"Oh, I Thought You Were Pizza Delivery."

A few hours of the past two days have been spent temporarily adorning the porches, doorsteps and driveways that comprise my local area with a large blue tag, a smile and a somewhat conversationally dangerous question. Admittedly, while I've only been canvassing, say, five or six hours in total, it's been just as interesting as I expected it do be has given me an insight into the general feel of the town. 

Meeting so many different people has had its moments. I've had one very angry Jack Russell bark at me from a side window as I stated my purpose to a resident, and a very friendly Retriever devour my hand with canine saliva as I did the same, or tried to, to another. I've had some staunch Liberal voters who refused to be persuaded otherwise, a cheerful Labour supporter that informed me, while he would not be voting for the Tories, that he appreciated the knock on his door, and a wonderfully high number of people of all ages who stated they would be voting for the Conservatives.

An interesting conversation was struck with a fellow student, a first time voter like myself, that declared her support for the Liberal Democrats. While I left the door with her still attached to dancing with the two Cs on May 6th, we had a pleasant talk and, although our political persuasions were apart, it was good to see people my age planning to vote.

There have been those that support the local council but dislike David Cameron. There have been those of the opposite. There was a woman who said she'd abstained from voting all her life, and a middle-aged man I'd interrupted during dinner who, without telling me his voting record of the past, said this time he'd be putting a cross in the box I will. There was another, rather older man who proclaimed his distaste for all things European and wished to see the United Kingdom Independence Party in power - and of course there were those that didn't care or just wanted me to naff off.

So far I have thoroughly enjoyed it, as well as the inadvertent exercise I've been giving myself. Despite my constituency's historical fully Conservative stature in Parliament, I certainly don't think it's a shoe-in. There's still nine days to go, and much to do. But we soldier on.

I (Dis)agree With Nick

I have found the two election leaders' debates, or rather what I have seen of them, very interesting indeed. Ten minutes into the first I was struck at how tame it appeared to be when compared to the far more robust, aged and unchained debates of the United States and Canada. "I'm going to bring Mr. Cameron in on this." Then, in a swift slash of mid-speech, "Now Mr. Brown, please." It seemed to me so ordered and stationary when I went back to Bush and Clinton's clash on America's stuttering economy in 1992, or the more recent verbal battles between Obama and McCain, again over (this time even deeper) economical issues before the Democrats swept to office.

While I knew these debates were to be a vital outlet for all three of the main parties - a springboard for their ideas and arguments for power - what I certainly did not foresee was the mighty surge Nick Clegg was to enjoy after he stepped from the stage in Manchester. Not so much so because I rather wrongfully assumed that the level of Liberal Democrat support would be further personified under a dual between David Cameron and Gordon Brown that would leave the Liberal leader standing there whimpering behind his podium like a little schoolboy that wants to play too, but because, aside from one or two slightly fairer points, he spouted nonsensical rubbish at virtually every question.

Clegg was smart in the first debate, and the man had a lot more tact during the hour and a half he pleaded to  the country to give he and his party of swaying policies and 'innocent' centrists a chance than I gave him credit for. Having Mr. Cameron and the (hopefully soon to be not so) Prime Minister girl slap one another while Nick continually said to the audience, "Ha ha, oh my, don't they look frightfully silly," was a developed move I applaud him for. However, what I refuse to applaud him for is the way he took that audience for fools.

To begin with, his immigration policy was absolute idiocy. How can you force someone to stay within the confines of a region and not move about the country freely? That doesn't even seem very liberal to me. How would these 'regions' be defined?  Would you have some sort of inner border control sectioning off different counties? It's absurd. He also stated that immigrants adhere to this sort of system in Canada and Australia. As I watched the debate in Canada during my second university year, I was told by those that watched it with me that this was certainly not the case in their nation. Utter, ghetto fostering foolishness.

His accusations towards the Conservatives and Labour who supposedly can't 'clean up' Parliament and shed corrupt MPs is a hypocritical mess. Was it not Cameron who demanded his MPs publish their expenses and apologise, however hollowly, before the expenses review had even begun? Was it not Clegg that claimed wrongly for international phone calls? Sure, this might not be on the same scale as a gold plated duck house or, in fact, a house filled with gold plated ducks quacking miles away from their constituencies, but to me whether you've sipped from the trough or dunked your head right in doesn't matter - you can't point the finger.

Scrapping tuition fees - what a grand idea if we weren't in such a dire economic state as that of a Grecian investor. The number of applications to university has risen to the point where six people are battling for one place, and I'm sure many brilliant, promising minds across the country are going to be sorely disappointed come this September. It goes without saying that if this financial barrier to university is removed many of those that are less well-off would have the opportunity to enter post-secondary education, but, while I think university can be beneficial for the great majority who wish to have the experience and succeed, I just don't think there is the space. Being a student myself, I full well know how expensive university is, but ridding tuition fees just isn't feasible right now.

While I agree with a handful of the Liberal Democrat's environmental policies, everything else they propose - immigration, defence, tax, business - is next to hopeless.

I will conclude by saying to Nick Clegg what he laid onto Gordon Brown regarding House of Lords reform: there's nothing to support.

The Southend West Campaign

Beginning the 25th of April this (hugely important) year 2010, I will be voluntarily campaigning for the Conservative Party in my constituency of Southend West for my local MP, David Amess, leading up to the General Election on May 6th.

"Oh cripes!" they will holler. "Another aspiring Tory from the stinky south!" you will say. "He is rich and hates welfare!" I will hear. Well bottle your social democratic, state intervening ideals and save them for Reagan's allegorical Marxist ash-heap.

It's widely known that the South East of England has been, for the most part, a staunch Conservative stronghold – but just because it is so does not mean it will necessarily remain that way. Polls are shaky, the country's trust in the political system has been severely damaged from last year's expenses scandal that threw Westminster into chaos and Gordon Brown.... Well, yes.... Gordon Brown.

So, why am I campaigning for the Conservatives? One need only to look at the last thirteen years to receive an answer to that question. Even when I contained virtually no interest in politics, I was never a fan of the Labour Party. I grew up under the guise of Tony Blair, and something I felt emanating from the man every time I saw him pierce the pixels on my television screen made me feel both uncomfortable and untrustworthy. It wasn't the physical make-up of his ever widening jaw that caused me to feel this way; it was more of what came out of it, and each occasion he let a sentence escape his mouth, I'd subconsciously let a little more of my liking for our then 'rock star' leader escape my mind, until eventually I managed to associate so much of what I saw wrong with the United Kingdom with him and his government. Then, as I studied the political history of our country and its various governments' track records more deeply, combining them with my own opinions and views, I slowly formed what I believe now to be the correct path of leadership for it.

Skip a lot of personal drivel and fastforward to today, and I suppose what you'd think you have is another young hopeful wanting to put his foot in the political door and experience first hand the field he might wish to enter alongside the allegiance of his choosing in the future. But I'd like to look at it as much more than that – a member of his constituency aiding both his community and the party he supports, stepping out and grasping the views of locals and seeing how they may be better served, even if it is a little late in the game.

While I don't yet know exactly what I'll be doing during my period at the election heel, I'm sure it will be fun. Maybe some canvassing, maybe some meetings with fellow Conservatives, maybe some political poster plastering – whatever the task, it will be my first time doing any of it.

Finally, if anyone I know sees me at some point during those eleven or so days, they should feel free to come and give their support or opposition in my direction.

Wish me luck (or, as your inclination permits, do not).

Here is a picture of Sir John Major playing cricket. I have decided to include it because it is a picture of Sir John Major playing cricket.