Mr Angry posts again!

Every few weeks for over a year now, a kindly and generously natured soul has posted an anonymous comment on my blog criticising West Kent for the level of campaign activity locally and suggesting we are doing the party a disservice but not doing more for our marginal constituencies.  Sometimes I publish his comments. Sometimes I delete them. I would be far more inclined to engage if the writer had the courage to put his name where his mouth is!

Here is tonight's offering

Now what our local members know, which Mr Anonymous doesn't, is West Kent probably do as much if not more than most to support our 40/40 Campaign. However, because much of what we do is political significant, we don't shout it from the rooftops (nor do I feature it on my blog).

So, for the sake of Mr Anonymous, here is a sample. Some of the following actions arise  from individual one-to-one campaign support from West Kent Associations to twinned constituencies, other examples come from the West Kent Group as a whole.

• Provide cash support to the tune of £10,000 per annum to a critical marginal seat
• Provide free design support and cost price printing to any 40/40 seat which asks
• Financed and produced a PV mailing to 2,000 targets in a North West marginal
• Offered our phone bank and volunteers to make 5,000 phone calls to a SW 40/40
• Made over 4,000 calls for a Sussex marginal 
• Offered our phone bank and volunteers for GOTV for all LG by-election in UK
• Financed and produced a 12,000 target mailshot for a South East marginal to help identify new activists
• Adopted two SE London turnout wards and paid for mailings and survey canvassing
• Paid for a coach to take activists Eastbourne. Further coaches planned this year to Hastings and one other seat (which I won't name). £2,000 in coach hire charges.
• Paid for a coach to take activists to Eastleigh and Newark.
• Since Christmas West Kent has subsidised my salary to the tune of £4,000 whilst I travelled to 40/40 and other marginal seats to provide Merlin and general campaign support for their staff and volunteers. 

Much if what we do is not quantifiable, and there are other examples which are so specific I cannot blog about them at all, but taken together (salary, time, print, phone calls, mailing, stationery and cash support) I estimate that West Kent and its individual Associations channel around £20,000 to marginal and 40/40 target seats.

I really don't know who you are Mr Anonymous, or why you are so angry. Despite your sarcasm I am a forgiving and cheerful soul. If there is anything we can do to assist your constituency, please get in touch and I will raise it with our Management Committee and  see what we can do - provided you are able to demonstrate that you are at least trying to help yourselves.