James Lillis, the Campaign Manager in Richmond Park, must have woken up with a sense of dread yesterday morning – it was raining, heavily. His challenge to the party was to get 1000 people along to the biggest Action Weekend ever.
But Liberal Democrats arrived, and kept on arriving.
Dogs and babies joined in.
There were ponchos (modelled by our wonderful candidate, Sarah Olney, and Chris Lovell) …
… and cake.
They put up stakeboards.
They delivered leaflets and canvassed.
By the end of Saturday James was on course to reach that target. No wonder he was still looking chirpy.
Celebrations followed at #LibDemPint in Richmond, with Tim Farron, Mark Pack, new member Jay Dias (one to watch …) and, of course, Sarah Olney.
But the weekend isn’t over and we haven’t got to the magic 1000 yet. We can promise you that there will be NO RAIN today and it may even be sunny for a while.
So make James, Sarah and Richmond Park Lib Dems smile again today by joining them. Just turn up at either of the two HQs between 10am and 9pm. (There will be a pause from campaigning at 11am)
110 Canbury Park Road, London, KT2 6JZ (closest station, Kingston)
65a Sheen Lane, Mortlake, SW14 8AD (closest station, Mortlake)
(Travel note: if you are coming by train, there is a replacement bus service today from Clapham Junction to Kingston)
If you can’t make it this weekend, then the HQs are open every day until polling day between 10am and 9pm.
* Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.
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8 Comments
Not too bad really, but canvassing vis entry-phones is possible, despite traffic noise, even desirable.
Wonderful stuff – did we break the record, even if it wasn’t the full 1,000?
As a matter of interest do we have any idea how many helpers Goldsmith has had, and who they are?
I could imagine that a lot of relatively local Tories have no interest in assisting this particular independent candidate.
Simon Shaw
I did read somewhere recently that Tory MP’s and local councilors have been out canvassing for him. The official line is if any Tory wants to help an independent candidate they can if they wish. He’s a Tory candidate in all but name.
well, the key questions are;
1) Does Goldsmith have access to the Tory Party data, acquired over many years of paid-for private polling and surveying?
2) Is the Tory Party secretly channelling resources such as phone-bank use his way? Certainly we are not so far seeing the tweets about this that we saw in Witney, but it may be happening..
One thing is clear – Goldsmith is using a commercial firm to deliver his leaflets, not volunteers. I watched them as I did my round in Sheen on Sunday morning. I hope we are noting that, in case he (again) exceeds his allowed election expenses.
Better Ipsos Mori poll. Tory lead reduced to 8% , LibDems at 10%, UKIP well down into 4th at 7% and the May honeymoon appears to have ended with 48-32 Bad job on Brexit.
About time the public have noticed this chaotic Government Brexit travesty.
Now the well healed of Richmond at the by election need to say “no more of this!”
John, the Conservatives have done this for years I will remember the Birmingham Hodge Hill by election when I was delivering one wet evening and observed the contract deliverers leaving their leaflets on gate posts, in the gardens and on the doorstep. Hope they are replicating those actions in Richmond.