A phone call to the organiser confirms that this event is being organised on behalf of John Burnett, retiring Lib Dem MP for Torridge and West Devon. It's all a ghastly mistake, the organiser explains when we press for an explanation as to how the Lib Dems managed to confuse just which Party Mr Walter is standing for.

Or was it?

How many businessmen would turn up to meet Mr Walter knowing he was the Lib Dem candidate? Is being Tory a better draw? It appears the Lib Dems may think so.

Either that, or inane optimistic chatter about how many supporters we have and how badly they are doing.

Well we feel that's nothing more than spin.

This is politics so we aren't going to try to fool anyone. Instead we are going to put across relevant views and report significant events in the campaign.

We'll stick to facts and events. We'll challenge our opponents and put across our message. Please don't think this blog is anything other than Conservative, plain and simple.

In the leaflet the UKIP give the names of their local councillors and area contacts. However in two instances the world has moved on since the leaflet was printed...

David Weeks, listed as a UKIP Councillor and area contact has resigned from the UKIP. We won't go into the gory details here, but it is in the public domain that he left the UKIP well over a month ago. He is now simply an Independent Borough Councillor without Party Political affiliation.

Alan Eastwood OBE, another erstwhile UKIP Councillor, we understand has become the Veritas organiser for the South West, and may have Parliamentary ambitions in his home constituency of Torridge & West Devon.

Time to print another leaflet we think!

Not surprisingly the article in question is entitled 'Axe the Tax' and is a sidebar article that appears consistently through the various county council division editions.

Here's a confession, we often share similar designs and concepts for messages in the Conservatives. But come on, its just a bit lazy to recycle the same article over and over again amongst County Councillors.

It's also simply misleading to say that a stock article about 'Axe the Tax' has been written by this Councillor or that one when in fact it was written by a Campaign worker. It shows disrespect not only for the Councillors but the readers as well.

In the latest issue of the Spectator, Charles Kennedy has been drawn out on whether he would ever serve alongside Michael Howard in a coalition with the Conservatives. The answer is, of course, no.

Kennedy has previously ruled out a coalition with Labour in Westminster. This may be a ruse given what has happened elsewhere. It may be achieved with an alternative Labour leader to Blair and a cushy number in the Cabinet for Charlie.

So what would happen if there was a hung Parliament? The answer might be that a minority government is formed, perhaps without the overt cooperation of the Liberal Democrats - unless Prime Minister Brown can talk his fellow Scot into the Cabinet, perhaps as Foreign Secretary. The ensuing discussion about Proportional Representation would be interesting to hear.

But assume Kennedy is true to his word and the Lib Dems don't join a coalition with either Conservatives or Labour.

This would mean a short lived Parliament and another General Election at the first opportunity - perhaps like 1974. 

Perhaps that is a natural consequence for this sort of unstable political situation. 

It is also the time when a lot of chickens should come home to roost for the Lib Dems and their bi-polar approach to politics. 

Naturally averse to tough choices, in a hung Parliament the Lib Dems would suddenly find themselves accountable for what happens, regardless of  whether they were a part of a coalition or bystanders to a struggling minority administation.

Mr Paice is speaking at the Torridge and West Devon Farmers Forum. He will be in good company. Geoffrey Cox, Conservative PPC for Torridge and West Devon, and Richard Haddock, former Devon NFU Chairman, amongst others.

Farming is doing better than it was a few years ago, but the shakeout has been bloody and the countryside is a changed place.  James will hear just how things are first hand.

Were Mr Paice to become Secretary of State for Agriculture it would mean that a lot of the problems faced by Agriculture get much better attention.

Given the continuing food scares, we should all care about what goes on in the farmyards of Great Britain. It is in everyone's interests that there is a successful Agriculture sector - for the sake of our health, the economy and the environment.

In a tough fight, the first instinct is to cover the area with paper. Leaflet after leaflet, delighting the local print industry, but perhaps inducing apathy in the electorate who unless very keen eventually give up on trying to follow the arguments waged in a leaflet war.

This time round, the Electoral Commissionwill be looking far more closely at how money is spent. Candidates who flout the law, or deploy creative accounting to conceal an overspend, could find themselves facing a knock on the door from the local constabulary, who are much more willing to investigate election offences than some may presume. The consequences of a subsequent conviction could mean the loss of a seat, either through the legal process or the public shaming that would follow.

New types of election expenses need to be accounted for. For instance, the cost of the diesel or petrol in a candidate's battlebus all needs to be included, as a cost of promoting the candidate. Imagine criss-crossing a vast rural constituency day after day for four weeks in a thirsty Range-Rover and you might imagine the cost of fuel alone is going to take a severe bite out of your legally allowed maximum spend before you print a single leaflet.

Likewise, the commercial cost of premises, actual cost of staff (causing much consternation amongst MPs researchers) and a variety of admin charges all need to be included.

The Electoral Commission promises it will be scrutinisng returns far more closely this time and taking action where appropriate. We have been warned!

There are just a few properties on the market for less than £100,000 in Torridge and West Devon which would then not be subject to stamp duty, but insufficient to be of much help to first time buyers.

There are probably many more houses costing less than £100k the further north you go in the UK, albeit predominantly in less affluent Labour voting areas.  First time buyers in London, the Midlands, the South  East and the South West will see little benefit from this pre-election bribe.

Stamp duty has not tracked the increase in the price of housing, and the cost of this bribe is pretty small as a consequence. 

If Labour rebands houses for Council Tax should they win the next election, the pitiful gain made with this increase of the Stamp duty will be quickly wiped out.

Council tax rebanding will hit areas with higher house prices harder, making it more difficult for first time buyers not just to acquire their first home, but to stay in it as well.

As with all Gordon Brown's tax bribes, this one has a sting in the tail. 

This is bitter news for Appledore Shipyard, which Labour Ministers allowed to go to the wall a few months ago with the loss of many jobs.

Appledore's future has long been in question. It is unfortunately in the wrong place, on the banks of the Torridge where not many people vote Labour, rather than on the Tyne, where they do.

The cost of this particular 'bung' to the shipyard (and to keep Tyneside workers in jobs that were lost to Torridgeside without a thought) was £84 million of taxpayers money.

In an ideal world no favouritism would be shown to any shipyard, be it in Appledore, Portsmouth, Tyneside or Belfast. Tenders for military contracts should be decided on a track record of cost, quality and delivery to schedule. Subsidies to favour particular shipyards at home or from abroad skew the tendering process and don't deliver value for money.

Appledore has an excellent reputation, and would win a fair share of business if the odds were not stacked against it by government.

Since the redundancies, Appledore has had a reprieve of sorts, having been acquired by DML. But once again its future is in question as DML may be acquired by US company Carlyle. Would Appledore shipyard be seen a profitable enough to be kept alongside the core business of refitting nuclear submarines in Plymouth?

Whatever noises the local Lib Dem MPs make, they are effectively powerless to do anything about Appledore's future. In the seedy business of Labour pork barrel politics they are convenient bulwarks against the Conservatives, who would conduct the whole business of tendering in an altogether more businesslike and objective fashion.

Appledore could still have a future if rules of the playing field were being set by a Conservative Government.

Only by electing many more Conservative MPs in places like Torridge and West Devon can the Conservatives displace Labour and so give Appledore a fair crack of the whip.

Yesterday we received a curt refusal (and no apology) from Mr Bernard Korlander, organiser of the 'North Devon Business Breakfast Club' to correct in advance the impression that David Walter, the Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Torridge and West Devon, was NOT the Conservative Party candidate, as indicated in the invitation to meet him for Breakfast.

