4th May 2010

Of heads and hearts

I have met many people during the last three years who are changing the allegiance of a lifetime and voting Conservative.  I understand what a difficult decision it must be.  It is the result of disillusionment with a movement that many hold dear and to which several have devoted years of their life.

I must admit to feeling some sadness in receiving votes made in such despair.

They also make the burden of representation that much greater, should I be elected by the people of Ipswich on Thursday.

The problems we face as a nation are enormous but the opportunities that lie within our grasp are immense.  These problems and these opportunities will present the next government with some of the biggest decisions any government has had to make for generations.

Voters are more than aware of the enormity of their decision.  It is why so many are taking such care in making up their minds.  These many decisions, made with the head - not by the heart or through habit - place a great responsibility on the town's next representative: they are each and every one a vote of trust, a vote made all the more valuable given the general collapse of trust in politics and politicians.

This is the hope that many share: that things can change, that our community can have the champion it deserves, that I share the priorities and understand the concerns of Ipswich people.  Should enough people entrust me with that hope on Thursday, it is then my responsibility to remember what I and the Conservative Party have promised, every day that I work in the service of the town as its MP.  In doing so, we may all rebuilt faith in our democracy and the value of our votes, for whatever reasons they are cast.