How the vote went

All Liberal Democrat MP's signed the NUS pledge here's how they voted yesterday....

CANDIDATE	CONSTITUENCY	VOTE
Alexander, Danny	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey	YES
Baker, Norman	Lewes	YES
Beith, Alan	Berwick-upon-Tweed	YES
Birtwistle, Gordon	Burnley	YES
Brake, Tom	Carshalton and Wallington	YES
Brooke, Annette	Mid Dorset and North Poole	NO
Browne, Jeremy	Taunton Deane	YES
Bruce, Malcolm	Gordon	YES
Burstow, Paul	Sutton and Cheam	YES
Burt, Lorely	Solihull	ABSTAINED
Cable, Vincent	Twickenham	YES
Campbell, Sir Menzies	North East Fife	NO
Carmichael, Alistair	Orkney and Shetland	YES
Clegg, Nick	Sheffield, Hallam	YES
Crockart, Mike	Edinburgh West	NO
Davey, Edward	Kingston and Surbiton	YES
Farron, Tim	Westmorland and Lonsdale	NO
Featherstone, Lynne	Hornsey and Wood Green	YES
Foster, Don	Bath	YES
George, Andrew	St Ives	NO
Gilbert, Stephen	St Austell and Newquay	YES
Hames, Duncan	Chippenham	YES
Hancock, Mike	Portsmouth South	NO
Harvey, Nick	North Devon	YES
Heath, David	Somerton and Frome	YES
Hemming, John	Birmingham, Yardley	YES
Horwood, Martin	Cheltenham	NOT PRESENT
Hughes, Simon	Bermondsey and Old Southwark	ABSTAINED
Huhne, Chris	Eastleigh	NOT PRESENT
Hunter, Mark	Cheadle	TELLER
Huppert, Julian	Cambridge	NO
Kennedy, Charles	Ross, Skye and Lochaber	NO
Lamb, Norman	North Norfolk	YES
Laws, David	Yeovil	YES
Leech, John	Manchester, Withington	NO
Lloyd, Stephen	Eastbourne	NO
Moore, Michael	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk	YES
Mulholland, Greg	Leeds North West	NO
Munt, Tessa	Wells	ABSTAINED
Pugh, John	Southport	NO
Reid, Alan	Argyll and Bute	NO
Rogerson, Dan	North Cornwall	NO
Russell, Bob	Colchester	NO
Sanders, Adrian	Torbay	NO
Smith, Sir Robert	West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine	ABSTAINED
Stunell, Andrew	Hazel Grove	YES
Swales, Ian	Redcar	NO
Swinson, Jo	East Dunbartonshire	YES
Teather, Sarah	Brent Central	YES
Thurso, John	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross	ABSTAINED
Ward, David	Bradford East	YES
Webb, Steve	Thornbury and Yate	YES
Williams, Mark	Ceredigion	NO
Williams, Roger	Brecon and Radnorshire	NO
Williams, Stephen	Bristol West	ABSTAINED
Willott, Jenny	Cardiff Central	NO
Wright, Simon	Norwich South	NO

28 voted FOR, 21 voted AGAINST, 6 Abstained, 2 were not present and the Government whip Mark Hunter (Cheadle) acted as a teller.

A story in The Sun is being used to stir up racial hatred.

In a story entitled "Three Lions Off My Shirt" The Sun with it's usual talent for misrepresentation has given racists a reason to use the world cup to stir up racial tension.

The metropolitan police department sent a letter out to pubs in the Croydon area giving advice and guidance on tackling trouble during the world cup. Amongst suggestions like using plastic glasses and employing door staff, they suggest "dress code restrictions e.g. no football shirts".

No suggestion of no England shirts, just no football shirts.

No suggestion that it may upset anyone.

Just a suggestion, amongst other suggestions, that you may deter those likely to cause trouble by introducing a dress code.

This is now being used by people with an interest in stirring racial hatred by saying that the suggestion was that the England shirt may cause offence to immigrants.

THIS IS A LIE!

There has never been any suggestion that the England shirt or flag upsets anyone.

DO NOT FALL FOR THESE LIES!

Lib Dem coalition.

I know that amongst my colleagues and also amongst the Conservative party activists there are some concerns about the coalition and what it means to them at the grassroots level.