Instead Mr Korlander says the matter will be clarified once he has a captive audience for the hapless Mr Walter, who has struggled to make an impact since being selected. We wonder if he will be good to his word. The omens so far are not good.

An image of the invitation can be seen above.

We can only presume that the misleading information about just who Mr Walter is, was an attempt to generate more interest. But it is naive and ill judged.

Do the Lib Dems seriously believe that North Devon business people do not know who Geoffrey Cox is? What impression will they create by trying to lure people in under false pretences?

We are often led to believe that the Lib Dems are a formidable campaigning organisation. From this silly episode, it appears they are just plain desperate.

But should Mr Brown be so smug? He noted in his budget speech that there have been 50 quarters of continuous growth in the UK economy, of which he presided over roughly the last 32 (but no thanks to Ken Clark). Mr Brown claims that the fundamentals of the economy are sound. 

If the economy is sound, then credit should be given to the hard work and enterprise of the British people first and foremost, not this Chancellor.

The state continues to grow in size (and Labour were actually attacking Conservative plans to curtail further growth yesterday), at the expense of the overall economy.

As the state grows in size, it either needs to borrow or tax more. Little of this growth in spending can really be justified as 'investment'. Neither is it a recipe for a competitive economy. The UK is lagging behind in comparison with the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the tiger economies in the far east, where many jobs are being 'outsourced'. 

The burden of bureacracy, regulation and taxation brought about by Gordon Brown is taking its toll on Britain's competitiveness, compared to where we were in world rankings under the Conservatives.

Gordon Brown is now running of easy choices, harder ones lie ahead, hence the widespread expectation of tax rises after the election if Labour are re-elected.

All of which brings us neatly back to the budget and the pre-election bribes that will have to be paid back  later. A quick scan through the Okehampton Times did not reveal a single habitable property for less than £120,000 that would not be eligible for Stamp Duty. Not much of a bribe there then.

Whilst Mr Brown has been kind to pensioners, this was political expediency which will cost the average taxpayer later.  It is also quite possibly too little, too late for many pensioners fed up with Labour and disillusioned with Mr Blair.

If, as sooner or later historically there always has been, an end to growth in the economy and the start of a recession, it will bite hard. Just at the time when jobs are being lost and the economy is struggling, taxes and interest rates will bite hard.

Mr Brown most likely hopes someone else will have his current job by then.

a) A one-off payment that will not be repeated

b) Only available to pensioners aged 65 or older.

This is pitiful. Pensioners want long term relief from Council Tax, like they will get from the Conservatives, not a small pre-election bribe that will be clawed back almost immediately.

Recent research shows that Council Tax is likely to rise sharply as a result of Council Tax rebanding that will go ahead after the election. If you live in the average Band 'D' property locally, the best guess is that you'll end up paying £400 a year extra if Labour are returned to power.

So if you are a pensioner, looking for relief from Council Tax, what can you do?

If you vote Liberal Democrat you won't get a Conservative Government, nor will you get the Lib Dems Local Income Tax. What you will get instead is Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, a small pre-election bribe and a bigger Council Tax bill at the end. Oh, and a 25% cut to your winter fuel allowance, in case you haven't noticed

If you vote Labour, see above.

If you vote UKIP, see above.

If you vote Conservative (and others do in sufficient numbers) you may get a Conservative Government. You'll get a smaller Council tax bill, no higher charge from rebanding and up £500 off your bill. At the very least, you'll get stronger opposition in Parliament and more common sense from the Conservatives.

As the Americans would say 'it's a no-brainer'.

"In the past, Lib Dems have found it difficult to hand over seats once a popular incumbent departs, and this will help the Conservatives in their bid to regain Devon West and Torridge."

For example Yeovil:

Paddy Ashdown's majority in 1997 was 11,403

David Laws majority in 2001 was 3,928

There will be a lot more Lib Dems standing down this time than there were in 2001.

John Burnett was not wildly popular to begin with, having his majority cut by Geoffrey Cox in 2001.  His replacement is not exactly of the David Law, Mark Oaten and Lembit Opik generation, being only a couple of years younger than Burnett.

This does not augur well for the Lib Dems locally.

So let's take a step back. Okay, we all want kids to eat good food. Fine. But where does that food come from? Is it traceable? What production techniques were used? Is there any chance of GM contamination? Where's the joined up thinking from this Labour Government?

More and more of our food is grown abroad, and the Government officially doesn't care.  According to DEFRA in 1993 we were 73.6% self sufficient in all foodstuffs, or 85.5% in native foodstuffs. In 2003 we were 63.4% self sufficient in all foodstuffs or 74.2% in native foodstuffs.

When food is grown abroad, its production is beyond our control. The recent Sudan One foodscare and massive product recall showed just how complex the system of food imports is, and the potential for contamination.

The decline of our self sufficiency may be an issue in UK agriculture, but it's not frontpage news elsewhere. But for a number of reasons perhaps we should be more conscious of the need to buy British

a) Traceability

b) Quality

c) Balance of trade

d) Taste!

e) Price

We all need to eat. That means we have a stake in the way our food is produced. Self sufficiency is desirable for economic, nutritional and environmental reasons.

It's a shame that the Labour Government is so disdainful of the country way of life that it is prepared to run down British agriculture and food production despite the common sense of being as self sufficient as we possibly can.

Some like it hot

The general election heat is on in West Devon and Torridge — Liberal Democrat John Burnett has a majority of just under 2,000 which he is defending against Conservative Geoffrey Cox.

There’s something strange going on here. Voters are not saying they will vote ‘Liberal Democrat’, rather they say they will vote for ‘John Burnett’.

It is as if as MP for West Devon and Torridge over the past four years, Mr Burnett has put himself above party politics.

YOU can hear them coming before you see them. The loudspeakers play a patriotic tune, then the LandRover hoves into sight, Union and St George flags fluttering from its roof in the blazing sunshine. Geoffrey Cox has arrived in South Zeal.

Mr Cox, a barrister, is 41. This is his first general election campaign. ‘I’m exhausted but I’m delighted,’ he says. ‘It’s going so well. People are giving us a marvellous response.’

Mr Cox’s approach to voters bears some similarity with that of Mr Burnett. Polite. Friendly.

Geoffrey Cox cut John Burnett’s majority to just over 1,000 votes in 2001.

This is no sideshow. Devon County Council spends in excess of £600 million per annum, and is in charge of vital services like education, social services, highways and strategic planning.

Today the Conservatives launched their manifesto for the County. You can read it online at http://www.devonconservative.org.uk/

Over the past few months Geoffrey Cox and the Torridge & West Devon Conservatives have been engaged in a 'Quality of Life' survey, which has been sent out to over 60,000 individual residents in Torridge and West Devon.

One of the most interesting results of the data collected is that the County Council is viewed as poorly run. It suffers lower ratings than even Torridge District Council amongst Torridge residents!

The interesting question is why? The County Council has had better ratings in its comprehensive performance assessment from the Audit Commission than Torridge or the low performing and mismanaged Lib Dem Councils, yet Devon residents feel it is not up to scratch.

Two reasons come to mind. Firstly the massive increase in Council tax, and secondly a continuing legacy of the eight years of mismanagement under the Lib Dems prior to 2001.

When the Lib Dems lost control in 2001, Devon CC was in a complete mess. It was down to critical levels in operating reserves (3 days) and morale was very poor. Social Services were in crisis and despite a lot of money being pumped into Education, the results were simply not evident.

Since 2001 things have improved, but there is a lack of leadership given the limitations of having no party in overall control.

