28th April 2010

General Election News 2010: Philip Evans goes on the stump with Conservative Oliver Letwin

ELECTIONEERING with Oliver Letwin is not for the faint hearted. Or the unfit.

I joined Oliver and his team of of Tory canvassers, mainly eager young things cutting their political teeth, on the stump in the West Dorset villages but felt distinctly fatigued after just a couple of hours.

We met in the car park at Drimpton Village Hall where maps were produced and an itinerary confirmed for the afternoon.

I’m introduced to one of his supporters as “a very dangerous man”. He was joking, of course. I think.

Like all seasoned politicians he treats the press with guarded respect and later, when he scattered his leaflets all over a doorstep and I helped him pick them up, he commented: “I knew editors had a use.”

It was a glorious spring afternoon and Oliver was already in shirtsleeves when he arrived looking as sprightly as ever and quite pleased with himself.

And so he should. The previous day’s leader in The Times described him as “an influential architect of modern Conservatism” lamenting that he would be much missed if ousted on May 6th.

As an attendee at Shadow Cabinet meetings, Oliver is definitely a key figure and as such has a punishing schedue during the run-up to the election, rather blowing a bit of a whole in the Lib Dems’ claim that he is a “part-timer”.

He has to be in Central Office in London by 6 am every morning and then returns to the constituency by 2pm for canvassing for the rest of the day, usually finishing with a meeting somewhere in the constuency before returning to London again.

The Times pointed out that he is defending a modest majority of 2,461 and with the Lib Dem bandwagon in overdrive his seat coud prove vulnerable.

When I remind him of the Times leader, he replies rather mischieviously: “I think I might send the editor a bottle of champagne.”

If hard work is any yardstock, then Oliver deserves to be re-elected but he is taking nothing for granted.

Back to the door knocking. Oliver strides off into the village with me and one of his faithful in tow. “You’ll get used to this,” she says. “You will never keep up with him.”

It was quite obvious that Drimpton is very much a Tory village and there were few doorstep banana skins that he had to negotiate.

One Conservative supporter did come shuffling down to the lane to catch him, berating Gordon Brown as “such an arrogant man” and accusing him of raiding her pension scheme. She wasn’t over impressed either with David Cameron, preferring that old warhorse Kenneth Clarke.

But Oliver quickly put her right. “David is quite brilliant” he told her.

Having circumnavigated Drimpton (a bigger place than I anticipated) we regrouped at the village hall and set off for South Perrott on the fringe of the constituency.

In the car park of the Coach and Horses pub we are joined by more supporters and Oliver sets off again at an Olympic pace.

Same reaction from most doorsteps; you’ve got our vote Oliver.

But as we walked into the School Hill Magna housing estate Oliver warned me that he did not expect to meet too many friendly faces.

I asked whether he was ever tempted to skip the unfriendly areas. “Certainly not,” he replied. “They must not be forgotten.”

As it turned out there were several Tory supporters in School Hill, although one member of the Armed Services, home on leave, said: “The jury is still out”. But he definitely would not be voting Lib Dem after hearing Nick Clegg’s views on Trident in the TV debate the night before.

Oliver put his unexpected support in School Hill down to the fact he had helped out several residents on various problems over the year.

This is a recurring theme wherever we go. Despite his high profile in the Conservative Party (according to The Times his “modernising and liberal instincts are recognisable throughout the Conservative mainfesto), Oliver is a good constuency MP.

Time and again he tells those who stop him in the streets to contact him on May 7th and he will do his best for them.

After South Perrott it was more of the same in Cheddington and then on to Misterton where the day’s canvassing finished with a public meeting at the village hall, conveniently furnished in Tory blue blinds and stage curtains.

There were 50 or so at the meeting, mainly party members I suspect, and mostly over 60.

One young mother brought along her child and Oliver promised to help her with a health matter after the election.

“Even if I don’t vote for you?” she enquired. “Of course.”

Although this is one of the most challenging elections in Oliver’s 13 years as West Dorset’s MP, electioneering is much the same with few firebrands on the doorsteps, despite the public dissatisfaction with politics.

I’m struck by Oliver’s politeness even to those who are clearly not supporters. He’s a decent man but has the demeanour of an academic slightly out of kilter with the cut and thrust of this dirty game of politics.

But he has a steely reserve - and, as my legs discovered, boundless energy.

PICTURE: WINNING THEM OVER - Oliver Letwin addresses voters in Mosterton Village Hall