Thoughts on the Campaign Trail
I’ve been watching a lot of BBC Parliament these past few days, catching up at night with the debates and conferences I’ve missed. Today saw David Cameron in Burton, a Labour majority seat, and one that is key to a Cameron win on May 6th.
What struck me about the event was the audience participation. ‘Do we want 13 more years of Labour government?’ Cameron asks, and suddenly a fierce ‘NO’ bellows from the audience, ‘Do we want change?’ ‘YES,’ they call back. Perhaps I’ve just missed some campaign meetings so far, but I’ve yet to see cheering, applause, and shouting throughout a speech. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned I’m a huge West Wing fan, but I never expected to see the kind of crowd reaction that those fictional characters receive, in British politics.
Perhaps Clegg’s lead over the weekend has, not only intensified the campaign, but also drawn people into the political world that didn’t care before. His closing moment from Swindon was to let the crowds know it was Samantha’s birthday today, and he’s off to spend the rest of the day with her. Even in this slightly stiffer-than-Burton crowd, the sentiment still echoed a cooing aww throughout the audience. Boris Johnson’s faith still hasn’t been knocked, and neither is mine.
Recent Comments