I would be dishonest if I said that I did not also share some of their concerns. There are real concerns at what this will do to our vote at the next general election.

In the constituencies we fought on the basis that a vote for us would keep the Tories out. With the old "Labour Cannot Win Here" mantra still ringing in their ears, they awake to apparently find that they have a Tory government anyway.

These areas will have some difficult questions to answer next time we go to the polls, not least of which is, why should anyone vote LibDem if all they are going to get is a Tory government anyway.

The answer is staring us in the face...
The answer is in the concessions that the Tories have had to make to form this coalition. The answer is in the policies that we have influenced.

The answer is we do NOT have a Tory government.


We have made progress toward implementing the four key promises of the Liberal Democrats at the last election. We have made progress towards fair taxes, a fair start for every child, fairer politics and a green sustainable economy.

We will not in any coalition get it all our way, but we have delivered on some of our promises.

You do not have a Tory government, you have a Tory LibDem coalition that draws on the policies and principles of both parties.


It is not a total victory, the war has not been won, but the first battle has. We have made progress towards the fairer Britain that we promised.

Our voice is being heard!

And to all of you who may still have doubts it is worth noting that if we are to prove our case for proportional representation then we also have to prove that coalitions work, because under PR this situation will become the norm.

If we want to realise our dream of a truly representative house then we must prove that coalition governments can work.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone who supported me, please do not be disheartened, I'm not!

We have increased the LibDem share of the vote and Labour has been pushed into 3rd, we have a good platform upon which to build.

There were 9 candidates that thought, following on from the Sir Peter Viggers duckhouse affair, that they stood a chance of upsetting the applecart and it is clear that only one of us has emerged from this as a real contender to shake the Tory hold on Gosport.

This is not the end of the road, this is the beginning.

We will be back, and the campaign starts now.

If any of you would like to be part of that campaign please let me know.

Once again thank you for your support.

Rob.

Families come in all shapes and sizes....

Widows and Widowers have joined the voices of single parents and numerous others to condemn the Tory married couples tax plan.

Like the other groups condemning this unfair proposal they recognise that families come in all shapes and sizes, but they additionally feel that penalising someone when they lose a partner is "morally unjustifiable".

Caroline Doughty, chairman of the Widowed and Young Foundation said: "David Cameron said this policy was important because of the message it sends out. What kind of message does this send to widows? That we are less deserving of support than someone who still has their husband and wife?"

It is the welfare of the children that matters not the size or shape of the family that they live in.

We've got Harry Potter on our side.

Daniel Radcliffe, the Harry Potter star said he was backing the Liberal Democrats after having “a good chat” with leader Nick Clegg.

Let's hope he can summon up some Harry Potter magic and give us a big win on May 6th!

A Liberal Democrat MP would be the best result for Gosport.

It is looking increasingly likely that we will end up with a hung parliament.

If the result follows the current polls and the Labour party end up finishing third in the share of vote, Nick Clegg has said Gordon Brown would have no right to carry on "squatting" in Downing Street. David Cameron has not ruled out discussions over voting reform and it is well documented that the Liberal Democrats see this as essential to making a deal.

It is difficult to say what will happen until the actual result, we have been quite clear that we will not be second guessing the wishes of the people and no discussion have or will take place until the people have made their wishes known, but if the polls are right and we do end up with a hung parliament who would be best placed to represent the interests of Gosport?

Interestingly enough, whatever the result, with a hung parliament deal or a small majority for one party or the other the answer is the same and that is a Liberal Democrat.

A Liberal Democrat would be able to use the fact that the ruling party needs his vote to get things through parliament to bargain for a better deal for Gosport.

A Liberal Democrat MP would be the best result for Gosport.

Vote for a real change!

There is a distinct feeling around the country that people want a real change in politics. They are fed up with the old guard that has let us down so badly. They want politicians that are more in touch with them, that understand their needs and aspirations and that do not think that they are above the law that we all have to live by.

This is the key issue for most people, politicians have betrayed our trust and let us down. We must not forget this when we go to the polls. We must look deep into our hearts and vote for real change, we must send a message loud and clear to the politicians that we will not accept this anymore.

We want real change.

Graham Giles supporters need to be told not to speed along residential roads.

The car with Graham Giles stickers in the side windows that just came haring down Anns Hill Road at well over the speed limit will not have done his cause any good. There are a lot of old people living in this area and this car was moving at a fair rate of knots, so fast that I could not see who was driving it.

