The Caledonian Mercury has invited some of those in the election firing-line to send regular bulletins about the personal side of campaigning. Alison Hay is the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Argyll and Bute.Let me introduce myself – I’m Alison Hay and I’m standing for election in the Scottish parliament on 5 May, as a Scottish Liberal Democrat. The campaign for the election is split into two chronological sections. The Long Campaign extended from January 2011 until the parliament was dissolved on 22 March. The Short Campaign runs from 23 March to polling day. An insight into my campaign story in Argyll and Bute follows in the coming weeks. Argyll and Bute, is the most beautiful constituency in Scotland. Don’t just take my word for it, ask anyone, ask my opponents! It has 25 inhabited islands within its borders, and covers over two million acres of land. The constituency is what is termed a four-way marginal. I think this means that the four main parties all think they have a chance at winning the seat. This is of course nonsense, there is only going to be one party winner. Seriously, though, this will be a very closely contested seat and the winner is anyone’s guess – although I hope it will be me. Campaigning in earnest all began with the run-up to the long campaign before Christmas. However, in Argyll and Bute, this largely meant not doing much, because the weather was terrible, people were busy with Christmas present-buying and I would have been, in good Glaswegian terms, hunted! (Told to go away politely!) I spent my time organising and planning how I would travel around this vast county, not a simple task and I may as well not have bothered, since everything appears to take on a mind of its own. Take last week, for example. My campaign manager and I were meant to be leafleting in and around the Mid-Argyll area, places like Tayvallich, Crinan, Achnamara. Did this happen? No! I ended up in Dunoon on the Tuesday, Campbeltown on Wednesday – at an opening of some new allotments – and on Friday I was at Auchindrain museum near Inveraray. Anyone looking at a map would see these places are not exactly close together. Buses were not handy, so I’m afraid the mileage on my Renault Modus rose considerably. This has not been an isolated incident and as you will see next week my journeys will combine the feelings of a cruise ship to paradise with a full work day. Today (Sunday 10 April), my husband and I drove to the Cuan Ferry and, as foot passengers, sailed over to the island of Luing. Luing has a total of 93 houses on it, nestles in the Firth of Lorn about 30 miles south-west of Oban, and little has changed here for 200 years. The island is about six miles long and one-and-a-half miles wide. The main centre of population is Cullipool with its whitewashed cottages. These were originally the homes of the slate quarriers, and at its height there were 170 men employed at this. For our day on Luing we walked to the primary school which has opened as a café during the holidays. We had lunch, walked some more, had afternoon tea then walked back to the ferry and home. We had nothing but sun glorious sun, Argyll at its perfect best. I’m signing off now, tired but content with how the week has gone. I’ll write again next week.
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