This election is an opportunity to place leadership in the hands of Conservatives.  We Tories have a strong track record of efficient administration, with Councils like East Devon and South Hams getting high marks from the Audit Commission for the services they provide. 

So, will it be back to mismanagement and high taxes from the Lib Dems or a lean, efficient administration under the Conservatives, or the third way - more gridlock and confusion with no overall control?

From what we read in the survey, the status quo is not satisfactory.

Being publicity junkies the Lib Dems picked Kennedy primarily because of his public profile, built on appearances in chatshows and comedy quizzes like 'Have I got News for You'. They may have done better by resurrecting Clement Freud given that rationale.

But why is this important to Torridge and West Devon? Well, it won't make a jot of difference who leads or misleads the Lib Dems in future, but the fate of Torridge and West Devon may well decide Mr Kennedy's, if he is to be believed.  Politics loss will be television's gain.

Don't worry Charlie, there's sure to be space on the sofa next to Michael Portillo and Tony Benn.

Meanwhile it is becoming more apparent that the Labour Government will not meet the targets agreed in the Kyoto protocol for renewable energy resources.

Geoffrey Cox, the Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman has been at the forefront of objections against the imposition of wind turbines, and the use of PPS22 to run roughshod over local opinion and democracy.

The silence from the Liberal Democrats has been deafening. Their national spokesman on the issue, Norman Baker MP has branded opponents of onshore wind power in Devon as misguided. John Burnett, the local Lib Dem MP has turned to that old Lib Dem favourite to avoid taking a position on the issue. He wants a Royal Commission to look at the situation. This sort of pathetic response is reminiscent of his much ridiculed quote from the debate on the eve of the Iraq War "Let me make my position absolutely clear, I shall probably have to abstain."

Its time to face facts. These wind turbines are oversized, ugly and inefficient. They may be icons of green power to the urban masses but they despoil the countryside.

Its time to get serious about renewable energy. That means micro-generation, (like that used by many householders on Dartmoor without mains), hydo, solar, tide and where appropriate, biomass generation. 

However we bring about renewable generation, it needs to be done with the consent and support of local people. Not imposed by central dictat.

Mr Prescott has presided over the development of massive amounts of greenfield land in the south of England, a trend that will persist so long as he continues to knock down rather than renovate perfectly sound (and spacious) Victorian housing in places like Liverpool. Labour, it seems, has given up on the North's ailing communities and now wants to create similar misery further south.

It used to be that Labour had utopian visions of everyone living in high rise blocks of council flats, which would form part of a socialist paradise, where everyone was equal, except for the Labour politicians who were more equal than the rest of us, to paraphrase from Orwell's Animal Farm.

Nowadays it seems we can only stand back and watch the countryside that isn't being used for wind turbines be carpeted with new houses. These houses and flats are built more closely together than ever before, and with about as much consideration for the eventual inhabitant's quality of life as those high rise council flats.

What's more, Prescott's planning process has marginalised local democracy and placed power in the hands of bureaucrats. It is well nigh impossible to oppose any planning application for 'affordable' housing these days, however speculative and dodgy the development.  If the local planning committee goes against the advice of the planning officials, who take their cue from Prescott's planning guidance, an appeal to Planning Inspector will almost certainly overturn the decision.

Don't get us wrong, Housing renewal is essential, and modernisation for environmental reasons is most desirable. It's just that in the race to make housing affordable sometimes its questionable whether the housing will actually be inhabitable.

Somewhere along the line, we're missing a trick.

There are a lot of what might be termed rabbit hutches being built, with barely enough room to turn round in, let alone swing a cat. More money for developers but at what cost to the local community and residents?

So what is the answer then? It's not easy to provide quality housing at affordable prices whilst preserving the countryside and restricting the supply of land. That's why Labour should be doing better in places like Liverpool and Newcastle which have already been built on.

As with the case of wind turbines, there is a need to empower local democracy. Give local Councillors more say in what is or is not developed.  At least let them set conditions to improve the quality of the development, and reduce the density where appropriate. Give local communities a greater say in their future.

Mr Prescott in many ways acts the same as Comrade Napoleon, the pig in Orwell's

Animal Farm. Here's quote from the book.

"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"

http://newgolddream.dyndns.info/criminal.html

He will name the day on Tuesday, unless that day becomes another day when the news of the election may be buried by the media as they spot better stories. It is a non-event that Labour would very much like to make an event, and the spin doctors are sweating.

After huffing and puffing about how pleased he is to be fighting a 'positive campaign' in his weblog, and telling his troops at their annual dinner to be positive, the Lib Dem wannabe has decided there is no option but to put the boot in after all.

So out comes an anti-crime leaflet, shreaking accusations about the Tory record on law and order. In some doors at the same time (where the moth eaten Lib Dem organisation can actually deliver), a reheated survey from 2001 which suggests that the Tories will impose all sorts of charges for NHS services, yada, yada, yada...  Is it groundhog day?

Who, you might ask the amnesiac, time warped Lib Dems, has been governing the country these last eight years?

Under whose administration has violent crime soared?

Under whose administration has police red tape ballooned?

Under whose administration has bureaucracy in the NHS mushroomed?

Under whose administration has MRSA sky-rocketed?

Shouldn't Labour be taking just an incy-wincy bit of criticism for what's gone on since 1997, or are we Tories so utterly wicked that nothing Blair, Brown and the current administration have done rates a mention?

The Lib Dems could use a visit from James Carville, Clinton's campaign guru who famously wrote on the war-room whiteboard 'it's the economy stupid.' It would be quite amusing to watch the screaming Cajun terrorise the tea and cakes campaign meetings in Cowley Street. 

Lib Dem campaign 'guru' Chris Rennard thinks he just has to reheat the last campaign and the votes of diasaffected Labour voters will drop into his corpulent lap in places like Folkstone & Hythe, Torridge and West Devon and other Tory-Lib battlegrounds.

But there is a difference this time. Labour have eight years of government to defend, and like it or not, the electorate does change.

They may have things on their minds other than punishing Conservatives again.

In the 19th century elections were plagued by fraud and misconduct. Much of our election law came about to prevent such abuse. Terms like 'treating' - the giving of meat and drink to bribe an elector - arose because candidates and parties knew giving the voters a high old time was a good way to get their votes.

Another term becoming more relevant again is 'personation' - the act of impersonating another voter.

Since Labour came to power they have set out to dismantle some of the safeguards intended to make personation much harder. In particular, Labour's enthusiasm for voting by post has led to liberalisation of the process to claim a postal ballot. You can now simply sign up for one with no questions asked - permanently. Combine this situation with the ease of registration, made all the more easier by the new 'rolling' system of registration where again you can claim a vote with almost no questions asked and you have the recipe for voter fraud. Fictitious relatives can move into your home, claim a postal ballot and, hey presto, another vote or five for Labour. Note that this article is being written after the deadline to claim a ballot for the General Election.

The conviction of 6 Labour Councillors in Birmingham for electoral fraud has exposed weaknesses in the system and called into question Labour's departure from the principles set down by HS Chapman all those years ago.

Don't get us wrong, our system of voting is among the best in the world and at the moment electoral fraud is the exception rather than the rule. Postal ballots have proved convenient to a great many people and do help increase turnout.

But like so many bits of Labour modernisation,  the changes to our voting system have been a bit slipshod, as the Birmingham case exposes. If voting by internet, mobile phone, supermarket kiosk or the old fashioned telephone really take off, so will opportunities for fraud.

On the same day , a flurry of opinion polls show the Tories snapping at Labour heels, with the Lib Dems up on 2001. All this, mark you, with a + or - 3% margin of error, which raises the spectre of the 1992 General Election.

