As the prequel to the General Election campaign gathers pace, it is always interesting to find out who’s going where and what’s happening.
Mike Mackenzie, the SNP’s candidate for Argyll & Bute’s Westminster seat, sallied forth in the Isle of Bute last weekend.
While Bute has a strong SNP presence, with Councillor Isobel Strong representing the party at the last General Election, it is, if not quite a Liberal Democrat stronghold, certainly a form of sanctuary for the party. Former Bute farmer, the Lib Dem’s George Lyon, had represented Argyll & Bute at Holyrood until he lost to the SNP’s Jim Mather – now also Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism – in 2007. Mr Lyon is now the sole Liberal Democrat among Scotland’s six MEPs, following the June 2009 elections to the European Parliament.
So how did Mike Mackenzie find Bute? Well – wet and windy but balanced with a warm welcome.
This sort of legwork is the bread and butter of politics – stopping strangers in the street and dealing with a wide range of receptions and issues; knocking on doors, taking it as it comes – hour after hour, keeping on trucking, listening, remembering, learning, smiling and shaking hands.
When the campaign proper begins, this will be the pattern of of life virtually every day for each candidate. Not many of us would want to do it and not many would have the stamina.
The crucial thing is that, for the candidates, the next person they talk to is just that; while, for the person in question, it’s a one-off experience. For this sort of political streetwalking to be successful, every single person met has, genuinely, to be the sole focus of concentration. This is demanding work.
Mike Mackenzie’s weekend work in Bute is described as: ‘Street work between bursts of rain and gales in Rothesay Town centre on Saturday morning, followed by a quick lunch at the café at Ettrick Bay’. And back to work.
Mackenzie says: ‘The afternoon session of door knocking in parts of Rothesay was very interesting. The feeling that Westminster has let all of us down was the dominant issue we came across and I have never met so many people so angry and disillusioned. if I was looking for a vote of confidence in any of the three London-based parties I could be very worried indeed’.
In terms of responses to his own party, Mackenzie feels that people he met: ‘understood that the SNP is doing its very best for Scotland in very difficult circumstances. We seem to be making continuous progress and are looking forward eagerly to next year’s General Election. But we have a lot of hard work to do before then if we want to maintain the advantage Jim Mather gave us by winning Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Parliamentary elections’.
This assessment has to be an accurate one. The Argyll & Bute contest is going to be a hard fought and genuinely interesting one, offering voters real choices from exceptionally good candidates.
The photograph above shows Mike Mackenzie with party colleague, Councillor Isobel Strong, on the stump in Rothesay last weekend.
Well, credit were credit is due.
Mike Mackenzie is working his tail off delivering the SNP message to the people of Argyll. I like Mike’s work ethic and his approach to the job. Read all his articles on this forum, they make a lot of common sense which has been sadly missing from Westminster recently. I am sure Mike will make the difference in London when given his chance next year.
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a waste of time sending an snp to westminster – argyll will be the loser .given the disastrous showing of isobel strong at the last general election i’m surprised the present candidate doesn’t give her a wide berth
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It’s all very well for the candidates dotting about the big towns meeting lots of pleasant people and getting their photos taken. We could do with seeing Mr McKenzie and the rest of them round the doors dealing with hard questions.
Whatever happened to the good old public meetings at which candidates could be put under real pressure and we’d see what they were made of? There was a big public meeting in Dunoon before the last election and it fairly finished off George Lyons and wee Alan Reid.
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That’s a pretty unpleasant comment. Does you more damage than it does Isobel Strong who was a fine candidate in a very short campaign.
Actually its a waste of time sending any Scots MPs unionist MPS to Westminster as they are outnumbered about 11 to 1 by their English colleagues and do exactly as they are told by their London bosses. As Winnie Ewing said ” The SNP doesn’t send MPS down to Westminster to settle down. They are there to settle up!”
Ansd the final settlement is getting closer and closer, I’m glad to say
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Willie
“Wee Alan Reid” is not finished yet. Not quite.
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What??????
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isobel strong came fourth in 2005 argyll and bute general election
3000 votes behind labour
3500 behind the tories
over 9000 behind the liberal democrats .
snp vote in the constituency was down by 2% .
if the problem was the short campaign why did the snp not re adopt ms strong as candidate ?
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That was then and this is now.
SNP has won the Holyrood election for Argyll and Bute and the Euro Election for Argyll and Bute since then.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to point this out to our readers.
Actually Isobel Strong was asked to put her hat in the ring again but as she is now deputy leader of the SNP which shares control of Argyll and Bute and Education Convener for Argyll and Bute she is finding the challenges in these positions very exciting.
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kintyre1 is spoiling this blog.
Every time he opens his mouth i feel more determined to vote SNP
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is that the same council thats just confirmed the closure of campbeltowns best puplic toilet ?
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public
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snp controlled argyll & bute (education convenor one isobel strong ) wanted to deprive primary school pupils attending several kintyre rural schools of their school lunches . disgraceful . only a brilliant campaign by outraged parents made them climb down . congratulations to the courageous parents . imagine expecting 5 year olds to attend school all day without a hot meal . when are we going to get an apology from the snp for this scandal ? this episode has cost the snp dear . i know several committed nats who say they will never support the snp in argyll again
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dairy shame of SNP MEP alyn smith .
MEPs have voted to support the payment of emergency funds to help scotlands hard pressed dairy farmers worth around £3 million pounds , or approximately £1500 pounds per dairy farm in argyll & bute .
incredibly SNP MEP ALYN SMITH voted AGAINST the measure and to deny the money to scotlands dairy farmers – so much for standing up for scotland .
with many dairy farmers concerned how they will pay their high feed and energy bills over the winter the move has prompted anger and dismay in farming circles .
what has snp bute councillor and deputy leader of argyll & bute council dairy farmer robert mcintyre got to say about the situation ?
what are prospective snp candidate mr mckenzies views on the matter ?
the community on bute deserve to know
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Kintyre 1
We get the message, you are anti SNP.
Who, or what, are you for?
Your negative pontification has ruined this site as a forum for debate, away with you.
Harry
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i was the first one to be made redundant from the rothesay creamery last june. i used my redundancy to start a new business.i haven’t had any help from any of them scottish gov or westminster gov . despite promises from jim mather. business gateway .HIE. rural development. a&b council. not interested in any thing other than all ready established Bute cliques . i was standing in the butchers the other day when isobel strong and Mike Mackenzie walk in and interrupt the business i was conducting with the owner of the shop. with out as much a a excuse me they just jump t in to talk to the owner.rude and arrogant. i think ill vote for some one other than the lab con snp lib dem there all the same
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