The Caledonian Mercury has invited some of those in the election firing-line to send regular bulletins about the personal side of campaigning. David McLetchie is a former leader of the Scottish Conservatives and is standing for re-election in Edinburgh Pentlands.Thursday 7 April Oh dear. An Iain Gray walkabout in Glasgow's Central Station turns to chaos as he and his team are ambushed by the same protesters who tackled us in Portobello on 28 March. However, there the similarities end. Whereas Annabel [Goldie] stood her ground, spoke to their leader Sean Clerkin and won their respect, Labour turned and ran. Quite literally. The whole unedifying spectacle ended with Iain Gray and his shellshocked advisers taking refuge in a Subway sandwich shop. Now, much has been made of the fact that they bolted when in fact the protesters’ message – “Stop the cuts” – is right in line with what Iain Gray has been banging on about the whole campaign. Surely he could have spoken to them, agreed with them, and turned it to his advantage? I have a theory as to why he didn’t – quite simply, Labour didn’t digest what was being said. They were so startled at seeing protests apparently against them in Glasgow of all places, the city they regard as their fiefdom, that they panicked and fled before they thought it through.
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Either way, it made for fantastic television. And to cap it all, a disgruntled Subway worker tweeted that none of the Labour crew bought so much as a cookie. When it rains, it pours. Friday 8 April Visit the Suntrap at Hermiston to meet several constituents who are campaigning to stop the National Trust for Scotland and Oatridge College from selling off the garden for housing. The Suntrap was gifted to the NTS by the late Boyd Anderson in 1966 as a centre for horticultural education to encourage amateur gardeners. For the last 30 years it was funded by the college, who used it for the teaching and training of horticultural students whilst maintaining access for the public and school groups. The college no longer wants to use the facility for its purposes and the NTS says it can't afford to maintain and run the garden even with the help of the enthusiastic Friends group. The campaigners think that not enough effort has been put in to finding a sustainable alternative for the Suntrap which would be true to original bequest and vision of Mr Anderson. It is agreed that I will write to Sir Kenneth Calman, the chairman of the NTS, seeking a meeting with a view to a proper feasibility study being undertaken. I do this and catch up with a lot of correspondence on my return to the office. Saturday 9 April Visit the farmers' market in Balerno and buy some Arran brie from the cheesemonger's stall and a rye loaf from the German baker before heading into the church hall for a coffee and a chat with some of the locals. These monthly markets are popular and bring life to the village main street, which was done up last year. I often meet our MP Alistair Darling at the market and compare Holyrood and Westminster notes, but not today. Quite a transformation in his life over the last year. One minute you are chancellor of the exchequer, the next you are a backbench opposition MP. It’s a hard life. Attend Hearts match versus Motherwell. Nil–nil is a fair result, although a bit disappointing. Still, being a Hearts fan and a Tory in Scotland for all of my life has made me stoical. We can take it! Sunday 10 April One of my favourite days of the year – Masters Sunday. It’s a Do Not Disturb evening on the sofa with the remote, watching hours of coverage and flitting between Sky and the Beeb. The demise of Rory McIlroy is almost unbearable to watch. Where did that drive at the tenth come from? Worse than many of mine and that is saying something. He is such a talent – just hope he doesn’t get too down-hearted by the experience. Monday 11 April It happens every single campaign and this one is no different. The BBC today produce a poll outlining what people think are the key issues, and what they rank as not so important. By and large it is good news for us: our key pledges – maintaining the 1,000 extra police we fought for, freezing the council tax and introducing a £200 discount for pensioner households – get a resounding thumbs-up. Our radical plan to allow pupils to leave school at 14 to go into full-time training in a college and/or take up an apprenticeship is at the bottom, but we are not concerned by this, as it is only likely to be taken up by a small (albeit important) group of pupils and is part of a wider strategy to improve the status and standard of technical and vocational training in Scotland. It is one week on from our manifesto launch and I am pleased with where we are now. Our policies are fully costed and credible, Annabel is performing extremely well and people seem ready to listen. However, I watched Hearts throw away the league title in seven agonising minutes back in 1986, so I am not counting my chickens just yet. Tuesday 12 April After another day on the doorsteps, I catch up with Annabel at the leaders’ hustings organised by the Federation of Small Businesses in Dynamic Earth. Annabel does well – she has a really good grasp of the enterprise brief having been our spokesman on this in the first parliament, and she answers the questions from the floor in an authoritative but good-natured way which makes a positive impression on the audience. The FSB is an organisation which has adapted very well to devolution and has done an excellent lobbying job on behalf of its members. The centrepiece has been the Small Business Bonus scheme delivered in the last parliament thanks to the combined efforts of the Conservatives and the SNP, which has abolished or reduced business rates for over 72,000 small shops and businesses. Naturally Annabel and Alex make a lot of this – but, rates apart, the main issues are bank lending, red tape and public sector procurement. Wednesday 13 April Last night’s FSB hustings have surprisingly generated a debate as to whether Iain Gray is a man of the Hard Left, because the SNP has poured scorn on his claims that a Scottish government will abolish youth unemployment and create 250,000 jobs. Considering some of the equally grandiose claims made by the SNP, this is really the pot calling the kettle black. What do I think? Well, here’s my quote for the Daily Telegraph: “Iain Gray has the grim and steely look of a man used to drawing up failed five-year-plans for tractor production but in truth he is just Old Labour with a child-like faith in the ability of Government to command, direct and micro-manage the economy despite all the evidence to the