Opinion Polls have evolved from being simple measures of public opinion to become instrumental in the formation of both public opinion and party policy. They can and do affect the outcome of elections, as well as the messages that are sent out.

But there is as much voodoo as science in opinion polling, and plenty of room for error. Peter Kellner, a well known psephologist, writing in last week's Sunday Times had this on his mind when he set out the case for the defence of the pollsters, against Tory accusations that opinion polls have been consistently wrong and always understate Conservative support.

Kellner, who did not declare his connection to polling company YouGov in the article, reckons that this time the Tory level of support will not be understated, and that the debacle of the 1992 election when the pollsters wrongly predicted a Labour victory will be laid to rest.  With a + or - 3% margin of error Peter?

So where does this leave Torridge and West Devon?

Well we turn to a small piece of software from a company called UK-Elect, plug in a 4% swing from Labour to Conservative nationally, as reported by the BBC's Peter Snow yesterday from the poll of polls (again - buyer beware the margin of error) and get a hypothetical local Conservative majority of between 650 and 1003 votes.  That represents a local swing of 1.66% from Lib Dem to Conservative, which does not seem unrealistic.

BUT - and this is a big 'but' - many people have yet to make up their minds.

With the exception of Geoffrey Cox there are a completely different set of candidates standing in this election compared to last time.

There is no incumbency factor.

The campaign has only yet begun.  There is still everything to play for, and absolutely no room for complacency on the part of any party.

One final issue needs to be considered at this point. What will happen to the Labour vote locally? The Lib Dems hope that they can squeeze it again and so cling on to the constituency. Perhaps why the Lib Dem candidate has taken upon himself the dubious title of the 'Peace' candidate, which lays him open to all sorts of awkward 'what if' questions - a topic we may tackle another day.

A recent defector from Labour to the Conservatives confirmed a suspicion that many truly disillusioned Labour voters may simply prefer to sit this election out rather than either vote tactically or support Labour.

This is what pollsters refer to as tactical vote 'unwind', and it frightens the living daylights out of the Lib Dems who know that they live on borrowed votes.  It's perhaps why they are being so 'positive' when they are absolutely itching to lay into Michael Howard, who is articulating a lot of Labour voter's concerns about issues like immigration, which are anathema to Lib Dems.

After eight years of Labour Government, it seems more likely that there will be significant change at this election. But with the electorate so volatile there is very little that can be predicted with certainty. That is good for voters, but bad for the pollsters.

Here are some highlights from the various races across the constituency.

Bill Cann OBE, the Independent County Councillor for Hatherleigh and Chagford for many years is not seeking re-election. Bill was the long serving Chairman of Dartmoor National Parks,  and an old-school Independent. His decision to retire may have been precipitated by the candidature of local man James McInnes for the Conservatives, who is a Borough Councillor for a ward within the Division, and who now looks likely to win this seat where the Lib Dems have never showed well.

An oddity worthy of mention is the nomination of Piers Merchant for the UKIP in the Torrington Rural Division. Merchant was the Conservative MP for Beckenham in Kent until he fell from grace in the late Major years when it was revealed he had a fling with a 17 year old nightclub hostess (something that wouldn't rate a mention if he was a new Labour MP these days), and who resurfaced in the UKIP at the last European elections fighting in the North East.  Quite what brings him to Torrington is unclear, we can only speculate that he is a 'holiday home candidate'.

UKIP's performance in Local Government elections is abyssmal and not improving. It begs the question why they still bother.

Labour deserves congratulations for fielding a full slate in Torridge and West Devon, which was more than UKIP could manage. No less a luminary than Eddie Lopez, Agent to the Exeter Labour Party is standing in Yelverton Rural. His wife Brenda has a slightly shorter journey to her Division of Hatherleigh and Chagford from Exeter. It is good that Labour has chosen to give its supporters in Torridge and West Devon a choice.

In highly marginal Tavistock Division a joker has been played by Ted Sherrell, the Independent Borough Councillor  for Tavistock South Ward. Ted tops the polls in his ward and will take votes from both Tories and Lib Dems across the wider patch. This throws the narrow race in Tavistock completely, and has apparently left the Lib Dems (wrongly) suspecting the Tories of putting up Mr Sherrell as a spoiler candidate. Ted's candidature will probably hit the Party with the flakiest vote hardest and he will not finish third or fourth in this race. Whether he wins is another matter. It does though seem the end for Lib Dem County Councillor Roy Connelly, who got in last time on John Burnett's coat-tails, but presents Conservative Philip Sanders with a different challenge to the one he originally anticipated.

Remember that Devon County Council spends over £600 million a year, and teamwork amongst Councillors to run the place effectively is absolutely essential. Independents (particularly those who refuse to join a group like Ted) are quite frankly out of their depth at County Hall and they quickly become mere passengers.

The youngest candidate in the race is James Morrish, aged just over 30, who is standing for the Conservatives in Torrington Rural. James is the sitting Councillor for Two Rivers ward on Torridge DC and has a high profile thanks to his work with the Young Farmers and the Rural Stress Information Network. Incumbent Lib Dem John Rawlinson, who trailed badly  in the core 3 seat District Council ward of Great Torrington at the last District Council election in 2003, finds he has less of a comfort zone this time, as there are no splinter Independent candidates standing and a highly credible Tory challenger. This race is worth a trip to the bookies.

Adding a dash of colour is Conservative Gaye Tabor, who takes on Lib Dem Des Shadrick in the Holsworthy Division. Gaye is a no-nonsense local businesswoman who provides a credible alternative in a seat that the Lib Dems are taking for granted. If the state of the roads in the Holsworthy area are anything to go by, Des may have a bit of explaining on the doorstep. Just drive from Bude to Holsworthy and see how the state of the roads change when you cross into Devon from Cornwall.

In Bideford, the change in boundaries have vexed both the Lib Dems and Conservatives, trying to decide which is the more winnable of the new Divisions. Please give a warm Devon welcome (but not your vote) to Lib Dem incomer Humphrey Temperley, who is standing in Bideford South and Hartland. Mr Temperley was a prominent Liberal Democrat in Somerset until he lost his County Council seat in 2001 and his District Council seat in 2003 to the Conservatives.  His arrival in Devon may not be entirely coincidental.  Bob Williamson, the Conservative candidate for Bideford South and Hartland is a doughty fighter with a campaign workrate that may leave two-time loser Temperley facing another defeat in a Division the Lib Dems may take for granted.

In Bideford East and North, well known Conservative Chris Leather takes on Lib Dem Hugo Barton in what should be a tough fight. There have been a lot of Town Council by-elections recently in the TDC Bideford East ward, which have been won by the Lib Dems against a split opposition on small turnouts and with smaller majorities. There is a feeling and anticipation of change in Bideford, with a great deal of raw anger directed at the Lib Dems by local resident groups. After many years of dominance in Bideford, the Lib Dems are finding the going increasingly tough, and they may well be at a tipping point.

In Yelverton Rural the sitting Lib Dem County Councillor Greta Madigan is standing down. In his quest to gain the seat for the Conservatives Bill Hitchins does not face the problems of a 'spoiler' Independent that his predecessor encountered in 2001, which let in Ms Madigan.

The other two races not mentioned so far are Northam and Okehampton. The Northam Division has lost it's rural bit, and is now composed of the wards of Northam, Westward Ho! and Appledore. Conservative incumbent Tony Collins faces Lib Dem Leonard Ford and a UKIP opponent. No change is expected.

