Caron Lindsay

Rennie, Cole-Hamilton and Campbell launch Christine Jardine’s campaign to take back Edinburgh West

By | Sat 6th May 2017 - 7:58 pm

You know that wonderful post-election Saturday morning feeling, that you can lie in bed for a bit longer and you don’t have to rush off and do anything? When you can lie about all day reading trashy novels and drinking gin and tonic in the sunshine?

Well, it will be lovely when we get it in 5 weeks’ time.

Today, we had to drag our weary limbs out of bed sooner than we would have liked and head out campaigning.

In my case, it was to the Edinburgh West campaign launch. Regular readers will know that last week, the Edinburgh West campaign moved into the old SNP office next door to what is now Alex Cole-Hamilton’s constituency office.

Some considerable pleasure was taken in removing the giant poster of Nicola Sturgeon on the window. It has now been replaced with this:

So, this morning the office was jam packed with party members, including our new councillors Kevin Lang, Louise Young and Hal Osler, a film crew making the party election broadcast, a bunch of photographers and Tom Gordon, political editor of the Sunday Herald.

A trio of parliamentarians came to encourage us to keep going and win the seat. There was some entertaining banter between Willie Rennie and Alex Cole-Hamilton as they compared notes about the success of the council campaigns on their local patches. The honours were split as Willie could boast a higher vote share while Alex could boast that Kevin had the highest vote of any councillor in Scotland since 1994. With over 6000 first preferences, it was a good thing we ran two candidates in that ward. I remember warning him it was a risk. What do I know?

Standing on a chair, Alex told us we could beat the SNP in Edinburgh West.

Christine talked about all those Lib Dem parliamentarians who had built up that tradition of service locally – Donald Gorrie, Margaret Smith, John Barrett, Mike Crockart – and how people had been poorly served by the nationalists.

And then it was Ming’s turn:

By the time Willie got to speak there was little else for him to say than to tell us to get off our backsides and get out there delivering leaflets.

That gin and tonic in the sun is going to have to wait for another few weeks. Maybe I’ll be able to fit in the odd trashy novel, though.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings

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6 Comments

  • Mick Taylor 6th May '17 - 8:42pm

    Go Christine!

  • crewegwyn 6th May '17 - 9:13pm

    Why distort the barchart?

    Or is it the camera angle?

  • John barrett 7th May '17 - 7:39am

    Well done to all the team in Edinburgh West and it is so nice not to have to see that giant photo of Nicola every time I pass our office.

    Our best General Election results in the past have been built on a strong local election base and a track record of consistent local campaigning. It looks like we are now on course to win again in West.

    Best wishes to Christine on her journey to Westminster.

  • crewegwyn 7th May '17 - 12:02pm

    I’ll ask again.

    Is that barchart accurate?

    If not, why not?

  • Peter Andrews 7th May '17 - 2:10pm

    Of course it is accurate it has the figures printed on it

  • Tim Hill 7th May '17 - 3:29pm

    It is accurate. 12% is just more than a third of 33%.

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