When I popped down last week to Kent I canvassed in the town and spoke to voters who were planning to vote in many ways - some for several Conservatives, one Lib Dem, who opened his front door dressed only in a pair of boxers, one Ukip and several Labour, including two teachers who voted Labour in 2010 but were unimpressed by Miliband. Budget reductions and By Elections make for anger at the world and governments in general, and I accept that there is a genuine anti politics / anti tough times Ukip vote here in the Medway.
Today was a little different. I genuinely feel that this will be a very close fought battle and that the Conservative Candidate, Kelly Tolhurst, can defeat Mark Reckless, a man who sadly has lied and lied to his colleagues about his intentions; Mark was also barely weeks ago fully accepting that a Referendum will only be obtained [however one wishes to vote post the negotiations with Europe] by supporting the Conservatives. All that seems to have gone out the window in a vanity trip.
The picture is of Restoration House in Rochester which was the House Dickens used for the home of Miss Haversham and Estelle. It is 100 yards from the Conservative campaign centre in Rochester. I did not go round as I felt that now was not the time! But I picked up Great Expectations after last weeks visit and a Dickens quote made me appreciate the nature of the struggle against a party that is so xenophobic, extreme and unfit to govern.
“No varnish can hide the grain of the wood; and that the more varnish you put on, the more the grain will express itself.”
― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
The Guardian makes good reading as to why this is a party I will happily fight robustly against in Rochester:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/22/ukip-needs-polish-rightwinger-money-talks