Similarly in Okehampton, former Mayor of Okehampton Christine Marsh is the Conservative incumbent and faces her defeated Lib Dem opponent of four years ago, Ken Williams. Christine has been a diligent and hardworking County Councillor.

Finally, please bear in mind that thanks to the Labour Government the financial reward for being elected as County Councillor these days is not unsubstantial. What's more, the basic allowance is expected to rise to over £11k after the elections. This means that these County Council candidates have a lot to gain by being elected - at least £44,000 over the next four years plus expenses and additional allowances if they occupy a position of responsibility on the Council. That means your vote is valuable to them - so make them earn it.

1) Government spending as a proportion of our Gross National Product continues to rise. As this happens we are becoming less competitive as a nation. If there is 'redistribution' of wealth going on, it's from the private sector to the state sector, not from rich citizen to poor citizen. A bigger state does not in and of itself represent social justice.

2) Yes, interest rates are low. But this has led to a massive increase in consumer debt that the Government has failed to tackle. Many people are now at the mercy of interest rates which are at historically low rates.

3) The loss of manufacturing jobs that have occurred under Labour would have evoked howls of outrage had it happened under a Conservative government. We are more dependent upon the service sector (and the burgeoning state sector) for jobs than we have ever been before.

4) The basic cost of living masks a multitude of increases, primarily in taxation and the cost of fuel. Often it is those most vulnerable who feel these increases the most. For instance, Pensioners being hit by Labour's Council Tax increases.

5) Labour's so-called 'investment' in the state has not delivered better frontline services where it should have. Instead an army of bureaucrats and pen pushers with politically correct (and indecipherable) job descriptions continues to grow.

The Conservative Party plans are not to increase Government spending  by £34 billion less than the Labour Party's plans. This does not represent any cut from current spending. It is a cautious but necessary policy to steer Britain away from the malaise that afflicts many uncompetitive European economies.

The basic question voters should ask themselves is whether they are happy to pay more in taxes when it seems there is precious little to be seen from the increases that have already been passed on?

Conservative believe it's time to deliver value for money.

You can read the manifesto by clicking on this link

As you would expect, we commend it to the voters of Torridge and West Devon and feel proud to be campaigning on an agenda that addresses the real concerns of ordinary people.

Predictably the manifesto was denounced by Labour, though the Lib Dems were somewhat muted as Sarah Kennedy was admitted to hospital to give birth. Charles Kennedy departed the political arena to spend more time with his family, albeit temporarily, but for how long?

An interesting leader article from the Times today, calling for the constituents of Maidenhead to re-elect Theresa May, the local Conservative MP, for whom it seems the Editor of the Times has a soft spot.  The Thunderer (or should it be the Squeaker with the reduced tabloid size and readership), thinks that Mrs May should not be a target for the Lib Dem's so called 'decapitation' agenda of trying to unseat prominent Conservative MPs with small majorities.  How positive is such an agenda?

It's interesting how the left can use such hostile language, that would be considered nasty if it was used by the Conservatives. Theresa May would certainly not approve!

Recent opinion polls published yesterday do not suggest much change in the polls, as the parties have yet to get fully into campaign mode.  Today's poll by YouGov showed the Conservatives neck and neck with Labour on 36% apiece, and the Lib Dems flatlining at 20%. On that poll, there would be sufficent national swing to elect Geoffrey Cox in Torridge & West Devon with a majority between 1,000 and 1,600 according to UK-Elect swing forecast.

What part of the Liberal anatomy would be severed by such a result?

You can view it by clicking this link

Nearly every local black and white Lib Dem leaflet contains a doctored photo, with the Lib Dem candidate or a colleague brandishing something onto which a relevant message has been placed electonically. This is all part of modern campaign communications and we don't criticise the Lib Dems for their use of design.

What this particular doctored photo did highlight was the apparent inconsistency of Ed Matts who appeared to be campaigning for one family of asylum seekers to stay, whilst saying others should not be allowed to.

It's a nasty piece of attack journalism from the Times, whose supposedly enlightened journalists fail to see or ignore the basic inhumanity of the current system in their rush to support Labour in its most marginal seat; 

When families whose immigration cases drag on for ages put down roots and become part of a local community whilst their application meanders through the system, it becomes cruel and unfair to remove them often years later.  Ed Matts was perfectly correct in campaigning to support the Malawian family who had been kept dangling by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. Many cases drag on for years, and then when a decision to deport is reached, the consequences are often heartwrenching.

It is neither hypocritical or inconsistent for Mr Matts  to call for a better system of immigration controls. It is best that applications for asylum are dealt with swiftly and before applicants have time to either disappear or integrate into a local community.

The Times and the Conservative Party have not got on for a long time, but this is a new low for a once independent and objective newspaper that should be behaving far better.  Perhaps it's a measure of the desperation in the left of politics that the front page of a once proud national daily, backed up by the full might of the BBC, should be used to try and stop the Conservative advance.

The Labour spin machine is not dead.

This is the first time Conservatives have used cinema advertising since 1979. The ad is targetted at the younger audiences who make up the bulk of movie-goers these days.

Warning - this video may take a few minutes to download

http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/your_council/electionsandvoting.htm

This may be useful in working out your County Council Division, and tracking results.

Mind you, you have to have a pretty broad imagination to be a Lib Dem. To imagine that you are the effective opposition to New Labour when you are in coalition in Scotland and Wales. To genuinely believe you are the main alternative to Labour Government? To imagine Charles Kennedy as Prime Minister?

Sadly reality usually kicks in for the Lib Dems around 10pm on Polling Day.  That's when they rejoin the real world, at least for half a day or so.

So when we hear about the radical plans the Lib Dems have to spend £48 billion more than Labour, and their plans for tax, pensioners and so on, you may exercise a intellectual interest in what they suggest. Just as one might consider what a think tank or some academic suggests might be good for the economy or society.

But little more than that. Lib Dems don't form Governments, end of story. It's been that way for coming on for a century. Optimism isn't going to triumph over reality. There is no lived happily ever after for the Lib Dems and the British electorate, nor is it foreseeable that there ever will be.

At the end of the day, General Elections are called to form Governments. The electorate gets its say and then the politicians who have won get to deliver on what they have put forward as an agenda for Government. This is a Conservative-Labour thing, and it still remains so.

If you still fancy a Lib Dem surprise win, just visit the BBC Election website and play with Peter Snow's Labour/Lib Dem swingometer. Then 'go figure', as George Bush might say.

So what ROI are we getting from the 66 tax rises since New Labour came to power? Bear in mind that this is a question not just about quantity, but quality as well. Labour may have 'invested' on public services, but has it done so in the way that best serves the people?

As we are Conservatives we obviously believe not. That was the whole point of the independent  James Report, the result of the enquiry the Conservatives set up to investigate the scale of waste in Government and identify potential savings. It was also on Labour's mind with the Gershon report, but for different reasons.

These reports enrich economists and management consultants.  Much of what they say is just plain common sense. However they do take independent judgments about issues that the Government may prefer are obscured.

All this tends to be highly technical, confusing and plain boring, but it is important. It's your money being spent, with your single vote as your only way of expressing how you would like things done. It's your public services, delivered with the choice or lack of choice as determined by the bureaucrats and politicians.

Are you happy with the standard of government services like police, health and education that you and yours receive? Was it worth the extra money?

So has Labour delivered ROI? We say no, and the independent James Reports backs us up.  After eight years of government there is nowhere to run or hide for the Labour Government. This time they are accountable.

It's up to you to decide if they deserve another term of power and the chance to take more decisions about how your money is spent and what you get in return.