Speeding Traffic in Anns Hill Road is a big concern to the residents of this area and there were a few people who witnessed this totally reckless and irresponsible behaviour and I am sure that although it was moving too fast to see who was driving I am sure that they all, as I did, saw the distinctive red and yellow banners in the side window.

Someone needs to have a serious word with whoever that was, before he causes a serious accident.

The Liberal Democrats are up for real change. Not up for sale

None of us know the outcome of the next election. It is for the voters to determine the result and we do not intend to second-guess them.

But whatever the result of the election the Liberal Democrats will not compromise on our promise to deliver: -

• fairer taxes, with no-one paying tax on the first £10,000 they earn;
• a fair start for every child, with an extra £2.5 billion invested in reducing class sizes and more one to one tuition,
• radical political reform so you get a fair deal from politicians;
• and a green, sustainable economy, investing to create tens thousands of new jobs that last.


If you want that sort of real change the only way to get it is to vote Liberal Democrat.

You wont get it from any other party.

Bring it on....

Round One. The chancellors debate, as per my previous blog, Vince Cable was voted as the person that most people would like to see as chancellor.

Round Two. The first of the leaders debates and Nick Clegg scores a big win.

Research by YouGov for The Sun ( a Tory paper) clearly shows that Nick Clegg had impressed voters most. He was rated as the most impressive by 51 per cent, a clear lead over Mr Cameron on 29 per cent and The Prime Minister on 19 per cent.

A ComRes poll for ITV News also found that Mr Clegg had emerged victorious. He was rated as the winner by 43 per cent of the 4,032 viewers polled, well ahead of Mr Cameron's score of 26 per cent and miles ahead of Mr Brown's 20 per cent.

We are witnessing an historic moment, elections that can change the course of history don't come around too often. There has not been one in my lifetime, till now.

We have a simple choice, between a vote for more of the same or a vote for real change.

It is becoming blatantly obvious that this country wants real change.

I say bring it on, it's long overdue.

Manifestos at the ready.......

All three main parties have now issued their manifestos, so now is the time for voters to start looking at the parties and seeing which of these manifestos is closest to their own beliefs.

I am confident that anyone spending the time to look at the party manifestos will find themselves in agreement with the Liberal Democrats. I have spoken to Conservative and Labour supporters both in person and online and a lot are surprised to find that we are getting it right where their own party is getting it wrong.

Some have taken part in the Daily Telegraph voters initiative, where you answer questions based on your political concerns and priorities, and found to their surprise that the Liberal Democrats came out on top of the list of parties that they should be looking at voting for.

This comes as no surprise to me, because the fairness that people are looking for, the freedom that people are looking for, the openness that people are looking for is not something that the Liberal Democrats have just added to their policies, it is something that has always been there.

We face a choice in Britain, in Gosport, a simple choice between more of the same or real change.

Let's hope we get real change.

Actions speak louder than words.

Caroline Dinenage is to move into subsidised service accommodation in Gosport.

She has stated in her leaflets that she wants to be judged by her actions and I am quite happy for the people of Gosport to judge for themselves what they think about this.

Is this the change that she wants you to vote for?

Is this the change that we want?

There is and there has only ever been one party that offers real change and I hope that the Gosport people sees through the flim flam of the other parties and votes Liberal Democrat on May 6th.

Disgraced MP's to get legal aid.

I am absolutely gobsmacked at the audacity of the 3 Labour MP's charged with fraud over the expenses scandal.

Not only have these MP's claimed that they should be protected from prosecution by a 400 year old law, they have now successfully claimed legal aid. Legal aid was introduced so that the poor could get proper legal representation, not to defend MP's against the indefensible.

Maybe we should have taken the advise of a Kenny Everett character from the 80's and..." round 'em up – and put 'em in a field – and bomb the bastards!"

The MOD is too top heavy. So are lots of other government departments.

Nick Clegg has visited the south as party of his whirlwind tour of Britain. See the story in The News here

He was, as always, honest and forthright and like his right hand man Vince Cable he has a habit of saying what we all know, but most politicians from other parties tend to completely miss.

The MOD is too top heavy, as a resident of Gosport for many years now I know all too well what he is saying. They have 2 admirals per warship, a ridiculous situation. We need to pare down this bureaucracy in all areas of government, we need better equipped and paid soldiers and less admirals. We need less managers and more nurses.