contrary.” Quite pleased with that one. As campaign manager I have to put out this kind of comment throughout the campaign to satisfy the media demand. Sometimes you just have to go through the predictable motions to underscore your line, but occasionally you can work in a bit of gentle humour. Iain has been talking a bashing in the campaign so far. He really needs to get on the front foot. Thursday 14 April Today we are in the Buckstone area of my constituency, meeting and greeting voters, and joining my team are councillors Elaine Aitken and Mark McInnes. Mark’s day job is as director of the Scottish Conservative Party, to which he was appointed after masterminding my election victory over Iain Gray in Pentlands in 2003 – so he has a detailed knowledge of the seat. He is also one of these rare executives who doesn’t just sit in the office directing and organising others, but who likes to get out on the ground and speak to voters in different constituencies to assess the situation for himself. He pronounces himself satisfied with the results of his survey. I am relieved and pleased. Tonight I attend the 1 Scots inter-company boxing competition at Dreghorn barracks as a guest of the commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ben Wrench. This is the culmination of five months' training for the boxers, many of whom are making their ring debuts. The gym is packed with soldiers cheering on their friends in the ring and there’s a lot of skill and bravery on display as well as camaraderie and mutual respect. Each fight is meant to comprise three two-minute rounds, which doesn’t sound much – but two minutes is a heck of a long time when you are facing a barrage of blows, and a few fights end early when the referee steps in smartly to stop the contest. Both Dreghorn and Redford barracks are in Pentlands and Redford is currently home to 3 Rifles. In my MSP capacity, I’ve met a number of soldiers and army families over the years. Whatever your views on Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts, you can't help be impressed with the discipline and professionalism of our armed forces, and in this community you are also aware of the families left behind when the soldiers are posted abroad on tours of duty and the stresses and worries they share. Nationally, it’s the SNP manifesto launch – by all accounts an all-singing-and-dancing affair which must have made a hole in the Souter donation and which wins praise from the media for the quality of the presentation. But what about the content? Well, here we are treated to another SNP wish-list of pledges which are apparently all to be funded by our old friend efficiency savings – including a five-year council tax freeze, no less. Friday 15 April After our morning conference call with the Central Office team, it’s another day in the constituency. I meet with two constituents who are the driving force behind the Sashita charity which is raising funds to bring a well and electricity to a remote village in Tanzania where one of them, Maggie Mazoleka, was brought up with her seven brothers and sisters. It's salutary, and puts our troubles and concerns in perspective, to learn how hard life is for millions of people in other countries. It’s also inspiring to see the will to succeed which Maggie has done since she came to Scotland 18 years ago and her determination to give something back to her community by enlisting friends here in Scotland to the cause. I undertake that if I am re-elected I will host an event in the parliament for Sashita to publicise and promote its work. Meeting over and it's off to canvass and leaflet in Stenhouse and then Bonaly with local councillor Jason Rust before my day is rounded off with a radio interview with Colin Mackay of IRN which feeds to the major independent local stations in Scotland. This focuses on our plans for a new wave of Town Centre Regeneration funding in the next parliament, building on the success of the last round. Saturday 16 April Meet David Mundell at my campaign office in Colinton and we go up to the local post office to highlight our policy on council counters – basically promoting link-ups between councils and post offices whereby they will provide information about council services and benefits such as council tax and housing benefit. This is an idea where everyone wins. Postmasters get more customers in their shops and a fee for providing this service to boost their income, people get information and advice from someone they trust and the council provides a better service to the public. The Colinton post office has a Thorntons franchise and we buy Easter eggs for our children and grandchildren – and one for Annabel – with their names carefully written on the eggs. You’ve got to gain these brownie points when you can. Next stop and it's canvassing in the Redford area with a team of ten. Encouraging level of support, good name recognition and a few switchers to our column – can't ask for better than that. Then it’s on to Juniper Green Bowling Club with local councillor Alastair Paisley and our wives. I am the honorary president of the club and am invited to opening day to bowl the first ball of the new season. It’s a fine day and around 50 club members are there, so I make a short speech wishing them all the best for the new season before delivering a bowl that finishes a good six feet from the jack. Don’t think I’ll be troubling our Commonwealth Games selectors! Still, there is always the consolation of a quite delicious afternoon tea complete with a strawberry sponge cake and meringues to die for! Sunday 17 April Day of rest. After breakfast, Sheila and I go to the Botanics (again) for a walk on what is a beautiful morning to see the rhoddies in bloom. Lo and behold we bump into Derek Brownlee, who is out for a stroll with his wife Verity and their little girl, Violet. Told you it was a place for the politicians to unwind! Derek is taking part in the televised debate on the economy being broadcast by the BBC later today. True to form, he turns in another solid informed performance to further boost his credentials as one of the leading figures in the next generation of Scottish politicians. However before I watch the debate there’s time for 11 holes of golf and a family BBQ supper. A lovely day, which I complete by finishing my latest crime novel – The Stone Cutter, by Camilla Läckberg. She is another highly successful Swedish writer she who has an intriguing storyline in this novel and demonstrates a real talent for describing atmosphere and place. Highly recommended.Want to discuss other issues? Join the debate on our new Scottish Voices forum
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