Judge Labour on its record.

This poll was for Devon and Cornwall - a pretty diverse area politically, but one where the Tories have only four Parliamentary seats, as do Labour, whilst the Lib Dems have seven.

It's actually harder to extrapolate any meaning from this poll using our software than it is to predict a local result from the national polls.

UKIP's collapse is near complete.

Whilst the evening itself was entertaining and quite topical, the fundamental reason why the election is being held - to form a government - could not be addressed simply because the current party of government (until 6th May), Labour, was not represented.

It was also sad to see the Greens absent. We understand that the Green candidate is unwell, and hope he will attend future meetings.

We do question the whole purpose of these cross party meetings if Labour cannot or will not attend. Voters who attend should be able to weigh up all views rather than be left to fill in the gaps for themselves.

Parties that win an election usually get the nasty decisions that they want or have to take as soon after the election as possible, hoping or banking on faded memories by the time the next poll comes along.

The axe has been hovering over rural POs for some time, so Postwatch's concerns are highly plausible.

How can such cuts be avoided? Voting Lib Dem will simply result in Labour government. No doubt the Lib Dems already have their petitions to save rural POs designed, but they know full well that they cannot defend rural services against Labour's contempt for the countryside.

Only a vote for the Conservatives, who can form an alternative government, offers the prospect of reprieve for these much needed rural services.

All this contradictory polling information has a familiar feel. Similar gyrations were taking place in 1992.

Sampling methods may account for some these problems. The telephone is becoming a more and more unreliable method of obtaining information. The alternatives are face to face or the the internet. Both have similar limitations - obtaining a truly random sample is well nigh impossible and the pollsters know it. What's more, their attempts to compensate by weighting information is at best informed guesswork, hardly scientific.

With two weeks to go, there is still plenty of time for almost anything to happen, and with the volatility of the electorate, the large number of postal voters and worries about voter apathy there is no room for complacency.

Nevertheless, this was the place that Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy chose to visit today as part of his national tour. He made some proposals about health and speedier diagnosis, as if the Lib Dems have anything to bring to the feast regarding the NHS, other than to lie about Conservative proposals alleging we will charge for operations. This campaigning style is not only negative, but highly deceiptful.

Back to Okehampton Hospital. The new hospital is a bit of a curate's egg. Yes, it's new, and quite well equipped for its size. It probably made for a good photo backdrop for the Kennedy message. But scratch the surface and Okehampton's health services are not getting any better, and it's a good example of just how effective the Lib Dems actually are when it comes to fighting for local services.

a) Out of hours doctor services are being restricted. The area covered by individual GPs is being enlarged, so it may be that a doctor from Exeter has to respond to a call from Okehampton, instead of a local GP. Either that or its a nurse on the end of the line from NHS Direct. Hardly satisfactory.

b) Ambulance cover is similarly being restricted. Don't have a heart attack in Okehampton in the early hours of the morning, as there may not be an ambulance to get you to a hospital any time soon if new proposals go through.

c) GPs services are stretched. Okehampton Medical Centre, the main GP practice in the town is far too busy, and for the size of the town Okehampton really needs another four or five GPs.

A new two man GP practice, was established around the same time as the new hospital opened. The blundering Mid Devon Primary Care Trust failed (or chose) not to make provision to accommodate the new GP practice at the Hospital, even though the trust was building another hospital in Tiverton at the same time which does have a new fully accommodated GP practice.

The consequence of this was that the PCT was forced to make a planning application to erect three Portacabins in the grounds of the new hospital, to provide extra accomodation on a site that had just been opened. The application was opposed, as if it had been granted, the temporary solution may well have become permanent. The PCT has been forced to go back to the drawing board to come up with a permanent solution, not by the local MP, but by local Conservative Councillors opposing its 'temporary' plans.

The cherry on the cake is that Okehampton is designated to be enlarged by an extra 800 houses over the next decade on top of the substantial growth which has left not only the GP's surgery but the Primary school bursting. Okehampton's population may grow by up to a third.

And who was the local MP at the time all this was happening? Liberal Democrat John Burnett.  The same man who's most memorable quote in the House of Commons was 'let me make my position absolutely clear, I shall probably have to abstain.'

The supporters of the 'Peace' candidate got decidedly hostile. 

A local Lib Dem West Devon Borough Councillor and  several Lib Dem party activists appear to have attempted to use physical force to move  Conservative activists away. A Conservative activist was forced down and a pocket on his jacket torn off.

All this was witnessed by the media following the Kennedy tour and many local people. The aftermath was filmed by Channel 4 News. A picture appeared in the Western Morning News of the Liberal Democrat Agent thrusting a corrogated plastic poster into the face of a Conservative activist.

It should be made absolutely clear that the local Conservatives were under strict orders not to provoke the Lib Dems.  They were in full compliance at the time of the incident. The only reason for the Conservative presence was to demonstrate a strong Conservative presence in the constituency to the media, NOT to steal any camera shots or disrupt the Kennedy visit. The Lib Dems managed to do that all by themselves by such an aggressive over-reaction.

Statements to the Police have been made and charges against a Liberal Democrat may follow. It is also possible that a complaint to the Standards Board may be pursued, which might result in the Lib Dem Councillor being disqualified from being a Councillor and so causing a by-election. Similar incidents of aggression elsewhere have had such outcomes. This was definitely conduct unbecoming witnessed by a great many people.

The whole incident may be viewed as  a storm in a teacup. But it was a rather unedifying spectacle and an own goal for the Lib Dems, who lost a day's national campaign story to the actions of their voluntary workers in the constituency of the former Lib Dem Communications Director.

Election addresses are beginning to drop through letterboxes. In a sign of concern for their chances of winning, the Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy is also writing widely to Torridge and West Devon electors, telling them how he is looking forward to the birth of his child. Sarah obviously hadn't taken notice of Chris Rennard's campaign timetable, or he was too busy to notice she had given birth. Anyway, the letter is another amusing Kennedy/Lib Dem blunder. 

Liberal Democrat election literature is often a bit of a puzzle - the latest election address from David Walter is badly designed, poorly printed and looks quite amateur - or should that be 'shamateur'? Do the Lib Dems genuinely think that people regard them as nice group of local people who are well intentioned if a little amateur in their efforts? It's all a bit too clever by half.

Back to Postal votes - it is important to bear a couple of things in mind:

a) return them early - posting the dayt before polling day may mean they don't get there in time.

b) you can deliver them in person to the polling station on election day - or get someone else to do it for you.

So, for homeowners it's a straight choice between Labour and Conservatives.

With Labour you'll get:

a) Council Tax rebanding leading to a massive Council Tax hike. Note that expert David Thresher of the London School of Economics has said that rebanding will hit the South West hardest, as house price rises here have been quite steep.

b) Council Tax hikes - that are a cotinuation of the stealth tax to fill Labour's £8 billion black hole

c) Lower threshold for Stamp Duty, meaning most first time buyers will have to save upwards of £1,000 for the privledge of buying a home

d) Pensioner over 65 will get a one-off £200 in their Council Tax bills.

With the Conservatives you'll get:

a) No rebanding, and an end to the sort of red tape and targets that Gordon Brown loves but sends Council Tax rocketing.

b) An increase in the Stamp Duty threshold to £250,000. Great news for first many homebuyers.

c) Pensioners will get up to £500 off their Council tax bills, with no means testing.

This deal ends May 6th - get it now. Vote Conservative.

This public meeting was well attended, good humoured and generally constructive event. It was encouraging to see a hall full of people genuinely interested in what all politicians had to say, and to listen to the diversity of views on offer.