Another ridiculous situation that we are going to sort out is "the less you spend, the less you get" budget thinking, departments need to be incentivised for saving money, not penalised. The whole "we've got the money in the budget so we've got to spend it" attitude has to be changed.

Liberal Democrats plan to take a measured approach to cuts, making proper savings, savings that will allow us money to ensure that our frontline services are not just maintained but improved.

Accept no substitutes, it is only the Liberal Democrats that will deliver real fairness.

Film backs 'Robin Hood' bank tax

Sir Ben Kingsley is appearing in a film to back the "Robin Hood" bank tax.
See Channel 4 News story here

I fully support the bank tax.

I think it is proper, I think it is fair, I think it is right that the banks pay back the people who have bailed them out.

Now more than ever the better off, especially those who can shoulder some of the responsibility for getting us into this recession, need to help those who are left struggling.

What really amounts to very little to the banks will make a big difference to those affected by the recession that they helped to cause.

Real Heroes

The word hero is all too often used nowadays, for pop stars, for footballers, but these men are the real heroes, these men their colleagues and the other front line people who risk their lives on a daily basis to keep us safe and well.

We must never let these people down, for they never let us down when we need them.

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/newshome/Two-firefighters-killed-in-Hampshire.6207820.jp

Expansion of the rail network.

Coming from what is reputedly the largest town in the south without it's own railway station I am really pleased to see the Lib Dems announcing their plans for expanding the rail network.

Railways are greener than cars or buses, they can carry both passengers and freight and if we had a station and a goods yard in Gosport we could start to attract employers back into the area. Particularly those industries, such as engineering and hi-tec industries which could really benefit our town.

We could even get some of the lucrative new green industries.

With the prospect of employment the young people of this town would have hope for the future, for it is the lack of any real prospect of getting a job in Gosport that really worries most of the youngsters I talk to.

Once again the Liberal Democrats show that they are the only party with policies that make sense for Britain as a whole and the only party with policies that could really transform the lives of the people of Gosport.

Vince Cable once again shows why he should be the next chancellor.

I watched with interest the chancellor debates on Sky News and, although I agree with Sky News' that were no knock out blows, what was obvious was ....

1. The only person who had the foresight to spot the recession before it happened was Vince Cable.
2. The only person being honest across all the issues was Vince Cable.
3. The only person who will balance the ever widening gap between rich and poor was Vince Cable.

Sky News said, "Mr Cable appeared to come out on top, the public saying he put in the best performance."

The Mirror (a Labour paper) rated Vince Cable better than Alistair Darling with a 4 rosette rating compared to Darling’s 3.

And according to Channel 4 news Cable is public choice for chancellor.

It is also obvious to me and to so many of the people I talk to that Vince Cable is the best man for the job of chancellor.

So let's hope the sake of this country that he gets the job!

Our commitment to public transport.

As a Liberal Democrat I am totally committed to improving our public transport. It is my belief that central to this is a network of fast rail links between major cities and towns and branch lines into as many small towns as possible. This network would provide a greener and more efficient way of getting passengers and freight around the country.

"All well and good", you may say, "if it was cheaper", well this is exactly what the Liberal Democrats have announced today. We have promised that we will scrap the current formula used by government to determine rail fares, a move that will mean cheaper rail fares for all.

Our key promise is to scrap the current fares formula used by the Government to set the cost of travel for commuters.

Norman Baker, the party's transport spokesman, has also promised passengers who are forced to take replacement buses will get a third of their fare refunded as compensation.

“It is time the Government stopped this train fares escalator that is so unfair on passengers," Mr Baker said.

“Labour has deliberately pushed up rail fares above inflation while the cost of driving and flying has come down."

Earlier this year a Liberal Democrat study showed Britain had the most expensive railway in Europe.

Its research showed that £10 bought a British passenger 23.8 miles of rail travel compared with 35.4 in Germany, 50 in the Netherlands, 59.1 in France and a staggering 391 in Bulgaria.

“Passengers crammed onto commuter trains have been forced to pay inflation-busting fares year after year while train companies rake in multi-million pound profits," said Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader. "It's time for passengers to come first."

It really is time for a change of government, a real change. Don't vote for the same old worn and tired Labour policies or the carefully glossed over and airbrushed policies of the Conservatives.

