And so to the first of the hustings in NW Hants, ably chaired by Kelvin Inglis - Rector of All Hallows - and organised by the heroic Andrew Smith on behalf of Christian Aid.
I have no record of Whitchurch hosting a hustings with all the candidates - I held a public meeting of my own in 1997 to which a fraction of the number came who were there on Tuesday night. As the meeting began, more chairs were being put out. I didn't count, but there must have been well over a hundred folk in the Gill Nethercott centre
The first half of the first hour was spent on issues raised by Christian Aid in their manifesto. The second on broader political issues. The exchanges were courteous and good-humoured, and Kelvin coped well with some gentle barracking on issues relating to immigration.
On Aid to Developing Countries, there were differences of emphasis rather than underlying policy. All three main parties are signed up to the UN target of .7% of GNI to go on aid. I would like the aid to be better targetted and more transparent; Sarah Evans - my Labour opponent - would be tougher on the multi-nationals. I was surprised we were still giving aid to China and Russia, and wanted help to be more focussed, and to remember our obligations to the Commonwealth. I told the meeting about our "My Aid" Fund of £40 million, where the public would decide how it would be spent.
On the broader issues, Sarah won't mind me saying this, but she strayed beyond her party's policies on a number of occasions with commitments on public spending. We would all like to help those on low incomes more with their fuel bills - but the coffers are bare. Tom McCann - the LibDem candidate - spoke up on Human Rights, and the erosion of our liberties from ID cards and CCTV cameras. Stan Oram - UKIP and anxious to blame Europe for everything - got in a muddle about the European Court of Human Rights and the European Union.
I had to catch a train back to London at 8.40 so missed the second half - but Kelvin was good enough to allow me a final word of exhortation to those present to vote for me on May 6th.
This had two sections - my record as the local MP, living in the constituency, over the past 13 years; and my candidacy as a Conservative, and a member of David Cameron's Shadow Cabinet. I argued that only David Cameron and my party had the energy and vision to turn the country round.
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Promoted by Tracey Kirk on behalf of Sir George Young both at 2 Church Close, Andover,
Hants SP10 1DP