Despite the unremitting stream of cynicism from journalists about politics and politicians (which was the underlying topic of a question about trust and leadership) it seems that many people are at least interested in hearing what politicicans have to say. They most definitely are not all the same. Thank God!

Labour's lead in the polls at this point in the last General Election was in double digits. Now it is largely within the margin of error. That alone indicates a major swing away from Labour.

Then consider this:

Labour's share of the vote in the 2001 General Election was at the lowest end of its poll ratings over the course of that campaign.

The Conservative's share of the vote was at the highest end of its poll ratings over the course of that campaign.

Liberal Democrats similarly polled close to the top of their ratings.

On the basis of what happened in reality last time and what the polls say this time, that puts the Conservatives and Labour neck and neck in poll ratings at 36% with the Lib Dems on about 21%. The last two weeks of an election are the time when the polls usually narrow. So far as Labour is concerned, things can only get worse.

The poll figures given above represent a swing of at least 4% from Conservative to Labour. Not enough to win given Labour's massive majority and the regional variations that a national poll conceals, but a swing that would give Labour an almighty bloody nose at the very least.

Local Lib Dems will of course be quite chirpy about their party's enhanced standings nationally. They think disillusioned Labour voters are going to swing to them and so stave off the Tory advance. This is partly wishful thinking, but it is a prospect. It does however discount the 'personal vote' factor that incumbency carries, which cannot effectively be passed on. Similarly differential turnout and postal votes do not favour the Lib Dems. But that does not mean local Conservatives can be complacent.

Local Lib Dems will also be hoping the Conservative rise will be blunted by votes for the UKIP. But the only poll for Devon & Cornwall does not point to significant advances for UKIP. UKIP may also take votes from the Lib Dems and Labour.

So, are we all set fair for a Conservative gain in Torridge and West Devon? Only time can truly tell. One thing is clear though, there is only one way to stop Blair - vote Conservative. Conservative Government still cannot be dismissed, and it is only through gaining seats like Torridge and West Devon that we can avoid four more years of Blair.

For this strategy to work however it has to be seen as plausible to start with. The electorate must have it in mind to do in the Conservatives, or it all ends in tears and disgrace for the Lib Dems.

Now it seems a similar approach  may be tried here in Torridge and West Devon. The line against Geoffrey Cox goes something like this: He's a fat cat barrister who would only be a part time MP. He's controversial.

Well Geoffrey is a highly respected and successful QC who has the skills and track record of success to earn considerably more than the average person. So does that make him unfit to be an MP?

Back to the Lib Dem strategy. Here are a couple of examples of how it often fails, or backfires:

In Tiverton & Honiton the Lib Dems attacked Angela Browning for being a hard right extremist. They used a disgruntled former Agent to bear witness to this and endorse their candidate, Jim Barnard. Rather than rallying people to the Lib Dems it had the opposite effect. The Conservatives turned out to vote and Angela's majority more than tripled. Angela simply is not and does not appear to be some goose stepping Nazi. Mr Barnard collapsed at the count when he saw what was happening and was carried away in an ambulance. 

In West Dorset Oliver Letwin was branded a 'city banker' in terms that smacked of anti-semitism. Given Oliver's friendly image around his constituency the Lib Dem message simply didn't ring true, so despite other problems in that campaign, he hung on. Simon Green, the Lib Dem candidate in that election is not contesting this one.

Many other Conservative candidates suffer this last week personal attack. It seems the Lib Dems use these attacks to rally the anti-Tory vote to their side. But the method itself demonstates the sheer hypocrisy and underhandedness of their methods. All the posturing and chatter about being positive and decent is simply the prelude to the main event, a descent into the gutter.

The strategy also carries a high price for failure - political oblivion for the Lib Dem candidate who fails to carry off the trick.

To that end, athough they may be a public service and useful civic occasion, they have little campaigning utility for the politicians, who could easily doorstep or telephone more voters in the time the meeting takes.

That is a bit beside the point though. What these meetings do make plain is that not all politicians and parties are the same. Watching the five candidates perform is actually quite good theatre. Peter Christie, the Green candidate is a highly credible representative and advocate for his party, much to the irritation of the Liberal Democrats. Conservative Geoffrey Cox, used to performing in front of juries and being an inquisitor after the truth has pinned down the wriggling Lib Dem on more than one occasion. Rebecca Richards, the Labour candidate is a novice, but passionate in her beliefs. She deserves praise for the courage it takes to stand up for the Labour government in Torridge and West Devon, particularly in a hall full of hunt supporters.

It is difficult to say whether one candidate has emerged victorious overall, as they are all so different. These are not Presidential debates and each candidate will appeal to a different taste. Geoffrey Cox was clearly the best briefed and most able debater, though the UKIP candidate was not deficient. Coming from London, the Liberal Democrat candidate was probably too 'political' in his answers and needs to calm down. At times he appeared to be animated,  like a puppet from Gerry Andersons 'Thunderbirds' series, perhaps Lady Penelope's butler Parker?

In any case, theses debates add to the colour of the local campaign and are free. You cannot complain.

Our election literature can viewed in paperless form here

This is another crucial time when people weigh up their choices and examine what is on offer.

Both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have gone for addressed, as opposed to unaddressed mailings. The other parties have not bothered to address their literature.

In addition, both the Lib Dems and Conservatives have included personalised direct letters from the candidates. In the case of the Lib Dems there appears to be a 'catch-all' letter, whilst we Conservatives have targetted more specific groups using our 'Voter Vault' system. It is not 100% foolproof, but gives a good steer as to who is likely to support and what age they are.

One difference between the Lib Dems and Conservative letterwriting is the style of salutation. It is impossible to determine whether women are married, single, widowed or in a partnership. How to address them. Mrs, Miss or 'Ms'?

Being politically correct, the Lib Dems appear to go for 'Ms', upsetting quite a few ladies who have little truck with feminism or the likes of Germaine Greer. How many ladies have the Lib Dems upset like this? Torridge and West Devon is not quite like Islington...

By contrast the Conservatives usually use traditional titles, preferring for instance 'Chairman' rather than 'Chair' or 'Chairperson', taking the risk of offending the politically correct types. So we take the risk of addressing a single woman as 'Mrs'. It usually causes less offence.

Finally, please spare a thought for the poor Post man and woman who has to hump this stuff round. He or she doesn't get paid any more, and the extra weight in his or her bag cannot be doing his or her back any good. They are the humble servants of democracy.

In Teignbridge, Lib Dem Richard Younger-Ross is attacking Conservative Stanley Johnson for having gone to Oxford University.  One wonders how many Liberal Democrat Members past and present have gone to Oxbridge.

In North Devon, Lib Dem Nick Harvey is reminding voters of Conservative Orlando Fraser's remarks about local women. This is something that Orlando has worked hard to overcome over the last few months, but if you are Nick then anything is grist to the mill.

Back to Geoffrey. If he is 'controversial' for being a successful barrister with a track record of skilfully defending his clients, how do the Lib Dems feel about their Party President, Simon Hughes? A Cambridge man, he is a successful barrister and should Charlie be decapitated, a leadership contender?

We could begin to name other Lib Dem barristers who have practiced alongside Geoffrey Cox

Vote Conservative today.

Tomorrow, the results from Torridge and West Devon

Now we've got  Dickens out the way, this election blog is closing down with a celebration of the Conservative victory in Torridge and West Devon, but tinged with disappointment at the Conservative failure to gain power nationally and locally, dismay at the results for Devon County Council.

Firstly joy.