Vote for a real change.

Vote for the Liberal Democrats.

A dishonest budget

Alistair Darling's sums are already being questioned.

This budget raises more questions than answers about the choices available to voters at the next General Election. Neither Labour or the Tories are being honest about what they will do if they form the next government and to add insult to injury Darling has also sneaked through another tax rise by freezing personal allowances, something spotted immediately by Nick Clegg but spotted later by the Tories [ they were never quick on the uptake ;-) ].

This £50 a year extra burden for the average tax payer when compared to Liberal Democrat plans to increase the allowance to £10,000, taking millions out of tax altogether and making many more £700 a year better off, shows how far away from being the party of the working man that this Labour government has come.

The Liberal Democrats are the party of social justice and honesty on both our financial position and on cleaning up politics.

We are offering a clear alternative to Labour and the Tories.

A vote for change would be a vote for the Liberal Democrats.

Something positive for Gosport.

With all the negativity around in Gosport at the moment, the fall out from the duck house saga, people feeling powerless to do anything about a situation that has made them very angry, I was very pleased to hear a about an idea to get the Olympic Torch to come through Gosport.

Something positive for Gosport.

This is a brilliant idea, I give it my full support and applaud all of those who are trying to make it happen. All too often I hear people anti-this and anti-that, this is a good chance for everyone in Gosport to be pro-something.

Let's get the Olympic Torch to come through Gosport in 2012!

Let's put Gosport on the map for the RIGHT reasons!

Police unable to attend - a story I hear all too often.

This story from The News highlights a major issue for most people, not just in Gosport. Although in Gosport we do seem to have more than our fair share.

Ghost-hunting museum trip reveals night thefts

The level of police cover in Gosport is just not sufficient, add to that the fact that the police cells have been closed during the week in Gosport Police Station meaning that any arrest at this time also incurs a trip to Fareham and it all adds up to criminals getting away.

Most people I speak to have a story about a similar incident, police attending sometimes days after a crime has been reported, meaning that not only have the criminals got away but any evidence left behind is contaminated.

Minor offences are often not even investigated, even when it quite clear who the perpetrators are. The amount of paper work required to process them means that it is not worth the time spent.

Don't get me wrong, I am not blaming the police for this, it is not the police that is at fault, it is the government, the police are doing a good job under the circumstances, but they are being stretched to the limits by a government obsessed with data gathering, paperwork, and bureaucracy.

The Liberal Democrats have a policy of clearly defined measures that will allow us to put more police on the street.

The Liberal democrats are leading the way on the issues!

Why not let them lead the country?

Lib Dem bank tax plan is clear and specific. Beware of copies!

I hear on the the news today that David Cameron has said the Conservatives would impose a tax on banks to repay the billions used to bail out financial institutions, claiming it is "fair and necessary", but he has not disclosed details of the proposal.

The Liberal Democrats have been very specific about how this crucial issue should be tackled, after extensive discussion with the City and others, and it is seriously worrying that both the Conservatives and the Government still do not seem to have worked out a specific proposal - long after the bank collapse and only a few weeks from an election.

Why bother with the other parties?

The Liberal democrats are leading the way on the issues!

Why not let them lead the country?

Putting money back in your pocket

Almost everyone I know has found life tough over the last year or so.

Now more than ever people need more money in their pockets to help them get by. But there’s no sign of that coming from this tired Labour Government. Instead we have the prospect of paying more and more while getting less and less in return.

No wonder people want a change.

There’s little hope of help from the Conservatives either. The top Conservative priority on tax is to cut taxes for millionaires! But if you’re not a millionaire, you won’t get an extra penny.

Only the Liberal Democrats are offering something different - real change and fairness.

Our tax plan, launched by Nick Clegg and Vince Cable, will provide real help for you. We will make the first £10,000 you earn free from tax. If you earn less than £10,000 you will pay no tax at all. If you earn more, than you will still be £700 a year better off.

Sounds great doesn’t it? And what’s even better, it can be paid for by making tax fairer.

It’s time that the very rich started to pay their fair share. By closing tax loopholes exploited by the super rich, taxes on pollution and by introducing a new ‘mansion tax’ on homes that are worth over £2million, we can give everyone a tax cut.

That’s fairer taxes - ordinary people paying a bit less, while the very rich pay a bit more.

