30 separate leaflets from five candidates

The Guardian, Tuesday May 20 2008

This article appeared in the Guardian on Tuesday May 20 2008 on p31 of the Leaders & reply section.

I wonder if Rosie Edwards (Letters, May 17) and I are living in the same constituency - I feel besieged by local canvassing for the byelection.

A quick hunt through my waste paper baskets has turned up 30 separate leaflets from five of the 10 candidates - mainly Liberal Democrats (16) and Conservative (eight).

I have also had telephone calls from all the three main parties plus one, from Canada, from a market research firm which seemed to be working for the Lib Dems.

The two main leaflet-distributing parties have called on me, and I saw both the Labour and Conservative candidates during a short shopping visit to Nantwich on Saturday.

I regret to report that, in her leaflet, the Labour candidate has quoted, with clear approval, a criticism of the Conservative candidate for having "written about his travels in Outer Mongolia".

I had considered the Labour party's internationalism to be one of its attractions - perhaps the Conservative party really is changing.

Philip Lund
Stapeley, Cheshire