people is vitally important but most 'politicians' are just normal busy people who are involved because they hold a passionate belief that they way things are could be better. So they spend much of their spare time opposing planning applications, working with community groups, helping someone in difficulty with the council / meals on wheels etc. So, maybe it should be less of a surprise that we only spend every spare hour we have for 2 months of the year door knocking and leafleting.

Having said all that, we have been in luck with the weather. I have yet to get seriously rained on when out and about. The countryside round here is beyond beautiful at this time of year. The greenery seems to be fighting amongst itself to be the most abundant and luxurious, whilst the wildflowers riot on the verges and blossom appears like magic among the branches. It is the wake-up call, the bird song alarm that spring is here and the blanket of winter can be thrown aside to greet the new year. Where I work the children cannot get enough of just being outside tumbling in the grass and wallowing in the sunshine, no need for toys or props. Perhaps this is the real reason for elections in May - politicians are forced to spend their days surrounded by growth and transformation to inspire them.

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