It’s through commonsense measures like this that Liberal Democrats will bring real change to Britain. To find out more or to give your support to our campaign, please visit our website at www.LibDems.org.uk or return the enclosed form.

Together we can get real change and get real help for LOCAL families.

This is why I believe that the Liberal Democrats policies are the only policies that make sense for Gosport.

Airbrushing policy

Caroline Dinenage is currently posting on Facebook and walking the streets saying that she has had agreement that the decision to move HMS Sultan will, under a Conservative government, be "Looked at again"!

Caroline, it is not the airbrushing of your poster that concerns me!

It's the airbrushing of your parties policies!

Policies that will undoubtedly cost this area thousands of jobs!

The move of Sultan to St Athan is one that has come from a review and rationalisation of its operations by the MOD.

The Conservative parties immediate and wide ranging "Defence Spending Review" will almost certainly be asking for these efficiencies to be continued and will probably under the sweeping cuts promised by David Cameron be asking for them to be more wide spread.

Let's not be misled, even we do get a turn around of the decision to move Sultan it will not change the fact that we have ALREADY lost a significant number of jobs from the defence sector and the associated support industries.

Add to this the fact that the Conservatives have already said that they will look for a get out of the building of the new £3.5m aircraft carrier project, a project that supports 3,000 local jobs and it all adds up to a Conservative government spelling disaster for Gosport.

Gosport is already on the brink of economic disaster! We have two of the most deprived areas of the south here, we have the one of the lowest educational achievements in Hampshire, we have a transport system that cannot cope.

What Gosport needs is someone who is going to work to try and sort out the mess that we have been left with, not pretend it is not happening!

A Conservative government will NOT be good for Gosport.

It wasn’t last time and it wont be this time.

Liberal Democrat Spring Conference

I was at the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference over the weekend. It was good to see so many positive people, people who had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve.

The clear message was that a Liberal Britain would be a fairer Britain and that we would need to go back to our constituencies and pass that message on to as many people as we can.

The highlight for me was Vince Cable, he is the one man that I believe that most people in the country would trust with our economy. He was the only man in Parliament to warn of the impending financial crisis.

Many of us "ordinary" folk were concerned at the levels of debt being offered us, concerned at the over inflated house prices and concerned that you could, without any real proof of income, get a mortgage that you could ill afford, but the only man who echoed those fears in Westminster was Vince Cable.

Now we are there, in a recession that Vince Cable and the Liberal Democrats predicted and it was truly inspiring to hear the man that warned of this disaster telling us in very clear terms how we were going to get out of it.

If anyone can lead Britain out of this recession it is Vince Cable, it is the Liberal Democrats.

I have been selected as Liberal Democrat PPC for Gosport.

Well it's been an interesting few months.

The whole story started just before Christmas when I was persuaded by a number of people that I should put myself forward for the post of Liberal Democrat PPC for Gosport. There were already a number of other potential candidates, some highly qualified, all vying for the opportunity to take on Sir Peter Viggers old seat, but it was felt by the local party that we needed a fresh, untarnished, local candidate for Gosport.

At this time I hadn't even been through the approval process that all potential Liberal Democrat PPC's have to go through to prove that they have the qualities needed to become a Liberal Democrat MP. The list of competencies was pretty comprehensive and the process that they had in place was designed to test these.

It was somewhat reassuring to know that the Liberal Democrat selection process was this meticulous and covered all the skills required of a succesful MP, but it was also a bit scary, especially for someone like myself who had not had to perfom under exam conditions for some years.

Needless to say that I came through the candidate approval process with a pretty good score, so much so that by the end of it I was emerging as central's preferred candidate. Well, with the local party feeling that they needed a local candidate, by the middle of February it was looking like I was favourite to get the job.

By this time Caroline Dineneage had already been selected to take over from Sir Peter Viggers as the Conservative PPC and the Labour Party had decided to go with Dr Graham Giles.

There were just a few more steps to go and I would be the Liberal Democrat candidate for Gosport in the 2010 general election, but with central's and local's recommendation it was looking to be a foregone conclusion.

It is now official, the press release has gone out and I am now the Liberal Democrat candidate for my home town of Gosport.

What happens next only time will tell, but I have decided to use this blog to document what happens from my perspective. I will update my progress as often as I can.

Rob.