Geoffrey Cox was elected today at 5.30am. The count had gone into overtime because of the number of postal ballots. It was a nervous wait, as the tallies taken of ballot boxes throughout the night pointed to a close result. As it happened, the differential in postal ballots probably increased the Conservative majority. Lower turnouts in towns also helped. 

Geoffrey was kept waiting whilst the process of checking and verification was completed.  We are satisfied that locally the election was conducted in as fair and efficient a manner as possible, given the challenges election staff faced from postal voting and rolling registration, which both gave cause for concern on a wider scale. But that is the government's fault, not the local Council's.

When the moment arrived and the declaration was finally made there were tears of joy. It was a great feeling to have campaigned so hard, for so long and to finally have a result. This was a team effort and everyone who contributed, from putting up a poster, delivering a leaflet, stuffing an envelope, to those who contributed financially to the campaign deserves to share in the victory. Thanks and appreciation are due.

David Walter, the Liberal Democrat said later in a news interview that the Lib Dem vote did not turn out. He asserted that Lib Dem supporters had somehow been complacent. This does not square with what happened at the County Council elections which we shall deal with below. At the end of the day, the Conservatives fought the best campaign, and had the best candidate. Victory was both earned and deserved, not conjured or gained by default. The voters did come out, but not to vote for the Liberal Democrat, at least in this election.

Then sorrow.

It was perhaps too much to expect the Conservatives to seize power and uproot the massive Labour majority. This goes back to 1997, when the Labour victory left the Conservatives with a mountain to climb. We are now closer to the summit, but not there yet.

There is still hope. Labour's majority is much smaller, the discontent within its ranks less easily contained and the agenda will probably focus more and more on the size and cost of the state under Gordon Brown.

If the Lib Dems are going to occupy an independent position they must reconsider their juvenile animosity and antipathy towards the Conservatives. It is foolish and immature to constantly berate the Tories to the exclusion of Labour. For all the talk from the BBC about the Lib Dems being a genuine third force in politics they remain a long way from being a part of government. The Lib Dem approach to politics reflects this all to often.

Over the next four or so years the power will ebb away from Tony Blair - perhaps more quickly than he would like or calculate. Taxes will rise, public services will stagnate further and we shall still struggle to assert and define our position in the world. The liberal orthodoxies of political correctness will continue to fragment society. Rural areas like Torridge and West Devon will not fair well under Labour. It will take all the energy that Geoffrey Cox can muster to defend local services.

There is hope, however. Many seats that were once Conservative and fell to Labour in 1997 are now much more marginal. When the Conservatives come to drawing up their next list of target seats they wish to take from Labour to form a Government, they will find a target rich environment.  It is up to the party over the next four years to project unity, purpose and where necessary discipline to earn government. For all the Lib Dem talk, it is the Tories who are the real contenders for Government.

More sorrow.

Devon County Council is once again in Liberal Democrat hands. Congratulations to James McInnes for gaining Hatherleigh and Chagford. Christine Marsh held her seat. There was a brace of disappointments and near misses for other Conservative County Council candidates.

So for the next four years the Lib Dems will have a chance to demonstrate that they have matured as a party and can act responsibly in charge of a budget of £600 million, keep taxes low and manage public services like education and social services effectively. They've had other chances and blown them, and we doubt they'll achieve much this time. In four years time, the Conservatives will be poised to take control if they fail.

For all of this the Torridge and West Devon Conservatives leave this election period delighted with the main result and determined to build on the progress made. The Liberal Democrat candidate said his party will be back to challenge the Conseratives. We are not complacent, we will strive to serve the best interests of residents, taxpayers and voters. We're ready to govern.

In turn Geoffrey hears what life is like locally, what the real concerns of people are, and he can sound out voters on issues he is encountering in Westminster.

Geoffrey has also sponsored an exhibition on Micro-Generation at the Winkleigh Village Hall. Winkleigh is a village that has faced the prospect of a 'Biomass Generator' being built on the nearby airfield. This electricity power station may have consumed renewable power sources to produce electricity, but it would have had an environmental impact that many found unacceptable. Whilst the threat of the development may have receded, in the longer term ways must be found to produce renewable energy that do not substantially impact on the environment as the Biomass Generator and the massive Wind Turbines do.

Lastly, this is show season. Geoffrey attended the North Devon show in brilliant sunshine (this is not always the case) and found a warm welcome.

a) Loans to political parties are now treated much the same way as donations. In other words loans must be declared and may only be made by 'permissible' donors - UK voters, companies, trusts and so on. No dodgy loans from China, the Middle East, Colorado and so on.

b) It will be possible to register to vote anonymously if you are 'at risk'.  Presumably that means your personal safety is seriously at risk and nothing more trivial.

c) You may now register to vote as late as 11 days before the election. This is a change from the effective 2 months before polling day.

d) Service voters may now register for three years rather than one. This is a response to the disgraceful state of affairs  during the General Election when British troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan were effectively disenfranchised.

e) Postal and Proxy vote application forms now require a signature and date of birth. ALL existing postal and proxy voters shall have to reapply for postal or proxy votes.

f) There will be a review of polling districts and polling places within the next 12 months.

g) 18 year olds may now stand for election to Parliament and Local Council. Bringing forth the prospect of a teenage MP?

h) Voters will have to sign for their ballot papers on a 'corresponding number list' which will record to whom ballot papers were issued. This is likely to raise suspicion amongst voters about the secrecy of the ballot. In practice however it is a continuation of the system of limited traceability to prevent fraud. Who wants to be a presiding officer or polling station clerk at the next election?

Each Political Party will have the same reason to regard this year's conference with interest. In a word  - leadership.

In chronological order:

1) Lib Dems.

Having ousted Charles Kennedy to boost their chances against the Conservatives the LDs now find their popularity on the wain. This is as much to do with the rising popularity of David Cameron and the Tories as much as it may be that poor old Ming Campbell is simply not projecting much of a statemanlike image, or that Charlie Kennedy still haunts the Party. Then there are the golden boys looking on from the sideline, waiting for their chance - Nick Clegg, David Laws and no doubt several oddballs. This could get very messy.

2) Labour.

Will Tony Blair name the day? His authority is constantly being challenged and the Labour Party grows more fractious by the day. Will Gordon stop speaking in code and spell it out to Tony? What will happen on the fringe? Again, this could get messy.

3) Conservatives.

This is David Cameron's first party conference as Leader. he will want to stamp his authority on the conference and present the Conservatives as a united and disciplined force to be reckoned with. As usual, the journalists will want to find issue with what goes on in Bournemouth, particularly if they feel that having reported bloodshed at the Lib Dem and Labour conferences they should treat the Tories 'fairly'. Nevertheless, the Conservative have the best prospects for a good party conference and despite some minor controversies within the Party there are plenty of reason to be cheerful - like being ahead in the polls clearly and consistently. Government beckons.

No, we're not finished yet...

4) UKIP.

It may not be the big event that the other parties have, but the Purple people do have a party conference. Where? We don't know. What we do know is that following Roger Knapman's resignation as Leader, the UKIP have been choosing a new maximum leader. He will be unveiled at the UKIP Party Conference.

This, frustratingly for the Purple people, will largely go unreported. That would not have been the case had Kilroy-Silk been in the running, but since we are talking about a collection of MEPs and nobodies slugging it out in a typically rowdy UKIP  brawl it is likely that the outcome of this contest ranks alongside other minor curiosity value items in the eyes of the media.

We're not sure what the Greens are up to. In the past they haven't had a leader which is a bit sad, but we do hope they have a nice conference. Will it be carbon neutral?

Enjoy the conference season. It should be interesting.